Greetings and a warm thank you to all for your support and prayers in signing our petition to his excellency Bishop Kevin Boland to grant our request for the Tridentine Mass to be celebrated here in Savannah, Georgia. To those of you who may be reading our newsletter who have not yet signed our petition, ..or for those of you who have friends who would like to sign the petition.. a petition sheet is included with this mailing and more may be obtained by contacting the address listed at the end of this newsletter. And, ..don't forget to list all members of the family!
At the suggestion of the "Coalition in Support of Ecclesia Dei ", "Coalition for Clergy and Laity", and Una Voce International, we have organized our efforts of petition to our bishop for this most beautiful and timeless, classical Roman rite under the title of "The Savannah Coalition for the Support of the Tridentine Mass." This is the first of our monthly newsletters which will be sent to all signers of the petition and to anyone else who wishes to learn more about our efforts. In future newsletters, we will be announcing the date and time for our first organizational meeting.
The "Savannah Coalition for the Support of The Tridentine Mass", is to be an association of Catholic faithful dedicated to the preservation of the Tridentine Mass as one of the legitimate forms of the Church's liturgy. Whilst it is composed predominantly of lay members drawn from every age group and walk of life, it shall also include priests who wish to minister to all who request access to the former sacramental rites of the Church.
It is the express will of Pope John Paul II that "respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition" (Ecclesia Dei, 6c) not simply by theoretical assent to the lawfulness of the former rites but by "a wide and generous response to requests for their celebration". His Holiness also said : "In this matter I ask for the support of the bishops and all those engaged in the pastoral ministry in the Church." (ibid., 5c)
In this way the Pope was giving particular expression to the Church's teaching on the rights and duties of all the faithful as outlined in Vatican II's Lumen Gentium, 1964). It is clear from this authoritative document that the laity "have the right to receive abundant help from the sacred Pastors from the spiritual benefits of the Church", and that the Pastors "must always be attentive to the good of the children of God and ready to contribute their exertions to the pastoral needs of the whole diocese.. More information concerning the Tridentine Mass may be obtained by contacting the address or phone number at the end of this newsletter.
. In addition to the submission of our petition to our Bishop, we urge everyone to please write to the bishop independently and call the chancery office to request the Tridentine Mass on a regular basis. Below is a sample copy of a private letter to the bishop requesting the Latin Mass that you may use as a guide in writing your letter..
Your Excellency,
My family and I are Catholics from [ insert your parish name here], Savannah, Ga.
We would like to be able to attend a Sunday Tridentine Mass on a regular basis at a central location. We understand that the Holy Father has authorized you to give this permission in his Apostolic Letter, "Ecclesia Dei".
We know other Catholics in Savannah who would welcome the chance to hear the Mass in Latin according to the 1962 Roman Missal.
Thank you for your consideration of our request. We pray for your intentions and favorable response.
"The things we have heard and understood, the things our fathers have told us, these we will not hide from their children but will tell them to the next generation... "
Let us today commend this intention to the Immaculate Heart of the Mediatrix of all graces. Let us implore her glorious intercession; now and in the future. What we are asking must surely be pleasing to Her Immaculate Heart; that Her Divine Son will be more widely known, loved and worshipped in His eucharistic sacrifice; that through the traditional Mass the graces of Calvary and the power of the resurrection will flow ever more abundantly to mankind; that the shepherds of God's pilgrim flock will lead their people to heaven in an ever deepening spirit of adoration and praise, centered always on the most Blessed Sacrament of the altar.
"He gave a command to our fathers to make it known to their children that the next generation might know it, the children yet to be born. "
