"Jody Carpenter, the volunteer coordinator, told The Pillar she thinks it’s significant that a traditionalist nun might be found incorrupt in the years following Traditionis custodes."
yes, it's a sign that some traditionalists are even willing to ideologize potential incorruptibility. one prominent traditionalist said that the case of Sister Wilhemina "has all the marks of Divine Providence telling those who are attacking the TLM to lay off or else they will find themselves warring against Someone they cannot intimidate or control, much less defeat".
well, the possible implications that traditionalists might draw were brought up first in the article, not by myself, and I merely comment on them. I hope that I might edify some (more extreme traditionalist) readers here by disabusing them of the notion that the incorruptibility of a dead Christian vindicates their delusions about the pope hating them or God liking their liturgy more.
With all due respect, I think you are the one who needs a little self reflection. This was a fantastic story about how a nun in an unknown convent who had a love for the TLM is continuing to deepen the faith of not just those Catholic families in the area, but nation-wide. Those who have their faith deepened by the TLM have been feeling hurt by TC. This is giving them consolation that their deepened faith isn't wrong and that the machinations of some in the Vatican hierarchy could be countered with examples of an authentic, lived Catholic faith.
With that in mind, your first action is to attack those who HAVE been hurt by TC. To belittle their joy as an attempt to strike against those who "wronged" them.
I attend the Diocese of Lincoln. Bishop Conley is my shepherd. He has a deep, orthodox sense of the faith and instills the desire that the priests under his care "Say the black, do the red." He is the type of shepherd who should be appointed as a cardinal. The NO masses in the D. of Lincoln are very reverent and the people who attend them are grateful for our priests adherence to the rubrics. It may be a case in other locations, but I have heard no complaints from those whom I know that attend the TLM about the NO in our Diocese. They just find that the TLM helps deepen their spiritual life in a unique way that the NO doesn't.
Yet, you seek to only see the worst in those who have their faith deepened by a form of the liturgy you seem to hate. Every time the TLM comes up, you are there to pounce. Please have a little prayerful introspection in the future before you attempt to denigrate other's faith and cast circumspect motives onto their love for Christ. I will be praying for you.
everyone needs a little self-reflection from time to time. I don't have an issue with this story. I don't have an issue with the genuine faith, love and piety of traditionalists, though I think it would be better for them and for the Church if they adopted the new Mass and updated their theology.
you need to hold up, because I didn't "attack" people who were "hurt" by Traditionis custodes. I criticized a response by a prominent traditionalist, Peter Kwasniewski, who took this as a sign that God is on his side. I think that's the wrong attitude to have. I don't think we should draw any conclusions about traditionalism based on the potential incorruptibility of Sister Wilhelmina. I expressed hate for no one's preferred liturgy. I denigrated no one's faith. I cast doubt on no one's love for Christ (except some traditionalist ideologues who are constantly at war with the "novus ordo Church"- and even they I think are just misguided).
I'm causing controversy to get people to click on the Substack that I will probably never write anything on. I've got one subscriber already, I could make serious money as a grifter. Okay, just kidding.
(I come to this as a NO Catholic.) You claimed that you denigrate no one's faith and "hate" no one's preferred liturgy... immediately after you had stated that "I think it would be better for them and for the Church if they adopted the new Mass and updated their theology". While "hate" is too strong, something nearly as negative ("judgmental condescension" or "arrogance", perhaps) seems at work here. If I'm wrong, then tell me how you came to discover that all TLM adherents have outdated theology, or to doubt the love for Christ of some "traditionalist ideologues"? God bless you!
thinking that the Roman liturgy is better fit for purpose with the reforms that happened before and after Vatican II under the influence of the liturgical movement is not condescension. it does mean that I think traditionalists who claim that the liturgy was better before the reforms are wrong, but it's not arrogance to think I am right and they are wrong.
I don't think all traditionalists think the same but I have in my interactions with them encountered commonly held ideas. for example, traditionalists often tend to emphasize the role of the priest and minimize the role of the laity in the liturgy, and I think they are wrong to do so. again, not arrogance or condescension.
