Sunday, February 09, 2014

Extraordinary Community News


"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

Tridentine Community News (February 9, 2014):
Academy of the Sacred Heart Chapel To Host New Weekly Sunday Morning Tridentine Mass

Many of our readers have expressed interest in the ongoing search for a new Extraordinary Form Mass site in Oakland County. After many years of organizing efforts, a one-time Mass was held on All Souls Day at the beautiful St. Hugo Stone Chapel in Bloomfield Hills. The church was filled to capacity, not surprisingly as our research has shown that there is substantial demand for a Mass in the northern suburbs of Detroit. While the Stone Chapel is an ideal location for the Traditional Liturgy, the parish is unable to accommodate a regular Mass at this point in time.


We are pleased to report that this week, preliminary approval was granted for a weekly Sunday morning Mass to commence at the nearby Chapel of the Academy of the Sacred Heart. The Academy is a private Catholic school located on an expansive campus on Kensington Road, south of Long Lake Road, one half mile east of Woodward Avenue in Bloomfield Hills. The chapel was built in the 1950s and has all of the essential architectural features for the Tridentine Mass: a High Altar, a Communion Rail, and a choir loft with pipe organ. It seats approximately 300 people. Adjacent to the chapel is a lovely Victorian living room and dining room, complete with kitchen, ideal for post-Mass receptions.

Logistics are currently being worked out. We hope to be able to announce the schedule for Masses there soon. In the meantime, we ask your prayers for Academy of the Sacred Heart Head of School Sr. Bridget Bearss, who has graciously welcomed us to use her facility, and for Msgr. Ronald Browne, the Chaplain of the Oakland County Latin Mass Association, who will be the principal celebrant of this forthcoming Mass.

Video Series on Catholic Church Architecture

The Liturgical Institute of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Mundelein Seminary has posted a brief ten-part video series on YouTube entitled Catholic Church Architecture: Architectural Theology. The presenter is Professor Denis McNamara, widely known as the author of the visually stunning coffee-table picture book, Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago, and a well-known speaker on church architecture.

It is worth noting that McNamara is not a traditionalist. He articulates a defense of classic architectural style purely on the basis of its suitability to communicate our Holy Faith. He repeatedly opposes any expression of architectural preference based on subjective feelings of “I like it” or “I don’t like it”. McNamara’s rather detached, academic technique makes it hard for those of any persuasion to oppose arguments based on logic rather than liturgical predilections.

Each segment is short, 5-10 minutes in length, so the entire series may be viewed in a short amount of time.

Saints with Multiple Days in the Calendar

Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed that it is possible for a saint to be assigned more than one Feast Day in the Extraordinary Form calendar. Let’s consider a recent example, the most prominent one in the calendar:

St. Agnes’ primary Feast Day is January 21, the day of her death. Exactly one week later, on January 28, she is the second, commemorated saint on the Feast of St. Peter Nolasco. January 28 is St. Agnes’ birthday. It is also the day that St. Agnes appeared to her parents, eight days after her death, surrounded by other crowned virgins, to assure them that she was happy in heaven.

Other feasts may occur on different days according to national calendars or the tradition of certain religious orders. For example, Our Lady of Consolation is observed on January 31 in Rome, but on the Saturday after the Feast of St. Augustine elsewhere.

St. Albertus Masses

A quick reminder that St. Albertus Church is hosting eleven Sunday Tridentine Masses in 2014, all at 12:00 Noon. The next Mass will be next Sunday, February 16. Schedule permitting, the celebrant for most of the Masses at St. Albertus will be Fr. Mark Borkowski, and Wassim Sarweh will direct the music.

Special thanks to Vladimir Vaculik for swiftly performing some needed repairs on the St. Albertus pipe organ. Readers may recall that Vladimir restored the organ a few years ago after it had been non-functional for almost 20 years.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Mon. 02/10 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Joseph (St. Scholastica, Virgin)
  • Tue. 02/11 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Benedict/Assumption-Windsor (Our Lady of Lourdes)
  • Sat. 02/15 8:00 AM: Low Mass at Our Lady of the Scapular (Ss. Faustina & Jovita, Martyrs)
  • Sun. 02/16 12:00 Noon: High Mass at St. Albertus (Septuagésima Sunday)
[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit) and Assumption (Windsor) bulletin inserts for February 9, 2014. Hat tip to A.B., author of the column.]

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