Could A Diocesan Priest Celebrate the EF Mass And/Or Sacraments Exclusively?

[ProVobis]

Hello,

There is no context? I’m not so sure. “Ordinary”, in law, does not always mean what you said it means. For example, a bishop has “ordinary” power. Context tells us that this does not mean he has “normal” or “standard” power, as opposed to “extraordinary” power (there is no such thing). Or that his power only addresses “ordinary” matters. Instead, “ordinary” here means that his power is attached to his office.

As for the terms “ordinary” and “extraordinary” form–as used by Benedict XVI–it’s difficult to find a comparable, legal usage of those words.

Dan

“Ordinary” is also used to express time during the liturgical season. It effectively replaced the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost. There are I think 33 such Sundays; out of 52 or 53, that’s a little over 60%.

 

[dans0622]

Ministers related to sacramental duties. Certain sacramental ministers exercise the role in an ordinary fashion, others in an extraordinary fashion. Baptism would be a prime example. A priest or deacon is the ordinary minister of the Sacrament, and the laity are extraordinary ministers.

In a liturgical role, there are Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and Extraordinary ones.

And a bishop may certainly be granted Extraordinary powers, ones that are not normally powers of his office.

The Pope may grant a local bishop the power to approve episcopal candidates for open Sees in a particular geography. That power is not ordinary to bishops, but can be exercised, with proper authority, in an extraordinary fashion.

Hello,

Those uses of ordinary/extraordinary are not the same as what is going on with “ordinary/extraordinary form” since there are some priests/parishes that do nothing but the “extraordinary form” (cf. an article by Huels, in The Jurist…not sure the year but probably 2007/2008, titled something like “Reconciling the Old and the New…”

As for a bishop being granted a faculty (or whatever) to do such things–it could happen and you can call it “Extraordinary power” if you wish. My point was that, in canon law, there is no common usage of “extraordinary power” as there is “ordinary power.”

Dan

 

[ProVobis]

In English, “ordinary” and “extraordinary” have a wider range of definitions based on context. In this particular case we have to refer back to the Latin to discern the true meaning.

I believe Pope Benedict clarifies his definition better by stating that one EF can be celebrated each Sunday in each parish. That would still make the non-EF Masses ordinary, similar to the number of Low Masses celebrated prior to Vatican II.

 

[Brendan]

I wonder if that’s true with some of those remote languages in Africa and Asia. Maybe you’d know, having been in those areas. Seems like having to approve and maintain several hundred vernaculars can be overwhelming.

In Tanzania, there are certainly local languages, but there was a decided effort by the first president to promote Swahili as a unifying language. It is also a former UK colony, so English is very prevalent (and required in the schools) So all the Masses I ever attended were in English or Swahili.

I do have the privlidge of knowing a priest from Camaroon. They also have a myriad of local languages, no common local language, but almost everyone speaks French.

He did say that his home diocese has three predominant local languages, and he is fluent in them all (+French and English). He never mentioned if there are Masses approved in the local languages, but he did say that Bible study is done off of the French versions. That would seem to indicate no approved translations of the Bible, and that would be a prerequisite for a vernacular Mass lectionary.

 

[Brendan]

. My point was that, in canon law, there is no common usage of “extraordinary power” as there is “ordinary power.”

Dan

This is liturgical law, which is distinct from Canon Law ( separate discasteries in Rome even )