When we try to guess "what is God doing, here?", i.e. what change is God working to bring about in the world through this event, we will always guess something too small and too narrow. Even in creative fiction writing, humans tell one another "never write a scene that is doing only one thing", even if it is a very little scene. But we usually guess one thing anyway. :) That is just how we are, only able to properly think about or do one thing at a time.
It is okay for people to make guesses, though, provided that they try to be kind to one another. But the first thing we should always guess is: how is God using this event to change *me*? Because, each of us ought to reason, "every event in my life is about bringing me closer to Him in some way (if I am willing), and since He is unchanging this means the one who changes is me."
I love Catholics, dude. All the official shirts and ties giving the official "we are investigating this, please hold your enthusiasm," and flocks of powerful grandmas and Midwesterners come in to kiss the body and press rosaries to it.
All the volunteers -- emergency responders, local families, the KoC, the neighbors -- how uplifting to read about them. Craziness has invaded their town, and look at how they've pitched in. Many little miracles. I know you went there for the detailed reporting (thank you), but if at some point you feel like sharing your personal experience at witnessing Sister Wilhelmina, that would be welcome.
JD, thank you for being a true journalist here. Two small corrections: Benedictine College (not Benedict) and the nun pictured with Fr. Bartulica is the Abbess herself (Cecilia). Shawn McKnight is a sorry excuse for a shepherd. This "bishop" has close ties to Cupich, et. al. This "bishop" is now attempting to control those in his diocese from visiting this place, just as he attempted to force the Covidian Fauxvax on all diocesan employees, refusing to allow religious exemptions. He has bullied and marginalized Orthodox priests in his diocese. He feigned being "incensed" by the revealed offenses of McCarrick, but did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about it. He is all about lip service. People of the diocese of Jefferson City, ignore the advice of this wannabe dictator. He is unfit to be in the presence of Sister Wilhelmina, or any one of her fellow sisters, or the laity who attend Mass there. He cannot intimidate, control or defeat any one of us.
Reading this in the UK I found it fascinating. What will come of it all is in the hands of the Lord and I would not dare to guess. One thing that struck me in your report is how few black people there are in the Catholic Church in the USA - 4%. Here in the UK before becoming somewhat incapacitated by age I use to attend "Days with Mary" - days celebraing Our Lady of Fatima - all very traditonal with lots of hymns in Latin, very devotional and very fervent. But I used to wonder whether I was the last Catholic Englishman as we sang "Faith of Our Fathers". The congregation was about 80% black and the smattering of Englishmen were obviously a pretty odd lot.
If I recall correctly, after the schools were desegregated in the US, the bishops decided to follow suit with the churches... mainly by closing the black churches, so the blacks were spread out amongst a lot of majority white churches with hostile members. Many left the church in response. That's probably why so many of the black Catholics today are immigrants.
Sr. Wilhelmena overcame a lot just to stay Catholic, and more to join a religious order. And then to found another one at 70?
I stayed for Mass on Sunday. How was it that TLM in the Extraordinary Form was celebrated on Sunday? I thought it was suppressed? I don’t have a bone to pick with the liturgical wars; I just didn’t expect it and wondered if it was done in obedience?
The nuns here only celebrate the TLM. From their site:
"The Mass is the center of our spirituality and the mystical focal point of the day.
We are privileged to daily partake of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (1962) in accord with Pope Benedict’s Summorum Pontificum, the liturgy which the Church has jealously guarded for centuries. Bound up inextricably within this ancient liturgy, is a great reverence for the sacredness of the holy priesthood, which is at the heart of our charism. The fitting worship rendered to Almighty God in the Holy Sacrifice spills over into the chanting of the Divine Office."
Right but I thought it had recently been formally restricted by Pope Francis, like a month or two ago. Initially, various congregations only needed permission of the local Bishop but now I thought it was no longer permitted?
I am not a canon lawyer, so take this with a grain of salt, but if I remember right, Pope Francis published something after TC that allowed the FSSP to keep doing what it has been doing. Since the nuns are associated with them, I assume then that they are able to continue with celebrating the TLM daily.
