Sydney
29 June 2003
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Gothic paradise -
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Classic rite controversial, but ‘a jewel’
By Fr Laurence Gresser FSSP
The historic Tridentine Mass celebrated
by Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos (pictured) in the basilica of St Mary Major in Rome
has certainly captured the Catholic world’s attention.
The Tridentine Mass - or the Classical Roman Rite, as we call it today - is one of the jewels in the patrimony of the Church.
It has sadly also been one
of the most controversial issues in the past 40 years. This has largely been because
of a group which separated from the Church in 1988, the Society of St Pius X.
It
is important to realise that this rite has also grown within the Church, and the
cardinal’s Mass in St Mary Major this year is the culmination of this growth.
The Classical Roman Rite was permitted firstly to older priests after Vatican II.
It was extended univers-ally by papal indult (simply meaning “permission”) in 1984, whereby bishops could set up centres for this rite.
Before this, there were cases of bishops individually permitting the older rite.
This universal permission was extended by the Pope in 1988 in his motu proprio Ecclesia Dei, in which he informed all Catholics that the desire for the Classical Roman Rite was “a rightful aspiration”.
What followed was extraordinary
- the establishment of the Ecclesia Dei Commission in Rome, of which Cardinal
Castrillon Hoyos is the current president, and the founding of Ecclesia Dei priestly
institutes, such as the Fraternity of St Peter, which included the founding of
seminaries to train
men in this particular charism.
On local levels,
Ecclesia Dei societies were founded by laymen who approached their bishops to
found liturgical centres. This is how the Maternal Heart Community at Lewisham
began in 1989.
The founders of this community - Stephen Smith, Greg Tondys,
Fr Terence Mary OFM Conv and the now ordained Glen Tattersall FSSP and Laurence
Gresser FSSP - began a 7pm Thursday Mass in the Convent Chapel in the old Lewisham
Hospital.
This has grown to include 10.30am Mass on Sundays and Mass on first class feasts.
November 11, 2001, was a day of fulfilment for the community when the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr George Pell, established Maternal Heart, Lewisham, as a chaplaincy of the archdiocese, and appointed me as its chaplain.
This is one example of the culmination of the work in a local area, just as the Cardinal’s Mass in Rome shows a more universal culmination.
Lewisham is especially important as it joins a Ecclesia Dei lay community with an Ecclesia Dei clerical community.
The solemnity of the Classical Roman Rite at Lewisham has attracted many people over the years and the community has grown and inspired many to the faith, or to the renewal of their faith.
One of the great calls of John Paul II has been for a new evangelisation.
For those involved in the restoration of the Classical Roman Rite, it is evident that there is a liturgical dimension to this new evangelisation.
People are attracted to the Church by how the Church prays and worships. The Classical Roman Rite is known for how it captures a sense of the transcendental.
This is often remarked upon by the especially young congregation at Maternal Heart, Lewisham, which specialises in Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, solemn liturgy and praying the divine office together.
Although the fraternity has only been in Australia since 2000, it now has apostolates in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
The regional house of the Southern Cross region is at 33 Heather St, Girraween, in the Parramatta Diocese.
The restoration of the Classical Roman Rite in the mainstream Church has come a long way in 40 years.
There are still quiet developments happening behind the scenes, such as the Pope recently overruling the ban by the dean of St Peter’s basilica for the celebration of the old rite in this principal church of Rome.
There is now speculation that the Church can soon expect another document from His Holiness promoting the celebration of this rite in parishes.
Such speculation would have been dismissed several years ago, but so would a cardinal elebrating the Classical Roman Rite in a Roman basilica as it was on May 24.
Fr Laurence Gresser
is regional superior, Fraternity of St Peter (Southern Cross region).