Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu will reap what he sows

Whilst not providing the Usus Antiquior (The Traditional Latin Mass) for his faithful, (for clearly there is a significant demand) the most illustrious and Reverend Lord, His Grace, Dr. (Datuk) John Wong D.D. Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, took time out to warn his Archdiocese in a letter to steer clear of the Society of St Pius the X,(SSPX) because they" dissent from the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and they have serious questions about the Order of Mass promulgated by Pope St Paul VI."

The astonishing hypocrisy of the Malaysian episcopate on the matter of the Usus Antiquior is world famous.  They continue to deny those who want the Usus Antiquior, permission or access to Churches, whilst expecting to receive religious liberty from the Malaysian (Muslim) Government. I can only say that  two expressions come to mind; "Charity begins at home" and "You reap what you sow".

The Archbishop (AB) does not warn of any heresy or failure to believe in the articles of the creed or the Catechism of the Catholic Church rather he mentions the Second Vatican Council, which made no definition or changes to the deposit of the faith and is already slipping into oblivion because of it's increasing failure to be relevant to the current age.  It seems as Pope Benedict had warned, that some people treat Vatican II as a kind of Super Council, where nothing much that went before it seems to have any relevance - Let us hope that the pre-conciliar Jesus is the same as the post-conciliar one.  As for the liturgy, many devout and erudite scholars have written on this subject without having their loyalty called into question - Ones legitimate right to prefer the traditional liturgy should not be a cause for others to infer or speculate about their attitude to the newer rite - quite simply it is a preference whose exercise has no prerequisites.

The carte blanche resistence to the Usus Antiquior and failure to implement Summorum Pontificum - is itself a dissent from the Churches discipline and its teaching of recent years on the subject.  Perhaps it is against this prejudice that using his universal jurisdiction has been used by the Holy Father (to overide such as A.B. Wong) to grant universal faculties to the SSPX.   Now I should add, that I am not an advocate for the Society of St Pius X (SSPX), in fact I have little or nothing to do with them, nonetheless, given the complete failure of the ordinary to make proper pastoral provisions for the faithful of his Archdiocese, he, frankly has no one to blame but himself if the SSPX finds fertile soul in his diocese.

Indeed now that the SSPX is present he is surely obliged to adopt an ecumenical approach like that of the of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, who leading by example has giving the SSPX faculty to perform the sacraments even within the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu without reference to the local Ordinary.  Has not His Holiness set the tone and manner in which the Conciliar Church ought to behave toward the SSPX, why does the Malaysian episcopate continue to rebel against the spirit of  Pope Francis?  Many have long suspected that owing to the colonial history of the country, that the episcopate have a real chip on their shoulder, and want to show everyone who is charge now. - This behaviour is as infantile as it is un-christian, their tyranny is worse than their perceived colonial and ecclesiastical predecessors.

When the Usus Antiquior  can be freely celebrated in Malaysia without let or hindrance and the episcopate and clergy of that country do not feel threatened by their own traditions then they will have arrived at a real understanding of religious liberty and thrown off their insecurities about the past and be able to move forward unencumbered by such nonsense and time wasting.

Of course rather than stem the tide, the AB's letter will merely add strength to their bow, and they will continue to grow ever stronger, compounded by his failure to act justly.

Alleluia: tinity sunday

Bishop of Wollongong ad clerum on Summorum Pontificum an important reprint from 2008

The pastoral letter below is an extaordinary document, which clearly states the way in which the Bishop of Wollongong has read not only 'Summorum Pontificum" but the adjoining document which was sent to all bishops. It ignores many of the points which the Pope has clearly made in both documents. It also explains why to date the diocese has not made adequate pastoral provision for those who wish to attend the usus antiquior exclusively.

