Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum

Just a short musing on this historic day, one year ago when the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI issued the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, liberating the Traditional Latin Mass.

Reading reports about the application of this motu proprio elsewhere, especially in certain parts of Europe, North America, Australia, and the Philippines, we have much to thank God. However, much remains to be done especially in regions where the resistance and disobedience of bishops and their respective episcopal conferences have hampered the possible growth of the TLM. Under this list would include the bishops of Malaysia, on their recent ad limina visit to the Apostolic See, who told the Pope that they have no time to teach Latin in the seminaries.

Much remains to be done and prayed for. And we certainly hope the Pope will not just lead by example (by celebrating a Solemn Papal Mass in St. Peter's, perhaps?), but also crack the whip against opposing bishops.

Carnival or Concert?

A sad day

Below is an article from Radio Vaticana regarding the recent ad limina visit of the bishops/archbishops of Malaysia to the Holy Father. Such is the sad state of affairs in the current hierarchy here in Malaysia. Oremus.

Pope learns of diversity of Malaysian Church

(02 June 08 - RV) Bishops from the South East Asian Nation of Malaysia begun their Ad Limina pilgrimage to Rome Monday.

There are around 800,000 Catholics in Malaysia - approximately 3% of the total population. The country is divided into nine dioceses including three archdioceses, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. We spoke to the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur MURPHY PAKIAM about his meeting with the Holy Father:


"The Church in Malaysia is diverse, it has four races, four languages four cultures. The Holy Father was happy to hear that we are forming them into a community of God's people and bringing them to well beyond their racial, linguistic, cultural barriers to form one community of God's people. Then he was surprised and happy to know that our priests have to speak at least three languages to preach the World of God to the people. He understands very well when I said that we have no time to teach them Latin and that this great move that is in Europe to bring Latin back does not work for people in the small young Church in Malaysia. He was surprised to hear of missionaries coming as far as Malaysia in the attempts to bring the Tridentine rite here. He was happy to learn also that we are moving a lot with inter-religious dialogue, more than dialogue of coming together of religious leaders because we are Hindus, Sheiks, Buddhists Muslims and so forth and he was happy that I had gone for a trip to China and that there was more than just talk of building relationships of friendships among the different religious leaders, because it is a good way of proceeding to put into action the Churches teaching in Nostra Aetate".
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Comment from the source who sent this: "The transformation of the Catholic Church in Malaysia into some sort of Malaysian Catholic Church. How insular. Aiya, make friends with everyone else but alienate other Catholics. Pls la... too many languages? Unite them all with Latin la... Sometimes I wonder what they are thinking and what the nuncio is thinking, creating an insular, under-trained priesthood. When the Pope speaks, they always think 'Hey, this is all and good, but it does not apply here.'. What rubbish. If the Catholic Church chooses to open a branch, I'll join. The Malaysian Catholic Church, like the Chinese Catholic Church (Communist) can go to hell."

On another note, have a look at the video below which was highlighted by Fr. Tim Finnigan with the title "Multicultural Youth Mass at Lourdes" by......surprise, surprise....the SSPX.

Read Fr. Finnigan's account about his experience here. I wonder, if the young French children at Lourdes have no problems with Latin, why does our archbishop here thinks that Asian children, youth and adults would have problems with it?

World Youth Day: Catholicism or Corruption?

OK, if most of you don't already know what World Youth Day is all about, watch this video. Is this the kind of thing the youths of our parishes are asking sponsorship to attend? What would Our Lord ask us on the Last Day on how we spend our money up to the last farthing?

Happy Feast of the Sacred Heart

Most sacred, most loving Heart of Jesus, You are concealed in the Holy Eucharist, and You bear for us still. Now, as then, You say: “With desire I have desired.” I worship You with all my best love and awe, with fervent affection, with my most subdued, most resolved will. For a while You take up Your abode within me. O make my heart beat with Your Heart! Purify it of all that is earthly, all that is proud and sensual, of all perversity, of all disorder. So fill it with You, that neither the events of the day, nor the circumstances of the time, may have the power to ruffle it; but that in Your love and Your fear, it may have peace. Amen.

Palestrina, we love you

Here's another attempt at Sicut Cervus, this time as the offertory hymn for Corpus Christi 2008 with Rev. Fr. Couture as celebrant.

Next is Panis Angelicus as the communion hymn of the same feast. Apologies from Tenor 1 as his voice was affected by the aircond and having difficulties of hitting the high notes during pp, thus his use of falsetto. We will be attempting this again on another occasion, Deo volente. This is fast becoming our favourite piece after Sicut Cervus....

