According to Fr. John Zuhlsdorf over at WDTPRS, "There will be a high Christmas midnight mass (missa cantata) at Immaculate Conception Church, 59 Walnut St., Fitchburg, Massachusetts. A musical prelude will begin at 11:30, with the mass beginning at 12 midnight. It will be celebrated by Fr. Mark Withoos."
Let's hope that this positive development will mark the beginning of renewal for the Catholic Church in and around Fitchburg. And let's remember the words of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, in his book "Salt of the Earth": "I am of the opinion, to be sure, that 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."
Relevant passage from Vatican II:
"Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites." (Sacrosanctum Concilium, No. 36, see also No. 54).
And from Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Dei:
"Respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition...for the use of the Roman Missal according to the 1962 edition."
Let's hope that this positive development will mark the beginning of renewal for the Catholic Church in and around Fitchburg. And let's remember the words of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, in his book "Salt of the Earth": "I am of the opinion, to be sure, that 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."
Relevant passage from Vatican II:
"Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites." (Sacrosanctum Concilium, No. 36, see also No. 54).
And from Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Dei:
"Respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition...for the use of the Roman Missal according to the 1962 edition."
