by Rachel Askwith
What exactly is the Traditionalist Movement and what does a Traditionalist believe?? Well, to start with: the Traditionalist Movement isn't really a movement at all. Traditional Catholics are loyal to the Church and love the Traditions of the Church. We just want to uphold the Faith that has been passed down through the ages. The "Traditionalist Movement" isn't just about the Mass of all Ages although the Mass that we go to is what sets us apart. No, Traditional Catholics are concerned with preserving and proclaiming the Faith which is what all Catholics should be concerned about.
The Mass of all ages, also known as the Tridentine Mass(including the Eastern rites) are the fullest expression of
the Faith that has been passed down to us. In the liturgy, we have the affirmation of Our Lord's birth, death, and ressurection, His sacrifice on Calvary, the communion of saints, and the sacrificial nature of the Mass. In the Mass, we are totally adoring God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Everyone is facing the altar where the Tabranacle is placed...adoring Our Lord. The Mass also affirms the fact that as we are adoring Our Lord, we are also joining with the Church Triumphant--the saints and angels. Also, The Liturgy also affirms that the Mass is a sacrifice....the re-presenting of Christ on Calvary. All in the church are back at Calvary in the Mass. The Real Presence of Our Lord--Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity is also affirmed in the Mass.
I know that some of you may say that the Novus Ordo Mass affirms this as well but it is a proven fact that the emphasis on the Sacrificial nature of the Mass and the communion of saints has been watered down in the current Mass. Since Vatican II, there has been an appalling number of Catholics who don't even know what they believe. Catechetics has weakened, abuses of the Mass and other sacraments have increased, and sadly some in authority have caught the modernist/feminist bug. As a result, they are spreading this virus to others.
This is what some of our concerns are in reguard to the changes that have taken place since Vatican II. We are loyal to the Holy Father, to the Magisterium, and to the Church. Traditional Catholics are not schismatic. We just want to uphold the Faith as it has been taught for 2,000 years and to be able to practice our Faith by going to the Mass of all ages and availing ourselves of the other sacraments as they have been celebrated for centuries.
Sadly, for years after the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Mass, the Mass of all ages and the other sacraments were supressed by "progressives"--some of them bishops. As a result, those who couldn't take it anymore sought refuge in schismatic groups like the SSPX which broke off from the Church in 1988 when Archbishop Marcel Lefvere was excommunicated by His Holiness Pope John Paul II. As a result, This present Holy Father issued a document call Ecclesia Dei which authorized the bishops to freely allow the Mass of all ages to be celebrated.
That was over 10 years ago and some bishops have still not allowed the Mass to be celebrated in their dioceses. I know of many Traditional Catholics who have to drive far from their homes to attend the Mass every month or every other month or every two weeks. For some, they have been blessed to be able to go to the Mass of all ages every week but...its still a long drive. In my case, I have to go all the way downtown in Jacksonville to go to Mass every week. That is about 30 to 45 minutes from my home. I am blessed though because I know of some people who have to drive an hour or two hours from their home to get to a indult (Tridentine) Mass. Not only that, the other sacraments like baptism, penance, extreme unction, confirmation, and matrimony isn't allowed to be celebrated in the Tridentine Rite in some places.
Sometimes Traditional Catholics have a hard time of teaching their children the Faith as in the case of some homeschoolers (both Traditional and Novus Ordo) who had to be asked to send their kids to CCD classes using the diocesan books so that their children can recieve the sacraments because according to the diocese, the books that they were using were unapproved. I don't see how the Baltimore Catechism could be unapproved. The situation is still being dealt with so I won't say anymore about it.
Meanwhile though, we continue to fight for the Truth, for the Faith. We seek to further the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our King and Mary, Our Queen. This is exactly the mission of every Catholic, not just traditionalists. However, I believe we will be able to make greater inroads in this pagan society by getting back the Traditional Faith of our fathers. All we can do is hope and pray. Continue to pray the Rosary and try to get to a Traditional Mass. However, before going...please read the prayers of the Mass to familiarize yourself with them so that you won't feel totally lost. God bless you :)
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
Pope St. Pius X, pray for us
Pope St. Pius V, pray for us
Dominus Vobiscum
Rachel (aka: The History Buff)