continuing conversation

Hey Kurt, lets talk, maybe we can get a discussion going here

The Egyptian, my comments in blue

Kurt

If you could get a younger priest, it might work, but all of the younger priests are going to have parish or cluster assignments. Canon Law limits the number of masses that a priest can say in a day, and I doubt that you'll be able to convince any of the local pastors to change one of their regularly scheduled masses.

Egyptian

Actually Kurt if the TLM is to survive it has to become part of the regular rotation if you will, actually I can't see why giving up one mass would be a problem, our priest Fr Gene, is saying 1 sat night and 2 Sundays and Fr Ken who is retired and unofficially taking the place of Fr Wyen, is also doing 1 sat night and 2 Sunday masses. I don't believe Fr Wyen will be coming back after this stroke, so I don't think giving up one mass will be a big issue

Kurt

That said, your best bet might be to start by getting one of the retired priests from St. Charles to offer a supplemental mass once a month (e.g., every first Sunday) at one of the under-utilized clustered churches. Of course, you'd also have to train servers and musicians and ensure that those who have never attended the Extraordinary Form liturgy are properly catechized to participate fully (from the pew, I mean).

Egyptian

Actually we would have to start with a low mass, the one most Catholics remember,
little if any music, short and precise, and grow from there, to expect a high mass with all the smells and bells, full chant choir and all right from the gate is unreasonable and does not give the people time to grow in the mass as well. Start off with four or eight good servers and build from there, boys love a challenge if presented to them properly.

Kurt

You would also need to ensure that the availability was widely advertised through conventional media, word of mouth, and parish bulletins.

Egyptian

agree, but scratch the conventional media

Kurt

I would probably attend at least once. I'm toying with the idea of taking a Sunday field trip down to Dayton, where one of the parishes offers a mass every Sunday celebrated by a priest of the Fraternity of St. Peter.

Egyptian

Please let me know what you think, one hint, sit up front. The Fraternity makes priests available to other parishes short term to help train and preform Latin Masses. My occupation makes it almost impossible to get away but have done so twice and loved it. once to a parish in Over-The-Rhine. What really caught my attention was a Baptism going on as we came in, in Latin, and on the other side of church was a line of approximately 15 people waiting for confession. At five till the priest ran out of the confessional wearing a full cassock and biretta, made for the sacristy post haste, said Mass, had one of the best sermons I have heard in years. 8 minutes on Thou Shall Keep Holy the Lords Day, made me think but that is for another day. And returned to the confessional within 10 minutes of mass and the line resumed with at least 10 more in line. And I don't believe that priest was much over the age of 30

Kurt

I am convinced, however, that any priest who celebrates the current mass poorly is going to butcher the old mass just as badly. Conversely, any non-schismatic priest that is willing to perform the liturgy in Latin is likely to celebrate a reverent liturgy in the vernacular.

Egyptian

do you read Fr Z? he seems to get letters from priests claiming that learning or relearning the Latin Mass profoundly effected how they say and experience the NO as well. I loved the young priest that told of how upon returning to his parish after attending a class on the Extraordinary form, he took down the throne that he had placed for himself in front of the tabernacle and sat himself off to the side and reinstated Christ to the front and center of the sanctuary, he never realized how he had made himself the center of attention instead of Christ, this could have the effect of helping many priests.

Anonymous said... If the TLM would be offered in the Mercer/Auglaize area, do you think it would get a crowd? June 16, 2009 3:46 PM Hey Anonymous, why don't you drop an address so we can communicate?

So, for the public, lets start a conversation.

Honestly I don't know, define crowd

1.If it were done as a regularity scheduled mass not some special one time event- maybe

2. if it was done with the desire to grow it- maybe

3. If it were done in one of the old churches that still has the altars and everything in the right place, not the organ by the priest and the priests chair as throne in place of the Tabernacle and Christ has been shunted off to the side altar or even to some Adoration Chapel no one can find-maybe

4.if we could find an enthusiastic younger priest -maybe

5. with proper education and teaching from the pulpit of area priests instead of jealousy (" you should not go to Saint Ipsy Dipsy for the old mass because you are a member of this parish and I forbid it") I once had a priest tell me that I was forbidden to go to confession at any other parish but his, but that is for another time.

6. If the younger generation is encouraged to go and experience it and not told that it is just for the old geezers that just can't accept the happy clappy crap- definite maybe

But for the love of the Holy Father, lets TRY, Cardinal Hoyos stated that the Latin Mass should be available to everyone even if not directly asked for.

So Anonymous, please respond and drop me an address, so we can correspond, If you would rather I can just do it like this also

The Egyptian