Bishop John B. McCormack of the Diocese of Manchester has issued a statement regarding Summorum Pontificum. I might say the note is very positive in tone and does not dismiss the issue as did Cardinal O’Malley recently (and possibly accidentally). As if the letter itself was not positive enough, it includes this tidbit which I hadn’t expected to see:
Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that the Roman Rite is a “rich treasure” that binds each local Church with the universal Church. It is in this spirit that Bishop Christian and I, along with the pastors of our parishes in New Hampshire, intend to prepare to address the accommodations envisioned by Our Holy Father later this year. Our goal is to make room for all Catholics around the Lord’s Table.
The provisions of Summorum Pontificum take effect September 14, 2007. Between now and then, Bishop Christian and I will consult with the Deans and Pastors, as well as with the consultation bodies of our Diocese, regarding how we can best carry out the objectives of Our Holy Father in the watchful spirit which he commends to us — one of “peace and serenity.”
Whether that means we will see a dedicated Mass somewhere in this Diocese using the 1962 Missal or some other arrangement remains to be seen. Regardless, I now have hope that those who attend the SSPX chapel in Salem just might come home. And just maybe some of our priests who have lost touch with the sanctity, vivacity and efficaciousness of a well- and properly-prayed Mass without innovation will come to see that liturgy is not, as one priest put it to me, boring. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll see a rebirth, a reform-of-the-reform of liturgy in this Diocese that can only help restore the Church and faith in God itself to the rightful place in the our world. Save the Liturgy, Save the World as Fr. Z would say.