Also, it wasn't totally supressed, just restricted like you said, but if they have the permission of the local bishop certainly they are able to continue to celebrate. Also the FSSP carve-out may apply to them as well.
Great article, thank you for the reporting! As an aside, however, did you notice that you capitalized 'Black' , but kept 'white' in lowercase when referencing people? Is that really where we're at even at the Pillar? I just don't get it.
My guess is they're just following common journalistic form. It is the accepted style (maybe AP?) these days. I don't fault them for that. You can Google articles about whether it's "proper" or "just" or what not, but it's so far down the list of things to get upset about these days.
The attitude you're expressing is how the ratchet turns, Matthew.
I understand there are only so many hills to die on, but do we really want to allow this change to the written word in the US to become a foregone conclusion?
The double standard is evident, divisive, and unproductive.
Thank you. Because we are a journalistic outlet, we observe the industry standard AP stylebook with regard to stylistic choices, except in very rare cases.
We see no particular reason not to observe the AP stylebook on this matter.
When “Black” became the descriptor of choice in the 1970s I was in college. I was taught to capitalize it and have ever since. I’ve seen commentators in other places refer to this as something new, but it isn’t.
Out of curiosity, do we know where +McKnight stands on TC, the Eucharistic revival, etc? "Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are." - my grandma
Great coverage, worth way more than the cup of coffee price I pay each month to subscribe. This phenomenon should not be about the “TLM/TC” controversy, but it inevitably will be. Among the many problems with TC is the automatic exemption given to the FSSP. Either the Novus Ordo (which I gladly attend) is the sole expression of the Latin Church’s liturgy, or it’s not. Either the FSSP is in full communion with the Pontiff, or it’s not. If FSSP can have a blanket exemption, then why the full suppression of TLM everywhere else? While it’s certainly true that many TLM devotees do not engage in anti-NO polemics, or adopt a superior attitude, it’s an unfortunate fact that many do, including in some FSSP parishes. All TC has accomplished is to harden the hearts of those on the barricades, while sending mixed signals regarding whether those devoted to the TLM are in full communion of heart and mind with the Pontiff. One senses that the FSSP exemption was a political compromise to keep those folks in the fold. But what does that say to TLM devotees who have no interest in (and no access to) FSSP parishes? That they are politically expendable?
It's not the sole expression. The Latin Church has probably never had one single liturgical rite. We currently have, in addition to the NO and the TLM, the Anglican Use, the Mozarabic Rite, the Rite of Braga, the Carthusian Rite, the Dominican Rite, and possibly a few others I've forgotten (I don't remember if the Zaire Use is actually celebrated). The Sarum Rite is celebrated very rarely, but it is a Latin Rite. The Anglican and Zaire Uses were both instituted after the NO. Pope Francis suggested an Amazon Rite, I think during the Amazon synod. That line in TC about the NO being the sole expression is intended to be explanatory, which is not covered under Magisterial authority, and not a part of the law itself. It's a clear factual error.
One reason for suppressing the TLM given was that there seemed to be many people opposed to Vatican 2 among the TLM-goers. Oddly, though these people seem to be more concentrated in the SSPX and sedevacantist churches, the decree banned the TLM in parish churches, where you are least likely to find people opposed to Vatican 2. I wouldn't call those parishioners expendable, it seems more like they were the targets. Religious orders, FSSP, ICKSP (also exempted), SSPX, sedevacantists, are all physically separated from mainstream Catholics, due to being in separate buildings. Obviously we can all talk to each other and get along together, if we avoid hardening our hearts, but the interaction is more limited than if you could check out the TLM at 2 PM at your regular church. As best as I can tell, the point was to segregate the TLM folks from the NO folks. The FSSP and ICKSP could be allowed without much concern for the two mixing.
And this is where things lead back to Sr. Wilhelmina. A nun who overcame segregation and loved the TLM enough to start a new order at the age of 70 (!!!) would be a great heavenly advocate for this, and also for the return/conversion of black families.
