Exsistit: translation problems

Fr. Z has an entry on the translation problems cropping up in Summorum Pontificum. I have to wonder if this is why we have had local troubles with "numbers" when it comes to providing the TLM in a parish.
Here is the entry:
Summorum Pontificum translation issue: exsistit

Some people have been saying the force of exsistit is that a group of people (leave aside the size) must have already been in a parish for a while.

The problem with this position is that exsistit is present (contemporary) tense and thus refers to right now or the future (because the document will also be read in the future).

Clarification is needed but I don't believe we can trust the USCCB to provide a literal and correct translation. All and all, it is comforting to find new devotees of the TLM in our local region.

Side note: I got teary-eyed yesterday when my youngest son knew the proper responses in Latin. Two years ago, he wouldn't sit through a Novus Ordo Mass without a sticker book or crayons(keep in mind, he is autistic so we did what we had to do). If it weren't for the grace of God and the traditional Mass, he would not have come so far. He gets such a boost when he knows he did a "good job at Mass". I cannot be thankful enough for such a gift.

Disappointing and sad

I have been catching up on news and visiting some blogs and came across this: About my post on the Josephinum and Summorum Pontificum
I pray constantly for those dear seminarians and worry that they have to stifle any shred of orthodoxy.(The priest from my "parish" left to become a spiritual director there....you remember, the one who was a fan of Commonweal and Liberation Theology....sigh). Please keep these men in your prayers. Fr. Z had to delete the original post it got so heated. I can say I believe some of the things going on and it is upsetting. I'm half glad he removed the post because I may have gone postal reading it.
One thing I have come to learn in the last year is that I was content going to my parish for a very orthodox Novus Ordo Mass until the new priest came in. Everything changed. I searched in vain for another parish offering a Mass that was not riddled in abuses nearby. We settled on the indult Mass because those worries of surprises and hokey songs were not an issue there. Seminarians shouldn't be labeled "traditional", "orthodox" or "liberal". None of us should. If the bishops were following the Holy Father and then the people and priests followed the bishops this would be a non-issue. If the liberals(see, now I have to use "titles") want to know WHY some of us have jumped the fence and consider ourselves traditional or orthodox, they can blame themselves. I was content where I was until the whole "community", "fellowship" and "we are all God because we are community/church" came into play. Heresy. That and knock-off Protestantism. I did not remain a Catholic to be a pseudo-Protestant. (You can chalk this entry up to pregnancy hormones, I don't care...I'm just saddened over it) See, you wonder why I haven't blogged on Catholic issues and news lately. I can't trust my fingers to not type my opinion. Just pray for these dear priests-to be from our diocese.

Thank you for posting!

For those of you who prayed the TLM, went to celebrations, etc., thank you for blogging! I have visited a few to see what everyone did and where they went and it warms my heart to see the support and interest.
As a side note(unrelated), it was good to see my oldest son interested in watching on EWTN. I pray that my efforts in their religious education benefit them in life. As the mother of two autistic boys, sameness is essential to both their comfort level and survival. After we prayed our first TLM as a family, I saw how relaxed, interested and attentive they became. My middle son informed me over pizza on Sunday that he is used to the TLM now and wants to go all the time. I'm sure some of you would wonder why a boy who doesn't understand much Latin would say such a thing. No surprises, no bathing suits, no crazy folk songs....I think sameness is the crucial issue. Sameness and structure is what they crave. If they want a unique experience, we take them to a new restaurant. I post these things so others will know that we need to give children more credit. They are not dumb and as a parent, I need to enrich their spiritual life and feed them. For my boys, who may never be successful in the eyes of society, I want them to have a firm faith. Filled with sights and sounds and the supernatural. Right now, they get that through our local indult TLM. I hope to build a foundation that will stand up to puberty, societal norms, feel good religions and the stress of everyday life. I don't always succeed and I'm far from perfect. It is just my hope and why I have arrived at the spiritual place called now.

Thank you EWTN!

I hope those who could not pray the extraordinary form today were able to tune in. I watched while cooking dinner. The World Over is on now and is very good too. I got so choked up seeing Mother Angelica tonight. Regardless of what is going on here regionally, I am so moved by this amazing day in our Catholic history. I over did it(dishes, work, cleaning and cooking) and I need to get my feet up as I am cramping. Thank you also to my fellow bloggers who have posted news and recaps of what is going on throughout the world. I have such hope in the return of the sacred. This is indeed a day to rejoice!

Speaking of which...

This site could do a road show and broadcast from Cincinnati this week:

Watching Grass Grow

If you can't find humor when things don't make sense, then you better have some good dark chocolate around just in case. -a thorn in the pew, September 9th, week of the establishment of Summorum Pontificum, worldwide(with the exception of a few areas near the Ohio River)

Hard to get excited.

So this is the beginning of the big week. I'm reading all over the Internet how diocese all over the country are having a special Mass to celebrate Summorum Pontificum and all the celebrations as well. You want to know what is on the itinerary for our area? Let's see, it will be getting a bit cooler so the grass may finally grow with the coming rains. Yep, while many of you will be basking in the return of the sacred, we here in Cincinnati and Covington will be watching the grass grow, literally. Neat, huh? The hierarchy in our Church starts with the Holy Father. Yes, even for the bishops here in the US. I, for one, think it is such a joyous occasion to be able to watch the grass grow in Cincinnati.

