How to Establish the Traditional Latin Mass at Your Parish
This is excellent and very detailed advice and documentation on how to establish the TLM at your parish, including even suggested sample letters and who to contact and in what timing.
The Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, 7 July 2007, allows for Catholics to petition their priests to have them offer, or allow to be offered, the traditional Latin Mass. The document says:
"Art. 5. 1 In parishes, where there is a stable group of faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition, the pastor should willingly accept their requests to celebrate the Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal published in 1962, and ensure that the welfare of these faithful harmonises with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish, under the guidance of the bishop in accordance with canon 392, avoiding discord and favouring the unity of the whole Church. 2 Celebration in accordance with the Missal of Bl. John XXIII may take place on working days; while on Sundays and feast days one such celebration may also be held. 3 For faithful and priests who request it, the pastor should also allow celebrations in this extraordinary form for special circumstances such as marriages, funerals or occasional celebrations, e.g. pilgrimages. 4 Priests who use the Missal of Bl. John XXIII must be qualified to do so and not juridically impeded. 5 In churches that are not parish or conventual churches, it is the duty of the Rector of the church to grant the above permission.
Art. 6. In Masses celebrated in the presence of the people in accordance with the Missal of Bl. John XXIII, the readings may be given in the vernacular, using editions recognised by the Apostolic See.
"Art. 7. If a group of lay faithful, as mentioned in art. 5 has not obtained satisfaction to their requests from the pastor, they should inform the diocesan bishop. The bishop is strongly requested to satisfy their wishes. If he cannot arrange for such celebration to take place, the matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei". How should one go about all this? Here are a "how-to" and some tips for you, but first, a few rules to keep in mind as you go along:
Keep copies of all correspondence Stay organized and, please, stay focused on the single issue of establishing the traditional Mass. Don't get sidetracked by polemics!
Be as polite and respectful as you can possibly be.
Look ahead, forseeing any problems that might arise so you can plan for them and stay one step ahead of your priest in getting things done. In other words, make the job as easy for your priest as possible, removing obstacles in his way Don't forget the importance of prayer! Pray that your priest grants your request and that things go smoothly!
Forming a Group and Dealing with Your Priest
First, weeks beforehand, maybe even anonymously, send to your priest concise but powerful information -- without polemics! -- about the traditional Latin Mass, why it's good to offer it, how the demand for the traditional Sacraments is growing, how traditional parishes bring about vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life, etc. Outline to him the benefits of the "TLM" -- and do so without at all being negative about the Novus Ordo rite. This is extremely important! I repeat: do not be negative about the Novus Ordo rite! Include a copy of the Motu Proprio, with paragraphs 5.1, 5.2 and 7 highlighted. Whenever you engage your priest, be respectful, sweet, positive, and avoid all behaviors and attitudes associated with the stereotype of a "trad" (said stereotype, sadly, not being such without reason). Forget arguing about Trent vs. Vatican II. Nevermind whetherDignitatis Humanae conflicts with Quanta Cura. Don't mention any other parish matters. Just focus on the one thing: establishing the traditional Mass.
Now, think of a name for your TLM group (in the sample flyer linked to below, I use the name "The Holy Innocents Latin Mass Society") and create a Yahoo Group (easily and intuitively done!) so that when you have your "stable group of faithful," you'll be set up and ready to easily communicate with them all via email. Be sure to police the Group for any disrespect or polemics. Show leadership in this regard and don't let anyone, because of their imprudence, ruin what you're trying to do.
Now it's time to gather together a group of those like-minded parishioners who are willing to attend the traditional Latin Mass ("TLM", also known as "the Extraordinary Form," or "EF" for short). One way to begin this process is to write up a short flyer with a brief outline of what it is you're trying to accomplish in establishing a "TLM" in your parish. Do not "diss" the Novus Ordo, do not talk about Vatican II, do not get into polemics, donot be disrespectful toward your priest, your Bishop, or the Holy Father in any way. Instead, emphasize the Holy Father's will as indicated in the Motu Proprio, the needs and desires of the faithful, the beauty of the "TLM," our Catholic heritage, Tradition, and how the use of Latin helps bring people of all ethnic groups together to worship as one, in a truly "catholic" -- "universal" -- way. In other words, stress the positive! If you're not allowed to leave a stack of these in the vestibule, hand them out to folks personally, after Mass -- the better idea anyway, if one must choose and not do both, since the personal touch always makes things nicer.
