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Thursday, July 19, 2012

Ordinariate Mass Time in Des Moines, Iowa

I had a conversation last night with Father Seraiah of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.  The new Anglican Use priest, in case you weren't aware of his name.

He is going to start having a regular Anglican Use Mass on Sunday mornings at St. Anthony's at 10:00am, in the crypt (basement) for now.  If there is enough support, he will petition Bishop Pates for a more stable place, but for the time being, this is where he will start.

Father Seraiah would like to invite any and all to assist at this Mass.  This does fulfill your Sunday obligation, it is 100% fully and completely Catholic.  It is a different "rite," so there will be differences from both the Novus Ordo and the TLM, but like assisting at a Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy, it is fully compliant with Holy Mother Church.  Please feel free to come and support the Ordinariate as much as possible and as often as you wish.

Also, I do believe that Father Seraiah will be available to visit after Mass and talk about the Ordinariate.

On a personal note, I've been doing a lot of studying over the last several months, with regard to the Ordinariate.  From what I've gathered and from the impressions that I have received, not only in conversations with Fr. Seraiah, but also in some contacts that I've made, this is a VERY traditional mindset.  The mindset dates clear back to the Anglican separation from Rome, without the "royal heresy" influence.  What am I getting at?  Well, the mindset is almost a medieval Catholic mindset unencumbered by Modernism.  So, parts feel very ancient, but at the same time, parts feel very in tune with what traditional minded Catholics are looking for in their search for orthodoxy.

This concept is very fresh.  This concept is very old at the same time.  While the Mass is in English, it is not modern.  It is an Elizabethan English which is very high.  And the liturgy itself, has the potential of being very high as well.  It will just take some time to establish that.  So, there must be a little patience as this takes off.  The theology is 100% Catholic.  The dogmas and doctrines of the Church are held from a traditional point of view.  Much of the "ambiguity" which came after Vatican Council II is not present, because they have not been influenced by the theology which emerged after Vatican Council II.  I will let Fr. Seraiah expound upon that more though, but those are the impressions that I received.

In short, I see this new venture of the Church having a slightly different feel.  By that I don't mean a feel that isn't Catholic, but rather one which has a slightly different philosophy.  And that, friends, is ok.  What do I mean?  Think of it this way...the Church from the time of Trent has really taken on a Thomistic philosophy (St. Thomas Aquinas).  It embraced the scholastic methods and mentality of philosophy.  And the theology of the Church followed.  That is the way of things.  With the mindset of the Ordinariate, it follows a much more Augustinian philosophy (St. Augustine of Hippo).  And the theology has followed that.  Is either view wrong?  No, as long as both are in communion with the Holy See.  Are both valid?  Yes, as long as both are in communion with the Holy See.  Are both licit?  Yes, as long as they are in communion with the Holy See.

As I said, this is a new venture.  This is something that will not be for everyone, but if I might be so bold...I think that this is something that everyone should try.  Just as I think that everyone should try any of the other Uniate Churches (Sui Juris, if I must be politically correct) when they get a chance.  Catholicism, by definition and by tradition, is universal.  The Church should cater to all men, while holding on to the truths of dogma and doctrine, theologically.  But the disciplines can certainly be diverse.

Please think about assisting in the coming weeks.  Or even assisting this weekend.  As I said, it is at St. Anthony's this Sunday at 10am, in the crypt (basement).  It has to start someplace.  And it has to start with someone.  I think enough of each one of you that I am inviting you on behalf of Fr. Seraiah to come assist at his Mass and experience a new form of worship within Holy Mother Church.

2 comments:

  1. Listening to "Work of Human Hands" on youtube,"Latin to the Vernacular" (number four #4 in the video series),how can you think that the vernacular is good?

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  2. Yes, I'm well aware of Fr. Cekada's argument for the use of Latin and I don't disagree with it one bit. And I do lay aside the fact that Fr. Cekada is a sedevacantist in this instance.

    However, the Church, from all eternity has never been rigid about liturgical language. There are 23 rites in the Church. Each rite has it's own liturgical language. The Roman Rite has Latin. That is what it should be. The argument that Fr. Cekada makes is 100% accurate about that, but he is not expecting the Byzantines to abandon their liturgical heritage for Latin.

    On the same note, even in the Roman Rite, there have been exceptions going back millinea. Take a look at the history of Ss. Cyril and Methodius. They petitioned the Holy Father in the 10th century to use Slavonic as opposed to Latin, so they could better convert. It was granted. It has been tradition in those areas since. I'm not saying that should be the norm, but to be rigid about the use of Latin is an incorrect view.

    As for the Ordinariate, they are being treated almost as a separate rite. That being the case, they have their own liturgical tradition and that tradition is to use English. However, that English is not modern English, but rather a very stylized and Elizabethan English. So, it is much higher than the modern usage.

    So, I agree 1 million percent that Latin should be the normative and used language for the Roman Rite, but there is room for exceptions. The Church has always allowed for it in certain circumstances, this I think is one of them. It is rare and it is necessary.

    Those are my thoughts.

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