How Is the EF Mass Doing In Your Diocese?

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How is the EF Mass doing in your diocese? For many years the Tridentine Mass was not allowed in my diocese. My current bishop was named almost simultaneously with the promulgation of the EF muto proprio. Within 5 weeks we had EF Masses scheduled throughout the diocese. At least one EF Mass in every deanery at nice, centrally located parishes.

In my deanery of about 60K Catholics, we get 50-100 attendees each week at the EF Mass in a church that holds maybe 400.

My Byzantine-Ruthenian pastor was clearly nervous because most of his parishioners are Latin Rite refugees who used to constantly dream about an local Tridentine Mass. The great majority have stayed.

How is the EF Mass doing in your diocese?
 
We have 1 Mass each Sunday, at noon. There are about 2 dozen parishes in our Diocese and 1 EF Mass with low turnout.
 
In Seattle we just got a new personal parish =D The tiny chapel that holds like 300 or maybe 250 is nearly always crammed and uncomfortable, but a new building is being sought. There is even the possibility that the FSSP priest there will begin to teach local priests the EF, if any inquire.
 
Galveston-Houston

We had one EF (then Indult) Mass pre-Motu Propio. Our Cardinal Archbishop stated some months after the MP the there were now 4 parishes with EF Masses in the Archdiocese and he had no plans to add anymore.

One is the parish that already had been given permission under the Indult.

A second is on Friday mornings at an on-campus student chapel.

The third was once a month on Sunday afternoons. I attended that one the first three months (Sept, Oct. Nov) and there were over 200 people at each Mass. But after the Dec. Mass, it was cancelled for lack of attendance.

I have never been able to find the fourth, in spite of calls to the chancery.

I know of several parishes where groups of parishioners requested an EF Mass at least occasionally, including my own. These requests have all been denied. 😦
 
Corki said:
Galveston-Houston

We had one EF (then Indult) Mass pre-Motu Propio. Our Cardinal Archbishop stated some months after the MP the there were now 4 parishes with EF Masses in the Archdiocese and he had no plans to add anymore.

One is the parish that already had been given permission under the Indult.

A second is on Friday mornings at an on-campus student chapel.

The third was once a month on Sunday afternoons. I attended that one the first three months (Sept, Oct. Nov) and there were over 200 people at each Mass. But after the Dec. Mass, it was cancelled for lack of attendance.

I have never been able to find the fourth, in spite of calls to the chancery.

I know of several parishes where groups of parishioners requested an EF Mass at least occasionally, including my own. These requests have all been denied. 😦
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That’s very sad. When everyone knew the MP was coming, I collected 100 names on a petition asking for the EF Mass. When the MP was promulgated my new bishop wasted no time in implementing EF Masses at select parishes. He did it in a very local way too – at nice, centrally located parishes whose pastors were strongly supportive of the MP. It was impressive.

To be candid, I think his quick, decisive and generous action sorta took the wind out of the sails of some who had been lamenting the lack of EF Masses locally. They no longer have a rallying cause and the support just doesn’t seem to be there now.

I think it’s because the EF Masses lack a sense of community. People just take-off after Mass…
 
Chuy said:
I think it’s because the EF Masses lack a sense of community. People just take-off after Mass…
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That’s a rather strange and sweeping generalization.

There is a thriving FSSP parish in our archdiocese. Low mass is said daily. Sunday masses are packed. It is a tight-knit community, people go to the parish hall for coffee afterwards. During the week, there are numerous events at the church, from movie showings to workshops to anything else you can imagine. The Knights of Columbus and Legion of Mary are active there. It is in every way a true church community. I just wish it were a bit closer to me so I could be a parishioner.
 
ibkc said:
That’s a rather strange and sweeping generalization.

There is a thriving FSSP parish in our archdiocese. Low mass is said daily. Sunday masses are packed. It is a tight-knit community, people go to the parish hall for coffee afterwards. During the week, there are numerous events at the church, from movie showings to workshops to anything else you can imagine. The Knights of Columbus and Legion of Mary are active there. It is in every way a true church community. I just wish it were a bit closer to me so I could be a parishioner.
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I’ve heard that many FSSP parishes are established as “personal parishes” in which case you could join it despite the location.

