I. Laity Preaching and Presiding:
The Cardinal wrote to Fr. Madden:
"Lay Preaching and Presiding "1) Bishop Lori discussed with you the various instances of lay preaching and presiding at Holy Trinity Parish. Instances of this include the 1997 Ash Wednesday Service at which Dr. Linda Arnold presided and preached, as well as a 1993 "Reconciliation Series" at which a number of lay men and women presided and preached. It is my understanding that similar services took place in subsequent years as well.
...
"3) The Bishop also expressed concern over lay preaching in the context of Mass, sacramental celebrations and Vespers. He cited both Canon 767 and the authentic interpretation of that Canon by the Holy See.
"4) In view of those concerns, which I fully share, I appreciate and accept your pledge that "...there will be no preaching at any liturgical service (e.g., Vespers) by anyone other than a priest or deacon."
The Holy Trinity Parish Bulletin for March 15, 1998, had the following announcement: "Dr. Linda Arnold will lead a Prayer Service honoring women and in celebration of Women's History Month on Thursday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Church."
II. Inclusive Language:
The Cardinal wrote to Fr. Madden:
"Inclusive Language "1) In your meetings with Bishop Lori, it was determined that both the Scriptural readings and the Mass texts are regularly modified at Holy Trinity to make them more "gender inclusive." This also extends to the hymns sung during liturgical services." (emphasis added)
"2) You indicated that Margaret Costello, the parish liturgy director, is responsible for most of these modifications. You said that these changes are mainly confined to "horizontal" language and do not extend to "vertical language" - that is, the names for God. You indicated that the proper names of God, "Father, Son and Holy Spirit," are retained far sacramental formulae and blessings. Nonetheless, you indicated that, at times, the personal pronoun "He," and the possessive adjective "His" - when these refer to God or to Jesus - are replaced. In addition, your music director, Mr. William Usher, indicated that "Father" could be replaced with other images of God since fatherhood is "a painful image" for many people today. You expressed disagreement with Mr. Usher on that point and subsequently clarified that his role is confined to the texts of hymns." (emphasis added)
"I have given no permission for experimentation with inclusive language at Holy Trinity Parish. Neither the clergy nor any member o£ your staff is authorized to change Scriptural translations or Mass texts." (emphasis added)
"Only those translations of the Sacramentary approved by the NCCB and the Holy See are to be used at Holy Trinity, effective immediately." (emphasis added)
The Sacramentary is the book containing all the Mass texts other than the Scripture readings for the day. In that part of the Scramentary containing the Ordinary (or unchanging part) of the Mass, there are four times in which a masculine pronoun is used in reference to God. The priests at Holy Trinity still substitute gender-neutral variants in all four of these places:
All but one of the Holy Trinity priests (and most of the parish's printed programmes) instead say "God's" in place of "His": viz., "and peace to God's people on earth." (emphasis added)
All but one of the Holy Trinity priests (and all of the parish's printed programmes) say "Who" instead of "He": viz., "who, with the Father and the Son, is worshipped and glorified" and "who has spoken through the prophets." (emphases added)
At its June 1997 semi-annual meeting, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States voted 188 to 20 to reject a proposal from the International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) to replace the word "His," where it appears twice in the response, with - in the first place - the word "God's" and with the word "the" in the second. The bishops, however, refused, believing that the proposed re-wording would make it appear "the Lord" and "God" were two different persons.
The Bishops also voted 121 to 68 to reject a gender-inclusive revision proposed by their own liturgy committee, which would have made the response: "Lord, accept our sacrifice at the hands of your priest, for the praise and glory of your name, for our good and for the good of all the church." The reason the Bishops gave for refusing this proposal was that they felt it would have falsely implied that the Mass is a sacrifice offered by the assembly, rather than by Jesus.
Several of the Holy Trinity priests, by using their microphone to dominate the congregation's response, have gotten many parishioners to alter the response to say: "It is right and just that we should give God thanks and praise." (emphasis added)
III. ORDINARY PRAYERS OF THE MASS:
The Cardinal wrote to Fr. Madden:
"[I]t is important for parish clergy and staff to be well-versed in Church teaching and discipline. In addition to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, this also includes The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Code of Canon Law, the Ecumenical Directory, various liturgical directives from the Holy See and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Sacramental Norms and Policies of the Archdiocese of Washington. Parish priests and parish staff must know and accept the Church's discipline and understand the reasons that underlie it. No one in a position of parish leadership, especially a priest, should plead 'ignorance of the law.'"
