The Extraordinary Form - A Growing Tradition

Pope Benedict XVI in his Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, called for a wider application of the Mass of the 1962 Missal, commonly known as the Traditional Latin Mass or as the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.  This letter of His Holiness has resulted in the rapidly-growing North American Martyrs Parish in the Ballard area of Seattle. This parish has enjoyed the generous support of His Excellency Archbishop Sartain, and his predecessor Archbishop Brunett. The love for sacred worship in Extraordinary Form has also produced one of the best choirs in Seattle. A sample of their performance is shown below:

An announcement from His Excellency Archbishop Sartain has added a new dimension for the Traditional Latin Mass in the Puget Sound. St. Joseph Catholic Church in Tacoma was in danger of closing due to lack of a priest. The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) with its abundance of priests provided Fr. Stinson, FSSP as the pastor for St. Joseph's. There is one slight wrinkle - the charism of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is celebrate Mass exclusively in the Extraordinary Form.

St. Joseph Catholic Church, Tacoma, Washington

The practical implication of this is that at St. Joseph's only the Traditional Latin Mass will be offered, according to the practice laid down in the 1962 Missal. It also means that Holy Communion may only be received kneeling and on the tongue. It means they will need to haul out the old altar rail.

Recessional of Solemn High Mass

Another change will be male-only altar servers, who must learn the Latin responses. This shouldn't be a huge issue as North American Martyrs Parish has a super-abundance of altar servers, and some of them will be attending St. Joseph's as they live closer to that church.

Some of the current parishioners of St. Joseph's have indicated their intentions to go to another parish. A few members of North American Martyrs parish that plan to attend St. Joseph's have had some dialogue to try and persuade them to stay. Once they experience the Traditional Latin Mass a few times, they might like it.

The ability of the FSSP to provide a priest in support of this church is not surprising. The FSSP Seminary, Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, is one of the fastest-growing Catholic Seminaries in the country. They commonly have a waiting list of applicants. The growing interest in the Latin Mass and the growing number of priests who provide it may bring the Traditional Latin Mass from a mere oddity to a commonly-provided Mass alongside the Ordinary Form of the Mass.