We Should Support ALL Latin Mass Initiatives in the Archdiocese of Toronto, Not Limit Ourselves to One!

Hello Everyone,

As a Latin Mass server in some capacity in the Archdiocese of Toronto, pastored under the wise and gracious leadership of His Eminence, Cardinal Thomas Collins, I ask for a moment of your time in reading this post. I ask you to listen, especially if you attend or assist in the Latin Masses in some capacity, but also, even if you do not attend or go occasionally, or are just passing by here reading something interesting. Also allow me to speak firmly on something that has been occuring in person in our communities and online in the Catholic Blogosphere.

First and foremost, we should be grateful for the spiritual treasures that we have here in the Archdiocese of Toronto, of which some are:

• Churches that still retain some or most of their pre-Vatican II architecture, visual signs that point towards our way to Heaven. 
• For world standards today, in Catholic seminaries, we have a firm and solid seminary in St. Augustine`s, who besides schooling future priests, also extend such quality of theological and pastoral instruction to lay persons seeking post-secondary degrees in theology, divinity, philosophy, etc.You will get the most solid and orthodox Catholic teaching there compared to other theology schools in Toronto.

However, of all the ``treasures`` our archdiocese boasts under ++Collins` leadership, we have many thanks and blessings to offer our Lord, that in the "core"/major part of this diocese, (including Pickering,) we have 5 ongoing parishes, programs, and/or organizations that are offering or organizing Masses in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, a.k.a. the Tridentine Mass, the 1962 Mass, the Mass of St. John XXIII. These groups/parishes who have offerings are as follows:

• St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir (Since 2006)
• Toronto Traditional Mass Society (Some minor activity pre-2010, really increased in 2011 onward)
• St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church (Since the 1988 Ecclesia Dei indult, *Oratorian Parish)
• Holy Family Church Parkdale, Toronto (*Oratorian Parish)
• St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Church, Scarborough, ON (Daily since 2011)
• St. Issac Jogues Catholic Church, Pickering, ON (Monthly since 2010's ???)

* Counted as one parish. The Oratorians run both parishes in Toronto.

Brifely, what does this sacred treasure in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite offer to all involved:

• The "direction" of the Mass in it's entirety, as it were, could be stated to be "vertical", that is God centered. 
• Major tenets and principles of our Faith, are expressed in a firm and direct fashion, and not hid behind confusing words. 
• Respects of Tradition and patrimony of the Church that all Catholics deserve to be given by Holy Mother Church. 
• Of EF Mass saying priests: They are almost always holy and pious men in the Mass, and outside of it, and take their roles seriously. They take this praxis into the Ordinary Form (vernacular/Mass of Paul VI) when they say these Masses. 
• The homiletics are clear, firm, and to the point! NO theatrics, or dumbing down" of the meaning of Scripture passages or Feast/Solemnity and NO "Jesus Love Everyone" garbage. 
• A liturgy that is synchronized, orderly, and attuned to assist the lay faithful in the pews to orient themselves in deep prayer and worship of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the mass. 
• When the choir's Gregorian Chants and music, the incense, and other physical signs are present, it plays a part in creating an air of transcendence, symbolism, mystery, etc. that the people are actually seeking when they want to be "fed" by their Catholic liturgies. Just ask Bill Murray, the famous actor. HE AGREES!

Here in Toronto we are blessed to have this many offerings when worldwide in the Church, other dioceses' clergy, laity, and others spit upon and prevent even one Latin Mass to happen since Vatican II. Some prelates have even BANNED illegally all Latin Mass activities, despite Summorum Pontificum and Ecclesiae Unitatem.

When we have so many programs, it is honestly disgusting to see such division with regard to some of the activities surrounding the Latin Mass. Considering the focus of the current pontificate of Pope Francis, (read: Not Liturgy!) why then are we all giving credence to such puerile behaviour?

What behaviours do I mean?