"Neither the clergy nor any member o£ your staff is authorized to change Scriptural translations or Mass texts." (emphasis added)
"Only those translations of the Sacramentary approved by the NCCB and the Holy See are to be used at Holy Trinity, effective immediately." (emphasis added)
The Sacramentary, which is the book containing the Mass texts other than the Scripture readings for the day, includes a General Instruction of the Roman Missal (The one now in force is the 4th Ed., 1975). There have been a series of periodic official interpretations issued by the Holy See The Sacramentary states precisely what are the prayers that must be said at any Mass. The Holy Trinity priests, however, regularly omit, or alter, the following: the Credo (on holy days of obligation), the Lavabo (at weekday Masses) the separate and distinct Offertory prayers over the bread and wine (at weekday Masses), and the Mass's prescribed final blessing of the congregation (at all Masses).
All but one of the Holy Trinity priests omit the Credo at Masses on those solemnities occurring during the week.
Several of the Holy Trinity priests, to save time, conflate the two separate prayers for the bread and for the wine into one combined prayer for both.
52. QUERY: "May the rite of washing the hands be omitted from the celebration of Mass? REPLY: In no way. 1. Both the GIRM (nos. 52, 106, 222) and the Order of Mass (with a congregation, no. 24; without a congregation, no. 18) show the <Lavabo> to be one of the prescribed rites in the preparation of the gifts. A rite of major importance is clearly not at issue, but it is not to be dropped since its meaning is: "an expression of the (priest's) desire to be cleansed within" (GIRM no. 52). In the course of the Consilium's work on the Order of Mass, there were a number of debates on the value and the place to be assigned to the <Lavabo>, e.g., on whether it should be a rite in silence or with an accompanying text; there was, however, unanimity that it must be retained. Even though there has been no practical reason for the act of handwashing since the beginning of the Middle Ages, its symbolism is obvious and understood by all (see SC art. 34). The rite is a usage in all liturgies of the West. 2. The Constitution on the Liturgy (SC art. 37-40) envisions ritual adaptations to be suggested by the conferences of bishops and submitted to the Holy See. Such adaptations must be based on serious reasons, for example, the specific culture and viewpoint of a people, contrary and unchangeable usages, the practical impossibility of adapting some new rite that is foreign to the genius of a people, and so on. 3. Apart from the envisioned exemptions from rubrics and differing translations of texts (see Consilium, Instr. 25 Jan. 1969), the Order of Mass is presented as a single unit whose general structure and individual components must be exactly respected. Arbitrary selectiveness on the part of an individual or a community would soon result in the ruin of a patiently and thoughtfully constructed work: Not 6 (1970) 38-39, no. 27."
Some of the Holy Trinity priests, during the week, omit the Lavabo prayer and the handwashing.
Some of the Holy Trinity priests occasionally change the wording of the final blessing from "bless you" to "bless us."
III. Vestments, Altar Furnishings, Rubrics:
The Cardinal wrote to Fr. Madden:
"[I]t is important for parish clergy and staff to be well-versed in Church teaching and discipline. In addition to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, this also includes The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Code of Canon Law, the Ecumenical Directory, various liturgical directives from the Holy See and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Sacramental Norms and Policies of the Archdiocese of Washington. Parish priests and parish staff must know and accept the Church's discipline and understand the reasons that underlie it. No one in a position of parish leadership, especially a priest, should plead 'ignorance of the law.'"
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (4th Ed., 1975), and the subsequent periodic official interpretations issued by the Holy See, state exactly what vestments the priest is to wear at Mass and how they are to be worn, state that the chalice is to be covered prior to the Offertory, state which specific gestures of respect the priest is to show the Body and Blood of Christ during Mass, state which bodily positions the congregation is supposed to assume during the various parts of the Mass, and state precisely when Holy Communion is to be distributed to the laity, including altar servers and extraordinary Eucharistic ministers.
