Archbishop Muller liturgy reform a success - Commentary by Louie Verrecchio

I think that the words of Archibishop Muller:  'It is precisely, ... an effective remedy against a godless culture', are amazing.

From a purely organizational culture point of view, the Novus Ordo simply indicates a major alteration in the fundamental assumptions held by Catholics.

Up to the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Missae, it would have been obvious as to what and Who was the focus of the Catholic Religion (God).

Now, with all the changes and communion in the hand, it is no longer that obvious.

Not to mentioned that a CARA study found that those congregations that were founded on more 'traditional' foundations (living in community, religious habit, following rule, strong identity etc) were growing, while those that lacked the above - were dying.

In personal communication with a CARA researcher, I confirmed that the attrition rate of traditional seminaries is about the same with those of the Novus Ordo Liturgy.  However, the influx of generous souls trying their vocation was much higher in the traditional culture.

Here we have an example of a great difference between two cultures - in the same National Cultural atmosphere.  It is a perfect experiment in which only one element is changed, the religious orientation.

I've done some 'back of the napkin' calculations and found that the ordinand to 'people served' ratio of the SSPX is roughly equivalent to that enjoyed by the Church prior to the 70's.

Here's a good article by Dr. Shaw about the stats on ordinations.

Here's a chart from CARA.

The difference is profound, yet few in the hierarchy realize it, or draw the correct conclusions.

I'm afraid that the facts to not agree with Archbishop Muller's conclusion.


Courtesy of Louie Verrecchio

According to a report in the Tablet today, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, credits the Second Vatican Council’s liturgy reform with stemming the tide of the de-Christianization of the West.

“It is precisely because the liturgy was renewed in spirit and rite that it has proved an effective remedy against a godless culture.”

The renewed liturgy was “a good means of evangelizing”, he said. “All Catholics who think and feel with the Church realize that the reform was a success.”

Well then, it’s official. I don’t think and feel with the Church, at least not the fairytale gingerbread house of worship that Archbishop Müller dwells in.

The rhetoric of these newchurchmen is strikingly similar to the dismissive proclamations of those global warming freaks who claim the matter settled even as it’s being reported that Antarctic sea ice has been growing at a record pace.

While Archbishop Müller’s comments are indeed laughable, they are no laughing matter.

Make no mistake, he isn’t simply expressing his personal opinion here; he is letting us know that “the mind of the Church,” read, the mind of those now running the show in Rome, has changed.  No longer do we have a pope who recognizes, as Pope Benedict did, that the so-called “reform” of the sacred liturgy following Vatican II has been a disaster.

In other words, no longer is the state of the liturgy understood as a problem to be solved, it’s considered the solution, and more than this, you can be sure that this presumed “success” of the liturgical reform will form a substantial part of the bedrock upon which the “reform” of the Church’s structures to come will be constructed.