DIOCESE OF WOLLONGONG

DIOCESAN CURIA

Catholic Church Offices

PO Box 1239

Wollongong NSW 2500

Australia86-88

Market Street

Tel: +61 2 4253 0900

Fax: + 61 2 4253 0977

BISHOP PETER'S PASTORAL REFLECTION ON POPE BENEDICT'S APOSTOLIC LETTER MOTU PROPRIO "SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM"

Pope Benedict's motu proprio of 7 July 2007, which allows a freer use of what he rightly calls the "extraordinary" form of the liturgy according to the Missal of St Pius V reformed by Bl. John XXIII 1962, comes into force today, 14 September 2007.

"The "ordinary" form of the Mass embodies the reform of the Second Vatican Council in the 1970 Missal of Pope Paul VI. This remains the usual liturgical expression for the celebrating the Eucharistic Sacrifice and may be celebrated in English or Latin.

Both these expressions of the Latin Rite are united as one, because which ever form of the liturgy i being used, the same mystery is being celebrated. So, speaking, writing or thinking in terms of two rites (Tridentine and Post Vatican II) should be avoided.

The Mass in the sacrament of our unity in Christ and must not provoke division.The Tridentine expression of the Mass nurtured my young faith until after I was ordained, as it nurtured the faith of countless millions.Yet the Second Vatican Council in fact crystallised and made official the rich fruit of the biblical, theological and liturgical development of doctrine in the decades that preceded the Council.

Personally I have always felt that Pope Pius XII was quite prophetic with his encyclicals in the 1940s on the Mystical Body of Christ (Mystici Corporis), Scripture (Divino Afflante Spiritu) and the Liturgy (Mediator Dei). The seeds of Vatican II are there. It is also worth remembering that it was Pius XII in the 1950s who effected changes in the Missal of St Pius V by restoring the Holy Week Rites, especially the Triduum, including their proper hours of celebration: Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper; the Good Friday afternoon celebration of the Passion; and the Easter Vigil being a Holy Saturday night celebration.

The very first document the Vatican Council promulgated was on the Sacred Liturgy. This expressed in our liturgical celebrations, the central axiom that underpinned the major new emphasis of Vatican II: to mirror the full and active participation in the governance and pastoral life of the Church, at a diocesan and parish level, through finance and pastoral councils and the laity's witness to Christ in secular society.

Hindsight, of course, is a wonderful thing. I have personally felt that if the freedom to celebrate the Tridentine form of Mass had not been proscribed in 1970, and the clergy and faithful had been better educated to understand the theology of Vatican II, possibly the Missal of Pope Paul VI may have been more reverently and adequately accepted, appreciated and celebrated. This may have lessened resistance to misunderstood change which, in some cases, resulted in a hardening of attitudes.

The intention of Pope Benedict's motu proprio is to facilitate reconciliation for people who felt ostracised or marginalised or had joined schismatic groups in response to the Missal of Pope Paul VI.

The Holy Father is seeking to restore unity within the Church. He wants to assist those still attached to the Tridentine expression of Mass. I do not see that the Pope is intending his legislation to attract new recruits to what he now calls the "extraordinary" form of the Mass.

The "extraordinary" form of the Mass cannot be imposed on a congregation by a celebrant. In Art 5§1 the Pope sets out the limits for its celebration.

In the Diocese of Wollongong, for some years now, the Tridentine "extraordinary" form of the Latin Rite has been celebrated. It is currently celebrated by Fr John Stork at St Brigid's, Gwynneville at 3.00pm on alternate Sundays of the month. It would be good to advertise this in your parish bulletin. Please contact the Cathedral Parish Office for dates.

I also believe there is still much more work to be done at parish level on the "ordinary" form of Mass to improve the sense of reverence for the mystery being celebrated with the full and active participation of the faithful and to bring out the spiritual richness and theological depth of the Missal of Pope Paul VI.

The Vatican Council restored to our 1970 Liturgy of the Mass treasures from more ancient sources for Catholic worship that had been lost over the centuries; eg, a wider inclusion of Scripture, the general intercessions, greeting of peace.

