Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Instruction on the Implementation of ‘Traditionis Custodes’

by

Roman Catholic Church in the State of Hawaii

Diocese of Honolulu

Witness to Jesus

INSTRUCTION OF THE DIOCESE OF HONOLULU FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE APOSTOLIC LETTER, ISSUED MOTU PROPRIO BY THE SUPREME PONTIFF FRANCIS “TRADITIONIS CUSTODES” ON THE USE OF THE ROMAN LITURGY PRIOR TO THE REFORM OF 1970.

In light of the Apostolic Letter cited above, issued by Pope Francis on July 16, 2021, as the chief guardian of the tradition in this local church of the Diocese of Honolulu entrusted to my care, I issue the following norms of implementation. The numbers correspond to the numbers of the articles in Traditionis Custodes (TC). Moreover, reference is made to a document promulgated by the Holy See’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, issued on December 4, 2021, entitled “Responsa to Dubia on certain provisions of the Apostolic Letter TRADITIONIS CUSTODES issued ‘Motu Propio’ by the Supreme Pontiff FRANCIS.” The Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Missale Romanum will be referred to in this document as “Mass of the 1962 Missal.”

  1. This Instruction goes into effect on January 16, 2022.
  2. Permission is hereby granted for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to be offered in accord with the liturgical norms contained in the 1962 edition of the Missale Romanum at the following locations:
    • Blessed Sacrament Church, Honolulu, Oahu
    • Maria Lanakila Church, Lahaina, Maui
    • Sacred Heart Church, Pahoa, Hawaii Island
    • Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Honolulu, Oahu – ON THE FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH ONLY
  3. If there is a need to change any of these locations, or if the Mass of the 1962 Missal should be discontinued in any of them, the bishop is to be informed so that he can make the final decision.
  4. In the Diocese of Honolulu, I hereby grant a dispensation from the norm in Article 3§2 that prohibits the Mass of the 1962 Missal from being celebrated in the parochial church, since I deem that in all of our venues, the parochial church is the most appropriate sacred setting. Moreover, I dispense from the directive issued on December 4, 2021, by the Holy See’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments that prohibits the Mass of the 1962 Missal from being published in the parish Mass schedule. The Mass of the 1962 Missal in the Diocese of Honolulu is to be considered one of the parish Masses, and those who attend it on a regular basis are to be considered parishioners.
  5. In accord with the directives of the Holy See’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the sacraments aside from the Eucharist are to be celebrated according to the approved post-Vatican II rites. They may be celebrated in the Latin language – with Scripture readings in the vernacular.
  6. I appoint Father Steve Nguyen to be my episcopal delegate in accord with TC, Article 3§4.
  7. Any priest who wishes to celebrate the Mass of the 1962 Missal is to petition for permission from the bishop and may only do so once he has received the bishop’s written permission. A list of priests with such permission will always be available to the episcopal delegate and to the Vicar for Clergy. (See TC, Articles 4 and 5.)
  8. Any priest ordained after July 16, 2021 who requests the faculty to celebrate the Mass of the 1962 Missal can only receive the permission of the bishop after the bishop has consulted with the Holy See. (See TC, Article 4.)
  9. Priests from outside the Diocese of Honolulu may request to celebrate the Mass of the 1962 Missal; or priests in the Diocese of Honolulu with the faculty to celebrate the Mass of the 1962 Missal may request priests from outside the Diocese to do so, but only on a temporary basis and with the permission of the bishop or his delegate. Before any such priest will be allowed to minister in the Diocese of Honolulu. he must: 1) present proof that he is authorized by his own bishop or religious superior to celebrate the Mass of the 1962 Missal; and 2) present the accustomed Letter of Suitability required by the Safe Environment Program of the Diocese from his own bishop or religious superior.
  10. Any priest who is authorized to celebrate the Mass of the 1962 Missal in the Diocese of Honolulu who wishes to do so for a particular occasion in another diocese must first receive the permission of the local ordinary of that diocese. He may present to the local ordinary of the diocese he visits a copy of his letter from the Diocese of Honolulu granting him permission to celebrate the Mass of the 1962 Missal in this diocese. And, as is the norm for any cleric wishing to minister in another diocese, he should have the Diocese of Honolulu send to the diocese he is to visit a Letter of Suitability.
  11. Priests who celebrate the Mass of the 1962 Missal will be sure to ascertain that the groups for which they celebrate this Mass “do not deny the validity and the legitimacy of the liturgical reform, dictated by Vatican Council II and the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs.” (See TC, Article 3§1.) Care should be taken that all who regularly attend the Mass of the 1962 Missal are given the opportunity to participate in the life of the parish and its stewardship (evangelization, faith formation, outreach to the sick and the poor, social gatherings, etc.). Since those who regularly attend the Mass of the 1962 Missal are to be considered parishioners, they should be registered in the parish in which they normally worship, even if they do not reside within the territory of that parish.
  12. If replacement priests are needed to celebrate the Mass of the 1962 Missal, the bishop and his delegate will determine whether a priest is properly trained and has the proper disposition for this ministry. Only the bishop may grant permission for the priest to celebrate the Mass of the 1962 Missal, whether for a particular occasion or more regularly.
  13. According to the rubrics of the Mass of the 1962 Missal, the priest reads the Scripture readings assigned for the day in Latin. Immediately after the proclamation of the Gospel in Latin and just before the homily, he or someone he designates may repeat the Scripture readings of the day in the vernacular, utilizing, where possible, the New American Bible, Revised Edition. Since the readings assigned for the Mass of the 1962 Missal are different from the readings proclaimed in current Missal, every effort should be made that the vernacular proclamation conforms with the Scripture translation found in the current Lectionary for the post-Vatican II Mass. (See TC, Article 3§3.) Also, in order to preserve the dignity of the liturgy, the Scriptures should not be proclaimed from loose-leaf sheets, but from a dignified Lectionary, Bible or bound manuscript that gives due visual dignity to the Word of God.

Given at the Chancery of the Diocese of Honolulu on the 9th day of January, 2022, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

Most Reverend Clarence (Larry) Silva
Bishop of Honolulu

 

Deacon Keith Cabiles
Chancellor

 

 

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