G.I.R.M., #298. "The vestment common to ministers of every rank is the alb, tied at the waist with a cincture, unless it is made to fit without a cincture. An amice should be put on first if the alb does not completely cover the street clothing at the neck. A surplice may not be substituted for the alb when the chasuble or dalmatic is to be worn or when a stole is used instead of the chasuble or dalmatic."
G.I.R.M., #299. "Unless otherwise indicated, the chasuble, worn over the alb and stole, is the vestment proper to the priest celebrant at Mass and other rites immediately connected with Mass." (emphasis added)
All the Holy Trinity priests says Mass with the stole worn over the chasuble (sometimes, several fail to wear any stole at all).
G.I.R.M., #80. "The following are also to be
prepared:
...
c. on a side table: the chalice, corporal, purificator, and, if
useful, a pall; a paten and ciboria, if needed, with the bread for
the communion of the ministers and the people, together with
cruets containing wine and water, unless all of these are brought
in by the faithful at the presentation of the gifts; communion
plate for the communion of the faithful; the requisites for the
washing of hands. The chalice should be covered with a veil, which
may always be white."
"QUERY: In a great many places the veil is hardly ever used to cover the chalice prepared at a side table before Mass. Have any recent norms been given to suppress use of the veil? REPLY: There is no norm, not even a recent one, to change the GIRM no. 80c, which reads: "The chalice should be covered with a veil, which may always be white.": Not 14 (1978) 594, no. 16."
Some of the Holy Trinity priests have occasionally not used a corporal when offering Mass. None ever has the chalice covered with a veil. And no communion plate ever is used for the communion of the faithful.
G.I.R.M., #21. "For the sake of uniformity in movement and posture, the people should follow the directions given during the celebration by the deacon, the priest, or another minister. Unless other provision is made, at every Mass the people should stand from the beginning of the entrance song or when the priest enters until the end of the opening prayer or collect; for the singing of the Alleluia before the gospel; while the gospel is proclaimed; during the profession of faith and the general intercessions; from the prayer over the gifts to the end of the Mass, except at the places indicated later in this paragraph. They should sit during the readings before the gospel and during the responsorial psalm, for the homily and the presentation of the gifts, and, if this seems helpful, during the period of silence after communion. They should kneel at the consecration unless prevented by the lack of space, the number of people present, or some other good reason."
21. QUERY 2: "In liturgical assemblies there is a great variety of gestures and postures during a celebration. For example, should the people: a. stand during the prayer over the gifts; b. kneel after the <Sanctus> and during the entire Eucharistic prayer; c. sit after communion? REPLY: As usual the GIRM gives simple rules to solve these questions (GIRM no. 21): a. The people stand while the presidential prayers are being said, therefore, during the prayer over the gifts. b. Thy also stand throughout the Eucharistic prayer, except the consecration. The practice is for the faithful to remain kneeling from the epiclesis before the consecration until the memorial acclamation after it. c. The people may sit during the silence after communion."
"The points determined are in no way to be considered trivial, since their purpose is to ensure uniformity in posture in the assembly celebrating the Eucharist as a manifestation of the community's unity in faith and worship. The people often give the impression immediately after the <Sanctus> and even more often after the consecration by their diverse postures that they are unmindful of being participants in the Church's liturgy, which is the supreme action of a community and not a time for individuals to isolate themselves in acts of private devotion: Not 14 (1978) 300-301, no. 1."
G.I.R.M., #233. "Three genuflections are made during Mass: after the showing of the Eucharistic bread, after the showing of the chalice, and before communion. If there is a tabernacle with the blessed sacrament in the sanctuary, a genuflection is made before and after Mass and whenever anyone passes in front of the blessed sacrament." (emphasis added)
G.I.R.M., #234. "There are two kinds of bow, a bow of
the head and a bow of the body: a. A bow of the head is made when
the three divine Persons are named together and at the name of
Jesus, Mary and the saint in whose honor Mass is celebrated.
b. A bow of the body, or profound bow, is made: toward the altar
if there is no tabernacle with the blessed sacrament; during the
prayers, <Almighty God, cleanse> and <Lord God, we ask
you to receive>; within the profession of faith at the
words, <by the power of the Holy Spirit>; in Eucharistic
Prayer I (Roman Canon) at the words, <Almighty God, we
pray>. The same kind of bow is made by the deacon when he asks
the blessing before the gospel. In addition, the priest bends over
slightly as he says the words of the Lord at the consecration."
