TLM St. Jerome Emiliani Responds

Dear Ms. Suleik,

I read with great interest, and sadness, your observations regarding the Catholic Church today which I have also observed. I believe some devout Catholics feel the same way in their hearts but at the same time feel a little helpless with the existing situation. All is not lost, however. There is a “minority” within the Catholic Church that adheres to the traditional way of doing the mass as envisioned by Pope Benedict XVI: solemn, reverential, celestial.

Early last year, a trans-parochial group of parishioners approached the Parish Priest of St. Jerome Emiliani Parish in Alabang to request for the Traditional Latin Mass according to the 1962 missal. The Italian parish priest, Fr. Grato Germanetto CRS consented to the request in accordance with the Motu Propio of Pope Benedict XVI and informed his Bishop of his decision. June 29, 2008 saw the first Traditional Latin High Mass to be celebrated at St. Jerome to a large audience. It has been six months already and we are still growing in numbers every Sunday.

While I don't have any personal recollection of the traditional Latin Mass in my childhood, I discovered the rich tradition and beauty of the liturgy of Traditional Latin Mass. The ancient prayers are so profound, so beautiful and mysterious at the same time! I wondered why they shortened it so much in the New Mass (Novus Ordo). Boy, they are missing a lot! I’ve since learned how to follow the Mass sequence via the Latin-English missalette. I love watching the genuflections, the acts of reverence, the torch processions of altar servers, the ritual of the changing of the books from the Epistle to the Gospel side, the incensing, the beautiful Gregorian chant in four voices sung by a male choir (schola), listening and learning how to pronounce Latin, the silence. It's very uplifting, edifying. I feel my faith growing deeper with this kind of Mass.

There is so much to experience that I look forward to it every Sunday. Everyone inside the church is nearly quiet (except for small children) and the silence is heaven! People are busy praying or reading from their missal, or just simply watching what is going on in the altar. Oh, and I wear a dress (skirt) and a veil although not everyone does but there are quite a number of us who do and it's obvious who are the walk-ins or first timers by the way they dress. And the best part? We receive communion kneeling down and on the tongue. No one complains.

Six months ago, we (organizers) printed 500 copies of the missalette (Latin-English) and we are down to 24 copies and are re-printing another 500 copies. That's just to show you how interested devout Catholics are. TLM may not be for everyone yet but there is a growing number of Catholics who yearn for this kind of reverence, silence, and traditional liturgy. Truly, the Traditional Latin Mass is the “pambato” of the Catholic Church against the other churches like the Protestant because it has something they don’t have. Tradition as old as 2,000 years.

We invite you to come and experience the Traditional Latin Mass which happens every Sunday at 9:30 am at St. Jerome Parish in Alabang (except on Feb. 8 as it is the feast of the parish and so the Latin mass has to give way) and see for yourself that there is hope. There is hope because a group of parishioners aimed to make a difference and not wait for the Church to do its job. It's a lot of hard work and sacrifice but definitely worth it.

Thank you for your time and I hope many Catholics wake up to the real situation of the Catholic church today.

Sincerely,
Mary Elaine Friend
TLM St. Jerome Emiliani
Organizing Committee, Treasurer

What's with Filipino Catholics?

We reprint, with permission, the interesting observations of our Faith by Mercedes B. Suleik of Business World:

It has been touted that the Philippines is a Christian country, and that 85% of the Filipinos are Roman Catholics. But I must ask, because of my observations in the parish church where I go to Mass, from what I see in the behavior of many officials in government who say they are Catholics and even ostentatiously have themselves photographed receiving Holy Communion, and even from daily encounters with colleagues and friends – how Catholics are we? How do we practice our faith?

Let me start with Sunday churchgoing. First, in the way churchgoers dress. Some of them are in attire better suited to the gym, or to evening parties, or plain lounging at home. When I was a girl, I remember my parents always dressed my brothers, sisters and me in what was really our “Sunday best”—properly ironed clothes, shoes and socks for all of us, veils for the girls – we were all going to the house of God. This is not what I see today in Catholic churches. I see people in slippers, sando, and shorts (especially on weekdays, as supposedly they come from morning jogging), women either in clothes better for nightclubs, or lease with straps of their bras showing! Worshippers in Protestant churches and even the Iglesia ni Kristo (I saw the latter on TV) are dressed so well – yes, in their Sunday best. Hotels and even certain restaurants and establishments require a dress code – they turn away improperly dressed individuals. What’s with us Catholics? Would we show up for an audience with the President of the country in such informal and extremely casual, even sweaty, attire? Holy Mass is an audience with God Himself!

