The Tridentine Mass: when and how is it celebrated?

Monday, July 30, 2007

The Tridentine Mass: when and how is it celebrated?

This is my last entry on the Tridentine Mass for now and I wanted to study the considerations the Holy Father presented for the celebration of the Latin mass.

With regards to how and when the Tridentine Mass should be considered for celebration in a parish, the Holy Father makes this crystal clear as well. He says:

In parishes, where there is a stable group of faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition, the pastor should willingly accept their requests to celebrate the Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal published in 1962...Priests who use the Missal of Bl. John XXIII must be qualified to do so... (Article 5, Summorum Pontificum).

There are two VERY important phrases here that dictate how and when it can be celebrated. First, is the phrase 'stable group of faithful' and this is probably the most important of the two phrases. Secondly is the phrase 'qualified to do so' and holds specific importance as well.

The phrase 'stable group of faithful' has been misunderstood, biased, ignored and its definition has somtimes been completely concocted. In discussing it with a number of priests, we came to an anonymous conclusion that a 'group' would be roughly 10 to 15% of the parishioners who regularly attend Mass, which is where I think the term 'stable' comes in. So, for example, at a parish with 300 parishioners, there is generally a higher percentage of regular Mass attendees (everyone knows if you don't show up). This would mean that 30 to 40 parishioners would suffice as a 'group' in a small parish. In a larger parish, however, usually there are alot less 'active parishioners' than the are registered. For example, we have 9,000 to 10,000 parishioners but approximately 5,000 regular Mass attendees. This would mean that we'd need roughly 500 parishioners with interest to consider that a stable group. This is going to vary somewhat, but for the most part we all agreed that a 'group'' should be one Mass' worth of parishioners to make it viable.

Secondly, the priest must be able to celebrate the Trindentine Mass. For those who remember the Mass prior to Vatican II, it is not a simple Mass for the priest to celebrate or for the people to attend. The Solemn Mass (often referred to as a High mass) requires a choir to sing the responses as well as a deacon and subdeacon. For all the Masses, altar servers must be trained to recite the responses. Additionally, the priest must have the training to both properly celebrate the Mass and to train others for their roles.

This is an important document for the Church because it give the faithful new opportunities to experience the liturgy of the Church in a way that resonates with them. At the same time, however, the Motu Propio did NOT radically alter the Rites of the Church nor did it signal a step backward 'to the way things were' in the Church. Ultimately, the Holy Father hopes that this will increase the ability of the People of God to faithfully worship and grow closer to our Heavenly Father. Until next time...God bless.