Reports coming out of the Archdiocese of Boston do not bode well for the future of a stable parish community that is offered the sacraments according to the usus antiquior. As most Catholics are aware, or should be, parish community life is essential to the building up and keeping of the faith. We attend Mass to go out and live the Mass. The Mass should be integral to our life outside of church.
With the various evil forces bearing down on Catholics, it is essential that Catholics be provided the opportunity to belong to vibrant parish - with a strong pastoral plan - lest (e.g.) the youth (as is so often the tragic case) of the parish be easily seduced by the world, the flesh and the devil.
Spiritual life is not built in isolation - this is a lesson that seems to have been learnt well by such diverse religious communities such as the Mennonites and ultra-Orthodox Jewry. As such, the report from Boston is deeply disturbing.
From the Boston Catholic Insider:
As implementation of the new Pastoral Plan in the Boston Archdiocese progresses, complaints continue to come in about problems with the plan. The latest comes from the Latin Mass Community at Mary Immaculate of Lourdes–the only church where the Latin Mass is celebrated daily and weekly–which is currently under a threat of being disbanded by the Boston Archdiocese.
As background, in March 2007, the Boston Archdiocese announced that the Traditional Mass held at Holy Trinity in Boston was being moved to Mary Immaculate of Lourdes in Newton Upper Falls, effective April 22, 2007. Holy Trinity was subsequently closed and relegated to profane use. Someone familiar with the situation shared the following background with us:
“The ability to formally join the parish was especially important for those who had come to Mary Immaculate from the Latin Mass Community at Holy Trinity in Boston. The Archdiocese had considered these people a movable apostolate which could be moved from Holy Trinity to facilitate its closure. To lure them to Mary Immaculate, they promised a pastor favorable to the Extraordinary Form (Fr Charles J. Higgins ’88 ) and parishioner status so they could not be easily moved.
To read more.
One of the commentators on the article you cite suggests we all write Pope Francis and complain. This is the sort of thing I have seen happen in liberal dioceses through out the United States, and it always means some bureaucrat has stuck in his heels. They refused to confirm my son at age 14 as well but we went to the papal nuncio and the diocese reversed its decision on the feast of the Chair of St. Peter no less. On his own my son started going to daily Mass after he was confirmed. Thanks be to God. God is in charge. Go fight. Susan Fox www.christsfaithfulwitness.com
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the "story" is that almost nothing in it is accurate. The Extraordinary Form is alive and well in many Parishes of the Archdiocese of Boston, and is not under threat at the local Parish in Newton. The Pastor finished his 6 year term, and is not being renewed, as the Parishes in sububan Newton are going to be administered together as one, to better coordinate. All Parishioners remain Parishioners, if Parishioners want a Latin Mass, they will (or should) get it. This is all ONLY about a particular Pastor. The Catholic Church is not a Church that worships men.
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