CHICAGO, SEPT. 13, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's vision that old and new liturgical forms harmoniously coexist had already been a reality for years at St. John Cantius Parish in Chicago, said Father Scott Haynes.
Father Haynes, a priest of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, said his parish has balanced the traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo in Latin and English on a daily basis for 18 years.
This Friday is the first day to implement "Summorum Pontificum," Benedict XVI's apostolic letter issued "motu proprio" (on his own initiative).
ZENIT asked Father Haynes what will look different in his parish after Friday.
"Nothing will be noticeably different, since this is what we've been doing for 18 years," he said. "We have been living what the Pope's 'motu proprio' envisioned."
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, said in July, "The Pope wishes that the coexistence of the two forms of the rite will lead both, not to oppose each other, but to mutually enrich each other."
"In most places," Father Haynes said, "it has been either one rite or the other."
"What the 'motu proprio' does is allow for possibility that both could be offered in any parish, and this is what we've already been doing, so it will affect us very little," he added.
Nine years ago, Cardinal Francis George, then in his second year as archbishop of Chicago, worked together with Father Frank Phillips to form a new religious community, the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius. The group is based on a unique approach to liturgy and has the community motto of "Restoring the Sacred."
"Today," Father Haynes said, "we have 25 priests and brothers and will have three new priests next year."
He affirmed: "Rather than division between the different rites, the balance has been successful in parish life, very fruitful and beneficial. It has actually been very unifying.
"We have drawn all sorts of people to our parish that would normally not go into a Catholic Church.
"Our daily Gregorian chant, nine choirs and two orchestras have drawn all sorts of non-Catholics and non-Christians to us, including many musicians who respect what we are doing with sacred music."
Online instructive
The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius have also launched SanctaMissa.org, an online tutorial for priests and altar servers learning to celebrate the Roman Rite according to the 1962 Roman Missal.
Cardinal George has asked the Canons Regular to serve the pastoral needs of the faithful during this transition.
For those who never learned the Traditional Mass, modern technology is providing a new way to learn the old liturgy.
In addition to an online multimedia tutorial, SanctaMissa.org provides the rubrics of the 1962 Roman Missal in English, a ceremonial for altar servers, articles on the spirituality of the Tridentine Latin Mass, and a ceremonial for liturgical music.
The Tutorial for Altar Servers provides a video demonstrating a Low Mass with one server, as well as a printable "cheat sheet" for altar servers learning the Mass.
ZE07091307 - 2007-09-13