Glorious Liturgical Developments in Dallas – UPDATED

[UPDATE] A quick update, I had the location for the new Dominican Rite traditional Mass wrong in the original version of this post.  That has been corrected below.]

I know this blog has been on a long hiatus, but it’s not quite dead, yet.  I’ve changed jobs and am able to work from home at least somewhat now, but all this has happened in the past few weeks and I haven’t had time to get back to blogging.  However some wonderful news regarding drastically improved and/or authentic liturgy has developed of late that I had to share in spite of any difficulties on my end.  The news is this – the Dallas Diocese will be getting its second Traditional Latin Mass location within the next three weeks.  In addition, there

Father Cargo

will be another Novus Ordo Latin Mass offered in the Diocese at least through Lent.

Regarding the latter first, the excellent young priest Fr. Jason Cargo, pastor of St. Joseph parish in Richardson, will be offering Novus Ordo Masses in Latin starting on Thursday March 7 at 6pm.  These Masses will be held every Thursday of Lent – not sure about Holy Thursday – at the same time.  The Masses will be offered Ad Orientem.  This is a wonderful development and will hopefully lead to more such Masses in future.

Even closer to home for this writer, Fr. Thomas More Barba of the Dominican Priory of St. Albert the Great adjacent to the campus of the University of Dallas (where my daughter is matriculating as a freshman while living at home) will begin offering the Extraordinary Form of the Dominican Rite – that is the Traditional Latin Mass according to the Dominican Rite – on Tuesday March 19th (the feast of St. Joseph!) and on subsequent Tuesdays at 5pm (at the chapel of the University of Dallas/Church of the Incarnation, contrary to what I indicated in a previous edition of this post).  According to Father Barba:

This is the “extraordinary form of the Mass,” or the Mass as it was celebrated by the Dominican Order prior to the Novus Ordo, or “ordinary form of the Mass.”  While this is not the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the celebration of the Dominican Rite is a gift from the treasury of my Order that I am honored to offer to you all as a friar preacher……..

……..It is my hope that these additions to our liturgical life at UD – and every decision I make – may help all of us to strengthen our bonds of communion with Our Lord and with each other in joyful charity.

I have never assisted at a Dominican Rite Mass.  It would be wonderful if readers could help elucidate the differences between the Mass of St. Pius V, or what is broadly known as the Traditional Latin Mass, and the

Father Barba

traditional Dominican Rite.  Are both common and proper prayers different? Are the changes slight, or rather substantive, in your opinion?  Are there missals available for the traditional Dominican Rite?

These are both extremely welcome developments and, I pray, indicate a substantial change in the approach taken by the ordinary of the Diocese of Dallas with regard to legitimate use of the Church’s great liturgical tradition.  The previous bishop of Dallas maintained, contra Summorum Pontificum, that he alone had the right to assess the need for any Masses in Latin, and only in Latin.  Pastors could add new Masses in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, or any other language as they saw fit, but Latin Mass in any form was, quite unjustifiably, his sole purview. Well now that Kevin Farrell has gone onto bigger and “better” things, perhaps the attitude towards Latin Mass is changing, and a most welcome change it will be.  I believe Fr. Weinberger at St. William’s in Greenville is still offering his Novus Ordo Latin Mass Ad Orientem, the Ad Orientem being something he was forbidden to do under Bishop Farrell. Thus, there are some quite positive signs all around, and Bishop Burns should be thanked and, even more, prayed for still more (though I am not certain whether bishops have authority over Masses offered in religious houses within their jurisdiction – certainly pray for the prior of St. Albert’s and the superior of the order, as well).

I bring up this apparent change not to carp about the previous bishop, per se’, but simply to point out the apparent difference and to provide hope for those many thousands of souls who have been pining for a much broader appreciation and offering of more traditional, more reverent liturgy.  Or, at least, many souls feel Mass offered in Latin, or especially according to the Church’s ancient pre-conciliar tradition, is much more reverent and efficacious of their communing with God at the great Supper of the Lord than what is offered in the vast majority of parishes the vast majority of the time.  I pray this is only the beginning of a great liturgical renewal through return to Tradition in the Diocese of Dallas, and that I have many more occasions to make posts such as this in the near future.

A final note, there is no end date for the EF Dominican Rite Masses at the Church of the Incarnation on the campus of the University of Dallas, that I am aware of.  This is a change that will continue beyond Lent.

So get off early from work on Tuesdays and come experience something new but also very old!  Thank you to all the good priests who made these developments possible!

Some images of traditional Dominican Rite Masses below.  What glory!  Thank you, Lord!  We do not deserve this, but thank you so very much!