Time for Vatican III?

By Joseph Catena

What’s a holy man like you doing in a high-class dump like this?

Princeton University is not exactly a bastion of conservative thought. Cardinal Robert Sarah is certainly not a man of moral relativism. Nor does he see magnanimous swaths of gray in the Catholic faith. Hence, the irony of the cardinal’s recent visit to the ultra-elitist institution. Thanks to the efforts of The Aquinas Institute, Princeton’s Catholic campus ministry, members of the flock had the rare opportunity to witness him speak and attend a Sunday Mass where he was the main celebrant.

For once, Princeton was able to listen to a man with a moral compass, someone juxtaposed with an institution that indoctrinates far left ideas into the minds of the intellectuals and elitists who comprise the student body. Sarah’s presence was a reminder that the truth can spring up in the most unlikely places. A former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the cardinal discussed his new book, The Song of the Lamb: Sacred Music and Heavenly Liturgy, the day before the service.

The Sunday Liturgy was the living embodiment of his written work. It was also a reminder of what it should be like every Sunday for worshippers. The experience was one that touched the soul as well as the senses. The nearly century-old chapel itself is a stunning setting with its Gothic style and medieval ambiance. On this particular day, the nondenominational structure was transformed into a sacred ancient Catholic house of worship, one that captured all the trappings of 1962 or before. His Eminence faced east or ad orientem, with his back to the congregation, a holy shepherd leading his flock. Much of the Mass, though not all of it, was celebrated in Latin.

The massive choir filled the cathedral with Gregorian chants and sacred Latin hymns including Kyrie Elesion, Gloria, and Agnus Dei. Theirs were the voices of angels filling the majestic edifice. A small army of eight altar boys served alongside Cardinal Sarah and the concelebrants, Father Zack Swantek and Father Joe Thomas. Every one of their movements was precise, sharp, and deliberate, even as they swung their thurible. Back and forth they went, like a pendulum, with the aromatic sweetness of incense wafting through the air. Sounds of bells gently rang at various points. The mysticism and depth of the Mass culminated as Cardinal Sarah consecrated the Body of Christ. Congregants – all in proper attire, with many females donning veils – were in deep prayer, reflecting on the brutal sacrifice of God’s only son. As two long lines formed to receive the Eucharist (I was in Cardinal Sarah’s line), kneelers were brought out, and worshippers dropped to their knees and received on the tongue as the altar boys diligently held their patens under the communicants’ chins.

Sheer reverence.

No wine drunk by hundreds out of the same chalice. No Communion in hand. No hokey folk songs strummed on acoustic guitars. No weird “liturgical dances.” No lay people playing helper.

After this near transcendent experience, two thoughts immediately came to mind: Cardinal Robert Sarah should have been elected pope, and the Catholic Church desperately needs to convenea Third Vatican Council – Vatican III. The time has come for reform focused on the reawakening of the beauty and appreciation of Catholic tradition and respect for the sacred Liturgy.

The Novus Ordo Mass – the New Mass that spawned from Vatican II and was fully implemented by Pope Paul VI – is a beautiful experience when properly celebrated. However, even at its best, it pales in comparison to the Traditional Latin or Tridentine Mass, everything from the language to the customs to the structure. Most of all, it just doesn’t have the same level of spirituality.

This is not to say that everything about the Catholic Church was Shangri-La prior to Vatican II. There were subversives in the seminary, communists and homosexuals among them. There were abusive nuns teaching children in school. My late father could attest to that. Once during a seventh-grade study hall at Mount Carmel School in Newark, he snuck a bird magazine in his folder and dared to read about his beloved pigeons. Sister Mary Margaret (I don’t remember her actual name) knew what he was up to. When she patrolled his row and stopped at his desk, she reared back and connected with a swift right cross that drew blood from his nose. In today’s world, Grandma and Grandpa would have owned part of the archdiocese had such an act been committed. Back then, Dad was demanded to clean his blood off the floor. While there were faulty humans who donned the robes and habits, the tenets of the faith were as solid as the rock the Church was built on.

We must get back to the “No Pale Pastels” version of the Church.

A Vatican III should be conducted by a Catholic-clergy-only synod, not one mixed with other faiths or any form of laity, as was the case in Vatican II. The focus should be three-fold, with the first priority being the restoration of the Old Mass. Even if it is spoken in the vernacular, the translation should be exact or as close to exact toLatin as possible. Pope Benedict XVI actually started the movement on that issue in his papacy. The Liturgy should be celebrated and treated with the highest form of reverence. And yes, Communion should be received kneeling and on the tongue, only by a priest. The whole idea of this is because he is the one with the ability to touch and consecrate the Eucharistic elements and convert them to the Body of Christ (transubstantiation), and the hands of lay people cannot.

Vatican III should also focus on emboldening the sacraments, especially Confession. When receiving Holy Communion, Catholics are supposed to be in a state of grace, meaning they should receive with a pure heart and free of sin. At one time, Confession was an active sacrament practiced on Saturday to prepare for the Eucharist on Sunday. I will include myself in the legions of Catholics who do not go to Confession nearly enough. As was stated earlier, there must be a mandatory change where all recipients receive on the tongue kneeling and by a priest.

Although the sacrament of Holy Orders only applies to men called to the priesthood, there must be a way the Church hierarchy attracts men and women to enter seminaries and convents respectively. The decline in priests and especially nuns is real. If they were stock trends, the investor would have to immediately sell and cut his losses. This challenge is even greater in a technological world where self-gratification is one click away. Nonetheless, this crisis must be addressed.

Catholics need more Robert Sarahs to enter the seminary and more Mother Theresas to seek out convents.

As I reflected at the conclusion of the Mass, Cardinal Sarah reaffirmed for me why I am Catholic. His powerful words and presence at the Liturgy, and the elegance in the way he celebrated it left me clamoring for a Church that once was. It also revealed to me that this Church and this Liturgy can still be found. You just have to look hard.

Who would have thought that I had to look no further than Princeton, New Jersey of all places?