Ordinary Apostolic Visitation of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

The blog Rorate Caeli has a post on it today about an ordinary apostolic visitation of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter that the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" has directed to be performed. The visitation will be conducted by a three-member group consisting of the Bishop of Chur, Switzerland (principal visitator), with the Abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Triors, in France (a daughter-house of Fontgombault),  and the Most Reverend Fabian W. Bruskewitz, Bishop Emeritus of Lincoln, Nebraska.

This visitation should be embraced and welcomed by the Fraternity and its supporters.

It is the intention of this blogger to share his concerns about the Fraternity's preference for silent-spectator Low Masses instead of the Dialog Mass with Bishop Bruskewitz. Given the clear teaching of the Second Vatican Council, it seems to him, as it always has, that read Masses under the Extraordinary Form of the Latin rites should be celebrated as Dialog Masses of the highest degree that the particular congregation is capable of attaining. Cf. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's Address on the Tenth Anniversary of the Promulgation of the Moto Proprio "Ecclesia Dei". It is the right and duty of the faithful to participate fully, consciously, and actively in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Mother Church does not want them to be at Holy Mass as silent spectators.

Rorate Caeli's post reports that other institutes under the jurisdiction of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" (such as the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest) will have similar ordinary visitations shortly.

Qui cantat bis orat.

"He who sings prays twice." These words, often erroneously attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo, are actually a paraphrase or restatement of something he did say in his commentary on Psalm 72:1: "Qui enim cantat laudem, non solum laudat, sed etiam hilariter laudat; qui cantat laudem, non solum cantat, sed et amat eum quem cantat." ("For he who sings praise, not only praises but praises joyfully; he who sings praise, not only sings but also loves Him about whom he is singing.") Here is Father John Zuhlsdorf's discussion on this matter.

The norms for the people's participation in the various forms of both sung Masses and read Masses were set out by the Instruction "De Musica Sacra et Sacra Liturgia" ("On Sacred Music and the Sacred Liturgy") of the Sacred Congregation on Rites (3 September 1958).  "His Holiness, [the Venerable Pope Pius XII], deigned to approve [the Instruction] in its entirety and in all it parts. He commanded that it be promulgated and be conscientiously observed by all whom it concerns. Anything whatever to the contrary notwithstanding."

Click here to see the full English text of this Instruction.

Blessed Pope John XXIII issued a Motu Proprio Rubricarum instructum on 25 July 1960 by which he approved a new code of Rubrics of the Roman Breviary and Missal and ordered this new code of rubrics to be observed by all beginning 1 January 1961. This code of rubrics governs the 1962 Roman Missal and is printed in the preliminary pages of its typica editio and all of its editions authorized for use at the altar. Part 3 of the 1960 code of rubrics is entitled "General Rubrics of the Roman Missal," and No. 272, which reads as follows, expressly incorporates the Instruction "De Musica Sacra" (3 September 1958) as a part of the general rubrics of the 1962 Roman Missal:

272. Of its nature the Mass demands that all those present take part in it, after the manner proper to them.

A choice must be made, however, among the various ways in which the faithful may take part actively in the most holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in such a way that any danger of abuse may be removed, and the special aim of the participation may be realized, namely a fuller measure of worship offered to God and of edification obtained for the faithful.

This active participation of the faithful has been dealt with at greater length in the Instruction on Sacred Music and the Sacred Liturgy given by the Sacred Congregation of Rites on September 3, 1958.

This blog, of course, in promoting the full, conscious, and active participation of the faithful in Masses of the Extraordinary Form (that is, the so-called Traditional or Tridentine Latin Mass under the 1962 editio typica of the Roman Missal) desires to see, as does Mother Church herself, the greatest level of such active congregational participation in both sung Masses and read Masses. Sadly, however, where the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite has been reestablished in the United States all too often congregational participation is encouraged in sung Masses but discouraged and made impossible by the actions of celebrants in read Misses so that silent-spectator Low Masses predominate. Clearly this should not be the case. Cf. Cardinal Ratzinger's Address on the Tenth Anniversary of the Promulgation of the Moto Proprio "Ecclesia Dei."