• Certain groups establishing superiority over another, and making grandiose claims without acknowledging those of the others. 
• Reports by said groups of "violations" of the liturgy and protocol in carrying out the EF Mass. 
•  I include in this also attendees/adherents of specific parishes and groups who parrot the disparaging remarks of their parish's or group's leadership, and only "root for the home team" because they are superior or "do the liurgy better," etc.  
• Now, granted I do highlight other groups and parishes more than some, but at least I put all the special offerings in one page every 4 months. Those parishes/groups also do not have the web coverage that others do, with multiple bloggers and "Trad" allies helping them out. 
• The above also refers to the parishes too, including the laity in those parishes with regular offerings. When you choose to close yourself off to your own little community, you uphold the stereotypes our Holy Father is throwing out as of late: "pickled-face pepper" people, "Neo-pelagians", etc. 
• You also insult the other people that your parish priest works with, or whom have supported your parish in past, be it by Mass attendance, donations, altar serving, or putting on Masses for you. 
• Preferring only one level of the Mass, such as the Missa Lecta/The "Quiet Mass" and shunning others. 
• Insulting other Catholics who don't "fit the Traddie Profile"
• e.g. Lashing out at young women who wear pants. The FSSP do NOT enforce skirts on their women, so neither does SPGC. This old canard needs to stay dead. 
• e.g. Insulting women with Theology/divinity degrees, accusing them of stealing church jobs from men!
• Online blogging of a venomous sort. E.g. Last Advent, a man of a supporting blog for a particular Latin Mass group, visited St. Casimir parish in Toronto. The witness (likely a male,) recounted their experience, by calling a little female altar server a "cross dresser", This has a psychologically vile connotation attached to it. Calumny! 
• Slandering and Calumniating other priests and Latin Mass parishes/organizations who do not follow every single rubric and rule for the EF that exists! 

When you just stick to one group (not due to harassment and ostracism), and exhibit these behaviours online and in person, you prevent others from knowing about the Latin Mass, and from exploring it further and even going to the daily parish masses. You also show us to be joyless sad sacks who want to enforce liturgy and religion on people, including Catholics! You drive people away from Catholicism and the Latin Mass and act contrary to the will of the Holy Father, and Holy Mother Church. This is far from the Truth about Traditional Catholics and the Latin Mass. News flash: Jesus criticized the Pharisees A LOT! Read your Gospels if you don't believe me. 

What if the other group's Latin Mass, is their starting point, and they come to you cause they found out your Mass too? Then they start to go to all of them! You then have introduced a new person, in your charity, to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, that will send them on a life changing journey.

Not to mention, our Archdiocesan superior, +Collins,  is not fond of the above behaviours, especially the `cliquing,` and has taught us that this is a barrier to true discipleship wouth the Church and Christ. 

• (13:00 - 14:40): "... There's no kind of cookie cutter [mold] for discipleship ... The Catholic Church is a bunch of people, it is not a bunch of the pure. The trouble in the Church has been called by the "pure Catholics" who sort of find themselves a little to high for the rest of them and go off and form a sect or their own little special thing. No No! ... We're not a sect, we are the Universal Church...."

To all of you, the Latin Mass can only continue in our Archdiocese, and elsewhere in the world, IF YOU STOP THESE UN-CATHOLIC AND VICE-RIDDEN BEHAVIOURS. You only strengthen the Devil's grip on the world, and further prove the false stereotypes of all Latin Mass Catholics.

Any non-Latin Massers reading this, be bold and courageous in your lives! Do not be afraid to charitably, fraternally or sororally correct your wayward siblings in Christ exhibiting this behaviour. Should they not be pliable to such words of wisdom, do not be afraid to bring this up with their pastor, their other friends, even if needed, the Archdiocese of Toronto. There is no room for this behaviour. None.

Do not forget, that we are in the midst of the the mission of the New Evangelization? The Latin Mass IS part of that! It is part of the whole package to re-catechize the faithful via the liturgy! Lex orandi, Lex Credendi!

We all should be attending each other's masses! Fill those pews up! Put as much money into those collections when we visit a parish or use it for the Latin Mass! Just imagine the financial impact it would have on that parish, and even, the Office of the Archdiocese of Toronto!

In fact, let me be the first to initiate this trend that I hope will become a "pay it forward." I invite all of you, past association, present, and even those who view me as your enemy, to attend an upcoming Latin Mass! Invite a friend and/or family member. Why even invite someone you normally don't associate with in Latin Mass circles! Here are the regular listings:
http://torontotlmserving.blogspot.ca/p/known-latin-mass-listings-in.html.

As for special listings, you can visit this page which is until December 31, 2014: http://torontotlmserving.blogspot.ca/2014/08/fall-2014-special-offerings-for-latin.html. If you cannot make the Novus Ordo Latin Mass listed on December 6, then you are all free and welcome to join myself and the St. Pat's Gregorian Choir on the evening of December 8 in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Help St. Francis celebrate their 100th anniversary! See the 2nd link above for details. Hopefully Toronto Traditional Mass Society will have one more Mass too before year's end that we all can go to.

So everyone, show some cheer towards one another, support, not isolate one's self and others in the Latin Mass, and start showing one another and others, how the Traditional Catholic Faith gets put into action. 

It does not spread with name-calling, ostracism, isolation and/or ignorance, and liturgical policing. It happens with respect, fortitude, temperance, and practical acts combined with the liturgical, for as in James 2, "faith without works is dead." Advent season is definitely a good time to start.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.