November 2023 Newsletter

Dear Una Voce Maine friends,

Greetings,

As I get older, I increasingly appreciate the Church’s traditional designation of November as a month of remembrance. In no small part, I am sure this is because with each year more of the people whom I have loved and been shaped by are in the life behind me and not in the life around me or ahead. Thus remembrance occupies an ever greater share of my regular prayers.

With the liturgical calendar, the Church offers us what might be called the pinnacle of remembrance, with All Saints Day on the first of November followed immediately by All Souls Day. Taken together, we are called to take a pause from our daily lives to remember the faithful who have passed before us, to pray that God will grant them peace and eternal rest, and to ask them to pray for us as we anticipate in faith the day we join them.

Another liturgical tradition which increasingly occupies my Novembers is the Office of the Dead, a centuries-old part of the monastic Divine Hours. At first, I prayed the Office solely on All Saints Day, which is among its primary designated uses. But increasingly, and again as more of my family and friends have passed on, I have taken to praying the Office as an Octave. Between the psalms for each of the three nocturns and the readings taken from the wisdom books, the Office offers a foundation for those times when emotions are raw, as well as a renewed focus on the Last Things which, the Church reminds us, will one day face us all.

This year, of course, our remembrances take on a significance and sorrow that I’m sure none of us had ever imagined, as we are just days beyond the tragic events of last week in Lewiston. Eighteen members of the community were cut down in the middle of their week and the fullness of their lives, and several others were wounded, all by a sole gunman who subsequently took his own life.

I have no words that can fully convey the shock and sorrow we feel for the lives lost or permanently altered, nor any that can adequately console the victims’ grieving families and friends or the community of which they were so integral a part. But as we pause to observe the Church’s tradition of remembrance, let us first hold in our hearts and minds the souls of those who have so recently and suddenly departed.

And may we remember also that this Catholic period of remembrance comes at the end of our liturgical cycle, and that what lies ahead is our renewed anticipation of the coming of the Lord, who dries all tears and makes all things new.

As we wait, let us pray:

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiscant in pace. Amen

Jeff Rowe

Readings

Excerpt: The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite

Fr. Michael Fiedrowicz. Angelico Press, pp.61-62

Liturgies grow, as the great old houses of worship grew, over centuries. In fact, the traditional Mass resembles many of the great old churches in the process of its origination. Such monuments were not constructed within a short amount of time like modern buildings, but rather they grew up over the course of centuries under the hands of generations who were working for eternity. They were endowed with the works of stonemasons, sculptors, carpenters, and painters; each of them provided his own contribution, but all were filled with the single purpose of worthily fashioning the House of God. Just as virtually every part of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice from the floor to the roof was added in one century or another from various foreign countries, the Christian liturgy was formed from the treasures of Jerusalem, Rome, and Byzantium. Bricks from various cultural groups and time periods were brought together and used for its construction. Elements from the Jewish synagogue service (readings), the ancient Roman style of prayer (Canon), oriental Christianity (Kyrie eleison), monastic spirituality (silent prayers), and others converged here. As elements from diverse origins were assumed into the Roman Mass, its form attained its unique universality.

The traditional Mass in the Roman rite is an ancient building, stamped with many centuries and styles, often amended and further embellished, sometimes restored here and there, a building in which one can trace, part by part, the century of its origin, but only in the rarest of cases identify the artist who designed this or that element and added it to the whole. . . .It is precisely in this anonymity that the greatness of the traditional Mass lies: ‘Since Holy Mass had no author..., everyone was free to believe and feel that it was something eternal, not made by human hands.’ (M. Mosebach, Heresy of Formlessness)”

The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

November 19 – Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231)

Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew king of Hungary, feared God from her infancy, and increased in piety as she advanced in age. She was married to Lewis, landgrave of Hesse and Thuringia, and devoted herself to the service of God and of her husband. She used to rise in the night and spend a long time in prayer; and moreover she devoted herself to works of mercy, diligently caring for widows and orphans, the sick and the poor. In time of famine she freely distributed her store of corn. She received lepers into her house, and kissed their hands and feet; she also built a splendid hospital, where the poor might be fed and cared for. On the death of her husband, she, in order to serve God with greater freedom, laid aside all worldly ornaments, clothed herself in a rough tunic, and entered the Order of Penance of St. Francis.

November 24 – Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)

The growing disinclination of the people for social prayer was threatening the irreparable destruction of piety, when in the sixteenth century the divine goodness raised up Saints, whose teaching and holiness responded to the needs of the new times. Doctrine does not change: the asceticism and mysticism of that age transmitted to the succeeding centuries the echo of those that had gone before. . . .