My son and I are driving there now, spur of the moment, because he’s going to a friend’s celebration in the area and it’s an opportunity for us to spend some time together. We’re from the East Coast. Thank you for this article, It’s a great preparation. For me, this is a pilgrimage for many reasons, and we will bring prayer requests from friends and family to the sisters.
In our culture, people follow bands around, and make great plans to go to football games. Why wouldn’t people make this effort to join a bunch of people from all over praying - in awe and wonder? That’s the Holy Spirit working during Pentecost season.
God works through the most unlikely people. She left at the age of 70 to start a new religious order. The Benedictines of Mary are flourishing in vocations. Many young women from all around the English speaking world are coming here to pray in Latin, which is much better for Gregorian chant. Just remarkable and so beautiful. Deo gratias!
Please look into supporting their new foundation in Ava, Missouri!
Bishop James Johnston was Fr Vann Johnston, priest of the diocese of Knoxville before he became a bishop. He is very understated (with a corresponding dry sense of humor) and has a perfect disposition for overseeing whatever might come out of this unusual situation.
Reading articles such as the ones you’ve reposted the past couple of days has inspired me to do the things! This article in particular inspired my son and me to arrange everything in an hour’s time to drive out there from Baltimore back in May- and it was worth every crazy minute! What an amazing haven of peace and sanctity.
I can’t wait for you to post the best ways to join the Eucharistic pilgrimages this summer - even us old folks over 55 can clock in some serious miles and tag behind the leads and we’re looking forward to it. My bet is that you will have the most detailed information first. Thank you for your inspiring in-depth articles on the goodness and the sorrowful! God bless you all and your families.
If this is miraculous, then my sincere hope is that it will help bridge the divide between TLM and BLM Catholics.
"Jody Carpenter, the volunteer coordinator, told The Pillar she thinks it’s significant that a traditionalist nun might be found incorrupt in the years following Traditionis custodes."
yes, it's a sign that some traditionalists are even willing to ideologize potential incorruptibility. one prominent traditionalist said that the case of Sister Wilhemina "has all the marks of Divine Providence telling those who are attacking the TLM to lay off or else they will find themselves warring against Someone they cannot intimidate or control, much less defeat".
well, the possible implications that traditionalists might draw were brought up first in the article, not by myself, and I merely comment on them. I hope that I might edify some (more extreme traditionalist) readers here by disabusing them of the notion that the incorruptibility of a dead Christian vindicates their delusions about the pope hating them or God liking their liturgy more.
I, too, am edified by this story but frankly admit that the TLM angle is right up there among the ponderables...so come on man.
With all due respect, I think you are the one who needs a little self reflection. This was a fantastic story about how a nun in an unknown convent who had a love for the TLM is continuing to deepen the faith of not just those Catholic families in the area, but nation-wide. Those who have their faith deepened by the TLM have been feeling hurt by TC. This is giving them consolation that their deepened faith isn't wrong and that the machinations of some in the Vatican hierarchy could be countered with examples of an authentic, lived Catholic faith.
With that in mind, your first action is to attack those who HAVE been hurt by TC. To belittle their joy as an attempt to strike against those who "wronged" them.
I attend the Diocese of Lincoln. Bishop Conley is my shepherd. He has a deep, orthodox sense of the faith and instills the desire that the priests under his care "Say the black, do the red." He is the type of shepherd who should be appointed as a cardinal. The NO masses in the D. of Lincoln are very reverent and the people who attend them are grateful for our priests adherence to the rubrics. It may be a case in other locations, but I have heard no complaints from those whom I know that attend the TLM about the NO in our Diocese. They just find that the TLM helps deepen their spiritual life in a unique way that the NO doesn't.
Yet, you seek to only see the worst in those who have their faith deepened by a form of the liturgy you seem to hate. Every time the TLM comes up, you are there to pounce. Please have a little prayerful introspection in the future before you attempt to denigrate other's faith and cast circumspect motives onto their love for Christ. I will be praying for you.
everyone needs a little self-reflection from time to time. I don't have an issue with this story. I don't have an issue with the genuine faith, love and piety of traditionalists, though I think it would be better for them and for the Church if they adopted the new Mass and updated their theology.
you need to hold up, because I didn't "attack" people who were "hurt" by Traditionis custodes. I criticized a response by a prominent traditionalist, Peter Kwasniewski, who took this as a sign that God is on his side. I think that's the wrong attitude to have. I don't think we should draw any conclusions about traditionalism based on the potential incorruptibility of Sister Wilhelmina. I expressed hate for no one's preferred liturgy. I denigrated no one's faith. I cast doubt on no one's love for Christ (except some traditionalist ideologues who are constantly at war with the "novus ordo Church"- and even they I think are just misguided).