(emphasis added)
Only two of the Holy Trinity priests make the required profound bow at the reference in the Creed to the Incarnation or at the other times in the Mass when profound bows are required.
G.I.R.M., #240. Holy communion has a more complete form as a sign when it is received under both kinds. For in this manner of reception a fuller light shines on the sign of the Eucharistic banquet. Moreover there is a clearer expression of that will by which the new and everlasting covenant is ratified in the blood of the Lord and of the relationship of the Eucharistic banquet to the eschatological banquet in the Father's kingdom.[68]
G.I.R.M., #243. Preparations for giving communion
under both kinds:
a. If communion is received from the chalice with a tube, silver
tubes are needed for the celebrant and each communicant. There
should also be a container of water for purifying the tubes and a
paten on which to put them afterward.
b. If communion is given with a spoon, only one spoon is
necessary.
c. If communion is given by intinction, care is to be taken that
the Eucharistic bread is not too thin or too small, but a little
thicker than usual so that after being partly dipped into the
precious blood it can still easily be given to the
communicant.
1. RITE OF COMMUNION UNDER BOTH KINDS DIRECTLY FROM THE
G.I.R.M., #244. If there is a deacon or another
assisting priest or an acolyte:
a. The celebrant receives the Lord's body and blood as usual,
making sure enough remains in the chalice for the other
communicants. He wipes the outside of the chalice with a
purificator.
b. The priest gives the chalice with purificator to the minister
and himself takes the paten or ciborium with the hosts; then both
station themselves conveniently for the communion of the
people.
c. The communicants approach, make the proper reverence, and stand
in front of the priest. Showing the host he says: <The body of
Christ>. The communicant answers: <Amen> and receives the
body of Christ from the priest.
d. The communicant then moves to the minister of the chalice and
stands before him. The minister says: <The blood of Christ>,
the communicant answers: <Amen>, and the minister holds out
the chalice with purificator. For the sake of convenience,
communicants may raise the chalice to their mouth themselves.
Holding the purificator under the mouth with one hand, they drink
a little from the chalice, taking care not to spill it, and then
return to their place. The minister wipes the outside of the
chalice with the purificator.
e. The minister places the chalice on the altar after all who are
receiving under both kinds have drunk from it. If there are others
who are not receiving communion under both kinds, the priest gives
these communion, then returns to the altar. The priest or minister
drinks whatever remains in the chalice and carries out the usual
purifications.
G.I.R.M., #245. If there is no deacon, other priest,
or acolyte:
a. The priest receives the Lord's body and blood as usual, making
sure enough remains in the chalice for the other communicants. He
wipes the outside of the chalice with the purificator.
b. The priest then stations himself conveniently for communion and
distributes the body of Christ in the usual way to all who are
receiving under both kinds. The communicants approach, make the
proper reverence, and stand in front of the priest. After
receiving the body of Christ, they step back a little.
c. After all have received, the celebrant places the ciborium on
the altar and takes the chalice with the purificator. All those
receiving from the chalice come forward again and stand in front
of the priest. He says: <The blood of Christ>, the
communicant answers: Amen, and the priest presents the chalice
with purificator. The communicants hold the purificator under
their mouth with one hand, taking care that none of the precious
blood is spilled, drink a little from the chalice, and then return
to their place. The priest wipes the outside of the chalice with
the purificator.
d. After the communion from the chalice, the priest places it on
the altar and if there are others receiving under one kind only,
he gives them communion in the usual way, then returns to the
altar. He drinks whatever remains in the chalice and carries out
the usual purifications.
G.I.R.M., #246. If there is a deacon, another priest
assisting, or an acolyte present:
a. The priest hands this minister the chalice with purificator and
he himself takes the paten or ciborium with the hosts. The priest
and the minister of the chalice station themselves conveniently
for distributing communion.
b. The communicants approach, make the proper reverence, stand in
front of the priest, and hold the communion plate below their
chin. The celebrant dips a particle into the chalice and, showing
it, says:<The body and blood of Christ>. The communicants
respond: <Amen>, receive communion from the priest, and
return to their place.
c. The communion of those who do not receive under both kinds and
the rest of the rite take place as already described.