John of the Cross was born of pious parents at Hontiveros in Spain. From his infancy it was evident how dear he would be to the Virgin Mother of God, for at five years of age having fallen down a well, he was held up by our Lady in her arms, so that he sustained no injury. . . As a young man, he devoted himself to the service of the sick in the hospital of Medina del Campo. Here he showed the ardor of his charity by undertaking the vilest offices; and his example incited others to devote themselves to the same charitable deeds. But as God called him still higher, he entered the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, where he was made priest in obedience to his superiors; and in his ardor for more severe discipline and a more austere manner of life, he obtained their leave to observe the primitive rule of the Order

“The soul,” he wrote, “is to attain to a certain sense, to a certain divine knowledge, most generous and full of sweetness, of all human and divine things which do not fall within the common-sense and natural perceptions of the soul; it views them with different eyes now, for the light and grace of the Holy Ghost differ from those of sense, the divine from the human. (The Dark Night of the Soul, Book 2, Ch 9)

November 30 – Saint Andrew, Apostle

This feast is destined each year to terminate with solemnity the cycle which is at its close, or to add luster to the new one which has just begun. It seems, indeed, fitting that the Christian year should begin and end with the cross, which has merited for us each of those years which it has pleased the divine goodness to grant us, and which is to appear, on the last day, in the clouds of heaven, as the seal put on time.

We should remember that Saint Andrew is the Apostle of the Cross. To Peter, Jesus has given firmness of faith; to John, warmth of love; the mission of Andrew is to represent the Cross of his divine Master. Now it is by these three, faith, love, and the Cross, that the Church renders herself worthy of her Spouse. Everything she has or is, bears this threefold character. Hence it is that after the two Apostles just named, there is none who holds such a prominent place in the universal Liturgy as Saint Andrew.

Andrew, the Apostle, born at Bethsaida, a town of Galilee, was brother of Peter, and disciple of John the Baptist. Having heard his master say, speaking of Christ: Behold the Lamb of God! he followed Jesus, and brought to him his brother also. When, afterwards, he was fishing with his brother in the sea of Galilee, they were both called, before any of the other Apostles, by our Lord, who, passing by, said to them: Come after me; I will make you to be fishers of men.

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October 2023 Newsletter

Dear Una Voce Maine friends,

Greetings,

As often happens, at least here in the Mid-Coast region, September was the summer we spent the previous months waiting for, and the early days of October seem prepared to continue the welcome string of plentiful sunshine and pleasant temperatures.

While we continue to tinker with the Una Voce website behind the scenes before rolling out the changes publicly, with this month’s newsletter, in addition to another set of liturgical highlights for October from Dom Gueranger’s Liturgical Year, we’d like to introduce another feature that we hope will enhance your understanding of and appreciation for the Traditional Latin Mass.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of histories and explanations of the Mass, so each month we will highlight an excerpt from a recent (or maybe not so recent) release. As an adult convert to the Faith, I feel like I play a lot of catch-up to make up for the formation I didn’t get when I was younger, and nowhere is that feeling more pronounced than when I’m delving into the structure, symbolism, and theology of Sacred Liturgy. In addition to running in the newsletter, both the new features will be posted on a somewhat re-vamped Resources page for convenient reference.

A particularly valuable resource I read this past spring is by a German priest, Fr. Michael Fiedrowicz, of the archdiocese of Berlin, who has written a splendid book titled, The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite. Fr. Fiedrowicz is nothing if not thorough, and I’m hoping I can highlight sections in a way that conveys clearly both the chronology of developments as well as their theological significance.

By all means, please feel free to offer us suggestions if there are books or resources you have found particularly helpful. This effort is very much a work in progress. There are certainly a number of resources available on the Resources page, many of which will remain moving forward. But we’re hoping you will find it helpful if we offer a regular, if limited, guided tour.

As always, please feel free to offer any comments or feedback.

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

Excerpt: The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite

Fr. Michael Fiedrowicz

Angelico Press, pp.52-53.

In which, in response to commentators who suggest the TLM is not really as grounded in history as proponents claim, Fr. Fiedrowicz briefly surveys the development of the TLM over the centuries, as well as the traditional rationale for changes.

“(W)as there truly a noticeable continuity between a fourth-century celebration of the Eucharist and the 1570 codified rite of the Mass, which is at the basis of the 1962 Missal, and therefore at the basis of that form of the rite of Mass for which Pope Benedict XVI once again, with the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum on 7/7/07, provided a right of residence in the Church? Has not liturgical historical research demonstrated by now how many elements that are considered to be characteristic of the “old Mass” came to be included relatively recently, and in no way therefore belonged to the Roman rite in its earliest stage?

