Loving The Old Mass (Why Did The Holy Father Do This)

Click here for a DIRECTORY of this series
Before July 2007, I recall often praying and hoping for a day when my family could assist at a Mass in the old rite. Though I do not know Latin... I knew that there were missals which were supposed to make following along easy. Without getting bogged down in the reasons why I was praying for this... I will say that I had friends in other places who enjoyed this Mass in an ecclesiastically approved venue and that I felt that the normal parish fare was not really nourishing me or my family as we needed.

Our dear Holy Father has actually issued several documents regarding the old Mass and they are worth reading, for they help us get into his thoughts on the Liturgy... and most especially... they reveal His Holiness' motives for liberating the old Mass for our benefit.

Here are the documents below. Know as you read these, that it was not due to some sense of nostalgia that the Holy Father, now, at this point in history is drawing our attention to the Tridentine Rite (which he now calls the Extraordinary Form). It is precisely because this form of the Roman rite has been attracting young and old by the thousands... especially in Europe where the secularization of the culture is about ten years ahead of the secularization rate in the US.

1. The Introduction letter to Summorum Pontificum written by His HolinessBenedict XVI accompanying Summorum Pontificum
2. Summorum Pontificum (The actual document which states that bishops must permit any stable group to enjoy this Mass, herein after we shall call this S.P.)
3. A letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which reiterates certain important points about the motu proprio S.P. This is called "INSTRUCTION ON THE APPLICATION OF THE APOSTOLIC LETTER S.P."

This series of posts is to help those who are new to the Tridentine Rite (sometimes called the usus antiquior) so that they may feel more at home there.

I will be blogging about the following subjects: Basic order of the Mass, Why the little red books are good but a Missal is better, What it means to participate at the old Mass, do's and dont's for priests if they wish to encourage the man in the pew to come back next week, What to do when you find you are continually loosing your place, the basic order of the Mass and how to use your Missal, Comparing two different Missals in common use, Digesting a prayer in Latin and in English, Preparing for Mass days in advance, Sacred Music, On Line Resources, How to deal with nasty people who may be at Mass, (EF and OF) and a summary.

Never be intimidated by the seeming complexity of the old Mass. God has you there for a reason

So Who Exactly Is Michael Davies

As a friend of mine pointed out recently...

"We must realize that at that time, Davies must have seemed like a fringe lunatic. However... looking back on it... he was more in line with what Pope Benedict XVI has been doing in his pontificate then anyone could have imagined."

We can say that Mr. Davies maintained the ideals of Catholic orthodoxy in season and out of season.

I would like to include this post from a priest's blog entitled "The hermeneutic of continuity"

Of particular note is the comments that then Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) had to say in a personal note to the Davies family on the occasion of Micheal's death.

I include them here:

    I have been profoundly touched by the news of the death of Michael Davies. I had the good fortune to meet him several times and I found him as a man of deep faith and ready to embrace suffering. Ever since the Council he put all his energy into the service of the Faith and left us important publications especially about the Sacred Liturgy. Even though he suffered from the Church in many ways in his time, he always truly remained a man of the Church. He knew that the Lord founded His Church on the rock of St Peter and that the Faith can find its fullness and maturity only in union with the successor of St Peter. Therefore we can be confident that the Lord opened wide for him the gates of heaven. We commend his soul to the Lord’s mercy.”

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
9 November 2004

Here is a video of a William Buckley's well known television show taped on Apr 22, 1980.  There is a short clip of Davies speaking about 2 minutes and 55 seconds into the show.  You will have to forgive Mr. Buckley who sees on two occasions to know know the name of his own Pope.  So much for conservative Catholicism at the time.  I suppose I was just as guilty of the same kind of inattention... still coming out of the fog of the 60's

Michael, RIP dear friend.  I never had the chance to meet you, but I thank you for the sacrifices you made so that I and my wife and children could learn and love the old Mass.

Eternal rest grant unto the oh Lord!

Loving The Old Mass (Missals)

Click Here for the beginning of this series on the 'Loving Old Mass'

There are many inexpensive options for Missals in order to follow the Tridentine Mass.

The faithful are not to be mute spectators...

Before selecting one we should ask 'what is our goal in having one?' First and foremost, the Church herself has a goal for us. Both pre Vatican II and post Vatican II documents prescribe full, conscious and active participation in the Mass. In BOTH forms we are encouraged to integrate the chants and responses of the propers & ordinary in Latin or English into our prayer. Each individual will do this in their own unique way and that is as it should be. But we are to strive to be united to Christ in the holy sacrifice with as much joy and fervor as we can muster. This requires a little work!

My experience is that the personal missal greatly enhances that injunction. Everyone has their own speed. But the effort you put into following the Mass will be rewarded both temporally and in the efficacy of Grace received. You will find yourself recharged by following your Missal.

Which Missal

I will mention the various purchase options here and try and enclose images so that you can easily recognize them. Next to each option, I will make a short observation about my own experience using each option.

Keep in mind that Missals are like people... in that they are different... they generally express our likes and dislikes (more detail, less detail, more imagery, less imagery, old looking, new looking)... but that they all have one thing in common... the rock solid order and calendar of the old Mass which makes for, in the prayers of the Church, an unchanging bulwark against whim, fashion, fancy, banality or sappiness. There is very little room for priest or layman inserting their own 'novelty' or 'creativity' into the oder of the usus antiquoir.

Try to slowly purchase a used or new Missal for each reading member of your household. There are also children's missals for the very young which are inexpensive and beautiful. This is not such an expense when done one at a time. Also, do not be afraid to WRITE YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS in the Missal. Should you leave it in the pew accidentally... some good soul will often find a way for you to get your missal back.

Types of Missals for the Tridentine Mass

-----Name---------	Picture	Comments
Simple Red Hand Out Booklet		This missal only contains the ordinaries of the Mass... so there is NO Epistles, Gospels or any of the appropriate prayers (called PROPERS) which change each Sunday. You will barely be able to follow the Mass unless some nice person hands out a supplemental containing the Propers for the day along with this booklet... and in any case you will have to JUGGLE the two. Not an easy prospect... though this is nice if you are already an experienced attendee at a TLM and happen to have forgotten your personal Missal. I'll say this: It's better than nothing. Many congregations ake these available near the entrance inside a church before a TLM begins
Saint Joseph DAILY MISSAL		This has become my favorite because of it's simplicity. I sing in a schola and so I can juggle this one, plus all my music and thereby not loose focus as to why I'm there in the first place. I just picked one up on eBay for a mere $20. It's simpler then the Baronius Press Missal and does not have all the Prefaces. But if you sing in a schola or have a wiggly baby... this is a good choice.
The Roman Missal (1962) by Baronius Press		In my family, this is considered the 'Cadillac' of Missals. Last time I checked this was $59.95. It's worth every penny. As for understanding the old Mass it goes way beyond the essentials. It even has a Kyrialis (notes for some of the sung parts of the Mass) in the very back.