Across the Church over the past forty years there have been countless stories of ordinary people attempting extraordinary things in the cause of the Gregorian Rite. Very often, they have been met with opposition from the sources they looked to for leadership and support.
"...the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it. It’s impossible to see what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community is calling its very being into question when it suddenly declares that what until now was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and when it makes the longing for it seem downright indecent..." -Joseph, Cardinal Ratzinger
Sometimes, the opposition was overwhelming and they gave up the attempts. Sometimes, God called them to Himself before their efforts could bear visible fruit. Hopefully, they acted in good faith and gained grace through their efforts.
William, Cardinal Leveda, said recently, in the context of the Apostolic Constitution for former Anglicans coming into full Communion with the Holy See that:
"The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: ‘There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph. iv:5). Our communion is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith."
But then, to paraphrase an oft repeated maxim in the Diocese, Cardinal Leveda doesn't live in Kildare and Leighlin.
To those members of St. Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association who have died, the short illustrated history that follows is dedicated. Of your charity, pray for them. Since no Parish in the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin that we have asked will permit us facilities to organise a Requiem Mass for the repose of their souls, please pray all the harder for them.
"...the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it. It’s impossible to see what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community is calling its very being into question when it suddenly declares that what until now was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and when it makes the longing for it seem downright indecent..." -Joseph, Cardinal Ratzinger
Sometimes, the opposition was overwhelming and they gave up the attempts. Sometimes, God called them to Himself before their efforts could bear visible fruit. Hopefully, they acted in good faith and gained grace through their efforts.
William, Cardinal Leveda, said recently, in the context of the Apostolic Constitution for former Anglicans coming into full Communion with the Holy See that:
"The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: ‘There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph. iv:5). Our communion is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith."
But then, to paraphrase an oft repeated maxim in the Diocese, Cardinal Leveda doesn't live in Kildare and Leighlin.
To those members of St. Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association who have died, the short illustrated history that follows is dedicated. Of your charity, pray for them. Since no Parish in the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin that we have asked will permit us facilities to organise a Requiem Mass for the repose of their souls, please pray all the harder for them.
Petition to Bishop Ryan, 1996
In 1996, a petition of over 500 signatures was presented to Bishop Laurence Ryan, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, requesting the provision of Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Missal on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation in the Diocese. Bishop Ryan died in 2003. By the time of his death, no such provision had been made.
Letters to Bishop Moriarty, 2004
In 2004, with the encouragement of St. Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association, hundreds of individuals sent letters to Bishop James Moriarty requesting the provision of Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Missal on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation in the Diocese. No response seems to have been received by any of these intrepid souls and no provision was made.
Requests for Mass on Sundays and Holydays, 2007
In 2007, following the coming into force of the Holy Father's Letter Summorum Pontificum, groups of the faithful in seven Parishes wrote to their Parish Priests requesting the provision of Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Missal on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation in their Parishes. Since October, 2008, more than a year after the coming into force of Summorum Pontificum, a single monthly Mass has been provided in one Parish.
Requests for pilgrimage Masses, 2007-2009
Since 2007, St. Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association has requested permission to organise pilgrimage Masses, for the Holy Year of Saint Paul and then the Holy Year for Priests, in Parishes across the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. Requests have been made to 21 out of 56 Parishes. Permission has been granted on 7 occasions. In one instance, permission was given for the Holy Year of Saint Paul and permission refused for the Holy Year for Priests. In one instance, permission was given but withdrawn a matter of days later. How long, O Lord? How long until those asking for the Gregorian Rite are not made to feel downright indecent?
Of your Charity, pray for the souls of the deceased members of St. Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association!
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