Right, but that wasn’t the thrust of the article. It seems odd to quote a couple lines and use them as a springboard for unrelated commentary.
I'm causing controversy to get people to click on the Substack that I will probably never write anything on. I've got one subscriber already, I could make serious money as a grifter. Okay, just kidding.
(I come to this as a NO Catholic.) You claimed that you denigrate no one's faith and "hate" no one's preferred liturgy... immediately after you had stated that "I think it would be better for them and for the Church if they adopted the new Mass and updated their theology". While "hate" is too strong, something nearly as negative ("judgmental condescension" or "arrogance", perhaps) seems at work here. If I'm wrong, then tell me how you came to discover that all TLM adherents have outdated theology, or to doubt the love for Christ of some "traditionalist ideologues"? God bless you!
thinking that the Roman liturgy is better fit for purpose with the reforms that happened before and after Vatican II under the influence of the liturgical movement is not condescension. it does mean that I think traditionalists who claim that the liturgy was better before the reforms are wrong, but it's not arrogance to think I am right and they are wrong.
I don't think all traditionalists think the same but I have in my interactions with them encountered commonly held ideas. for example, traditionalists often tend to emphasize the role of the priest and minimize the role of the laity in the liturgy, and I think they are wrong to do so. again, not arrogance or condescension.
When we try to guess "what is God doing, here?", i.e. what change is God working to bring about in the world through this event, we will always guess something too small and too narrow. Even in creative fiction writing, humans tell one another "never write a scene that is doing only one thing", even if it is a very little scene. But we usually guess one thing anyway. :) That is just how we are, only able to properly think about or do one thing at a time.
It is okay for people to make guesses, though, provided that they try to be kind to one another. But the first thing we should always guess is: how is God using this event to change *me*? Because, each of us ought to reason, "every event in my life is about bringing me closer to Him in some way (if I am willing), and since He is unchanging this means the one who changes is me."
I’ve got a suggestion-go listen to their music if you haven’t already! Beautiful.
I love Catholics, dude. All the official shirts and ties giving the official "we are investigating this, please hold your enthusiasm," and flocks of powerful grandmas and Midwesterners come in to kiss the body and press rosaries to it.
Nothing stops those grandmas, abuelas, nonnas, Lolas etc… Jesus can barely hold them back himself, what hope would some paltry bishop have? 🤣
Oh, JD, you went there! How thrilling.
All the volunteers -- emergency responders, local families, the KoC, the neighbors -- how uplifting to read about them. Craziness has invaded their town, and look at how they've pitched in. Many little miracles. I know you went there for the detailed reporting (thank you), but if at some point you feel like sharing your personal experience at witnessing Sister Wilhelmina, that would be welcome.
JD, thank you for being a true journalist here. Two small corrections: Benedictine College (not Benedict) and the nun pictured with Fr. Bartulica is the Abbess herself (Cecilia). Shawn McKnight is a sorry excuse for a shepherd. This "bishop" has close ties to Cupich, et. al. This "bishop" is now attempting to control those in his diocese from visiting this place, just as he attempted to force the Covidian Fauxvax on all diocesan employees, refusing to allow religious exemptions. He has bullied and marginalized Orthodox priests in his diocese. He feigned being "incensed" by the revealed offenses of McCarrick, but did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about it. He is all about lip service. People of the diocese of Jefferson City, ignore the advice of this wannabe dictator. He is unfit to be in the presence of Sister Wilhelmina, or any one of her fellow sisters, or the laity who attend Mass there. He cannot intimidate, control or defeat any one of us.