Mark of the Beast Theater

From the infamous St. Joan of Arc parish in Minneapolis, this is their so-called Palm Sunday celebration. No prizes for guessing that they believe they originate from animals, with the spirits of the animals watching over them....


Updated: The video owner has disabled embedding, but you can still view it here.

A party of old fogeys gone cuckoo

I think Simon Cowell (of American Idol fame) would say: "You can't sing, you can't dance, so stop wasting our time and get the hell out of here!"

Learn how to pray and sing TLM

I am reproducing here a posting from Argent about this...from St. John Cantius parish website. The Canons Regular have given us Sancta Missa. For $28 you get a lot! Here's the section Epistola-Evangelium

Oratio – Epistola – Evangelium

50. Oratio – Tonus Festivus
51. Flectamus Genua
52. Humiliate Capita Vestra Deo
53. Oratio – Tonus Solemnis
54. Oratio – Tonus Simplex
55. Tonus Prophetiae
56. Punctum Interrogativum
57. Tonus Epistolae
58. Tonus Evangelii – Simplex
59. Tonus Evangelii – Alter Tonus
60. Tonus Evangelii – Solemnis

Trailer for the FSSP TLM Instructional Video

This DVD makes an excellent gift to your parish priests to prod them to start celebrating the TLM in the spirit of our Holy Father Benedict XVI's Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. You can get it here.

Beata nobis gaudia

Beata nobis gaudia Anni reduxit orbita, Cum Spiritus paraclitus Illapsus est Apostolis. Ignis vibrante lumine Linguæ figuram detulit, Verbis ut essent proflui, Et caritate fervidi. Linguis loquuntur omnium, Turbæ pavent Gentilium: Musto madere deputant, Quos spiritus repleverat. Parata sunt hæc mystice, Paschæ peracto tempore, Sacro dierum circulo, Quo lege fit remissio. Te nunc Deus piissime Vultu precamur cernuo, Illapsa nobis cœlitus Largire dona Spiritus. Dudum sacrata pectora Tua replesti gratia: Dimitte nostra crimina, Et da quieta tempora. Deo Patri sit gloria, Et Filio, qui a mortuis Surrexit, ac Paraclito. In sæculorum sæcula.

Round roll the weeks our hearts to greet, With blissful joy returning; For lo! The Holy Paraclete On twelve bright brows sits burning: With quivering flame He lights on each, In fashion like a tongue, to teach That eloquent they are of speech, Their hearts with true love yearning. While with all tongues they speak to all, The nations deem them maddened, And drunk with wine the Prophets call, Whom God’s good Spirit gladdened; A marvel this—in mystery done— The holy Paschaltide outrun, By numbers told, whose reckoning won Remission for the saddened. O God most Holy, Thee we pray, With reverent brow low bending, Grant us the Spirit’s gifts to-day— The gifts from heaven descending; And, since, Thy grace hath deigned to bide Within our breasts once sanctified, Deign, Lord, to cast our sins aside, Henceforth calm seasons sending. To God the Father, laud and praise, Praise to the Son be given; Praise to the Spirit of all grace, The fount of graces seven— As was of old, all worlds before, Is now and shall be evermore, When time and change are spent and o’er— All praise in earth and heaven.

Ascribed to St. Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers (d. 368)

The Cistercian Monks Of Stift Heiligenkreuz

Here's a great video of the Cistercian monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz in Austria whose monastery was graced by a visit of Pope Benedict XVI last year. Enjoy!

Gregorian chanting 'can reduce blood pressure and stress'

Stress levels could be reduced simply by participating in some Gregorian chanting, researchers claimed today.

Dr Alan Watkins, a senior lecturer in neuroscience at Imperial College London, revealed that teaching people to control their breathing and applying the musical structure of chanting can help their emotional state.

He said: "We have recently carried out research that demonstrates that the regular breathing and musical structure of chanting can have a significant and positive physiological impact."

The monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz sing Gregorian melodies on their new album - the chants are said to reduce stress levels

The research involved five monks having their heart rate and blood pressure measured throughout a 24-hour period.

Results showed their heart rate and blood pressure dipped to its lowest point in the day when they were chanting.

Dr Watkins pointed to previous studies that also demonstrated such practices have been shown to lower blood pressure, increase performance hormone levels as well as reduce anxiety and depression.

The lecturer also runs Cardiac Coherence Ltd, a company that helps executives perform under stressful conditions.

He said: "The control of the breathing, the feelings of wellbeing that communal singing bring, and the simplicity of the melodies, seem to have a powerful effect on reducing blood pressure and therefore stress."

