The Bishop of Lismore, Most Reverend Geoffrey Jarret, in his Christmas message, spoke of a falling off of Mass attendance, as a “fatigue of the spirit.” Loss of spirit, I believe, would be a better choice of words, which was effected by the 1962 Second Vatican Council’s departure from the traditional ‘Mass of the Ages’, the ‘Ancient Venerable Ritual of the Mystical Sacrifice of the Altar,’ and replaced by the “New Order” of Mass.
By electing for change, the Papacy ignored, the Decree ‘Quo Primum’ of Pope St. Pius V, July 19, 1570, which stated, in part: “By this our decree, to be valid in perpetuity, we determine and order that never shall anything be added to, omitted from, or changed in this Missal, Cardinals not excluded…”
The change illicited by the 1962 Second Vatican Council, was the emphasis placed on the Mass being a Eucharist of the Lord’s Supper on a table, instead of the Priestly function of sacrifice, said in Latin, to prevent diversity of intention, with the faithful following in English, in their Missals, which was foolproof against novelty. Priesthood, synonymous with victim, sacrifice and altar, is now a ministry of the Eucharist, unable to offer sacrifice.
Now said in the vernacular, the “New Order”, the Mass was affected with ease, and, fails to meet the spiritual needs of the faithful, hence the falling off of Church attendance, which promises eventual extinction.
Jim Shanks,
Byron Bay
