Roman Sacristan

On my last trip which took me to Australia, Texas and California–all of which my friends in here in New England believe are separate countries–I met a blogger who goes by the moniker of Roman Sacristan.  I had seen his blog before, but I would like to here mention it as a resource for things liturgical.  In an effort to explain the purpose of his blog, he says:

But getting back to the initial question of the “reform of the reform” vis-a-vis the extra-ordinary form of the Mass that has been placed back on an equal standing with the ordinary form by “Summorum Pontificum,” I can say that the motu proprio has actually put more “pressure” on the ordinary form to get it’s act together. I don’t mean that the Novus Ordo is to be changed to be more like the extra-ordinary form. That’s something for the Church to do with an organized reform of the liturgy. “Vigilante liturgical reform” is not the answer to the problems in the Novus Ordo Mass. What I mean is to get the Novus Ordo back on track and to start getting it said as it is supposed to be said. We’ll worry about actually reforming the ordinary use later. First we need to just get it said by the books.

My own experience tells me that knowledge of the extraordinary form of the Mass brings with it a context for the celebration of the ordinary form.  One can better percieve the logic of the reforms of Vatican II if one is familiar with the manner of celebration of the usus antiquus.

I appreciate the Roman Sacristan’s use of the term “vigilante liturgical reform.”  I think some of the more traditionally minded assume too much when their hopes for the future are defined by precise expectations about what the future holds in store. Sometimes this can translate into some liturgical adaptations that assume that now the traditional rubrics needs to be imposed on the ordinary form, with the hopes that the ordinary form will disappear altogether.

It seems to me that some of the promotors of Summorum Pontificum even assume that the use of the terms “ordinary form” for the novus ordo and  “extraordinary form” for the usus antiquus are a ruse used by the Holy Father to promote a kind of creeping traditionalism.  This goes too far.

In any case, I highly recommend the Roman Sacristan’s blog.  BTW, he is in the process of vocational discernment, so I know he would appreciate the prayers.