Fisher More college banned from celebrating EF

[ProVobis]

As I posted early in this thread, if I was a bishop and I saw people who were associating with groups such as Remnant Newspaper and Catholic Family News, I would be on heightened alert.

I used to subscribe to both magazines but found them to be irrelevant after the SP was issued. Do they even have a subscriber base anymore to be a serious threat to the faith?

 

[RPRPsych]

It occurs to me that the bishop himself is probably quite unconcerned with what we all think about what he did.

And if the bishop doesn’t care what I think, then I shall think about it no more.

-Tim-

True. This is an internal matter, and trying to drum up outrage and stir up a storm will do no one any favours; in fact, the websites that are shilling this story may damage the cause of those who genuinely love and revere the Latin Mass.

 

[Veritas1994]

Yes, the alternative suggested by the bishop was St. Mary of the Assumption which is only two miles from the College. There is nothing to quibble about having to drive excessive miles to attend the EF.

I don’t think that is the point though. It is about the fact that this is a college that for the last three years has celebrated the EF daily and the students as well as the faculty have liked that. The fact that the EF is no longer allowed in the college is upsetting to many people, and most definetely there.

The college itself states specifically that one of the main function or (aspects) of the college is that Mass is celebrated daily in the Tridentine Latin matter or Extraordinary form for that matter. For that this is one of the college “charisms” if that is the word to use, even though this is not a religious order, but rather a college. However people know that the EF is one of the main funcitons about this college. Thus by taking it away or prohibiting it, then it is a big setback to the college.

I am not saying that I understand all of the reasons for the bishop to have taken the action that he did. He is the bishop and deserves the benefit of the doubt. I do however hope for the best that the decision is reversed.

God Bless
Arturo

 

[steymard]

I used to subscribe to both magazines but found them to be irrelevant after the SP was issued. Do they even have a readership anymore to make a difference?

Agreed.

 

[clem456]

The word “charism” is being tossed around like a new age volleyball. Here is the catechism speaking on charisms:

Charisms

799 Whether extraordinary or simple and humble, charisms are **graces of the Holy Spirit **which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to **her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of the world. **
800 Charisms are to be **accepted with gratitude ** (not asserted as if a right, we don’t make our own charism) by the person who receives them and by all members of the Church as well. They are a wonderfully rich grace for the apostolic vitality and for the holiness of the entire Body of Christ, provided they really are genuine gifts of the Holy Spirit and are used in full conformity with authentic promptings of this same Spirit, that is, in keeping with charity, the true measure of all charisms.253

801 It is in this sense that discernment of charisms is always necessary. No charism is exempt from being referred and submitted to the Church’s shepherds. "Their office [is] not indeed to extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things and hold fast to what is good,"254 so that all the diverse and complementary charisms work together "for the common good."255

 

[clem456]

Obedience, obedience, obedience.

It appears that’s all that matters for all of you.

Reminds me of Brian Moore’s 1972 novel Catholics, a scene in which a Vatican visitor ties to convince the only existing religious order that does the TLM to give it up. He uses this analogy: “…if I was told disbelief in God of out obedience, I would have to obey. Obedience triumphs everything!”

Granted, I think the analogy is flawed but for anyone to say that the only problem is obedience clearly has no idea what he/she is talking about.

It’s more than just obedience.

It’s about understanding the true nature of Catholic Tradition and everything that goes along with it in Her 2,000 year-old *consistent *history.

Without obedience you have no Tradition or tradition. You merely have a club cloaked in religion.

Obedience means “to listen with love”.,

MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

142 By his Revelation, "the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company."1 The adequate response to this invitation is faith.

143 By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.2 With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, “**the obedience of faith”.**3

ARTICLE 1
I BELIEVE

I. THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH

144 **To obey (from the Latin ob-audire, to “hear or listen to”) in faith is to submit freely **to the word that has been heard, because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself. Abraham is the model of such obedience offered us by Sacred Scripture. The Virgin Mary is its most perfect embodiment.

 

[janeway529]

Fair point. But that would imply some stereotyping was done in order to facilitate such a command. As someone pointed out, there are probably some on the campus, in fact maybe even the vast majority, who are in total obedience to the Pope and the Church. Why are they punished, or being put in the middle of any disputes?

Not necessarily. If the tone of the meeting with the Bishop turned into an occasion for the college’s president to go on a rant about how the Traditional Latin Mass is the Mass of all ages and that the OF isn’t as beautiful, etc. then the Bishop would have cause to be wary of the fact that the EF has replaced the OF as the norm. Besides the fact that SP makes clear that the EF should not replace the OF.