For the reasons set out in the preceding paragraph, the greater emphasis of this blog is on the Low Mass offered as a Dialog Mass (in Latin, "Missa Dialogata" or "Missa Recitata"), and its name reflects that emphasis.

Archbishop Lefebvre on the Council's Liturgical Reform (6/6/1965)

Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre participated fully in the Second Vatican Council; indeed, he had been appointed by Blessed John XXIII to serve on the 120-member Central Preparatory Commission for the Council and took an active role as a member of that Commission. The Archbishop voted in the affirmative on the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium), which was adopted by a vote of 2,147 in favor with only 4 opposed. His support of the principles set forth in Sacrosanctum Concilium must be seen as separate and distinct from his reservations on the revision of the Roman Missal that was to follow in the wake of the Council. The following comments by Archbishop Lefebvre on the Council's liturgical reforms were made on 6 June 1965; the emphasis added is that of the blogger.

LITURGY

Amidst all the antagonisms, exaggerations and discussions which have characterised this period of liturgical change, may a few reflections be outlined?

In view of the speed, rare in the Church, with which these changes have been carried out in all countries, it is difficult to avoid the fear that some measures may bring unforeseen and unhappy consequences. It is thus with devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and devotion to the Virgin Mary and the saints whose statues have been banished from many churches, regardless of the simplest pastoral teaching, and catechetics; the meet and proper ordering of the house of God which has become a house of men rather than a house of God; of the truly divine beauty of the Latin chants which are now banned and have not been replaced by other such melodies.

Must we, however, conclude from these considerations that all these things should have been kept unchanged? The Council with temperance and prudence has answered otherwise. Some reform and renewal was needed.

The Virgin Mary watches over the Magisterium and authority of her Roman and Catholic Church.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Despite today's confusion of ideas, may we seek the light of the new dawn that the Council will bring to the world?

Such perspectives will doubtless be more easily discoverable in a few years. Is it not devoutly to be wished, however, that those who have lived through the Council should strive, in perfect submission to the Successor of Peter, so to bring them about as to arouse true and generous undertakings sprung from the purest tradition of the Church and born of the Spirit of God yet living in His Spouse.

The first part of the Mass, intended for the instruction of the Faithful and a a means of expressing their faith, clearly stood in need of a means of achieving these ends more plainly and, in some way, more intelligibly. In my humble opinion, two of the reforms proposed for this purpose appeared useful: first the rites of this part and some vernacular translations.

Let the priest draw near the faithful, communicate with them, pray and sing with them, stand at the lectern to give the readings from the Epistle and Gospel in their tongue, sing the Kyrie, the Gloria and the Credo with the faithful in the traditional divine melodies. All these are happy reforms restoring to this part of the Mass its true purpose. The arrangement of this teaching part of the rite should set, in the sung Masses of Sunday, the pattern to which other Masses should conform. These aspects of renewal seem excellent. Let us add, above all, guiding lines necessary for true, simple, and moving preaching, strong in faith and resolution. That is one of the most important ends to achieve in the liturgical renewal of this part of the Mass.

Where the Sacraments and sacramentals are concerned, the use of the language of the faithful in admonitions may be useful since these concern them more directly and personally, but this is not the case with exorcisms, prayers and benedictions.

The arguments for keeping Latin in those parts of the Mass which take place at the altar are, however, so strong that it is to be hoped that the days may shortly come when a limit will be set to the invasion of the vernacular tongue of this treasury of unity, of universality, a mystery that no human tongue can express or describe.

How deeply we must long that the souls of the faithful may be united in spirit and in person with Our Lord, present in the Eucharist, and with His divine spirit, so that all that might be prejudicial to this union, whether by an excess of vocal prayers and ceremonies, by lack of reverence for the Eucharist or by unseemly vulgarisation of the divine mysteries, must be totally prohibited. Any reform in this domain can be good only if it ensures more fully the essential ends of the divine mysteries established by Our Lord and brought down to us by Tradition.

Source: Lefebvre, Marcel. A Bishop Speaks: Writings and Addresses 1963-1975. Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Una Voce, n.d. pp. 37-38