If you are not finding enough people at your parish, try handing out your flyer to folks at parishes nearby, who'd make the drive to your parish in order to attend the TLM. You might also want to reach out to any lapsed Catholics you know who'd be willing to make the drive. You'd be surprised at the number of Catholics who stopped attending Mass because of the wacky ways of the Novus Ordo -- and who'd be happy to return to Mass if the TLM were offered.
Download a sample flyer: MSDocMSDocx Staple these pages together along with a pre-addressed and, if possible, pre-stamped envelope
Have each of the like-minded write a letter describing why he wants the traditional Mass and how he believes it would benefit him, his family, and the parish as a whole, and have him send that letter to you. Ask each to include all potential TLM-attending members of his household as signatories to his letter. Collect (and copy!) these letters to show your priest when it is time. Include this request for a letter to be sent to you, for you to give to the priest later, in your flyer. If you are able, include a SASE (a self-addressed, stamped envelope) with the flyers you hand out so folks would be more inclined to comply. If you can't afford the postage, at least include an envelope pre-addressed to you to make things as easy as possible for your group's members.
Organize yourselves, establishing leadership for all of this, and keeping a list of names and contact information (including email addresses and phone numbers) and a note that indicates the number of folks living in each household who would be attending the TLM. You will need this so all interested parties can stay in contact, get necessary things done, and keep informed. Be sure to invite each letter-writer to your Yahoo Group.
Download a sample contact sheet for your group: MSDocMSDocx If you're having trouble coming up with enough members, you might try getting creative -- possibly hosting a little gathering at your place and inviting anyone who's interested in just learning about the TLM, preparing inspirational teaching materials and some tasty snacks for when they show up. Teach folks about why the TLM is important, how it can benefit them spiritually, how it can benefit their family life, etc. Again, if you do such a thing, stay on the positive side of things and leave the polemics behind. What you're after are warm bodies, signatures, letters, folks interested enough to support your cause.
Once you've gotten 25 or so letters from committed people, write a letter to your your priest, asking if he is willing to offer the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Ask nicely. Ask very nicely. And prepare to be patient and to do some work (more on that later). Include with your letter the letters written by your fellow parishioners (which you've already copied and filed away, right?) A sample letter:
Dear Father,
Hello! I'm writing to request that you offer, or allow to be offered, the Extraordinary Form of the Mass in accordance with Pope Benedict XVI's Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum (see postscript), and I ask that it be offered not only on Sundays, but also on weekdays and feast days. I've spoken with ___ other members of our parish who also wish to see the Extraordinary Form of the Mass offered here. We're all very excited about the possibility and many have written letters, too, for me to give to you (see attached).
If you haven't been trained in offering the traditional Mass, the other members of our parish and I would be happy to send you to a "TLM" workshop and/or get to you training videos and materials, to get training materials for the altar servers, and to do what we need to do to form a schola. If you're not wanting to learn how to offer the Extraordinary Form but would allow another cleric to come to our parish to offer it, I would be glad to try to find a priest who would be willing visit and do just that. What do you think?
Thank you so much for considering this request, Father!
Yours in Christ,
Your name Your address and other contact information
Download a sample letter to your Priest: MSDocMSDocx
Give Father at least a month to respond. Remember that priests are very busy. After a month or so, re-send your communication along with a note that shows you are giving him the benefit of the doubt (e.g., "Gosh, it's been a while since I sent you a package, and I haven't heard back, so I thought I should send it again in case it got lost!" as opposed to "Well, Father, it's been a month! What's the deal with you?"). If you still get no response, talk to him in person to try to get a "feel" for what's going on. Again, and as always, give him the benefit of the doubt and be gracious! If you get a negative answer, ask him if there is anything that worries him about establishing a TLM, or if there's an obstacle he sees that you could help eliminate. Show him that you are serious but also sympathetic toward him, understanding about the work it'd entail for him, and willing to do whatever you can to help. If his concern is about the costs of training, assure him that your group will cover the costs, including the costs of travel for workshops, and will provide all necessary materials. If it's a matter of his not wanting to learn, ask him about bringing in a visiting priest. If the latter is OK with him, then start calling around to the closest places where the TLM is offered and ask the priests there if they'd mind offering the EF in your parish (try locating such a priest via the Latin Mass Directory at Ecclesia Dei website).
Your Priest Says No or Ignores You: Time to Move up the Ladder
If he still says no or ignores your request after two months and two letters, it's time to write to your Bishop. The following sample letter is adapted from a sample letter from Una Voce:
