To the editor:
I’m wondering what past century Kenneth J. Wolfe dropped in on us from after I read “Latin Mass Appeal.” His indictment of Cardinal Bugnini as the sole “perpetrator” behind liturgical reform (even hinting that Bugnini was really a Freemason) would be laughable if Wolfe weren’t so serious. Remember that the bishops and cardinals of Vatican II voted overwhelmingly for reform.
Raised a Catholic in pre-Vatican II times, I experienced the traditional Latin Mass with the priest facing the tabernacle and whispering in a foreign language. I was an altar boy, trained to respond in Latin though I had only a faint idea of what the responses meant. I experienced hundreds of Latin Masses in which, as a member of the congregation, I dutifully forced myself to focus my attention on the Latin-speaking priest.
When the reformed liturgy was introduced, I was certain it was a gift from the Holy Spirit. Now I can understand and participate. For me, the modern liturgy, both the prayers and the singing, is a joyful experience in which I feel Jesus is reaching out and gathering the congregation into something holy, enriching, and beautiful. I feel sorry for those who feel threatened by it and wish to live in the past.
Bob Crawford, Sun Prairie