Reading this in the UK I found it fascinating. What will come of it all is in the hands of the Lord and I would not dare to guess. One thing that struck me in your report is how few black people there are in the Catholic Church in the USA - 4%. Here in the UK before becoming somewhat incapacitated by age I use to attend "Days with Mary" - days celebraing Our Lady of Fatima - all very traditonal with lots of hymns in Latin, very devotional and very fervent. But I used to wonder whether I was the last Catholic Englishman as we sang "Faith of Our Fathers". The congregation was about 80% black and the smattering of Englishmen were obviously a pretty odd lot.
If I recall correctly, after the schools were desegregated in the US, the bishops decided to follow suit with the churches... mainly by closing the black churches, so the blacks were spread out amongst a lot of majority white churches with hostile members. Many left the church in response. That's probably why so many of the black Catholics today are immigrants.
Sr. Wilhelmena overcame a lot just to stay Catholic, and more to join a religious order. And then to found another one at 70?
I stayed for Mass on Sunday. How was it that TLM in the Extraordinary Form was celebrated on Sunday? I thought it was suppressed? I don’t have a bone to pick with the liturgical wars; I just didn’t expect it and wondered if it was done in obedience?
The nuns here only celebrate the TLM. From their site:
"The Mass is the center of our spirituality and the mystical focal point of the day.
We are privileged to daily partake of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (1962) in accord with Pope Benedict’s Summorum Pontificum, the liturgy which the Church has jealously guarded for centuries. Bound up inextricably within this ancient liturgy, is a great reverence for the sacredness of the holy priesthood, which is at the heart of our charism. The fitting worship rendered to Almighty God in the Holy Sacrifice spills over into the chanting of the Divine Office."
Right but I thought it had recently been formally restricted by Pope Francis, like a month or two ago. Initially, various congregations only needed permission of the local Bishop but now I thought it was no longer permitted?
I am not a canon lawyer, so take this with a grain of salt, but if I remember right, Pope Francis published something after TC that allowed the FSSP to keep doing what it has been doing. Since the nuns are associated with them, I assume then that they are able to continue with celebrating the TLM daily.
https://fssp.com/decree/
Thanks! Totally forgot about the FSSP.
Also, it wasn't totally supressed, just restricted like you said, but if they have the permission of the local bishop certainly they are able to continue to celebrate. Also the FSSP carve-out may apply to them as well.
They are also a religious order, not a diocesan church. Religious orders were not restricted by TC.
And this is why we love and support the Pillar. Great work as always JD.
Great story, JD!
Great article, thank you for the reporting! As an aside, however, did you notice that you capitalized 'Black' , but kept 'white' in lowercase when referencing people? Is that really where we're at even at the Pillar? I just don't get it.
My guess is they're just following common journalistic form. It is the accepted style (maybe AP?) these days. I don't fault them for that. You can Google articles about whether it's "proper" or "just" or what not, but it's so far down the list of things to get upset about these days.
The attitude you're expressing is how the ratchet turns, Matthew.
I understand there are only so many hills to die on, but do we really want to allow this change to the written word in the US to become a foregone conclusion?
The double standard is evident, divisive, and unproductive.
Thank you. Because we are a journalistic outlet, we observe the industry standard AP stylebook with regard to stylistic choices, except in very rare cases.
We see no particular reason not to observe the AP stylebook on this matter.
I appreciate the clarification JD. I would personally think, however, that such a double standard would be reason enough.
Amen to that!
I am with @Ryan here.
If Sr. Wilhelmina was "Black" and if there are "Black" Catholics, then you must have "White" people.
When “Black” became the descriptor of choice in the 1970s I was in college. I was taught to capitalize it and have ever since. I’ve seen commentators in other places refer to this as something new, but it isn’t.
As long as you capitalize White or any othe colour.
