Thursday, August 28, 2014

Rite of Econe II

A certain non-rad trad blog has posted a video of a FSSPX Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It is quite reflective of the FSSPX liturgical praxis. On what was the vigil of St. Lawrence, the feast gone on Sundays in 1962 (hence no vigil), they celebrated the Marian Saturday in red vestments. Why? Perhaps because in the Pauline kalendar August 9 was the feast of St. Edith "Teresa Benedicta" Stein, counted as a martyr. Yet, why not just yank white vestments from the drawer? About a third of the private Masses at the Basilica are according to pre-Pauline Missals. The sacristy must be equipped accordingly. Salve Sancta Parens....


7 comments:

  1. Out of curiosity, is there precedent of FSSPX-ers celebrating in St. PEter's?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are routinely given altars at the Roman basilicas when they are in the City, probably because their Masses are technically private Masses and hence permissible. When they were having their doctrinal talks with the CDF from 2009-2011, they celebrated Mass in St Peter's near-daily. Here is an image of Fr Richard Voigt SSPX celebrating in the Clementine chapel (aka St Peter's tomb): http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Y381dSFdwkM/S-Xyw8IOJYI/AAAAAAAAAQM/EohoqYgIfsw/s1600/stpetermass-2.JPG

      Delete
  2. Fr Hunwicke offered a possible explanation for the red vestments: http://liturgicalnotes.blogspot.com/2014/08/pignus-futurorum-bonorum.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think Fr. Hunwicke has touched on the explanation. It's also telling that the vestments are of the cheap, polyester variety, even though the sacristy (of course) has many, many better vestments. When Cardinal Noe was the archpriest, the sacristans (reportedly) were openly hostile to anything traditional (the sacristans at S. Mary Major's were only a little better). It wouldn't surprise me that with the new wind blowing through the Vatican they have reverted to their former attitude.

    Nevertheless, the point remains that the loss of the Vigil--in the heart of Rome, no less--reveals the impoverishment of the '62 changes. One is tempted to think that from the suppression of S. Lawrence's Vigil (one of those changes "not noticed by the laity") there came by slow but sure degrees the mind-set that accepts celebrating the Lady Mass in red (something even critics of "liturgical fetishes" would concede is a bit strange, not to say beyond the pale). Besides, why not use a different votive Mass, e.g. the Holy Cross?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Pignus futurorum bonorum ...

    Rorate has a nice little video of an SSPX clergyman saying Mass in S Peter's in Rome; a votive of our Lady ... in red vestments ...... presumably because, when he said it on August 9, the sacristy had red vestments laid out for S Edith Stein, and Father didn't want to put the Sacristy to the trouble of finding vestments of the right colour ... I'm sure this is the way ahead!


    Did you not notice the rhetorical tongue in cheek existing in those last seven words?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rad Trad. Your question cuts to the heart of the matter. Even though M.J. is a member of the FssP, he understands their deference and fear of the Hierarchy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Also, no maniple and no burse.
    No altar cards, but they are an accessory and reminder to the priest, a replacement for the missal, not an actual liturgical item. But yeah...not even that.

    ReplyDelete