Sunday, September 21, 2008
DIVIDE FINANCIALLY AND CONQUER
Isn't the Latin Mass community an integral part of the local parish? Maybe not. The following was posted to the Angelqueen website:
Latin Mass Community to be charged $72,000 for Mass
By John Grasmeier
Angelqueen.org
April, 2008
Since the release of Summorum Pontificum - Pope Benedict's Motu Proprio removing restrictions on celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass - many local prelates and their diocesan hirelings have gone to great lengths to make life as difficult as possible for Catholics seeking to take advantage of it. From requiring priests to sit for formal Latin language examinations before offering the TLM, to suffering difficult (and even unlawful) permission schemes, traditionalist priests and lay persons have had to suffer all types of dubiously devised obstacles laid out for them by hostile ecclesiastical chains of command.
Some who follow such matters may tend to think they've heard everything regarding these shenanigans. Others, who know better, realize that when it comes to suppressing of the immemorial rite, never think you've heard everything.
In a first (a first not only in anti-TLM hubris, but quite possibly a first in the history of Holy Church) the TLM community in the diocese of Portland Maine billed for their Mass. They are to be charged $72,000 per year, with an initial $18,000 down payment being due on or before July 1st, only a little over 2 1/2 months from the time this is being written.
The 72-grand will go toward the priest's salary and benefits, office supplies and, astoundingly, rental of the church. Should anyone think this a joke or simply too outrageous to be believed, the following is presented:
The letter confirming that church rental is included can be read at the website.
But that's not the end of the strangeness. Look at the top banner advertising a T-shirt for sale. See that pipe smoking man? Isn't that Bob Dobbs, foremost Church of the SubGenius logo, with his pipe turned to the right instead of left? Or is that supposed to be Bing Crosby? To any Discordian, it would probably bring the Bob Dobbs logo to mind, at the very least.
S-i-g-h.