One problem with many places that offer EF is that it’s done grudgingly, meaning they do it because the MP says they have to do it. So they have no interest in actually being supportive of the EF or those in the community who prefer same. Hence there is (as Chuy says) a “lack of community” there. The parish you describe sounds lovely. They do care and people probably don’t “just take-off after Mass” because there’s something to do after Mass. The idea of just milling around on the church steps or in the parking lot is rather unappealing.

Despite its true age, the EF has to be considered a rather “new” phenomenon in most places. There is a lot of resistance to it, particularly from priests and bishops who are beholden to the OF (for any of a number of reasons that I will not go into here) and/or are “children of the 60s” and cannot abide anything that reeks of tradition. Look at the French bishops whose arguments against the MP caused it to be delayed for so long. It’s not a “French thing” either: there is episcopal resistance in the US too.

The EF is not a “freak” to be tolerated only because the boss says you have to: it’s a living treasure that needs to be guarded and nurtured so that the faithful come to understand its import. Just MHO.
 
malphono said:
I’ve heard that many FSSP parishes are established as “personal parishes” in which case you could join it despite the location.
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Oh yes, absolutely. It’s just that this parish is a bit too far away from me for me to able to participate in parish life in any meaningful way. For now I have to be content with attending mass there once every month or two.
 
There is a parish nearby that offfers the EF every week on Sunday afternoon. Going by the offeratory collection published in the bulletin - usually between $50 and $150, I’d guess that it’s not widely attended.
 
malphono said:
I’ve heard that many FSSP parishes are established as “personal parishes” in which case you could join it despite the location…
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That’s precisely why many such places lack a sense of community. People cluster from around an area, often driving a fair distance. When they Mass is over they are anxious to get on their way.

ADD to this the very real feeling by many who attend the EF that “punch and cookies time” isn’t important and you have a problem – one that they themselves really don’t understand.

“Punch and cookie time” is extremely important one way or the other and it takes a toll when it’s universally ignored…
 
muffinmojo said:
In Seattle we just got a new personal parish =D The tiny chapel that holds like 300 or maybe 250 is nearly always crammed and uncomfortable, but a new building is being sought. There is even the possibility that the FSSP priest there will begin to teach local priests the EF, if any inquire.
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250-300 is NOT a “tiny chapel”…
 
Chuy said:
That’s precisely why many such places lack a sense of community. People cluster from around an area, often driving a fair distance. When they Mass is over they are anxious to get on their way.

ADD to this the very real feeling by many who attend the EF that “punch and cookies time” isn’t important and you have a problem – one that they themselves really don’t understand.

“Punch and cookie time” is extremely important one way or the other and it takes a toll when it’s universally ignored…
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Yes. That time after the Mass or Liturgy is a time to get to know your fellow parishioners. Many will hurry off to a restaurant and eat, yet they will not stay for coffee and cookies in the hall. Then they complain they don’t have the chance to meet people. Go figure.🤷
 
We had one weekly Sunday EF Mass pre-Motu Propio. Now, in addition to that parish, one other parish offers it every First Saturday. We are a diocese with 95 parishes. As you can see, it has not been widely accepted.
 
In my Central Massachusetts dioceses, the Bishop is struggling to staff every parish with at least one priest who can say the OF, never mind say the EF.

If there is an EF in my dioceses, I really don’t know about it.

The Benedictine Monastery in my area, does do the OF, with Latin and I’m not sure if they’ve included the EF. However, they are the exception, not the rule. The others like St. Joseph Abbey, say the OF in English.

Jim
 
Things are going pretty well in Detroit. There are 4 parishes that I am aware of that have a regular EF.

My own parish changed the Sat. Evening NO Latin Mass to an EF Mass a last March (after the altar boys were trained). Attendance at the Sat Mass didn’t decline in anyway when the Mass was changed.

One of our newly ordained priests spent 2 weeks of the time between Ordination and the start of his first assignment at St. John Cantius in Chicago learning the EF Mass. His pastor is very supportive to his coming to our parish to assist our pastor when needed.

We had an aux. bishop who regularly said the Pontifical High Mass at one of our parishes, but he was given his own See, so our loss is Lansing’s gain.
 
I haven’t heard of any EF Masses in our diocese. Our pastor is certainly not interested in celebrating one. Since our diocese is geographically HUGE there would need to be one in every second parish for everyone to have access.
 
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