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Full Version: If you were clergy in a Novus Ordo enviornment how would you fix things?
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This is a bit of speculative digging for ideas on how to restore the diocesan system (if it is at all possible) 

What methods would you use to restore the Church if you suddenly found yourself to be

1) an average parish priest

2) a pastor of the parish

3) an auxiliary bishop

4) the local ordinary bishop or archbishop

The problem is, you are handed the ball on a parish or diocese that is completely comfortable in a moderate post-Vatican II setting.  How do you start without driving everyone away in the first day?

I think there might be a need to systematically restore things.  I read this on TIA this morning and thought about how a reversal of this attack would be implemented. 

St. Pius X's encyclical Pascendi showed how Modernism was crushing all the vital parts of the Catholic life: Holy Scriptures, dogmas, the Sacraments, theology, philosophy, history, tradition and customs. All these fields of Catholic life fell under that destructive dominating force and were profoundly transformed into something else.

How would you do it?  What time frames would you think you might need?

Hopefully HK will chime in with his ide'ers
Win hearts!  That's what I would do if I was an average parish priest or pastor of a parish.  And then shove the changes down their throats!  :laughing: :laughing:

Seriously, if you lose the heart, you lose all. 

What should be done is what they did - just come in and throw all the trouble-making libs out the door and start from scratch.  That's how they did it in the sixties.  But these people are too powerful still today for that to work.  Plus, they are an ends justifies the means kind of people and completely ruthless. 

A bishop would be different.  He has the power to swiftly clean house and let the chips fall where they may.  Let them whine and rant all they want.  If you ignore them, they will either go away or eventually shut up.  With any luck, they'll finally leave and start their own sect.
I'm shocked you didn't mention me by name, Gerard.

Quote:1) an average parish priest

Like a parochial vicar or "associate pastor", right? It really sucks to be these guys. At best, I could probably start with celebrating the Novus Ordo Mass according to the rubrics on day 1, and declining to use EMHC's or Communion in the hand. The really obvious stuff, you know. Just explain that that's how you learned it in seminary, and you were always really diligent about following the books. Slowly introduce the choir to traditional Latin music. No one can honestly object to good taste when presented effectively. I can find ways to make them look like troglodytes and feel bad about themselves for objecting.

I could probably later offer the Tridentine Mass on a "casual" basis, such as random low Masses on weekdays or Saturday evening vigils, that sort of thing.

Quote:2) a pastor of the parish

All of the above. Plus, I'd start training my staff in how to serve and chant at sung Mass in the old form. I would not actually offer the sung Mass until a full 6 months of training was performed. In the meantime, this newfound discipline and romanitas would spill over to the current Novus Ordo Masses. After the 5 months, I'd debut with a Tridentine sung Mass on one of the later timeslots for Sunday, and continue with that every week, even if there's low attendance. If there are any interested deacons, then it would be solemn Mass.

As pastor, I'd have the authority to make a lot of necessary changes to employment and assigning of volunteer work. First thing on this front would be to try to get 3 deacons on the roster and enter them into fully paid positions. They, not laymen or laywomen, would be responsible for religious education, training of acolytes, and be at least involved in the music program and all charitable parish activities.

I would publicly pray at least the major hours of the Office, even if no one is around. I would do all I could to see that Vespers becomes an important service on the schedule, and then Lauds too, as a service to precede the principal Mass of the day.

For the music program, since I have some experience in this, I'd take it over directly. I'd still have a professional music director on staff, but since he probably won't know much of Gregorian chant, I'd take direction on this while he focuses on playing the organ.

Prospective altar servers would all be required to first learn how to sing in choir before taking up the duties of acolytes. If you think you're too cool to sing, you're not cool enough to minister on God's altar. The sacred chant will take the utmost priority in my "regime".

Quote:3) an auxiliary bishop

I'm not really sure what the scope of these people's activities are. I always had the impression they exist solely to go around confirming people.