G.I.R.M., #247. If there is no deacon, assisting
priest, or acolyte present:
a. After drinking the blood of the Lord, the priest takes the
ciborium, or paten with the hosts, between the index and middle
fingers of one hand and holds the chalice between the thumb and
index finger of the same hand. Then he stations himself
conveniently for communion.
b. The communicants approach, make the proper reverence, stand in
front of the priest, and hold a plate beneath their chin. The
priest takes a particle, dips it into the chalice, and, showing
it, says: <The body and blood of Christ>. The communicants
respond: <Amen>, receive communion from the priest, and
return to their place.
c. It is also permitted to place a small table covered with a
cloth and corporal at a suitable place. The priest places the
chalice or ciborium on the table in order to make the distribution
of communion easier.
d. The communion of those who do not receive under both kinds, the
consumption of the blood remaining in the chalice, and the
purifications take place as already described.
At all Masses at Holy Trinity the laity are allowed to receive under both kinds by themselves dipping the Host into the Chalice and then consuming the Eucharist.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?
You may be wondering, what does it matter that Holy Trinity priests depart from the Church's liturgical rules. Isn't this much ado about nothing?
Of course, the question could be put the other way. Why do the Holy Trinity priests find it so important to insist on continuing in their disobeying the Archdiocese's, and the Church's, rules for saying Mass?
Their insistence is truly quite perplexing.
With the possible exception of the "inclusive language" issue, I would bet that hardly more than an infinitissimally small percentage of Holy Trinity Mass-goers are able to identify a single one of their priests' deviations from the Church's liturgical rules. What then is the point of them?
Is it just these priests' contrariness? Dissent for dissent's sake?
I contend that all their deviations derive from a novel understanding of God and of the Eucharist that is held by the Holy Trinity priests.
Not necessarily wrong or forbidden understandings, but certainly new ones.
And, because these are new understandings, they are understandings that only the Church Herself, and not any individual priests or individual parishes, should have the prerogative of adopting at public Masses - and, even then, only adopted after the Church has followed all her duly constituted procedures,.
The inclusive language Holy Trinity uses for God in its prayers at Mass comes, of course, from the parish's deference to feminist concerns. But such language also shows how modern man even dares presume to re-formulate Revelation to suit his preferences.
Much more serious, in my opinion, are the deviations touching on the Eucharist. The purpose, or, at least, the effect, of these deviations, individually and collectively, is simply to detract from the historic Catholic understanding of what occurs at Mass. And this is important because what occurs at Mass is precisely our Redemption.
Especially with their not genuflecting, with their re-writing the response to the Orate Fratres prayer to refer to "our sacrifice," with their having the congregation stand throughout the Eucharistic Prayers, and with their disregarding the specific requirements on how Holy Communion is to be distributed, the Holy Trinity priests are leading the congregation into a novel belief that the Eucharistic sacrifice is not being offered by Jesus Christ alone (using the priest as but a "body double"), but is being offered by the assembled congregation.
Of course, the Church wants the priest and the laity present at Mass all to be offering up to God their own sacrifices.
But the personal sacrifices of the priest and of thoae laity physically present at any Mass are not the same as the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Mass, which is offered only by Jesus Christ (and, by logical extension, by the Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ).
Moreover, the manner by which the Holy Trinity priests say Mass tends to blur the distinction between the priests' two different rôles at Mass, namely 1) the priests' principal rôle of acting as alter Christus during the offering, in an unbloody manner, of Jesus's sacrifice of immolation for us on Calvary, and then, but only secondarily, 2) the priests' subsidiary rôle of being presiders of assemblies of the faithful at worship services.
From the Holy Trinity priests' manner of saying Mass, one would hardly know that there is, at each and every Mass, physically (not just really) present the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord, Jesus of Nazareth, both true God and true Man.
The fact, in other words, that, ever since the day of Jesus's Ascension into Heaven almost two thousand years ago, He has (to our certain knowledge) only been physically present on this Earth in this unique, Eucharistic manner. I doubt any stranger attending a Holy Trinity Parish celebration of Mass would ever so much as suspect he or she is witnessing that.