Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The Dominican Rite at Evagelium

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The main Masses at the Evangelium conference are in the 'Ordinary Form', but in a reflection of the growing place of the Traditional Mass in the life of the Church many priests over the three days chose to say private Masses in the Extraordinary Form. On Sunday morning, I attended a Mass in neither form of the Roman Rite, but a Mass in the Dominican Rite.
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Preparing the chalice before the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, one of the most obvious differences between the Dominican Rite and the Roman Rite. The Prayers at the Foot of the Altar are also shorter, and a shorter version of the Confiteor is used.

Local and order-specific rites of Mass suffered different fates after the Second Vatican Council. The Mozarabic Rite and Carthusian Rite were reformed: if you attend them today, the Mozarabic Rite in Toledo Cathedral, the Carthusian Rite in Parkminster Abbey, you will get the Bugninified version, which nevertheless preserves some distinctive features setting them apart from the Roman Rite. The Dominican Rite and the Norbertine Rite were never reformed: in practice the Dominicans and Norbertines stopped using them, at least for public liturgies. Universae Ecclesiae clarifies the application of the Holy Father's Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum to these Rites, saying that members of the orders at issue have the right to use them. This is increasingly happening.
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It is much to be hoped that the Church will in time recover the right kind of liturgical diversity: not the diversity of every priest making things up as he goes along, or of some priests following the rules and others following various fads, but the diversity of a multiplicity of legitimate and venerable traditions. We are Roman Catholics in the sense of being in unity with Rome, not in the sense of all living in the diocese of Rome. It is fitting that the customs used in Rome are recognised everywhere and available to everyone; it is equally fitting that the customs of other places, and of religious orders, are accorded the respect which is their due.
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The full set is here. I've also taken photos of Fr Crean saying the Dominican Rite at Holy Cross Priory in Leicester, where he is based, and during the London Colney Priest Training Conference back in 2009. You can download for free the Ordinary of the Dominican Rite of Mass here (pdf), thanks to the Church Music Association of America.

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