"We have found that teaching individuals to control their breathing, generate more positive emotional states and connect better with those around them – all key aspects of Gregorian chanting – can significantly improve their mental state, reduce tension, and increase their efficiency in the workplace."

Record company Universal recently chose the monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz, Vienna to make an album after responding to a public interest in the genre.

The company also believes the Halo computer game series, available on PCs and Xbox consoles, sparked a resurgence in the music traditionally sung in male church choirs, as Gregorian chant-like melodies form the main soundtrack of the games.

Source: Daily Mail

The man who will not go away

The excellent Rorate Caeli blog published excerpts from an interview with Archbishop Piero Marini in L'Osservatore Romano.

The debate on the liturgical reform effected by the Council seems today to have become again of current interest. How do you judge the path accomplished in over forty years?

I followed, from the end of the Vatican II period, the implementation of the liturgical reform for around 22 years, first in the Consilium ad exsequendam constitutionem de Sacra Liturgia, and then in the Congregation for Divine Worship. Afterwards, for over twenty years, I was able to celebrate the liturgy willed by the Council [Comment: This is a big lie. The Novus Ordo that we know today is nothing similar to the vision willed by the Council] in over one hundred nations, on the voyages of Pope Wojtyla. I have thus organized with local experts countless celebrations of the Eucharist, of the Liturgy of the Hours, of the Word of God, of sacraments, Ecumenical celebrations in so many languages and cultures. The liturgy willed by the Council [Comment: There goes the big lie again. Like the Communists, if a lie is repeated often, sooner or later the majority will accept the lie as the truth] was celebrated everywhere with lively participation and enthusiasm. Everyone understood the liturgy as specific to their local Church [Comment: What does this mean? In India, should it be Hinduized, while in Thailand should it be like a Buddhist service?] and, at the same time, as expression of the universal Church. The celebratory praxis has confirmed that the liturgical reform was necessary because it was based upon sound theological principles of perennial value. It is, therefore, an irreversible path.

The Conciliar Fathers and the Roman Pontiff, making the words of Pius XII their own, defined the renewal of the liturgy, in Sacrosanctum Concilium, as a movement of the Holy Spirit in the Church. The meaning of this affirmation is thus part of the tissue of contemporary ecclesial faith. [Comment: Typical modernist-speak. So the Faith must change to adapt to the contemporary world?]

The celebration of the liturgy cannot, therefore, be separated from the life of the Church. And the Church that lives - I quote Paul VI - is the Church of today, not the Church of yesterday or the Church of tomorrow. [Comment: The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, Who is the same, yesterday, today, and forever]

This is the reason for which the Council concerned itself, first of all, with the liturgy. For the Council, the renewal of the Church, Ecumenism, and missionary action depend on the way in which the liturgy is lived. Yet, celebrating the liturgy of the Council [Comment: The Liturgy of the Council is according to the 1962/1965 Missal], as Pope Montini affirmed, is not an easy matter, as it is not easy living the life of the Church. Rather, celebrating the liturgy of the Council [Comment: Again, the Liturgy of the Council is according to the 1962/1965 Missal] is a difficult and delicate matter. It demands direct and methodical interest, it requires patience, perseverance, personal and loving effort, and so much pastoral charity. All this is necessary, however, if we wish that the life of the Church to be renewed, and that all may feel called to salvation. Liturgical pastoral [care] is an always permanent effort. [Comment: You mean permanent change at each priest's whim and fancy?]

Let us, therefore, be guided by the Holy Spirit who inspired the liturgical movement, Paul VI, and the Conciliar Fathers, and let us continue to bring forward, with renewed effort and enthusiasm, the liturgical ministry in our ecclesial communities.

Many have interpreted "Summorum Pontificum" as a full stop in this path of action [of Conciliar Reform]. What is your though regarding this event?

The text of the motu proprio is to be read in the context in which the Pope placed it. "Today - the Pope says in the accompanying letter addressed to the Bishops - an obligation is imposed upon us: to make every effort to unable for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew." For us, Catholics, the Pope is the visible sign of unity in the Church, he is the Bishop of the Church of Rome called to preside over all the other Churches in charity. The Pope was called by the Lord to exercise the Petrine ministry , to make every effort so that the Church shall remain whole. He has therefore the right and the duty to provide unity to the Church. Who can deny him this duty or this obligation? The Liturgy itself, for those who live it with authenticity, is a school which shapes the very meaning of the Church in the respect of the different competences and ministries and in obedience to the one who presides it.

