St. Francis and the Liturgy: Interview with the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word

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I came across a couple of articles recently regarding St. Francis and the Liturgy that I thought others might find interesting. I know there are many people here on CAF who are Franciscans themselves or interested in Franciscan spirituality.

The first is here: newliturgicalmovement.org/2013/03/st-francis-and-liturgy.html It features excerpts from an interview with the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word on topics related to the Mass and the Divine Office.

The second link is the complete interview from the excerpts which made up the second half of the first article linked above. newliturgicalmovement.org/2010/03/reform-of-reformin-utroque-usu.html It features a broader discussion to include the characteristics of their community and some of their thoughts on the “reform of the reform”. Its actually pretty short and does contain some additional information which I found worthwhile.

For those who are not familiar with their name, these are the Friars frequently seen celebrating Mass or working on other shows on EWTN.

Anyway, I found the interview interesting, and I hope others enjoy it also. I particularly enjoyed some of the stories related about St. Francis from the Friars.

Peace,
 
jwinch2 said:
Here is another interesting article on St. Francis and the liturgy that I found edifying.

Myths about St. Francis and Chant
chantcafe.com/2013/03/myths-about-st-francis-and-chant.html?m=1

Here is the original: illinoismedieval.org/ems/VOL5/wagnerl.html
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I think it’s less that St. Francis banned all chant, rather he banned Gregorian Chant. Some chant probably still happened, specifically plain-chant so people like me could still sing along.

According to the article. it seems as if Gregorian Chant actually evolved and took on some items that had been modified by others. Interesting how music within the Church evolved and didn’t exist in a vacuum.
 
Melchior said:
I think it’s less that St. Francis banned all chant, rather he banned Gregorian Chant. Some chant probably still happened, specifically plain-chant so people like me could still sing along.

According to the article. it seems as if Gregorian Chant actually evolved and took on some items that had been modified by others. Interesting how music within the Church evolved and didn’t exist in a vacuum.
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Some at the council of Trent wanted to bad all music except chant in the liturgy as they wanted to keep the liturgy austere and purge it from opulence. Nowadays it has taken on something of an elitist persona, but that was never the intent to begin with. Its funny how perception on those things changes. When something goes away for a while and starts to be brought back, it is now mysterious and rare, when before it was simply a way to keep the Mass simple. chantcafe.com/2013/03/is-chant-in-danger_15.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheChantCaf+%28The+Chant+Caf%C3%A9%29

You also make an interesting comment on the evolution of the music after Gregorian times. That is likely true, though I have personally not looked into it outside of these particular articles.
 
jwinch2 said:
You also make an interesting comment on the evolution of the music after Gregorian times. That is likely true, though I have personally not looked into it outside of these particular articles.
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People often point towards Latin saying that it is a dead language and never evolves. Music however is also a language, and it certainly has evolved. You can tell this looking at the “banned instruments”, which changed several times based off of what was popular and being used at the times.

Kettle drums are a permitted instrument, for example. They were banned once, but then permitted decades ago.
 
Melchior said:
You can tell this looking at the “banned instruments”, which changed several times based off of what was popular and being used at the times.

Kettle drums are a permitted instrument, for example. They were banned once, but then permitted decades ago.
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Perhaps that is something which influenced those at Trent who wished to limit music in the Mass to the voice, and specifically chant. That way the changing times did not alter what was secular or not in the eyes of the Church. I’m not necessarily endorsing that position, merely speculating as to motivation, which is obviously difficult.
 
franciscan-archive.org/liturgicale.html
The Ancient Roman Rite and the Order of Friars Minor
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The Rule of St. Francis obliges that all clerics perform their duties according the “Ordo of the Roman Church”, which is a precise 13th Century liturgical term for the Ancient Roman Rite, which is commonly termed the “Tridentine Mass” today.
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St. Francis of Assisi can be rightly regarded as the “savior” of the Ancient Roman Rite, since, at the time of the foundation of his Order, on account of his desire to live the same religious life that the Apostles lived with Christ Jesus, the three years before He was Crucified and Died for our salvation, he petitioned Pope Innocent III to take as the rite of his Order, the ancient Rite of the Roman Church, which was held to be the “Rite of St. Peter the Apostle”. During the reign of Innocent III, this rite was only used on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, in the private papal Chapel, for the so-called Gallican Rite was universally employed in the Diocese of Rome. In addition only 3 known copies of the liturgical books of this ancient rite were still extant in 1215, one of which was falling to pieces. Pope Innocent III granted St. Francis’ request and gave him one of the good, still extant copies of the Sacramentum, Lectionary, Rituale and other books.
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On account of the Rule of St. Francis, the Order of Friars Minor published the first Missale in 1245 — which was entitled the Missale Regulare — so that all the priests of the Order could easily fulfill their duties, without having to carry about these several liturgical books. Pope Innocent IV attempted to reform the liturgy of the Roman Church in the same year, a reform which was widely unpopular with the clergy of the Diocese of Rome by 1265 A.D…
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And so by the reign of Pope Nicholas III, a close collaborator with St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, the pope having heard how well received the Missale Regulare of the Order was throughout all parts of Europe, on account of the great devotion of the Catholic Faithful to St. Peter the Apostle, decided to respond to the failed liturgical renewal of Innocent IV by establishing the Ancient Roman Rite once again as the proper rite of the Diocese of Rome.
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This same Missale Regulare of 1245, which was adopted with very minor alterations for the calendar of the diocese clergy in 1265, was republished in 1465 as the curial missal. It was this Missale, that Pope St. Pius V, by his Bull Missale Romanum of 1570, established as the Missale Romanum, and imposed upon the entire Latin Rite in according with the mandate of the infallible, ecumenical Council of Trent, granting to all Roman Rite priests the perpetual privilege of celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to this Missal. The continued force of this privilege was confirmed by a commission of Cardinals in 1984 during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. For this reason, every Franciscan priest of Order, has not only the right but even the duty of offering the Ancient Roman Rite whenever and wherever he may wish.
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Today, this Ancient Roman Rite is eschewed and despised by many in the clergy and Order, on account of their lack of appreciation for the virtues of religion and for the importance of faith in Sacred Tradition and reverence for immemorial ecclesiastical traditions. We sons of St. Francis, today, must, more than ever, give a good, wholesome example of spiritual sobriety by returning to the liturgical patrimony of the Order. In this we will help in the most authentic and faithful way all men to approach the Most Holy Trinity with faith and penitence, hope and charity.
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For more on the history of the Roman Rite cf. Fr. Stephan J. P. Van Dijk, The Ordinal of the Roman Church, (Fribourg, 1975), esp. pp. XVI-LXIII and Msgr. Pierre Batifol, History of the Roman Breviary, (Longmans, Green & Co., New York, 1912), pp. 160-64.
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Interesting quote. I cannot seem to find the name of the author, thought the phrase “We the sons of Francis…” certainly gives the impression that it is a Franciscan Friar who wrote it.
 
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to do retreats in Franciscan communities. The simple passion of the liturgical hours/ Mass lifts my devotion to God.
 
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