top of page

Bishop Schimmelplatzer Bans Novus Ordo Mass!

Writer's picture: Fr. SeraiahFr. Seraiah

Made you look! Yes, I thought that line would get your attention. No, there is not a Bishop, to my knowledge, who has done this. Yet we are so used to hearing about Bishops banning the Latin Mass from their diocese', that it almost sounds ridiculous for a Bishop to ban the Novus Ordo. And yet, what if one did? Let us imagine it really happened. Let us picture the Diocese of Podunk, and Bishop Herman Schimmelplatzer decides that the only forms of the Mass allowed in his diocese were the Traditional Latin Mass, the Divine Worship Mass, and the six forms of the Eastern Catholic Masses.


First we have to ask, would this Bishop be within his rights and authority to do so? Canon Lawyers might have a time of trying to figure this one out. Would this Bishop be persecuted? Likely. Would there be an uproar from the laity? Very likely. Would this Bishop get reprimanded by the Holy Father? That is a very good possibility as well. Yet at the same time, we would have to admit that with all the unruly behavior in the Novus Ordo Masses, and the liturgical goofiness and disobedience of the rubrics, there would be understandable grounds for Bishop Schimmelplatzer wanting this.


Am I saying that it would be a good idea for a Bishop to do this? No; let me make that clear. The consequences of an action like this would be terrible for the parishioners in that diocese. It would be harmful to the faithful for a Bishop to make a move like this without teaching them properly beforehand to get them prepared for a radical change like this. It is, however, helpful for us to consider this possibility in order to better grasp what is going on in those diocese' where Bishops are banning the Latin Mass. If we are more shocked by the idea of a Bishop banning the Novus Ordo, than we are about the fact that Bishops have banned the Traditional Latin Mass, then something is unbalanced in us.


Would that be considered "unfair" if a Bishop banned the Novus Ordo? Yes, many would likely say that was the case. The numbers of those affected is not the issue; it is a matter of how one ministers to those under his pastoral care. To tell people that something is good one day, and then that the same thing is bad the next day is not a good way to lead. Radical changes require fatherly care to explain the changes and implement them. I do not presume to know the mind of Pope Francis and his restrictions that he has placed on the Latin Mass; that is above my paygrade. I am concerned, however, with anyone who can just eliminate a Rite of the Mass that has been around for centuries, and was the predominant form of the Mass for the majority of the Church during that time. We are not talking about banning a book from a parochial school; we are talking about the Mass!


All too often decisions are made (even by clergymen) based on what they happen to like, or on what will be offensive to the least amount of people. Both of these are wrong ways to make choices. They might make us feel good at the end of the day, but they will do us no good on Judgment Day. The fact that we are even needing to ask about the right way to ban a form of the Mass, shows that we have fallen into a grave situation. As Catholics we are often called to accept the decisions of those over us, even when we do not like those decisions; but that does not mean that we are to fail to pray for them. Be angry, certainly; be very angry; but use that anger as a motivation to bring our leaders before the Lord in our prayers.

14 views

Recent Posts

See All

False Teachers

“The same false teachers who try to dim the luster of conjugal faith and purity do not scruple to do away with the honorable and trusting...

Priests Speaking the Truth

There is a "home blood type test" that you can buy online. It is supposed to give you everything necessary to find out what your blood...

Caring for the Poor

A Catholic friend once told me that only the Democratic Party cares about the poor, and so it was a grave sin for a Catholic to vote for...

Comentarios


St. George Catholic Church, 1404 E Hines St, Republic, Missouri, Phone:(417) 732-2018, Email Here 

​

Crest of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter
bottom of page