The Latin Mass Society has a quarterly Low Mass in St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Yesterday, John Medlin sent me the very good news that the Society has now received permission to celebrate the Mass in the Chapel of St Michael in the nave of the basilica instead of the Hungarian Chapel in the crypt.
The first such Mass will be at 7.15 am on Friday 23 November celebrated by Mgr Ignacio Barreiro, the liturgical representative of the Society at Rome.
In another welcome development, Mgr Barreiro celebrated a baptism in the Traditional Rite in St Peter's on Saturday 20 October. This was in the Chapel of the Choir, facing the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in the nave. The proud parents had previously been married (new rite) in the same chapel by the then Cardinal Ratzinger. (There may be some pictures of this event on the way soon.)
4 comments:
Chapel of St Michael in the nave of the basilica
Is that the one with Reni's painting of St Michael subduing Satan (i.e., the future Pope Innocent X?
I understand that the Vatican Museums' 'Apocalypse' exhibition has a copy of the Reni. Is the exhibition's copy from above the chapel altar, or is the copy another one?
terrprest blogged about the Reni at Guido Reni and the Politics of Art.
Fr,
There may be ad hoc or private Tridentine Masses in St P's fairly regularly now too: I went to Tridentine Rite Mass in St P's recently on 22 September - a Saturday at 8 AM - 8 days after the “liberation” of the old rite. It was a French priest celebrating it at one of the altars just to the left of the main Papal altar. From 50 yards or so away I recognised the external manifestations of the old rite immediately and went over – receiving a few semi-strange looks from the small group of about 8 saying the responses – no servers, so a dialogue Mass. When I went to my knees and said the responses without a missal they relaxed and stopped the flitting, uneasy side glances: I wasn't a strange tourist after all. I suppose it was either an FSSP of Christ the King priest - what do you think?
I exited St P's with a serene smile, looked up at Archbishop Lefebvre’s name carved on one of the marble walls near the main entrance and said "thank you" to him in prayer. Then I walked over to Chiesa San Salverio in Lauro and prayed at the relics of Santo Padre Pio (there for 2 weeks or so for special Padre Pio festival). Padre Pio apparently never celebrated the new rite. Tridentine rite continuity has been in Rome all the time; it is embedded in the architectural fabric of Rome, in the layers of incense formed over hundreds of years in churches such as St Gregorio dei Muratori.
I wonder how many old rite Masses have been said at St P’s over 500 years or so, as opposed to the new rite over 40+ years? That’s my preferred perspective when people criticise the old Rite as a museum piece.
Good to hear of that. I hope that priests will feel free simply to say the old mass in St Peter's without having to go to a special altar. They should be able to turn up. When asked what language missal, "Latino, l'uso antico" should be enough.
The Churches in Rome were built for the celebration of the old rite. The side altars in St Peter's are so obviously designed for it with the width and depth just right and the crucifix at the right height for the priest when he raises his eyes according to the rubrics.
Hi,
I noticed that another "usus antiquior" mass will be celebrated in St.Peter as an istructive celebration for youg priests at saturday 10th of November.
The celebrant will be the Pro-Major Penitentiary bishop Luigi de Magistris.
The source is a well informed forumist on this italian catholic forum:
http://www.crismon.it/forum/showpost.php?p=46125&postcount=115
Post a Comment