HEN PEOPLE PUSH for a new edition of the 1962 Missale Romanum, their primary argument goes something like this: “A new edition is necessary because of all the saints canonized since the 1960s.” However, such an argument cannot be sustained.
Did you know Mass can be celebrated in honor of Padre Pio, who was declared a saint many years after the 1962 Missal was published? Here are the Propers:
* * PDF Download • 1962 Propers for Padre Pio
When no text is given in the Missal, the formularies are taken from the COMMONS. This was frequently done when a particular diocese or church was named after a saint lacking a feast day in the Missal. This coming Friday, you could even celebrate a votive Mass in honor of St. Godfrey Maurice Jones!
WILL THERE EVER BE a new edition of the 1962 Missale Romanum? I don’t think we’ll see that any time soon, but we might see some kind of APPENDIX with minor changes published by the Vatican. For example, the appropriate Vatican office might send out a questionnaire to all priests who offer the Extraordinary Form, asking if they frequently celebrate a votive Mass for Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. If an absolutely overwhelming number of them say “yes,” perhaps it would make sense to give him a feast date.
Several years ago, rumors were floating around about Pope Benedict XVI. One rumor said B16 would soon change the 1962 Missal into a type of “hybrid.” When a very important cleric—who promotes the Extraordinary Form at the highest levels—visited our home, I asked him about that rumor. He replied:
A very good bishop asked me to investigate that rumor, so my secretary and I spent considerable time on it. When all was said and done, the rumor was found to have originated from an anonymous source, propagated by an anonymous blog. Since that time, I have warned our people to be careful with internet rumors. The most common reason for people to hide their true identity is a lack of credentials; another is to avoid lawsuits. Neither of these is a good thing!
His advice contains great wisdom, and that’s one reason we have a general policy against linking to anonymous websites. For the record, traditional Catholic websites like this one don’t hold a monopoly on “Vatican gossip.” Several progressive liturgical websites are still wiping the egg from their faces after publicly claiming over and over that Archbishop Piero Marini would be appointed head of the CDW. They were dead wrong, and hopefully now recognize the danger of putting one’s faith in anonymous internet rumors.
