On the New Mass Controversy

On the New Mass Controversy

I had never known that there was a controversy over the Novus Ordo Mass until very recently. I knew that Vatican II made some changes to the Liturgy but was essentially ignorant of what the Mass was before Vatican II. I certainly did not know that there were significant amounts of Catholics who were disaffected by the changes made in the council.

Upon reading posts on Internet Web Forums about Vatican II I began to delve deeper into the issue.

Ralph McInerny has written an excellent book about the Council called “What West Wrong With Vatican II” In the book he points out that the Modernist interpretation of the Council has devastated the Church. The statistics he quotes of the Pre-Vatican II American Church are dramatic.

In 1950 there were:

60,000 Priests
25,000 Seminarians
100,000 Religious teachers

Also,

75% of Married Catholics attended Mass weekly.
85% of Single Catholics attended Mass weekly.

Outside of the US we see that in Ireland, there was a 90% mass attendance rate before the Council.

These numbers demonstrate a healthy and vibrant Church.

The decline since the Council has been dramatic.

Today there is 50% weekly attendance rate in Ireland, which Bishop Dermot Clifford called "very respectable". I don’t know what world the Bishop is living in but a decline of 40% is catastrophic in my world.

France, once the eldest daughter of the Church now has a 12% weekly attendance rate.

See link to other nations here.

The late Michael Davis did extensive work on this subject. In his work “Liturgical Shipwreck” he reflects on the controversy and reveals information that most Catholics would be startled to know.

He points out that the only precedent for such radical Liturgical reform is found among the 16^th century Protestant “reformers”. He shows that there was not reform after Vatican II. There was revolution. The revolution has had catastrophic consequences for the Catholic Church. It was brought about by people who were at best not fit to be involved in a Council of the Church and at worst enemies of the Church.

Paul VI went so far as to have 6 Protestant theologians advise him on the new rite for the Sacrifice of the Mass. Let us be clear here, he asked people who reject the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to consult him on the formulation of it. This was likely done in the misguided zeal he had for ecumenism. The Missal of St. Pius the V was a rebuttal of the Protestant heresy that rejects the Holy Sacrifice. The fact that Paul VI changed the Mass to conciliate the same Protestants that St. Pius V regarded as heretics shows how radical the revaluation was.

St. Pius V 1570 said that the Roman Mass was as near to perfection as any earthly liturgy can be. Father Frederick Faber described the Mass as the most beautiful of all things outside Heaven. Cardinal Newman said that he could attend it forever and not be tired. Let us look at what has become of the Mass since Vatican II:

Devils in the Choir

Clowns on the Alter

Clearly something is very wrong.

Our Pope knows this. He knows that it is time to turn the tide back. Thank God for Benedict XVI. His recent liberation of the Traditional Mass is a step forward in healing the wounds that Modernism has caused.