Quote:4) the local ordinary bishop or archbishop

I'll quote from a post I wrote almost a month ago.

Myself Wrote:f I were a bishop, this is what I'd do to promote the traditional Mass without being ousted:

1.) First of all, celebrate the traditional pontifical Mass in the cathedral every Sunday, of course. I was about to say "after Terce" in the full traditional manner, but maybe it'd be more pastorally sensible to precede Mass with Lauds.

2.) Establish a college of canons devoted strictly to celebrating the old Mass and chanting all of the hours of the Office at the cathedral. I'll start with 24 priests invited from other dioceses who've been ostracized or put to pasture by their bishops. Membership in the college will also be mandatory for any priests going into retirement. There will be no relaxing at the old folks' home for them. Who knows, the cathedral might be transformed into an abbey, or something like it.

3.) Summon every single priest in the diocese for a quick face-to-face interview. Any priest who celebrates the traditional Mass or is willing to will likely get assigned as pastor of a parish (with historic churches given prime consideration), if they're not already. If they're unfit for leadership but are still traditionally minded, they'll join my college of canons.

4.) Administer the sacrament of Confirmation exclusively in the traditional rite in all the parishes. This is probably the best way to get the old rites exposure at the parish level. Since most local priests and servers won't be able to follow along, I'll just have a traveling staff of chaplains to serve the rites, and bring my own vestments and vessels.

5.) Take direct control over the diaconal formation program and teach the candidates myself. Unfortunately, I don't think priests can be relied on to restore the traditional liturgy on a wide scale for another generation or two, simply because they're so entrenched by the old guard, so to speak. Fair enough. I'd just use deacons as my instruments, then. All currently-serving deacons would also need to undergo refreshment courses (re-education, really) in order to continue ministry.

6.) And, of course, restore the minor orders. In truth, I probably couldn't do this on my own initiative as a bishop, save for inviting a traditional priestly society to establish a seminary in my diocese. In exchange for ordaining their priests, perhaps I could ordain some men in minor orders for my own use.

So, with the six steps outlined above, there isn't really any sort of heavy-handed leadership involved. The approach is simply this: "here's what I have to offer you, and here's what your lousy Novus Ordo priests are doing. What do you prefer?" In time, the people as a whole will choose tradition, and their clergy will be forced to follow suit if they still want to get paid.

As a pastor I would:

-first of all, continue to develop an interior life with daily mental prayer.  This is the only traditional way, and through me only God can accomplish, without Him all my efforts will fail.

after that:

-regular catechesis: each homily would briefly mention the next phase the parish will take in following liturgical law, teach about the hermeneutic of continuity etc.

-while initially keeping at least one versus populum in English daily, I would offer all the rest of the Masses ad Deum and in Latin, with daily TLM

-lots and lots of traditional devotions, and develop tradition-focuses events (book clubs, etc).

-when I got complaints (as would be inevitable) I would struggle to maintain charity, hold regular meetings for people unhappy with changes, answer questions, and do as much give and take as I could in good conscience (e.g. they want a sappy trendy non-traditional speaker, I might still allow him as long as he is orthodox)

-celebrate divine office publicly as much as possible

-put all musicians in the back or choir loft if there is one, help develop a schola, and give priority to the schola while making sure all of the hymns of the previous musicians are at least approved and not heretical

-develop a network of other priests to help with TLMs so that every major feast and Sunday can have Solemn High Mass

-then make a second TLM on Sundays and Holy Days for Low Mass

-celebrate Solemn Vespers on Sundays and great feasts

-along with all of these emphasize catechesis, catechesis, catechesis

-get the word out.  lots of parishioners will leave, but lots will come.  I would do this by having a parish blog with lots of pictures and video, having speakers / parish retreats and invite people from surrounding areas, sponsor Catholics Come Home, publicize RCIA

