James
Thank God for Pope Benedict. A must-read (and encouraging) report from Homiletic and Pastoral Review:
Seven Years after “Summorum Pontificum”: Nearly 500 North American Churches Offer the Traditional Latin Mass
The Coalition in Support of Ecclesia Dei, http://www.ecclesiadei.org/ , keeps a comprehensive list of these locations, and their data are used for this story. At last count, in 191 dioceses in North America, there are about 485 parishes that offer the Traditional Latin Mass with some frequency (monthly, twice-per-month, or weekly). There are 335 parish locations that offer a weekly Traditional Latin Mass to Catholics albeit, more often than not, in afternoon or evening time slots. But still, 335 weekly offerings in 191 total North American dioceses seem to be a positive commentary on the fruits of Pope Benedict’s motu proprio.
For those Catholics who are seeking even more regular access to the Traditional Latin Mass, sacraments, and accompanying parish and liturgical life, there are 75 parish locations that offer this access daily (or close to daily, sometimes with the summer being an exception, for instance). This is, of course, the ideal and ultimate goal for Catholics who desire to truly live out the liturgical life of the Church in its fullness. And of those 75 parish locations, a total of 38 are provided for by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), and another 13 by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICR).
This brings us to the heart of this article. That leaves a mere 24 diocesan, or other, venues (such as St. John Cantius Canons in Chicago) where the Traditional Mass is regularly offered daily (again, noting some occasional exceptions).
While there is still much work to be done, as the last paragraph cited here makes clear, such an abundance of Latin Mass parishes would have been unimaginable twenty or thirty years ago. Here in Milwaukee, we are extremely blessed to have the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest at the historic Oratory of Saint Stanislaus, where this beautiful liturgy is offered every single day.
Those interested in having the option of attending the Traditional Latin Mass at their own parish in Milwaukee should proceed with humility and serenity, given that,
Art. 5. § 1 In parishes, where there is a stable group of faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition, the pastor should willingly accept their requests to celebrate the Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal published in 1962, and ensure that the welfare of these faithful harmonises with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish, under the guidance of the bishop in accordance with canon 392, avoiding discord and favouring the unity of the whole Church. …
Art. 7. If a group of lay faithful, as mentioned in art. 5 õ 1, has not obtained satisfaction to their requests from the pastor, they should inform the diocesan bishop. The bishop is strongly requested to satisfy their wishes. If he cannot arrange for such celebration to take place, the matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”. ~ Pope Benedict XVI, Summorum Pontificum
Benedict gave us back up. Now, let’s get to work.