Note: I am not jumping to any conclusions regarding the reasons for actions taken by Bishop Olson, since they are unknowable until he tells us. The questions posed below can be summed up thusly. How is this a banning of a legitimate rite of the Church a legitimate remedy to a legitimate problem? I believe it is incumbent upon the Bishop to publicly share this critical information.
In a shocking, largely unexplained, and possibly canonically illegitimate move, and just over three weeks into his tenure, the Bishop of Fort Worth has banned the daily Traditional Mass at Fisher More College. The only reason offered for the startling action that seemingly flies in the face of the rights established in Summorum Pontificum is that such a ban is “for the sake of your own soul.”
I wrote last week, about which there was some controversy, that traditional Catholics within the Church are feeling more and more marginalized. This is not going to help.
In a stunning and breathtaking letter, the Most Rev. Michael Olson, the newly-ordained bishop of the Fort Worth Diocese and the second-youngest bishop in the United States, has fully and totally banned the offering of the Traditional Latin Mass in the chapel of Fisher More College, where it has been offered for the last three years on a daily basis by chaplains all approved by his predecessor bishop according to the college. This blow comes after the students of the college raised $300,000 in about a week to keep the school open for the spring semester (see here).
Rorate has exclusively obtained — through a source who has requested anonymity — a copy of the letter sent last week by the bishop after a personal meeting with the college’s president, Michael King. Even more striking, the letter from Bishop Olson states that he’s doing this “for your own soul,” addressing Mr. King, apparently saying in some twisted way the offering of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form is a danger to Mr.King’s soul.
When asked by Rorate for a response to the letter from Bishop Olson, the school declined to comment.
February 24, 2014
Mr. Michael King
Fisher-More College
801 West Shaw Street
Fort Worth, Texas 761 l0Dear Mister King:
Thank you for your visit today. I am writing you to state formally what I told you during our
meeting. These norms take effect immediately.1. You do not have permission to have the public celebration of the Extraordinary Form of
the Mass at the Chapel of Fisher More College. This includes Sundays and weekdays.
The weekly celebration of the Extraordinary Form is available to the faithful every
Sunday at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Fort Worth2. You may only have the celebration of fire Mass in the Ordinary Form by priests who
explicitly have faculties for such celebration as granted by me as the Bishop of Fort
Worth.3. Failure to comply with the above-stated norms will result in my withdrawal of permission
to celebrate the Eucharist in your chapel along with withdrawal of permission to reserve
the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel.I make these norms out of my pastoral solicitude and care for the students of Fisher-More
College as well as for your own soul. I urge you to comply with them. Please convey to your
students my gratitude for their glfi of the spiritual bouquet. Please assure them of their presence
in my prayers.I remain,
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Most Rev. Michael F4 Olson, STD
Bishop of Fort Worth
This move is made all the more shocking for the lack of justification. As if the daily offering of the TLM, by itself, could be the cause of injury to anyone’s soul. What he offers as a substitute is the one TLM in the entire diocese a few miles away at 5:30pm on Sundays only.
Rorate includes a letter from the Canon Law Centre which suggests that this action of the Bishop is beyond his authority and should be challenged.
I will also note that the Bishop made this decision just over 3 weeks into his tenure in the Diocese. Hardly enough time to address any underlying issues fairly with the college. As such, this seems directed at the TLM only.
Whether beyond his authority under Summorum Pontificum or not, this serious action with minimal justification directed at something so ancient and sacred, reverberates far beyond the confines of campus. This is reminiscent of other recent actions directed against the TLM with minimal justification and will likely be seen as very chilling by traditionalists within the Church, increasing that very dangerous sense of isolation.
Update: It is entirely possible that there are other legitimate issues with FMC, I do not discount that possibility. But how is canonically suspect banning the TLM supposed to address any other issue? If there are underlying issues, deal with them. The TLM is not the source of anyone’s problems. To use it as a punishment or a threat is wholly inappropriate. I would suggest that the Bishop owes the faithful a fuller explanation of the situation.
March 3, 2014 at 3:43 pm
Patrick, I believe the FMC has a FSSP chaplain saying Mass for them.
March 3, 2014 at 3:46 pm
Jason, Rembert Weakland is one person.
March 3, 2014 at 3:46 pm
Jason, Rembert and Weakland?