-be very involved in other Church activities.  The pastor should regularly visit the RCIA group, the Legion of Mary, the Bible studies, etc.
1) Local Ordinary Bishop

Notify personally at most parishes the clergy and laity of all the changes and that they are most beneficial and that it is necessary to restore our obscured and obstructed Traditions that have either through ignorance or purposeful neglect and in some cases, out right malice towards our venerable traditions that have lead to a Massive apostasy in the faith. And that these changes are to help stem that loss and to help reinvigourate the faithful that remain, restore orthodoxy and preach the unbridled truth of Christ as Jesus commands us to hold, espouse, and preach. (The entire Catholic religion).

Mandate Ad Orientem in all parishes and mandate renovations to those parishes to restore some ornamentation and an ad orientem possibility.  

2.  Mandate all parishes have at least one Sunday Mass a Tridentine Mass (either Missa Cantata) (invite the FSSP, ICKSP, or others to say the TLM)

3.  Vet the type of music used in parishes and ban all Leftist Catholic programmes.

4.  Encourage the usage of Polyphony, Gregorian Chant.

5. Try to mandate the usage of Incense and thuribles at all Masses.

6. Try to cut expenses where possible.

7. Mandate the use of the Baltimore Catechism series in all catechism classes within the diocese. Any CCD material must receive the Bishops' diocesan approval.

8. Any clergy or laity who refuse to cooperated with these reforms will be given TWO ADMONISHMENTS, upon the Third Offense or Strike (of disobedience): They would be excommunicated, stripped of any position and authority to teach in Catholic parishes.
All of these answers are wonderful . HOWEVER IN 95% of these N.O parishes the Parrish know it all would run to the bishop, 40 years of the n.o has  left 2 generation  of not knowing whats wrong  with the n.o. church .With out the bishop backing you up, it will be hell.
(03-29-2011, 02:53 PM)JCCMADD Wrote: [ -> ]All of these answers are wonderful . HOWEVER IN 95% of these N.O parishes the Parrish know it all would run to the bishop

This may be true. But in my plan for "pastor of a parish", I really think there's nothing that can be legitimately objected to from a liberal bishop's point of view, except perhaps the outsourcing of old lady secretaries. But if he's truly liberal and pastoral, then he will allow the traditional Mass. I know how they play the game.
(03-29-2011, 01:55 PM)newyorkcatholic Wrote: [ -> ]As a pastor I would:


Yes, this is the most important thing, for sure. I'm not too good at that, which is why I wouldn't really want to be a priest, anyway. It'd be nice, though, if I could be a deacon or at least a pastor's advisor of some sort. There are many holy and traditional priests out there who, perhaps because they are holy, don't have much of a mind for planning and administration.
(03-29-2011, 03:01 PM)The_Harlequin_King Wrote: [ -> ][quote='JCCMADD' pid='727320' dateline='1301424821']But in my plan for "pastor of a parish", I really think there's nothing that can be legitimately objected to from a liberal bishop's point of view, except perhaps the outsourcing of old lady secretaries.

I don't see how you can do this.  Most parishes are unable to pay a living wage to these people, so they end up employing women whose husbands mostly support them.  Almost no deacons are employed full-time by a parish, because the parish can't afford to support them, and they need to work full-time.  In order to carry out your plan, you would have to close the less-prosperous parishes (including virtually all parishes in pooor neighborhoods), distancing the pastor even further from the parishioners.

Here's my favorite story of parish employees insulating the pastor from his people:

A Catholic friend of mine's son wanted to get married to a woman who was Catholic, but had not never been confirmed.  The couple contacted the rectory, and were told by the rule-bound secretary that they could not get married because the bride would not have time to enroll in and complete the confirmation class before the wedding.  Not surprisingly, they got the mayor to marry them, and the church will never see them or their children again.  A real pastor would have offered to instruct the bride and get her confirmed before the wedding, but he never got a chance to talk to her, because the secretary does not permit it.
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