Toronto and the Extraordinary Form.

Vox Cantor posted about the FSSP coming to Toronto. Archbishop Collins has spoken to the FSSP, but does not seem to be able to make them an offer at this time. To put it bluntly, there doesn't seem to be the interest in Toronto.

I thought this myself for the year I sang at the the Extraordinary Form Mass at St Vincent de Paul. The first time I went to attend, I went early, because I had read in many American blogs that the Extraordinary Form was often packed. I needn't have bothered. The Mass was attended by about one hundred people. The Church was more than half empty.

Perhaps it was the time. Perhaps it was the place. Perhaps it was the lack of parking. Perhaps it was because the previous archbishop was opposed to the rite (so I have heard) and the priests were not allowed to advertise or promote the Mass. But that archbishop has retired and the new one is more friendly, and the attendance hovers around a hundred.

It is odd, the attitude of the Canadian bishops. Very few made any mention of the Motu Proprio. The only statement I saw from Archbishop Collins was a positive one, but it was in answer to a question during an interview. On his own he has made no statement. It is possible the Canadian bishops killed the MP more effectively with their silence than the bishops worldwide who tried to condemn it or put limits upon it. Bloggers can't even post and oppose the positions taken by the bishops, because they haven't taken any.

Word never really spread up here because no debate happened. Most Catholics I know outside the blogosphere had no idea that there was such a thing as a Motu Proprio, much less that the Pope recently issued one. The word is getting out slowly, if at all.

If you are interested in learning more about Collins and the FSSP, here is the link to Vox Cantor's article. He ends the article with a form letter to the Archbishop, expressing support for the establishment of an FSSP parish in the diocese. If you want a more prominent place for the extraordinary form in the archdiocese of Toronto, you know what to do.