Happy Summorum Pontificum Day!

Yes, in case you'd forgotten, it's two years since the Holy Father issued the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum liberating the Extraordinary Form/Tridentine Mass/Old Rite/Traditional Latin Mass/Gregorian Rite of Mass (how have we come up with so many titles for it over 40 years?), and the same Pope has decided to release his third encyclical letter on the same day. On another note, you may have found a rather interesting article about the arrival of Mass in Chinese, which whatever one's views on is still fascinating.

Seen this?

Right now I'm fairly sure that the blogosphere has been buzzing with people looking at reports of yesterday's Pontifical High Mass at Westminster Cathedral, so I thought something a little different might be in order.

At the risk of displaying preferential treatment, Oliver has put up a little piece on allegiance to the Queen. If your latin is as bad as mine, then you may find it a tad difficult, but you shouldn't find the point too hard to understand.

In what I believe may be a first (possibly even a historic moments) Bishop Williamson has given an interview which is unusually free from outrageous and hilarious statements. Fr Z has given his customary reply with points. I can't help but feel that a radio or TV discussion between these two would be very interesting.

Finally, the Ceremoniere has a post many of us may identify with.

Happy Birthday Holy Father!

Emitte wishes the Sovereign Pontiff Pope Benedict XVI his very best congratulations on the happy occassion of His Holiness' eightieth birthday. Ad multos annos!

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Benedicto,
Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra et non tradat eum in animam in inimicorum ejus.

One up for the Latinists!

The Bone Chapel has a rather interesting and amusing post about Haitian Catholics in the USA whom surprised a Bishop (favourably-no, apparently this is for real) by singing the Te Deum in Latin. If only more Catholics would be so willing and enthusiastic! During the so-called 'penal-days', when the Protestant authorities in England had executed a Catholic priest, the British clergy and exiles in Rome would sing a Te Deum. I doubt many Catholics these days are familiar with this glorious hymn, but it seems that gradually, things are heading in the right direction.