Finally, it should be remembered that the motu proprio does not intend to introduce modification in the current Roman Missal nor to express a negative judgment on the liturgical reform willed by the Council: the Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the "law of prayer"' the Missal promulgated by Saint Pius V must be considered as the extraordinary expression of the same "law of prayer" . With this new disposition, Benedict XVI does not wish that "the authority of the Council be attacked" or that "the liturgical reform be put in doubt". On the contrary, the Pope's decision has not entailed, up to now, any change in the celebratory praxis of our ecclesial communities [Comment: So what happened to Sacramentum Caritatis (Benedict XVI), Redemptionis Sacramentum (John Paul II), and Memoriale Domini (Paul VI)? Conveniently forgotten, I suppose]. His gesture has been solely in the service of unity. Let us look forward, then, and let us continue with enthusiasm on the path carried out by the Council. [Comment: That would mean we should revert to the the 1962/1965 Missal, right?]

On clapping during the Holy Mysteries

“It is not fitting to applaud the servant in the house of his Master.” --Pope St. Pius X

“Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment.” --Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI)

Some observations of the Papal Masses in the USA

I was tempted to watch the Papal Masses available via EWTN after reading many comments on the various blogs that keeps track on this apostolic journey of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States. I will concur with the general observations that Washington D.C. had the better vestments and altar arrangement, while New York had better music, the Solemn Vespers at Washington notwithstanding. That's the good part.

Now to the bad part. I'm sure most would have heard by now how ridiculous the music was at the Nationals Stadium, Washington D.C. Nothing further needs to be said about that. I'll stick to the other two Masses in New York (St Patrick's Cathedral and Yankee Stadium). Forgive me for the rant and often uncharitable comments....but here goes:

1. What's with the ugly chasubles and mitres in New York? Didn't we hear about Msgr. Marini bringing along worthy vestments from the Vatican?
2. Is this a pop concert? What's with the clapping and wolf-whistling inside the House of God? Probably many don't believe that anymore, rather they think a church is nothing more than a community hall where everyone gathers together to celebrate, eat, drink, and be merry. Dear Holy Father, please don't encourage the people to clap further. Just get on with the Mass. We are to orientate towards Our Lord Jesus Christ, not to ourselves, right?
3. Cantors, cantors....stop drawing attention to yourselves by singing at a faster pace compared to the congregation. And what's with the outstretched arms? It's the organist's job to prompt the congregation to sing, not the cantor! Come to think of it, the organist(s) did a great job, but the cantors were out of sync.
4. Please spare us this Novus Ordo monstrosity called the Responsorial Psalm. Use the Graduale instead!
   
5. Dear deacons, the gospel sung would be nicer if you had sung it properly according to the right tone. A sung gospel is supposed to be smooth-flowing, not broken into bits and pieces.
6. Horror of horrors, the sacrilege of communion in the hand continues. But I suppose this is already a 'norm' in the Novus Ordo, just like having women as lectors. So I guess you would have been 'numbed' to this outrage if you frequent the Novus Ordo. This reminds me of the frog in the pot of water being heated slowly. Hmmm....
   
7. And of course, last but not least, with sadness we hear about "pro-choice" politicians (read that as PUBLIC sinners) openly defying the Pope and the Church regarding the reception of Holy Communion. Refusing to be confrontational, the bishops, priests and deacons who distributed communion to them are equally responsible for this blasphemy and horrible sacrilege against the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. And all this happening at Papal Masses. Kyrie eleison!

It was a great opportunity lost for Pope Benedict to show by example his vision for reforming the Novus Ordo, be it through the celebration of a Latin Novus Ordo, or (wishful thinking) even a Traditional Latin Mass. Most American neo-conservatives might be gushing over the inclusion of some chant and sacred polyphony. To me however, nothing major really changed from the days of Pope John Paul II's mega Masses in stadiums. How sad.

Ad multos annos

Happy third anniversary on Your Holiness' accession to the Sacred Throne of St. Peter. May Your Holiness' reign be glorious!

Papal Mass at the Nationals Stadium, Washington D.C.