With one legislative act, Pope Benedict has now shown that to reject our liturgical inheritance is an unacceptable as to deny the possibility of liturgical development.The Pope imposes tolerance on all of us. There is only one Latin Rite and the 1970 and 1962 Roman Missals are both expressions of it in an "ordinary" and "extraordinary" form.

The Pope has laid to rest any kind o suggestion that the 1970 Missal of Pope Paul VI is not a valid expression of the Liturgy of the Mass. By honouring the past, Pope Benedict seeks to achieve healing now and maintain unity in the future by making the extraordinary expression of the Mass available to those who have traditionally used it.

In his letter to Bishops that accompanied his motu proprio Benedict XVI explains the positive reason that motivated his decision.

"It is a matter of coming to an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church. Looking back over the past, to the divisions which in the course of the centuries have rent the body of Christ, one continually has the impression that, at critical moments when divisions were coming about, not enough was done by the Church's leaders to maintain or regain reconciliation and unity. One has the impression that omissions on the part of the Church have had their share of blame for the fact that these divisions were able to harden. This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to make every effort to enable for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew."

Whether we pray the Mass according to either the "ordinary" form or the "extraordinary" form, we all are confronted with this same prayer before Communion:

"Lord Jesus, you said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of you Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live for ever and ever."

"St Augustine said:
In what is essential, let there be unity,
In what is non-essential,
let there be freedom;
But in all things, let there be charity."

+ Most Rev Peter W Ingham DD
BISHOP OF WOLLONGONG
14 September 2007

PWI:lt/125

An old post from a previous blog I

Pontifical Mass in the Antipodes - Extraordinary Form!

Solemn Pontifical Mass at St Brigids, Marrickville celebrated by Cardinal Burke

Well, Happy Reader, what a Grand Occasion I found myself at on Saturday!  A Pontifical High Mass celebrated by an American Cardinal resident in Rome, but visiting Australia.  It seemed like all the worst combinations, but who would have expected such beauty in downtown Sydney?  I was excessively diverted.
In processed His Eminence Cardinal Burke swathed in red and attended by his inferior ministers.  Gasps were heard and I feel sure I recall seeing a group of matronly-looking woman swoon as the cappa magna swept past them.  I saw a couple of dilettanti complaining about a cappa magna being used at all on a ferial day in Lent, but no one took any notice of them.  It was too good.

The Mass was sung by a choir of local Catholics and a rather fine job they did of it - chant and polyphony in a happy and harmonious blend.  I did miss not hearing much of the organ, but of course it was Lent and we Catholics like to observe these distinctions.  We must have our marks of Penance.

The ceremonies in the sanctuary all seemed to go quite well: there were any number of copes on the altar, I got quite dizzied by their swirls.  The Cardinal wore the most tremendous mitres.  Most of the vestments seemed to match each other.  I cornered a priest afterwards and asked him where the vestments came from.  He told me in hushed tones that they were the gift of an undisclosed Patroness of the High Arts.

I understand that they were especially made for this Mass by an anonymous women from the Diocese of Perth famed for her work in making sets for the theatre.  A bystander, who seemed to know in close detail everything that was going on said, "no", they were vestments of the Saint Bede Studio.

[Editor's note: We can confirm that these vestments were NOT made by the Saint Bede Studio, but certainly represent a courageous attempt at replicating them].

The Cardinal gave a very effective homily which, happily, didn't last too long, because no one could see him save those seated at the altar.  He sat at a rather nice chair, but hanging somewhat insecurely over him was a drape, intending to create a canopy.  Looking at this edifice afterwards, I couldn't help but think that it in part resembled a Hansom Cab, partly a bed in the High Victorian style and lastly the wimple and veil of Saint Faustina.

High Altar, Civory and the bonnett like canopy and throne

I could not quite describe the style of the Church to English readers: something between Spanish Mission style and inter-war Portugese.  It was a peculiar variety of Ethnic Art Deco.  Still, a beautiful church and quite full for the occasion with enthusiasts of all ages.

The above article was submitted to us by an English authoress, who happened to be present for the Pontifical Mass, but who preferred to remain anonymous.