Recommended Article

Thanks to Gary for recommending this article from Zenit.

Promoting Worship With the Traditional Mass


Interview With St. Peter's Fraternity Priest Calvin Goodwin

By Traci Osuna

DENTON, Nebraska, JUNE 8, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Since the Second Vatican Council, Catholics have been attending Mass said in their native tongue. Today, Latin references are completely foreign to some, and lingering memories to others.

But then there are those who are dedicated to keeping the Latin liturgy alive, and included in this group is the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a growing community of priests that are devoted to celebrating the extraordinary form of the Mass.

As many religious orders are desperately praying for vocations, this community has young men waiting to get into their seminary program at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton.
This relatively new society of priests -- founded in 1988 -- has garnered the attention of, not only those who seek to go back to the Latin Mass, but also those who want to share in the beauty, the reverence and the piety of the traditional Latin Mass for the first time.

ZENIT: The priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is a relatively new entity -- established in 1988 -- that has as one of its characteristics the sole use of the liturgy of 1962. Could you explain what drew you to this traditional priestly fraternity?

Father Goodwin: We are a community completely gathered around the Church's traditional liturgy. It really is at the heart of our vocation. As to what drew me to the fraternity, it wasn't my idea; it was God.

I was a member of a large religious community for a number of years when I stumbled upon a church where [the Traditional] Mass was being celebrated. I don't think I could really say that I knew in a conscious way, but something in me knew that, after this, my life was going to be different.

One day, an elderly gentleman who had been asking for permission for a [Latin Mass] in the Diocese of Portland, Maine, received a letter from the bishop, explaining why they did not offer the traditional Mass. The gentleman said to me, "I guess I have to resign myself to dying without having access to the old Mass."

I stuck a little note on the letter that said "I'm sure your Excellency will do whatever you can for this gentleman," and I mailed it.

About 6 months later, I received a letter from the chancellor of the diocese, explaining why they didn't have the Latin Mass. At the end of the letter was written, "The bishop is wondering if you would be willing to do something on an ad hoc basis for some of these people." So I called and told him I'm willing to do whatever the bishop wants me to do. 

To read the rest of the article click here:  Zenit