He had on the “What the hell was that?” look

h/t to Hallowed Ground

On Reverent Celebration

Many people, too, concerned about these issues, will ask: Isn't it still possible to celebrate the new liturgy of Pope Paul VI worthily and reverently?. Naturally it is possible, but the very fact that "it is possible" is the weightiest argument against the new liturgy. It has been said that a monarchy's death knell sounds once it becomes necessary for a monarch to be competent: this is because the monarch, in the old sense, is legitimated by his birth, not his talent. This observation is even truer in the liturgy: liturgy's death knell is sounded once it requires a holy and good priest to perform it. The faithful must never regard the liturgy as something that the priest does by his own efforts. It is not something that happens by good fortune or as the result of a personal charism or merit. While the liturgy is going on, time is suspended: liturgical time is different from the time that elapses outside the church's walls. It is Golgotha time, the time of the hapax, the unique and sole Sacrifice; it is a time that contains all times and none. How can a man be made to see that he is leaving the present time behind if the space he enters is totally dominated by the presence of one particular individual? How wise the old liturgy was when it prescribed that the congregation should not see the priest's face - his distractedness or coldness or (even more importantly) his devotion and emotion.

- Martin Mosebach, The Heresy of Formlessness, Ignatius Press 2003

h/t to Daniel Mitsui

Liturgy, Seafood, and Thirty-One Flavors

By Kurt Poterack

Recently, a friend of mine came to Mass one Sunday at the collegiate chapel where I am themusic director. He normally goes to the parish church. Afterwards he commented, “My, you do a lot of Gregorian chant! Is that really necessary? Isn’t that too much!?” I felt like saying, “If you go to a seafood restaurant would you complain to the manager that there is too much fish on the menu?” I didn’t say this for three reasons: (1) it was one of those great comeback lines that one thinks of only hours later, (2) as a true friend I preferred an explanation to a comeback, and (3) while it makes sense to me and most of the readers of this journal, it probably would have absolutely confused him. Instead I said, “I’m being obedient to Vatican II, article 116 of the Liturgy Constitution”—to which he replied, “Really, I don’t know too much about such things. I suppose I have a lot to learn.”

Now this person is not a liberal Catholic by any stretch of the imagination. He is quite orthodox in matters of doctrine, faith, and morals—and quite devout—but simply does not have much of a liturgical culture. My entrée with him was an argument from the Church’s magisterium. (We were interrupted, but I intend to continue the conversation at some point in the future.)

I know of a number of good Catholics like this. Someone similar said to me a while back, “High Mass, low Mass, charismatic Mass, Latin Mass, how can someone say that one Mass is better than another?” Again, I said, “Oh, but the church herself says that the sung High Mass is the more noble form of worship, Article 113 of Vatican II’s Liturgy Constitution.” I then proceeded to explain that, though a low Mass celebrated on the hood of a jeep by a military chaplain in time of war is objectively the same as a Pontifical High Mass celebrated in St. John Lateran, there is a reason why the church has many times practiced (and recommends) the latter, while the former is only practiced in emergency situations.

What I am finding, in this era of the New Liturgical Movement, is that the liturgical culture of most Catholics has been absolutely decimated—and I am talking about good practicing Catholics. What such Catholics have been left with is a kind of a neo-Thomistic focus on the validity of the consecration and then, lacking a liturgical culture, they fill the void with an American consumerist mentality—a kind of a Baskin-Robbins’ 31 flavors mentality. In other words, “I like Chocolate, he likes Vanilla, she likes Butter Scotch Rum, as long as we eat the same validly made ice cream, it doesn’t matter. There is no normative flavor.” It is totally a matter of subjective, individual choice.

One cannot appeal to such Catholics, at least initially, using aesthetic arguments or even cultural arguments—because there is no normative liturgical culture which they know. They do, however, respond to arguments from authority.

The thing is, though, that there is this objective liturgical cultus that has been the Roman Rite for centuries. Gregorian chant is the music that is normative, proper to the Roman Rite. It is the only music in the official liturgical books for this reason. The Church has continuously taught this throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Any other music is there by means of addition or substitution for the normative, official music—Gregorian chant.

This is not to deny that these valid “substitutions” can happen to varying degrees based upon pastoral prudence and even subjective choice. The problem is that these subjective choices have been allowed and practiced to such a great degree over the past forty years that the Roman Rite’s very own music has been almost totally erased in the actual experience of probably a majority of Catholics.

The Roman Rite as an actual historical cultus with its own traditions, customs and music has been considerably dimmed. At least before Vatican II Catholics knew “what the score was” even if many of them would go to a more stripped down low Mass because it was quicker.

If I could continue with my restaurant analogy, too many Roman Rite Catholics have been going to seafood restaurants that have been serving little to no fish. They need to learn that, whatever their subjective preferences, fish will be a big part of the menu.

Kurt Poterack is editor-at-large of Sacred Music. He teaches music at Christendom College. poterack@hotmail.com

Source: Winter 2007 Volume 134, Number 4 Sacred Music