That is exactly what the bishop of Tulsa, Oklahoma, His Excellency Edward Slattery, is doing in all Masses he celebrates at Holy Family Cathedral. Fr. Z alerts us to a piece in the Eastern Oklahoma Catholic (the Diocese of Tulsa newspaper) where ad orientem worship is explained and defended by Bishop Slattery. Here is what this holy man of God has to say about his recent decision to turn towards the Lord once again (emphasis added):
“Even before his election as the successor to St. Peter, Pope Benedict has been urging us to draw upon the ancient liturgical practice of the Church to recover a more authentic Catholic worship. For that reason, I have rest
ored the venerable ad orientem position when I celebrate Mass at the Cathedral.
This change ought not to be misconstrued as the Bishop ?turning his back on the faithful,? as if I am being inconsiderate or hostile. Such an interpretation misses the point that, by facing in the same direction, the posture of the celebrant and the congregation make explicit the fact that we journey together to God. Priest and people are on this pilgrimage together.“
God bless this courageous bishop for restoring ad orientem worship in his Cathedral! I dream of the day that we will see this in our own Cathedral church (be it Sacred Heart, or a new suburban Cathedral).
Just for fun, here are some fast facts about the Diocese of Tulsa:
-79 parishes
-16 current seminarians
–Ordained 11 deacons and 3 priests this past year
-The following are the titles of some of the bishop’s newspaper columns: “Calling the Diocese to Meet Pope’s Challenge”, “Eucharistic Adoration, Sanctification of Priests: an Intrinsic Connection”, and “Catechesis and Catholic Education.”
Compare this with fast facts about the Diocese of Rochester:
-Roughly 130 parishes
-6 current seminarians
–Ordained six deacons and 1 priest this past year
-The following are the titles of some of the bishop’s newspaper columns: “Vacation prayer, reflection a blessing”, “Our spirit is indeed alive in Rochester diocese”, and “Diocese’s interfaith, ecumenical work abounds.”
As DoR Mike frequently reminds us, orthodoxy pays.
Tags: News and Media, Orthodoxy at Work
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Such good news for Tulsa. The have restored their Cathedral to reflect a very definite Puginesque style to it.
Also, more good news from France. The diocesan Bishop Dominique Rey of Frejus-Toulon lets ordinands choose the older (Tridentine) or newer (Pauline) rite for their ordinations.
Amazing news. Make him bishop of Rochester, now!
Their diocese is around half the size of ours, yet they have nearly three times as many seminarians.
Give me orthodoxy any day!
There's always a home for this bishop in Rochester.
This bishop is my new hero.