This is a random question that came to me awhile ago, but a thread about priests and the traditional Mass reminded me of it.
Let’s say Father Smith at St. Somebody parish down in Smalltown, Kentucky (just for instance) decides one day that he wants to start saying all of the Masses entirely or mostly in Latin. That is, Ordinary Form Masses, in Latin. Is there any reason that he would not be able to just start doing that on his own initiative? Or let’s say the congregation complained about it, could, say, the bishop tell him he can’t say the Mass in Latin (or all in Latin or a larger part of it in Latin or what have you)?
(Theoretically I suppose this could apply to using any language other than the vernacular of a given area, though I don’t know what would possess Father Smith in Kentucky to want to celebrate Mass in Swahili or what have you.)
As a priest who has had the care of souls, I was very attentive, as best I could, to providing for the spiritual needs of those entrusted to my care – that ultimately governed most of my pastoral decisions. Not personal preference. Not what I thought “should be” apart from the discernment of my bishop and my brother priests
I wouldn’t act in this matter, in other words, in a way that was not in accord with the mind of the bishop. He is the supreme moderator of the liturgy in the diocese and I am ordained to offer the liturgy as his co-worker…an extension of him to the flock entrusted to him but whom he can’t tend without his priest co-workers because of the vastness of the flock
While providing the indult Mass by assignment of the bishop, I was celebrating Mass in the
vetus ordo and hearing confessions according to the
vetus ordo. Those who had petitioned for the indult Mass would have, justifiably, reacted with umbrage if I’d imposed a
novus ordo Mass upon them. It would be even more wrong to impose a
vetus ordo celebration on a congregation expecting the
novus ordo since, to use the terminology of Pope Benedict, the
novus ordo is the ordinary form of the Roman Rite’s liturgy while the
vetus ordo is an extraordinary expression of its liturgy
The norm in our parishes is that Mass is provided in the language of the people. That was what I did, whether it was the language of the country’s population or, in tandem with my brother priests, for other populations if I knew their language…which I had occasion to do. If, after that, there were people who wanted Mass in Latin and my responsibilities permitted me to do so, I did that too
For years, I had the rotation for a
novus ordo Latin Mass that was celebrated in the diocese. Actually, it was more popular than the
vetus ordo Mass. The ordinary and propers were in Latin. The readings, homily and bidding prayers were in the vernacular; the readings and bidding prayers always ended with Latin responses by the proclaimer and congregation respectively
The laity attending were those who enjoyed the language and had a fluency…to varying levels. I can’t say each person was responding but the level of their voices was the equal to any vernacular Mass in terms of the parts of the people being pronounced well and knowledgeably
Being the
novus ordo, we had those assisting as readers and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and the lay ministry was vibrant…but it was a regular community from throughout the diocese who would come. Some had been classics majors or otherwise students of Latin. Those who were coming were coming to a Mass announced as being the
novus ordo in Latin. The language was not sprung upon them
Now that I’m retired, when I say Mass privately, I regularly do the
novus ordo in Latin. I’d gladly do it for a congregation expecting it and ready to have full, conscious, and active participation – such as our cloistered Religious. I would not, on the other hand, do it for a congregation that assembled expecting a scheduled vernacular Mass. I would for a congregation expecting a scheduled Latin Mass
I could see it happening unscheduled if, for instance, I collapsed while vesting in the sacristy and there was no other priest at hand but, let us say, a priest confrere who was visiting from Poland and who did not speak the vernacular but could say the Mass in the
novus ordo in Latin while the readers did the readings in the vernacular and the choir or cantor did the hymns in the vernacular. I think everyone would be understanding in that circumstance
The people of a parish have the reasonable expectation that the Mass and sacraments will be in their vernacular language and if the priest is imposing something else upon them at his personal whim, the bishop should rightly inquire and, frankly, intervene
More than “backlash”, I think it is a matter of consideration and courtesy. In my experience, I do not encounter that many parishes today that have the luxury of choosing to do something based on the novelty of it. Aside from Mass in the language of the country, there is the need to provide Mass and the sacraments in the languages of the migrant communities.
To do Mass in Latin when it was not consonant with the mandate that the bishop has given the priest for the care of souls would be a legitimate reason for the bishop to assess whether this priest truly was the proper one for the assignment he was given.
I will add that since Latin remains the unifying language of the Roman Rite, it’s in a unique place. If your “Father Smith” in Kentucky is actually a priest from Africa who has volunteered to come to the United States because of the priest shortage in Kentucky, he very well may know Swahili better than he knows English. That fact should not govern the language in which he offers Mass…unless he is on retreat or a day off and wishes to celebrate in his maternal tongue in a celebration for which only he is present.
