Here is a nice piece of news from the News Leader. I have written about the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau before.
My emphases and comments.
Two parishes to begin Latin form of Mass on Sunday
News-Leader staff
Two parishes within the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau will begin offering the Tridentine Mass, in Latin, beginning Sunday.
Monsignor Raymond Orf will preside at a 2 p.m. Tridentine Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Springfield. The Mass will be offered the second Sunday of each month.
[But wait… there’s more!!]
Father Joseph Orthel will celebrate the Tridentine Mass at St. Peter Catholic Church in Stockton each Sunday at noon.
Later this spring, the Tridentine Mass will be celebrated once a month, during the week, at St. Ann Church in Carthage and Sacred Heart in Willow Springs.
The [Re]introduction of the Latin Mass came as a response to an apostolic letter, Summorum Pontificum, by Pope Benedict XVI that spoke of allowing two forms for celebrating the Catholic Mass — the ordinary form and the extraordinary form. [I rather like the phrasing here: it sounds as if the Novus Ordo is being "allowed" as well!]
The “ordinary form” of Mass, using the vernacular language [Oh well… the vernacular is "allowed" in the Novus Ordo, while Latin remains the official language.] of those attending, was enacted by Pope Paul VI following Vatican Council II. Such Masses have been offered in the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese in such languages as English, Spanish and Vietnamese. [A manifestation of the division of peoples which we would love to see healed by having them all together, praying together, with a common liturgical language.]
The “extraordinary form” uses the Roman Missal, written in Latin, originally enacted by Pope St. Pius V in 1570. [Ironically, the lame-ICEL translation still in use for the Novus Ordo sure seems not even to have written in Latin.]
Other differences between the two forms include:
• The “ordinary form” of the Mass has a three-year selection of scripture readings on Sundays and a two-year cycle for weekdays; the “extraordinary form” has a one-year cycle of scripture readings.
• Holy Communion is received only under the form of bread when the extraordinary form of Eucharist is celebrated; people may receive both the host and from the cup in the ordinary form of Mass.
• The priest in the ordinary form of Mass faces the people while the priest celebrating the Tridentine Mass has his back to the congregation. [This is simply a common error. In practice this is how it works out, but according to the books and tradition of the Church, Mass in the Novus Ordo also should be ad orientem.]
• Servers at the extraordinary form of Mass are boys; at the ordinary form of Mass girls may serve and laity may serve as lectors and Eucharistic ministers. [I think according to the law they "may" serve also at the altar in the older form, but they life expectancy of the priest who would try to get away with that… well… better not to avail oneself of that option.]
This is good news for the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau.
Didn’t they get a new bishop recently?
I’m just asking….
