These concerns, he explained, include financial issues, unemployment, deaths, illnesses, and many others.
“They suffer quietly, not advertising their problems, seeking some solace in the rites of the Church, whether in the vernacular or in Latin,” he said. “If we, as pastors, do not acknowledge these realities and instead continue to engage in arguments that the faithful find incomprehensible, then we truly risk becoming a ‘resounding gong and clashing cymbal’ and just as irrelevant.”
Earlier in October, Bishop Luis Zarama of Raleigh stated in a letter to priests that the Novus Ordo Mass is to “take priority” in the diocese, which includes the eastern half of North Carolina.
“It is my expectation that priests serving all parishes, missions, stations and chapels of ease will celebrate Mass using [the 2011 Missal] every Sunday and on weekdays, as the principal celebration(s) of the day,” he wrote in an Oct. 12 letter to the priests of the diocese.
The monthly Sunday Latin Masses at the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh and the Basilica Shrine of Saint Mary in Wilmington will continue, he wrote, as will Sunday Latin Masses at two other parishes in the diocese. However, he restricted the time of day at which the Masses can be offered on Sundays.
The Masses may begin no earlier than 1 p.m., and the translations for the prescribed scripture readings in the vernacular should be taken either from the Revised Roman Lectionary or the New American Bible, Revised Edition, he said.
The weekday Latin Masses that had previously been offered at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Rocky Mount will be suppressed under the implementation of Traditionis custodes.
Only priests who have previously received faculties from Zarama are permitted to celebrate the Latin Mass using the Roman Missal of 1962, he wrote, “as the faculty to do so is a personal privilege and not one proper to a parish or faith community nor any other group of the faithful.”
The changes will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, he wrote.
“It is my hope that this direction may assist us as a Diocesan family to continue to grow in holiness through a renewed relationship with God through our prayer and integrity of life, but also by fostering further formation throughout our Diocese on the beauty, theology and praxis of the sacred liturgy, where we encounter Our Lord most intimately,” said Zarama.
Christine Rousselle is a former DC Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. Prior to working at CNA, she was the managing web editor of Townhall.com; she has a BA in political science from Providence College.