Here is some good news:
St. Rose in Quincy to be chapel for extraordinary form of Mass
Written by Kathie Sass, Catholic Times Editor 07/27/2008 Extraordinary form sometimes known as Traditional Latin Mass
St. Rose of Lima Church will be used as a chapel for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass in the Roman Rite. It will be supported by the Latin Mass Society of Quincy and staffed by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. Pope Benedict XVI, in his apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum, granted broader permission for the Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass.QUINCY – Bishop George J. Lucas has given permission for St. Rose of Lima Church, Eighth and Chestnut, to be used as a chapel for regular celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass in the Roman Rite.
In his July 2007 apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI granted broader permission for the use of the extraordinary form of the liturgy, sometimes known as the Tridentine or Traditional Latin Mass. Shortly afterward, a group of lay Catholics from the Quincy region approached Bishop Lucas for permission to use St. Rose Church as a site for celebration of the extraordinary form.
St. Rose of Lima Parish merged with St. John the Baptist Parish in Quincy in 1999 to become All Saints Parish. In 2006, All Saints was merged with two other Quincy parishes to form Blessed Sacrament Parish. The last parish Mass at St. Rose of Lima was celebrated in September 2005, and the church was scheduled to be sold.
After consultation with priests of the Quincy Deanery, Bishop Lucas granted permission to use the church, which will be known as St. Rose of Lima Chapel. A not-for-profit organization, the Latin Mass Society of Quincy, was formed to take responsibility for the facilities, which includes the church, rectory and parish hall.
The chapel will be staffed by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, founded in 1988 with the approval of Pope John Paul II to provide priests conversant in the celebration of the extraordinary form. The fraternity has nearly 200 priests and 100 seminarians, with its North American headquarters in Elmhurst, Pa.
Paul Geers, president of the Latin Mass Society of Quincy, said people from as far away as St. Louis or Springfield have expressed interest in attending the traditional Mass.
"We estimate that there are 500 people in perhaps a 75-mile radius who might want to attend this Mass," Geers said. "I’ve had calls from people who have been away from the church for 20 or 30 years. This is going to bear a lot of good fruit and there will be a lot of conversions."
Geers said the church is being refitted for the celebration of the extraordinary form. A main altar and two side altars are in storage pending installation and a Communion rail has been donated. The society hopes to have a chaplain in residence and begin a regular schedule by Nov. 1.
"We would like to offer a daily Mass, with two Masses on Sunday – a high Mass and a low Mass," Geers said.
Msgr. Michael Kuse, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Quincy and dean of the Quincy Deanery, said he has fielded some inquiries about the planned celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass.
"I have had people ask ‘Is this Catholic? Can we go? Can we receive Communion?’" Msgr. Kuse said. "My answer to them is this is a legitimate form of the Mass. They can go and check it out, even if it’s only for a little nostalgia. It can also lead to a deepening of faith for those who find it important."
For more information, contact the Latin Mass Society of Quincy, P.O. Box 3006, Quincy, IL 62305.
