The Unprofitable Servant: Adoremus: Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Adoremus: Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy

A few years ago I was watching a re-run of "The Journey Home" on EWTN following Father Corapi's now-defunct show and Helen Hull Hitchcock was the guest. It was then that I learned about the Adoremus Society and the Adoremus Hymnal. I began subscribing to the newsletter shortly after that episode of TJH and have been receiving it ever since.

The most lively part of the newsletter is the readers' forum and this month's makes the combox on some of the most radically traditional blogs look tame in comparison. It is the mission of the Adoration Society to
" rediscover and restore the beauty, the holiness, the power of the Church's rich liturgical tradition while remaining faithful to an organic, living process of renewal. The purpose of such a renewal cannot be stated more eloquently than this statement by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger:

Christian Liturgy is cosmic Liturgy, as Saint Paul tells us in the Letter to the Philippians. It must never renounce this dignity, however attractive it may seem to work with small groups and construct homemade liturgies. What is exciting about Christian Liturgy is that it lifts us up out of our narrow sphere and lets us share in the Truth. The aim of all liturgical renewal must be to bring to light this liberating greatness.-- Feast of Faith
( From the Adoration Society's Mission Statement)

One of this month's contributors to the Adoremus Bulletin informed the editors that there would be no need for their publication if the Novus Ordo did not exist. Another said they were canceling their subscription, all because the editors will not condemn the Novus Ordo. Wisely, the editors will not presume to know better than Pope Benedict XVI about the sacred liturgy. Apparently, a gentleman sent them a letter last month informing them that he could not contribute to their organization because they "support" the Novus Ordo which, in his mind, is not a real Mass. This month's edition included letters of support for that same gentleman. One writer in particular certainly did not hold back:

"Long after we are all gone, the Novus Ordo will be recognized for what it was: a moment in time when the faithful tried to pull God down to their level and ushered 90% of Church into hell, under the 'spirit of Vatican II.' "

Wow. As much as I detest guitars at Mass, hugging at the sign of peace and the attitude that the primary objective of the Holy Sacrifice is social contact, I wouldn't dare go so far.

I extracted the following statements from the lengthy response provided by the editors:

"We do find it disturbing that some otherwise serious Catholics feel free to decide for themselves what constitutes authentic Catholic liturgy, and to reject the decisions and the example of the Church's highest authority - the popes and an ecumenical council. Can rejecting Church authority on so crucial and essential a matter as the Mass ever be a Catholic response?" (Adoremus Bulletin Vol. XVII No. 5)

Anyway, whatever Form you prefer, if you are of the mind that silence and appropriate reverence are sadly missing from our Churches, I would urge you to consider subscribing to the Adoremus Bulletin. It is an excellent resource containing news, commentary and instruction as well as the afore-mentioned letters' section. You can visit their site online at .http://www.adoremus.org/index.html

6 comments:

Mary ChristineAugust 7, 2011 at 11:33 AM
It is amazing to me that I stop by here today and you have that sobering quote - which is exactly what I was thinking at Mass today - and then felt bad for thinking such a thing. But I wonder....
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MannyAugust 7, 2011 at 7:21 PM
That was an interesting website. I pretty much agree with all your points and theirs. I do believe our liturgy is a cosmic liturgy. In fact I tend to feel the cosmic aspect of it every time I'm at mass, especially for some reason for me in the Gloria. I could not find whether Adoremus supports the vernacular. That is the one place I disagree with the traditionalists, as you know. Do they support the vernacular or do they insist on the Latin mass?
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TLWAugust 7, 2011 at 7:51 PM
Manny, no, they do not insist on Latin. I would suspect they have a preference for it but given all the other issues in more immediate need of attention, it's not something I am aware of them insisting upon.

How is little Matthew doing in all this heat? Having a good summer I hope.
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MannyAugust 7, 2011 at 9:37 PM
Oh Matthew is doing well. We have air conditioning, so he's got it a lot easier than when I ever did as a kid. ;) I did take him to the park today to kick a ball around and he did wilt pretty fast...lol. Kids today have it soft. :-P Thank you for asking.

By the way, I took a passage from the bible the other day and formed it into a poem on my blog. Little did I know it was today's first reading at mass. Check out my blog on how I wrote 1 Kings 19:11-13. I thought it came out very well.
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TLWAugust 8, 2011 at 4:34 AM
Manny, thanks for letting me know, I will check it out tonight after work. Have a great day. Joyce
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MannyAugust 8, 2011 at 9:51 PM
You're welcome and thanks for commenting. I wrote you a reply in case you didn't get back. Also check out my last reply to Kelly.
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Comments which reflect true Christian charity are always welcome. Comments which attack the Pope, the Church, priests or other bloggers will go in the dustbin, especially if they are anonymous. Thank you and God Bless you!