Second, in the way we behave in church. You see people using their cellphones in the church, conversing (gossiping?), or failing to control their children from running around or making nuisance of themselves, or taking their siesta (some even snore!), strolling in so late or leaving even before the Mass ends (why do they bother to go?) – all these are dreadful distractions to those who wish to pray and pay attention to the Eucharistic celebration going on. Again, would these people behave so lackadaisically if they were in the presence of the President? In non-Catholic services, they participate by singing and joining in prayers – and their services even last for around two hours, while Catholic Masses, even with the homilies, last no more than an hour, indeed, 35 minutes during weekday masses (though, of course, we don’t see this outrageous behavior during weekday Masses)!

And in the matter of giving an offering, you could actually smile at how people pretend not to see the basket being passed, or drop in just a coin (don’t tell me these people who can easily spend for “loads” or a big Mac cannot give a share for the upkeep of the church). Other churches tithe (the Iglisia does. I remember a former colleague in my office who planned to join this cult, but changed her mind because they required her to submit a copy of her income tax return), and their members consider it their duty to contribute to their church (remember, God can never be outdone in generosity!).

I realize that the parish priest and his assistant (we have only two priests in our parish church) and could hardly give the proper instructions to all the parishioners, what with all their other duties. But since Vatican II, supposedly the lay people have a role in helping to explain and spread the faith. What happened, to my mind, is the creation of new levels of officialdom (dare I say officiousness?) – very important lay ministers and members of several lay organizations who are surrogates of the parish priest in “rank”: they have reserved seats in front (and if you ever attend Christmas novena Masses or services during Lent and Easter, or other church activities, you may not go those reserved seats). Why aren’t these surrogate ministers instead teaching parishioners how to behave in church? Can’t they quietly inform those who come in such unchurchlike attire (it’s not enough to flash a Power Point presentation of what is proper attire – how many actually pay attention to it?) to come properly dressed, advise those who are talking and using their cellphones while Mass is going on and parents whose children are marching up and down the newly upholstered kneelers, to be more mindful?

I shall not say anything about how our Catholic government officials and legislators and even academics in Catholic schools practice their faith at this time. Let me just say that it is extremely scandalous of them to be photographed (and have these pictures on front pages of newspapers) at Catholic Masses (and even receiving Holy Communion) when their behavior and statements are in conflict with the tenets of the Catholic faith. “I am a Catholic, but…” If they cannot uphold the teachings of their faith, why do they remain? My guess is that the other churches are even stricter, or should I say, simply strict. Perhaps they would not even be admitted.

I think it is about time that the Catholic Church imposes proper codes of behavior, say in unequivocal terms what is right and what is wrong, what is moral and what is not. It seems to me that the Catholic Church hierarchy has gone out of its way to make Catholicism so “easy” and most of our 85% Catholic population has become cafeteria Catholics, that is, choosing only what they like to believe in and how they should behave. This cafeteria Catholicism is what has bred corruption and dishonest behavior in many professed Catholics in government and business as they can always justify their behavior.

Catholics who adhere to the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church should not panic if critics accuse them of being overly scrupulous, of unquestioningly obeying the Holy Father, of being medieval. So what’s with us Filipino Catholics? This is a new year…should we not change?

Bishop Gregorio celebrates TLM

Mass in the Extraordinary Form (Traditional Latin Mass) at St. Jerome Emiliani Church on January 18, 2009. This is the first public (regularly scheduled) Mass in the Extraordinary Form in the history of St. Jerome Emiliani church in the Diocese of Parañaque celebrated by a Bishop. Celebrant is His Excellency Bishop Camilo Gregorio of Batanes.

Merry Christmas!

A Blessed Christmas to all!

A Musician's Guide to the 1962 Missal

Psallite Sapienter: A Musician's Guide to the Extraordinary Form

Get your own at Scribd or explore others: Religion Christianity music gregorian chant

Christ the King Mass

Fr. Germanetto Grato, CRS, celebrated the Feast of Christ the King, October 26.

On this day, we pray for the for the conversion of all to Christ, and for all governments to recognize Him as King and conform their laws to His teachings. This is the only way to peace!