 

[ProVobis]

True. This is an internal matter, and trying to drum up outrage and stir up a storm will do no one any favours;

If only it were…

 

[a_cermak]

I wonder if this has anything to do with Zmirak’s “Illberal Catholicism” article? In it, he mentions a lot of petty, yet distasteful behavior (the auto de fe pig roast for instance) at small Catholic colleges that seem to reject the whole premise of the modern democratic republic and instead seem to be calling for a return to throne and altar. It could be the Bishop is more of a devotee of Dignitatis Humanae.

 

[steymard]

Besides the fact that SP makes clear that the EF should not replace the OF.

I believe that the term “ordinary form” refers to its status in the overall Latin Church. It is in no danger of being replaced by the EF. I am not, however, aware that SP commanded this to be the case for every particular community.

 

[ProVobis]

Not necessarily. If the tone of the meeting with the Bishop turned into an occasion for the college’s president to go on a rant

If that were the case, why not admonish only those who were directly responsible?

then the Bishop would have cause to be wary of the fact that the EF has replaced the OF as the norm. Besides the fact that SP makes clear that the EF should not replace the OF.

Maybe but I just want to point out that there are parishes which have been permitted the EF-only status. In some of these cases, those parishes would have otherwised failed.

 

[steymard]

I wonder if this has anything to do with Zmirak’s “Illberal Catholicism” article? In it, he mentions a lot of petty, yet distasteful behavior (the auto de fe pig roast for instance) at small Catholic colleges that seem to reject the whole premise of the modern democratic republic and instead seem to be calling for a return to throne and altar. It could be the Bishop is more of a devotee of Dignitatis Humanae.

Any further speculation on that point will not, I imagine, be productive. We don’t want to move into a discussion which might cast aspersions on the students as a whole (not that you did that, but it’s just…dangerous ground)

 

[OraLabora]

And my claim is that there already ARE recognized Orders that make consider the EF to be the essence of their Catholic mission.

Brendan, the examples you gave are not religious orders.

FSSP: Clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical right; not under vows. Their mission is specifically the formation of priests for the EF. In that sense the EF is central to their mission which is preservation of the EF.

ICK: Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right; not under vows. As per their website:

Great care for a solemn liturgy, complete fidelity to the doctrine of the Church and the Holy Father, and awareness of the central role of Grace, especially Charity — these are essential elements of the Institute’s spirituality, which is drawn from its three co-patrons, St. Benedict, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Francis de Sales.

(my bold)

Canons Regular of St. John Cantius: they are Canons Regular (that is under a Rule, in this case of St. Augustine) and under vows. As per their website, the EF is not the essence of their Catholic mission as they offer Mass under both forms. As per their website, their charism is:

The members of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius seek personal sanctity by imitating Christ in radical opposition to the values of this world. They wish to “Restore the Sacred” in the Church, in the world and in their own lives in pursuit not only of their own sanctification, but also the salvation and sanctification of all.

and also they make clear:

The sacred Council declares that Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognized rites to be of equal right and dignity; that she wishes to preserve them in the future and to foster them in every way (Sacrosanctum Concilium)

There are no religious orders that I know of that make the EF the essence of their Catholic mission. As Tim pointed out, the essence of their mission is fidelity to the charism of their founder, for instance for Benedictines and Cistercians of both observances, St. Benedict and his Rule. While some may find that the EF Mass is important to fulfilling this mission (such as the Benedictines of Clear Creek in the US, or Fontgombault and Barroux in France), it is not the essence of their Catholic mission.

In the case of the two societies of apostolic life above, one, they’re of pontifical right and therefore out of reach of the diocesan bishop. Two, the preservation of the EF and formation of priests able to celebrate it, is part of their mission. Three, they don’t put down the OF of the Mass, and they stress their fidelity to the Holy Father.

A college teaching that the EF Mass is somehow essential to its mission, strikes me as a dangerous concept and the college is skating on very thin ice. A college that is Catholic should, IMHO be just that: Catholic. Unless it is a formation center specifically for one of those societies mentioned above… and it isn’t. It should embrace the entirety of Catholic the Catholic faith, and indeed teach it. It should be fully orthodox, entirely faithful and obedient to legitimate Church authority (in this case the bishop and Holy Father), and respect all valid liturgies in the Church, whether of the Roman Rite or one of the 22 other rites. It should try to expose its students to all forms of licit Catholic spirituality: monastic, mendicant, etc. It should at least offer the OF Mass, and can offer the EF Mass as well.