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Mary, Queen of Peace

Ever glorious and blessed Mary, Queen of Virgins, Mother of Mercy, hope and comfort of dejected and desolate souls, through that sword of sorrow which pierced thy tender heart whilst thine only Son, Christ Jesus, our Lord, suffered death and ignominy on the cross; through that filial tenderness and pure love He had for thee, grieving in thy grief, whilst from His cross He recommended thee to the care and protection of His beloved disciple, St. John, take pity, I beseech thee, on my poverty and necessities; have compassion on my anxieties and cares; assist and comfort me in all my infirmities and miseries, of every kind whatsoever. Thou art the Mother of Mercies, the sweet comforter and only refuge of the needy and the orphan, of the desolate and afflicted. Cast, therefore, an eye of pity on a miserable, forlorn child of Eve, and hear my prayer; for since, in just punishment of my sins, I find myself encompassed by a multitude of evils, and oppressed with much anguish of spirit, wither can I fly for more secure shelter, O amiable Mother of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, than under the wings of thy maternal protection? Attend, therefore, I beseech thee, with an ear of pity and compassion, to my humble and earnest request. I ask it, through the bowels of mercy of thy dear Son; Through that love and condescension wherewith He embraced our nature, when, in compliance with the divine Will, thou gavest thy consent, and whom, after the expiration of nine months thou didst bring forth from the chaste enclosure of thy womb, to visit the world, and bless it with His presence. I ask it, through that anguish of mind wherewith thy beloved Son, our dear Saviour, was overwhelmed on the Mount of Olives, when He besought His eternal Father to remove from Him, if possible, the bitter chalice of His future passion. I ask it, through the threefold repetition of His prayers in the garden, whence afterwards, with dolorous steps and mournful tears, thou didst accompany Him to the doleful theatre of His death and sufferings. I ask it, through the welts and bruises of His virginal flesh, occasioned by the cords and whips wherewith He was bound and scourged, when stripped of His seamless garment, for which His executioners afterwards cast lots. I ask it, through the scoffs and ignominies by which He was insulted; the false accusations and unjust sentence by which He was condemned to death, and which He bore with heavenly patience. I ask it, through His bitter tears and bloody sweat; His silence and resignation; His sadness and grief of heart. I ask it, through the blood which trickled from His royal and Sacred Head, when struck with the sceptre of a reed and pierced with His crown of thorns. I ask it, through the excruciating torments He suffered, when His hands and feet were fastened with gross nails to the tree of the cross. I ask it, through His vehement thirst, and bitter potion of vinegar and gall. I ask it, through His dereliction on the cross when He exclaimed, "My God! my God! why hast Thou forsaken me?" I ask it, through His mercy extended to the good thief, and through His recommending His precious soul and spirit into the hands of His eternal Father before He expired, saying, "It is consummated." I ask it, through the blood mixed with water, which issued from His Sacred Side when pierced with a lance, and whence a flood of grace and mercy has flowed to us. I ask it, through His immaculate life, bitter passion and ignominious death on the cross, at which nature itself was thrown into convulsions, by the bursting of rocks, rending of the veil of the Temple, the earthquake, and the darkness of the sun and moon. I ask it, through His descent into hell, where He confronted the Saints of the old law with His presence, and led the captivity captive. I ask it, through His glorious victory over death, when He arose again to life on the third day, and through the joy which His appearance for forty days after gave thee, His blessed Mother, His Apostles, and the rest of His Disciples; when in thine and their presence He miraculously ascended into heaven. I ask it, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, infused into the hearts of His Disciples, when He descended upon them in the form of fiery tongues, and by which they were inspired with zeal in the conversion of the world, when they went to preach the gospel. I ask it, through the awful appearance of thy Son, at the last dreadful day, when He shall come to judge the living and the dead, and the world, by fire. I ask it, through the compassion He bore thee in His life, and the unspeakable joy thou didst feel at thine assumption into heaven, where thou art eternally absorbed in the sweet contemplation of His divine perfections. O glorious and ever blessed Virgin! comfort the heart of thy supplicant, by obtaining for me, (Mention your prayer intention here...) And as I am persuaded my Divine Saviour doth honour thee as His beloved Mother, to whom He refuses nothing, because thou asketh nothing contrary to His honour, so let me speedily experience the efficacy of thy powerful intercession, according to the tenderness of thy maternal affection, and His filial loving heart, who mercifully granteth the requests and complieth with the desires of those that love and fear Him. Wherefore, O most blessed Virgin, beside the object of my present petition, and whatever else I may stand in need of, obtain for me also of thy dear Son, our Lord and our God, a lively faith, firm hope, perfect charity, true contrition of heart, unfeigned tears of compunction, sincere confession, condign satisfaction, abstinence from sin, love of God and my neighbour, contempt of the world, patience to suffer affronts and ignominies, nay, even, if necessary, an opprobrious death itself, for love of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Obtain likewise for me, O sacred Mother of God, perseverance in good works, performance of good resolutions, mortification of self-will, a pious conversation through life, and, at my last moments, strong and sincere repentance, accompanied by such a lively and attentive presence of mind, as may enable me to receive the last Sacrament of the Church worthily, and die in thy friendship and favour. Lastly, obtain through thy Son, I beseech thee, for the souls of my parents, brethren, relatives and benefactors, both living and dead, life everlasting, from the only Giver of every good and perfect gift, the Lord God Almighty, to Whom be all power now and forever. Amen.

Prayer of St. Bonaventure

Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love, and with true, calm and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with entire love and longing for Thee, may yearn for Thee and for thy courts, may long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.
Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the Bread of Angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and super substantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delightful taste.
May my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, Whom the angels desire to look upon, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor; may it ever thirst for Thee, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the fullness of the house of God;
may it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, come up to Thee, meditate on Thee, speak of Thee, and do all for the praise and glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, with perseverance to the end; and be Thou alone ever my hope, my entire confidence, my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my food, my refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession, my treasure; in Whom may my mind and my heart be ever fixed and firm and rooted immovably. Amen.

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God Bless You!

The Unprofitable Servant

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Adoremus: Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy

6 comments:

Mary, Queen of Peace

St Michael the Archangel

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

St. Teresa Benedicta of The Cross