March 3, 2014 at 3:54 pm
Okay, he is one person. I don't really pay attention to Bishop's outside of Dallas or Ft. Worth, Texas. My concern is that my Bishop leads the one church of Christ as a true Vicar of Christ. And I am going to assume Olson as a successor of the apostles is doing that for Ft. Worth. If he is not, blame the people or person who selected him. (Part of the problem with Weakland may have been he had two last names for names.)
March 3, 2014 at 3:55 pm
I bet somebody rightfully questioned the fruts of the Bugnini mass. This caused the bishop to come screaming in yelling "there are RAD TRADS in these walls – We must shut the place down!".
When one rightfully question the fruits of the Ordinary form of the mass (yes, even when done in Latin and done reverently ad-orientem) they are instantly labeled a "soft-sede" or outright sedevacantist or radtrad, or whatever the Catholic Answers staff think of. Its quite sad the persecution that is happening to tradition….
March 3, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Jason, nor to the correct use of punctuation, it seems. At any rate, I am perfectly happy to blame the person who selected him; the root cause of all that has vexed us for almost a year is that the conclave chose the wrong man.
March 3, 2014 at 4:05 pm
The mass of 1970 should have never existed. Our fathers and grandfathers should have burn the books as soon as they appeared in the pews and demanded their Mass. But they did not. Paul 6 let Bugnini do what he did and did not stop him. The Pope, bishops and the people of the Church let the Novus Ordo become the Mass. Everyone is to blame and we have to realize the popes from Pius IX to now have not been that great. The people should have treasured what they had but they did not, they refused to challenge Pius 6 and his bishops.
March 3, 2014 at 4:15 pm
"Jason said…
The Bishop is the Vicar of Christ in his diocese "
Then act like it.
March 3, 2014 at 4:18 pm
"Jason said…
The Bishop is the Vicar of Christ in his diocese "
Then act like it.
March 3, 2014 at 4:24 pm
As alluded to above, the problem here is that regardless of whether or not FM has done anything wrong (my guess is that its teachers have expressed a creeping "pseudo-Lefebrianism") the Church has shown a clear and consistent policy of going hard and fast over any sign of dissent from the right while allowing an almost infinite leash with the other side of the spectrum. Disciplines of the Church (like communion in the hand) have been created to accommodates dissent on the left, schools have taught blatant heresies for decades without losing their charters, whereas dissent on the right seems to get you shut down and/or fired in short order.
Arbitrary application of the law has consequences; it promotes scandal, disunity, despair, cynicism, etc. A clear trend is emerging and people are reacting to it. You can't just scold people for being scandalized! In matters of public significance, appearance is important.
It's simply not good enough anymore to say that "the Bishop is the bishop. He saw X. He has a right to discipline for X. Therefore there is nothing to see here." There is something to see here, regardless of what FM has done. The TLM is not something suspicious, and whatever the issues at that school, the EF is not one of them.
March 3, 2014 at 4:40 pm
Let's take a look at the official position of the school administration, found in a letter that went to parents and families of TMA earlier this month:
"In our residential College community, we have students from SSPX families, FSSP families, families who attend both forms of the Roman Rite, and families who attend only the Novus Ordo. Likewise, we attract supporters from across a similar Catholic spectrum, some of whom have been extremely generous with their time and resources in promoting our cause. We welcome all Catholics who want to be part of our community, but we also make it clear that our mission is very specific. In other words, we have made a conscious and deliberate decision that fidelity to the traditions of the Church (Mass, Liturgy, prayers, teachings, doctrines, etc.) is essential to achieving our mission, and we state this clearly in our public documents. Unfortunately, we have come to expect controversy and criticism, but we insist on never disparaging other Catholics. Our intent is to provide an environment that is both spiritually safe and intellectually spirited for our students, and we endeavor to achieve this by promoting a traditional prayer life and teaching eternal Church doctrine. Our faculty and staff may voice their opinions about what they perceive are errors, or question what they believe may be inconsistencies in Church teaching, but we do not bash fellow Catholics. Some of our guest speakers have lectured on controversial topics (e.g., creationism, geo-centrism, liturgical music, the message of Fatima, Church history and doctrine, etc.), but we always want lectures to remain scholarly, respectful, and devoid of inappropriate polemics.