While one bishop puts out loopholes galore on one side of the river and the other makes a generic statement early on and then says nothing in our diocesan newspaper further since then(other than the magic 100 # and some other nonsensical norms that I'm not sure where they came from exactly), yeah it seems to be catching here. If there is going to be fidelity to the Holy Father, I hope we start seeing signs soon. Right now it's looking dismal. I will still read the stories about the celebrations, the processions, the Masses that take place this week with joy. Because, thankfully, the Catholic Church does not begin and end in the Ohio Valley region. I have prayed so much in the past year that we could call a parish home and it looks like that home may not be here. I'm tired of fighting. Tired of politics that don't belong in the Church. I'm done. I don't want to be a downer for those excited about what is to come in their area or parish.

Cincinnati. Uh-oh.

Fr. Z. has reported the latest from the Cincinnati Archdiocese. Oddly enough, our diocese here in Covington has been hush-hush about Summorum Pontificum. The one parish(YES ONE) that looked hopeful was shot down. You may recall me blogging on the magic number 100 as the standard for allowing the extraordinary rite anywhere in the diocese. This number cannot include children or non-parishioners. Currently, there are many traditionalists without a parish. I know many of them.
This so-called "test" over the river is silly. Why is there no standard for the Novus Ordo? That's just a free-for-all and no one jumps in to stop the madness. Father jests about the Cincinnati Inquisition. Given the nature of our region, that may be exactly what happens. The word "stable" and "large" seem to be equated in the norms given as well. How will the Mass ever grow if we have to fill freaking quotas?
I'm getting my bowels in an uproar(obviously) and I need to get to the lab.

Everyone is unhappy except the Pope

I found this past news from the Great North on Pontificum Summorum. The ignorance in the reporting is sad but a bit laughable. The comments are sure interesting.
What's Latin for 'No one is happy?'
Sometimes there are some priceless comments on these news sites that allow them.

Steubenville. Eesh.

Fr. Z. has a memo from Steubenville via Bishop Conlon on his blog. It is odd and leads me to believe this diocese will be very strict on the elements in Summorum Pontificum. Good grief let's hope this isn't a taste of things to come. Of interest are the comments following this entry that outline Bishop Conlon's experience, expertise and track record. I pray things fare better in our diocese.
Father is right on the money in stressing that we cannot hold the extraordinary to a stricter set of standards than the ordinary. This is not setting a good precedent. The freedom of the exhortation will be trumped by any bishop if this cannot be reigned in(by Ecclisia Dei, etc.)

(a telling comment found there: There’s a missing piece to this story. I have it on good authority (other seminarians) that 5 counties in the diocese of Stubenville requested an indult before and the bishop turned them all down. No demand? I don’t think so. This guy is just flat out hostile to the ancient Mass.

Comment by Anon. Seminarian )

Scary indeed.

Summorum Pontificum database

This is a wonderful idea and can surely have far-reaching effects. I have added my info and it will be interesting to see how this database grows. Oddly enough, there is only one layman so far in Cincinnati. Hmmm. Go here and add your info:

Summorum Pontificum Contact Database

(Thank you, Mac, for the tip on this)

Fill 'er up with Latin, please!

Kudos to Faith Mouse

How it is played...

I have read some of the secular media's spin on Summorum Pontificum and it should not surprise me but it does. We, as Catholics, should always pray for the conversion of Jews and other people who do not yet have the fullness of the truth. Why? Because it is right and just and it should be done out of pure love for that people. Here is a link to one such story on the matter:
Text of two missals for Good Friday service and prayer for Jews

And the following from Boston College:
Impact on Interreligious Relations of the Potential Wider Use of the Latin 1962 Catholic Missal

The wording, re-wording and gist of the wording is all the same: conversion. We would be negligent if we did not pray for those who do not have the fullness of faith. By not agreeing, it is also saying that we don't truly believe what our faith teaches. We are to go into the world, be an example for Christ and pray for those in darkness. I pray for the conversion of Jews out of love(I have MANY in my family). I want them to experience the joy I have through Christ. Why wouldn't you want that for all God's children? We get PC, hung up on semantics and bogged down with diversity to the point where we do disservice to those who need our prayers and outreach. It is a minor point for some in the Catholic-Jewish community and a big deal for others. If they truly understood, they should be upset if we neglected or did not pray for their salvation.
We are not baptizing them as the LDS do on dead or alive, whether they like it, know, or not(I still don't get that and I have known many LDS). The early apostles did not tiptoe around a call to conversion. That was their mission. It should be ours. Not just for the Jews but all people to come to the Truth found in Christ's Church. Amen.

Summorum Pontificum...at last.

Summorum Pontificum

I am up early and went directly to the Vatican website and actually tried to digest some of Summorum Pontificum, all in Latin, mind you, with no coffee in my system and my rusty Latin skills. It just felt good to see it. My A/C is back on, the sun is shining and I'm Catholic. Sure I had all that funky stuff happen but God allowed it, I'm still alive and well, there ya go.

I'm going to make a pot of French Roast and try to digest it via someone else's translation skills. I love the visuals on Fr. Z.'s site. I need a Vatican flag for my house. That would just be cool.