Archbishop Cordileone schedules monthly Traditional Latin Mass at cathedral

San Francisco, Calif., Aug 2, 2021 / 17:01 pm

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has instituted a monthly Traditional Latin Mass at San Francisco’s Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, and has been leading the faithful in a Litany of Reparations for abuses against the Eucharist.

The archbishop's plans were formulated prior to Pope Francis' July 16 Moto proprio, Traditionis custodes, which placed restrictions on the use of the Traditional Latin Mass. In response to the pope's order Archbishop Cordileone announced that he would allow the Traditional Latin Masses taking place in his diocese to continue, in accordance with the motu proprio's stipulation that bishops have the authority to make such determinations.

The monthly Mass will be held on First Wednesdays at 3 p.m., “an auspicious hour for this Mass, remembering the moment Our Lord Jesus Christ died to save us from sin and death,” said Executive Director of the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Worship and Divine Music, Maggie Gallagher, Aug. 1.

The first of the Masses, on Aug. 4, falls on the feast of St. Dominic, and so will be said in the Dominican rite.

Archbishop Cordileone’s establishment of the monthly Masses was in response to “requests from the faithful and the overwhelming response to the first Latin Mass in July.”

Archbishop Cordileone told CNA July 16 that “The Mass is a miracle in any form: Christ comes to us in the flesh under the appearance of Bread and Wine. Unity under Christ is what matters. Therefore the Traditional Latin Mass will continue to be available here in the Archdiocese of San Francisco and provided in response to the legitimate needs and desires of the faithful.”

Gallagher said that last Friday Archbishop Cordileone led the faithful “in a Litany of Reparations for abuses against the Most Holy Eucharist.”

She stated that “more than 900 of you registered for this ancient and sacred and holy tradition: through prayer and fasting, we can help repair the most fundamental damage in the world: the desecration of what is Sacred and Holy.”

Gallagher said that Archbishop Cordileone is committed to leading the faithful in the litany through “the USCCB deliberations at the end of this year.”

“He asks us all to pray for all the bishops (yes including your least-favorite ones!) that the Spirit of God may give them the wisdom to discern how to revive the Catholic reverence for the Holy Eucharist,” she said. 

Archbishop Cordileone has been a strong advocate of the USCCB drafting a document with a clear teaching on the Eucharist.

In a statement provided to CNA in May, Archbishop Cordileone said he was “deeply grieved by the rising public acrimony among bishops and the adoption of behind-closed-doors maneuvers to interfere with the accepted, normal, agreed-upon procedures of the USCCB.”

“Those who do not want to issue a document on Eucharistic coherence should be open to debating the question objectively and fairly with their brother bishops, rather than attempting to derail the process,” he added.

The bishops had extensive debate before voting to authorize the drafting of a teaching document on the Eucharist. A proposed outline of the document, provided by the doctrine committee, included the Church’s teachings on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Sunday as a holy day, the Eucharist as sacrifice, and worthiness to receive Communion.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in June voted to move forward on several action items, including a draft of a teaching document on the Eucharist.

All are invited Aug. 27 to recite the Litany of Reparation in honor of the Blessed Sacrament with Archbishop Cordileone, Gallagher said. 

Gallagher said that the Benedict XVI Institute has created a prayer book of the litany for those who want to join in prayer at home. “This book is also very suitable for use at Eucharistic Adoration and for prayers before and after the Mass,” she added.

Editor's note: This story was updated on Aug. 3 to clarify that Archbishop Cordileone made plans to institute a monthly Traditional Latin Mass prior to Pope Francis motu proprio on July 16.