On joining the FSSP and celebrating the Byzantine Divine Liturgy

[HomeschoolDad]

an FSSP priest can outwardly refuse to celebrate the new rite according to their constitutions if for example asked to by the Bishop

Does this mean that an FSSP priest may celebrate the OF if he wishes to, or is asked to, but he may never be commanded to celebrate the OF if he doesn’t wish to?

Or do the constitutions of the FSSP state that an FSSP priest is never allowed to celebrate the OF?

 

[OraLabora]

Indeed and one would also be bound to obedience to the superior. He can allow, or prohibit, the celebration of a different form of Mass than is customary for the community. Even private Masses.

 

[OraLabora]

There are no FSSP priests where I’m living, they are not even known here, this is why I asked here in the first place thank you for your prayers

I’m pretty sure the FSSP know about and use the Internet, so asking them directly will likely give you a much more accurate answer.

If you do get an answer please post it here, I’d be curious to know.

 

[Paul_Edwards]

There is no official rule banning the new mass due to pressure from Rome, but you would end up feeling uncomfortable and different possibly and they wouldn’t really like it to be honest + where would you celebrate it ? At the parish down the road? Also you’d be expected to give communion in the hand on those rare occasions you celebrated the new mass, something which you would be in the habit of never doing due to your training at the seminary which would train you not to do that ever.

To be honest, I think if you made it through seven years of constant FSSP seminary you’d most likely no longer have the desire to celebrate the ordinary form, especially after they taught you all the differences between the two rites and their expressions etc and then let you draw the conclusions from it.

I’ve been to some great retreats and talks by the FSSP on the mass etc and they being only days or an hour or something are still enough to make you take the position that: “I accept the new mass, but if I had a choice it would ALWAYS be the old mass on any day”. Of course seminary for seven years would give much deeper explanations than what I’ve heard.

Give the FSSP a try and then see how you feel? I hope your vocation goes well if you join that would be great

 

[HomeschoolDad]

where would you celebrate it ? At the parish down the road?

I had in mind, for instance, an OF parish nearby that needed a priest to fill in when one of their priests is on vacation or whatever. Could an FSSP priest do that?

 

[Paul_Edwards]

You would likely live with another priest who would be the rector, and he would not give verbal approval for this most likely. If you went against it, it would cause disunity and uneasiness in the fraternity, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

If you want to say both masses, there is the diocesan priesthood in a diocese led by a good bishop and some other orders that have a mixture I think. But I wouldn’t recommend doing this in the FSSP as they wouldn’t like it at all and you wouldn’t fit in.

Perhaps you could offer to celebrate the EF form for that priest while he is away instead? You never know he might give it a try considering there might be nobody offering to say the new mass