Let us name only a few: the prayers at the foot of the altar belong to the younger texts of the classical rite of the Mass. The Confiteor was first observed in the tenth century, the psalm Judica me appeared in the ninth or tenth century. The Offertory prayers, recited silently by the priest at the Offertory (Offerimus / In spiritu humilitatis / Suscipe, sancta Trinitas), as well as the Orate fratres, are first discovered in the sacramentaries of the ninth/ tenth century and reached the Missal of the Papal Curia only in the thirteenth century. The silent Canon began to prevail from the middle of the eighth century. The priest’s preparatory prayers before Holy Communion are discovered in the Missals of the eleventh century. The Last Gospel— the prologue of the Gospel of John— was first added to the Dominican Missal in the thirteenth century, and was made obligatory for the entire church by the Dominican Pope Pius V in 1570.

All of these, however, were additions or enhancements that did not alter the liturgy of the Mass. Instead, these prayers and gestures were intended only to express more clearly and deeply the mystery of the Mass…

…This process of continual development was accompanied from time to time by an effort to purify the existing form, in which many elements incorporated over the course of history but ultimately foreign to the Roman spirit were rejected and removed (e.g., the number of the private prayers of the priest, the so-called apologiae, or the abundance of Sequences). Such purifying acts were always carried out in a cautious and restrained manner, in reverence for tradition.”

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September 2023 Newsletter

Dear Una Voce Maine friends,

Greetings, I hope you have all had a enjoyable summer, rain notwithstanding. As we look forward to the months ahead, I wanted to alert you to some of the changes you’ll be seeing on the UVM website in the weeks to come.

The Mass schedule is far and away the most frequented page, but we’d like to expand the available information to include some highlights from the Liturgical Calendar for the month ahead. Another section we’d like to add will be dedicated to excerpts from the numerous resources available that delve into the history, theology, and symbolism of the TLM. I suspect I’m not alone in observing that one of the beauties of our Faith is that there is always something more to be gained from its depth and spiritual richness.

"I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe,” St. Anselm of Canterbury famously observed in the 11th century, “but rather, I believe in order that I may understand.” On a personal note, I must admit that I wrestled for years with that observation, assuming in typical “modernist” fashion that I had to understand something before I could actually believe it. Once I realized, however, that the mystery and beauty of faith are a form of understanding unto themselves, I saw that the more I learned, the more I delved into the font of the Church’s tradition and wisdom, the deeper my belief would be.

It is our hope that the insights we are able to gather and offer will have a similar effect on daily faith for all of us, as well as the faith we bring to Mass each Sunday.

That said, the updated website is not quite ready for prime time, but we wanted to provide an example of what we’re intending. Below are three liturgical “highlights” from the month of September, with accompanying excerpts from Dom. Prosper Guéranger’s The Liturgical Year.

Moving forward, the dates will be included in the newsletter, with links to the website for the accompanying passages. Comments are always welcome.

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

September 8

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

And the Virgin’s name was Mary. (Luke 1:27) Let us speak a little about this name, which signifies Star of the sea, and which so well befits the Virgin Mother. Rightly is she likened to a star: for as a star emits its ray without being spoilt, so the Virgin brought forth her Son without receiving any injury; the ray takes nought from the brightness of the star, nor the Son from his Mother’s integrity. This is the noble star risen out of Jacob, whose ray illumines the whole world, whose splendor shines in the heavens, penetrates the abyss, and traversing the whole earth, gives warmth rather to souls than to bodies, cherishing virtues, withering vices. Mary, I say, is that bright and incomparable star, whom we need to see raised above this vast sea, and shining by her merits, giving us light by her example.

September 21

Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Great and singular, then, is the glory of the Evangelists. The name of Matthew signifies one who is given. He gave himself when, at the word of Jesus “follow me,” he rose up and followed him; but far greater was the gift he received from God in return. . . . Matthew was called to be the first Evangelist. Under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost he wrote, with that inimitable simplicity which speaks straight to the heart, the Gospel of the Messiah expected by Israel, and announced by the prophets—of the Messiah the teacher and Savior of his people, the descendant of its kings, and himself the King of the daughter of Sion—of the Messiah who had come not to destroy the Law, but to bring it to its full completion in an everlasting, universal covenant.

September 29

Dedication of Saint Michael the Archangel

The glorious Archangel appears today at the head of the heavenly army: There was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. (Apocalypse 12:7) In the sixth century, the dedication of the churches of St. Michael on Monte Gargano and in the Roman Circus increased the celebrity of this day, which had however been long before consecrated by Rome to the memory of all the heavenly Virtues. From the Sequence at Mass: Let all praise Michael; let none deprive himself of this day’s joy. O happy day! whereon the solemn victory of the holy angels is recorded. The old dragon is cast out, and all his hostile legions put to flight: the disturber is himself disturbed, the accuser is hurled down from the height of heaven. Under Michael’s protection there is peace on earth, peace in heaven, praise and exultation; for he, mighty and valorous, stands for the safety of all and triumphs in the battle.

Sancte Michael Archangele, ora pro nobis!

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