Out of curiosity, do we know where +McKnight stands on TC, the Eucharistic revival, etc? "Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are." - my grandma
Great coverage, worth way more than the cup of coffee price I pay each month to subscribe. This phenomenon should not be about the “TLM/TC” controversy, but it inevitably will be. Among the many problems with TC is the automatic exemption given to the FSSP. Either the Novus Ordo (which I gladly attend) is the sole expression of the Latin Church’s liturgy, or it’s not. Either the FSSP is in full communion with the Pontiff, or it’s not. If FSSP can have a blanket exemption, then why the full suppression of TLM everywhere else? While it’s certainly true that many TLM devotees do not engage in anti-NO polemics, or adopt a superior attitude, it’s an unfortunate fact that many do, including in some FSSP parishes. All TC has accomplished is to harden the hearts of those on the barricades, while sending mixed signals regarding whether those devoted to the TLM are in full communion of heart and mind with the Pontiff. One senses that the FSSP exemption was a political compromise to keep those folks in the fold. But what does that say to TLM devotees who have no interest in (and no access to) FSSP parishes? That they are politically expendable?
It's not the sole expression. The Latin Church has probably never had one single liturgical rite. We currently have, in addition to the NO and the TLM, the Anglican Use, the Mozarabic Rite, the Rite of Braga, the Carthusian Rite, the Dominican Rite, and possibly a few others I've forgotten (I don't remember if the Zaire Use is actually celebrated). The Sarum Rite is celebrated very rarely, but it is a Latin Rite. The Anglican and Zaire Uses were both instituted after the NO. Pope Francis suggested an Amazon Rite, I think during the Amazon synod. That line in TC about the NO being the sole expression is intended to be explanatory, which is not covered under Magisterial authority, and not a part of the law itself. It's a clear factual error.
One reason for suppressing the TLM given was that there seemed to be many people opposed to Vatican 2 among the TLM-goers. Oddly, though these people seem to be more concentrated in the SSPX and sedevacantist churches, the decree banned the TLM in parish churches, where you are least likely to find people opposed to Vatican 2. I wouldn't call those parishioners expendable, it seems more like they were the targets. Religious orders, FSSP, ICKSP (also exempted), SSPX, sedevacantists, are all physically separated from mainstream Catholics, due to being in separate buildings. Obviously we can all talk to each other and get along together, if we avoid hardening our hearts, but the interaction is more limited than if you could check out the TLM at 2 PM at your regular church. As best as I can tell, the point was to segregate the TLM folks from the NO folks. The FSSP and ICKSP could be allowed without much concern for the two mixing.
And this is where things lead back to Sr. Wilhelmina. A nun who overcame segregation and loved the TLM enough to start a new order at the age of 70 (!!!) would be a great heavenly advocate for this, and also for the return/conversion of black families.
My son and I are driving there now, spur of the moment, because he’s going to a friend’s celebration in the area and it’s an opportunity for us to spend some time together. We’re from the East Coast. Thank you for this article, It’s a great preparation. For me, this is a pilgrimage for many reasons, and we will bring prayer requests from friends and family to the sisters.
In our culture, people follow bands around, and make great plans to go to football games. Why wouldn’t people make this effort to join a bunch of people from all over praying - in awe and wonder? That’s the Holy Spirit working during Pentecost season.
God works through the most unlikely people. She left at the age of 70 to start a new religious order. The Benedictines of Mary are flourishing in vocations. Many young women from all around the English speaking world are coming here to pray in Latin, which is much better for Gregorian chant. Just remarkable and so beautiful. Deo gratias!
Please look into supporting their new foundation in Ava, Missouri!
Bishop James Johnston was Fr Vann Johnston, priest of the diocese of Knoxville before he became a bishop. He is very understated (with a corresponding dry sense of humor) and has a perfect disposition for overseeing whatever might come out of this unusual situation.
Reading articles such as the ones you’ve reposted the past couple of days has inspired me to do the things! This article in particular inspired my son and me to arrange everything in an hour’s time to drive out there from Baltimore back in May- and it was worth every crazy minute! What an amazing haven of peace and sanctity.
I can’t wait for you to post the best ways to join the Eucharistic pilgrimages this summer - even us old folks over 55 can clock in some serious miles and tag behind the leads and we’re looking forward to it. My bet is that you will have the most detailed information first. Thank you for your inspiring in-depth articles on the goodness and the sorrowful! God bless you all and your families.