Related Resources
Summorum Pontificum
Read the full text of the latest motu proprio here.
Read Holiness' explanatory letter here.
The Traditional Latin Mass
See the text of the Extraordinary Use of Mass here.
Watch a video of the Traditional Latin Mass with Commentary by Arhcbishop Fulton J. Sheen here.
A video of a more recent Traditional Latin Mass is available to watch here.
Dietrich von Hildebrand's The Case for the Latin Mass is available here.
About
On July 7, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued a motu proprio entitled Summorum Pontificum (the text of which is linked to in the left sidebar), extending to any priest of the Latin Rite the liberty to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass - the Mass which was used for roughly 1400 years until the reforms following the Second Vatican Council. A motu proprio is a decree from the pope which he issues by his own initiative (although not without consultation and considerable thought and prayer). Prior to this, as of 1984, priests were permitted to offer the Traditional Latin Mass in its most recent edition before the reforms (1962) under particular circumstances and with the explicit permission of the local bishop. In 1988 this permission was broadened with John Paul II's now well known motu proprio, Ecclesia Dei. Under these new norms, permission was still required by the bishop, who did not always see it necessary to grant such permission. The recent decree from Benedict XVI eliminates the necessity of seeking the permission of the bishop and states that, despite popular belief in the past thirty years, the Traditional Latin Mass has never been abrogated (forbidden and abandoned).
If at this point you are asking yourself what an ancient ritual in a language nobody understands has anything to do with modern man, we strongly encourage you to take the time to read and consider a short article by the famed 20th century theologian and philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand, The Case for the Latin Mass. This document is available in the left sidebar.
The primary aim of this website is to unite people together in the Bradford deanery and beyond who have an interest in seeing this Rite of Mass restored to our area. We encourage people from Bradford, Kane, Smethport, St Marys, Warren, Olean and elsewhere to become involved in this cause. Furthermore, it is our desire to come together to foster the traditional Catholic devotions and customs so cherished by our parents, grandparents, and countless generations of pious souls throughout history.
Please feel free to explore some of the links provided to the left. These will provide more information about the Traditional Latin Mass, the motu proprio and the movement for traditional Catholicism, the Faith of our Fathers.
Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus ímperat!