And what a missed opportunity: instead of making the EF Mass “central to its mission”, it could instead make good liturgy and reverent execution of both forms of the Mass as a necessary part of a mission that in its essence is orthodox Catholicism. It could even use the rich Gregorian patrimony of music and Latin for the OF, to underline what Vatican II and Sacrosanctum Concilium really intended. It would be far more edifying for its students and healthier for the Church than flirting with schismatics.

I believe that the term “ordinary form” refers to its status in the overall Latin Church. It is in no danger of being replaced by the EF. I am not, however, aware that SP commanded this to be the case for every particular community.

The point is whether a college fulfills the requirements of being a specific “religious community”. Unless the college is run by an order, congregation, etc, in which case the charism of the order or congregation will be allowed to permeate the place. This college’s directors, teachers and student body are not under vows, nor under even a promise.

But it does have a duty to teach what the Church teaches, to embrace orthodoxy, and to reject heterodoxy, including the erroneous notion that the EF is essential to a good Catholic education, which is what the mission of a college is, no?

 

[janeway529]

I think the biggest issue for the Bishop isn’t the EF, but the priest saying the Mass. If Fisher More College is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Fort Worth, and they have a priest from FSSP in residence WITHOUT the permission of Bishop Olson, then there is an issue. Since FSSP needs the permission of the Ordinary to enter a diocese or parish, perhaps the same logic holds true for the college’s chapel.

What seems to be happening, [at least in my mind] from the bishop’s standpoint, is that the FSSP priest has essentially turned a college chapel (most likely in the bishop’s jurisdiction) into an FSSP parish without his permission.

 

[Sirach2]

Well said, Ora.

 

[janeway529]

I am not, however, aware that SP commanded this to be the case for every particular community.

From Summorum Pontificum:

There is no contradiction between the two editions of the Roman Missal. In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place. Needless to say, in order to experience full communion, the priests of the communities adhering to the former usage cannot, as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new books. The total exclusion of the new rite would not in fact be consistent with the recognition of its value and holiness.

 

[steymard]

Three, they don’t put down the OF of the Mass

In the absence of clear evidence to the contrary, I would be careful of implying that the opposite is the case with Fisher More. At least I gathered that implication from your statement.

It should be fully orthodox, entirely faithful and obedient to legitimate Church authority (in this case the bishop and Holy Father)

We haven’t seen Fisher More demonstrate its disobedience.

and respect all valid liturgies in the Church, whether of the Roman Rite or one of the 22 other rites.

We haven’t seen Fisher More disrespect any valid liturgy of the Church, including the NO.

It should try to expose its students to all forms of licit Catholic spirituality: monastic, mendicant, etc. It should at least offer the OF Mass, and can offer the EF Mass as well.

Why is the “should” here? Fisher More is small. It has a tiny amount of resources. It only has so many teachers to teach spirituality. It can only offer one Mass a day. Furthermore, its priest-in-residence is F.S.S.P., who obviously is specialized in the EF.

 

[ProVobis]

I think the biggest issue for the Bishop isn’t the EF, but the priest saying the Mass. If Fisher More College is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Fort Worth, and they have a priest from FSSP in residence WITHOUT the permission of Bishop Olson, then there is an issue.

This is a touchy issue, especially if a previous bishop has already made such a commitment to the FSSP in his diocese. I suppose it’s the bishop’s right to dishonor that commitment but try explaining that to the faithful who moved into that community, all of whom would be affected, not just the FSSP priest.

 

[steymard]

I think the biggest issue for the Bishop isn’t the EF, but the priest saying the Mass. If Fisher More College is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Fort Worth, and they have a priest from FSSP in residence WITHOUT the permission of Bishop Olson, then there is an issue. Since FSSP needs the permission of the Ordinary to enter a diocese or parish, perhaps the same logic holds true for the college’s chapel.

The problem is that Bishop Olson is entirely new, and the F.S.S.P. have celebrated Mass for the last three years in harmony with the previous local bishop. So it’s not like they’re going ahead without permission. In fact, they have obeyed the new bishop’s present instruction.

And if this was in fact a problem, the proper solution would be to deny the particular F.S.S.P. priest permission. But the bishop has forbidden all EF masses. This is perplexing. I agree that we should wait to see what happens.

I will say that if it comes out to be arbitrary - as in, if Bishop Olson did not agree with the daily use of the EF in general - I will expect a response from Ecclesia Dei favourable to Fisher More. But let’s wait and see.

 

[ProVobis]

From Summorum Pontificum:

On your bolded statement, there are ways around this for the FSSP priest. For example one such FSSP priest was awarded his own parish by the bishop but what he does is to have a visiting priest say the English Mass on Saturday and the EF himself on Sunday at that parish as well as at another parish. So far it’s working out.