Most importantly, we cherish every one of our students and we appreciate every person who has contributed to our struggling cause. It is unthinkable that we would take action or make statements that reassure some Catholics at the expense of others, especially if some our own students or some of the people who have generously supported our mission are among those we would be expected to disparage. Sadly, it becomes untenable when members of our own community, and even the
clergy, add their voices to the chorus of detractors and contribute to the spread of enmity and discord, particularly when critics are not fully informed and presume to know our motives and intentions. It only intensifies the ugliness and deepens the anguish, two effects with which we have regrettably become quite familiar.
We are not an SSPX apostolate. We are not an FSSP apostolate. We are not a diocesan apostolate. Despite our wishes and best efforts in search of one (based on our belief that a Catholic college apostolate like ours should be led by the clergy and not by laymen), we are not aligned with any religious or priestly order. While we may be naively attempting an impossible balancing act, our continual prayer is simply for the grace to know and execute God’s will. I can assure you that we are and will strive to remain, with God’s grace, joyfully and faithfully Catholic, and we will continue to labor in service of God and His Church until we discern that His will is otherwise."
If this statement indicates an attitude deserving of discipline, I would like to know why.
And even *if* someone could make the justification, there is never a right to take away a legitimate form of Mass that any priest of the Roman Rite is authorized to say by virtue of his ordination.
March 3, 2014 at 4:48 pm
Jason,
"Everyone is to blame and we have to realize the popes from Pius IX to now have not been that great."
Are you sure you have the right Pope?
That range of years contains some of the best Popes the Church has ever had: specifically, Pius IX, Leo XIII, Pope St. Pius X, and Pius XI.
March 3, 2014 at 5:05 pm
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March 3, 2014 at 5:06 pm
The bishop has spoken. Disobedience to the bishop will endanger a person's soul. ..but only if the bishop is correct. Reminding the bishop of his duty to souls and his adherence to orthodoxy is a parishioner's duty
March 3, 2014 at 5:09 pm
Thank you, Steve, for reprinting that letter. We are now past the time when the inappropriate actions of both the clergy and laity can be hidden (lest they cause scandal). It is imperative that the truth of those who are oppressing and those who are oppressed be clearly seen.
March 3, 2014 at 5:21 pm
I think It's probably a bigger issue with the college that we do not know. Since this letter is not the public declaration, we shouldn't jump to conclusions, but just wait.
March 3, 2014 at 5:24 pm
It is strange that a brand new bishop would find it necessary to stomp on a legitimate offering of the Holy Sacrifice as one of his first orders of business. Doesn't a new pastor generally spend some time getting the lay of the land and not doing anything rash? And if the College were somehow out of line, why attack the Mass. Oh, it is not about the Mass, some say? Just like the FFI is not about the Mass, right? If it is not about the Mass, why go against Summorum Pontificum and attack the liturgy? There are a number of liturgies in the Church, why is this one persecuted????
And I cannot help but think of two other bishops, namely Hubbard and Clark, who were young bishops and most of us know what they have left in their wake. God forbid this to happen in Fort Worth!
March 3, 2014 at 5:31 pm
An awful lot of people carrying on as if the community there will no longer have access to the Eucharist. Is it *that* difficult to attend an ordinary form mass until the dust settles?
Every time I get interested in the TLM, I get turned off by its more vocal proponents, and decide I'm perfectly fine with a reverent OF. If you think I'm wrong, so be it, but I'm just letting you know that your evangelism strategy could use some work… the nonstop persecuted minority hysterics aren't winning any converts.
March 3, 2014 at 5:35 pm
I am in the diocese of FW. And I suspect that whatever is going at at FMC, there are probably worse abuses just across the freeway at Our Mother of Mercy. I hope Bishop Olson addresses liturgical issues across the entire diocese. But I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that, whatever is going on here, it is worthy of his immediate attention and firm action, and not just because he likes picking on TLM fans.
March 3, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Daddio, Ghandi once said that he would be a Christian but for the way Christians conduct themselves. I always thought that silly. Who would say "I would prefer not to drown, but I don't like the way that swimmers behave"? Similarly, I've heard the complaint before that a person would attend the TLM but for the way that traditionalists comport themselves, and I don't find that any less silly, truth to tell.