Who Would Dare Ban the Old Latin Mass ?

That Goes for First Saturday Mass Ordained By the Queen of Heaven, Anywhere and in Any Rite, Too

The author of Quo Primum depicted above was not a man to mince words. Christians owe him a great debt for two great deeds, the first in the realm of liturgy, the second on the field of war.

Michael Ghislieri, Pope Saint Pius V, Feast Day May 5 (you can keep your ‘optional’ memorial) was born in 1504, entering the Dominican order at age 14, after ordination taught theology and philosophy for 16 years; was novice master and put his hand to governing the various Dominican Priories — “everywhere endeavoring to maintian the spirit of the founder,” the holy father Dominic.¹ He was appointed bishop, successfully tending his flock before being called to Rome on Church where he worked for Pius IV, with whom he did not hesitate to disagree when his conscience bade him.

In December 1565 Pius IV died, and Michael Ghislieri was chosen Holy Roman Pontiff, thanks in the main to the efforts of the great St. Charles Borromeo. He took the name Pius V, and had reforming fervor to follow through with the Council of Trent, not to mention purge the curia of dead weight (boy, is he a patron saint for today); reform the clergy (mandating that bishops resided in their dioceses and priests in their parishes to which they were assigned); clear the papal states of brigands; to feed the poor in famine; and to promulgate legislation against prostitution and bull-fighting. To him we owe the best edition of the works of St Thomas Aquinas then in existence, and he also declared the Angelic Doctor a Doctor of the Church.

He also saw through liturgical reform, both of the Breviary of 1568 and the Missal of 1570. This Missal both restored ancient usage and adapted to the needs of the time, and was imposed on the whole Western Church, excepting local practice and propers which could show they had been in effect for at least 200 years, as for example was the case in is own order with the Dominican Rite.

In War: The Rosary and the Battle of Lepanto

The following year he broke the power of the Turk in the Mediterranean Sea at the most famous naval battle in history, the Battle of Lepanto in the Year of the Lord’s Salvation in 1571 (A. D.). The Turks felt the time was right — six years after their incredulous defeat at the Battle of Malta in 1565 — to invade Italy and through it all Europe. Thus they had gathered a massive fleet for the invasion. They outmanned the Christian fleet by a factor of two to one in infantry (or marines, fighting men on the ships, with opposing ships grappling and becoming one battlefield ‘til death), and by 300 ships to approximately 200 for the Holy League.

Fiery Pius V put the Holy League together and thus saw us through — “us” meaning Holy Mother Church and all Christendom — cobbling together a quixotic and uneasy alliance of the Spanish with the natural son of Charles V, Don Juan of Austria in overall command, the Venetian fleet, Genoese, the Knights of Malta, the Order of Hospitallers and such remnant of Christendom as he could muster; and by his prayer, in particular by his praying of the weapon of mass destruction par excellence of his day and ours — the Most Holy Rosary. Doge John Veniero of Venice was one of the commanders; Miquel Saavedra de Cervantes (author of The Adventures of Don Quixote) was among the infantry.

The battle began, and the Christians were losing. Don Juan went below decks to pray before an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe from Mexico, who had appeared forty years before. Pius V in Rome — at the very hour the battle ws raging — had organized a city-wide procession praying the Rosary. In fact Pius had been praying “almost unceasingly” for the expedition from the moment it started — “often with uplifted arms like Moses onthe mountain.”

A sudden wind shift — recorded by objective historians with no Christian bias — dropped the Turkish sails and filled the Christian at a critical moment. In addition, Muslim historians record that a woman appeared in the sky with an angry Countenance behind and above the Christian fleet at about the same time.

A Crushing Ottoman Defeat

The battle turned into a rout. It was now late afternoon — the sun was already red and sinking in a sea of wreckage with many more Muslim — over 25,000 —than Christian dead (over 7,000, of which the Venetians suffered about 4,800). Turkish sea-power was forever broken. As one historian records,

“More than 30 Muslim galleys and many of the galliots had been sunk. As many as 180 Muslim galleys — some ready for scuttling — had been captured. What was left of Turkish supply and reserve ships escaped with about 10,000 Muslim survivors. About 10,000 Muslims were taken prisoner, trading swords for chains to pull European oars, while about 12,000 Christian galley slaves were set free. Only 12 League galleys had been sunk, and though many had been damaged the battle was a resounding Christian victory.”²

At that moment, Pius the V was at a meeting with some of his cardinals discussing business, but broke from them and went to a window casement and gazed some time at the sky. Then he said, “This is not a moment in which to talk business : let us give thanks to God for the victory He has granted to the arms of the Christians.”

If not for what on all sides — including Muslim — was admitted and recounted to be a miraculous victory of the Christian fleet, you would be reading this piece in Turkish.

“The best day’s work in centuries,” remarked Don Quixote years later. And his author injured in the arm that day quipped: “I lost the use of my right hand, to the greater glory of my left.”

In Peace: the Liturgy of the Tridentine Mass

Pius V was equally clear that the Missal with its liturgy that he promulgated with the papal bull Quo Primum on July 14, 1570 was for the Ages, that is “in perpetuity.” Thus, the year before Lepanto, this great reforming pope saw to the codification of the liturgy. Here’s what he wrote in this regard.

First, he notes that he (through the royal ‘We’) “gladly turned Our mind and energies, and directed all Our thoughts, to the matter of preserving incorrupt the public worship of the Church; and We have striven, with God’s help, by every means in Our power to achieve that purpose.”

How did he achieve that aim? Well, he revised and re-issued the sacred books, including the Catechism, the Missal and the Breviary. The subject of this bull is the Missal. He notes the Breviary was revised two years prior, and he references the “perfect harmony,” that is right and proper to exist between Breviary and Missal for the following reason: “considering that it is altogether fitting that there should be in the Church only one appropriate manner of Psalmody and one sole rite of celebrating Mass.”

He called upon “a select committee of scholars” working in the Vatican Library with “reliable (original or amended) codices from elsewhere” and in close consultation with the writings of “ancient and approved authors who have bequeathed to us records relating to the said sacred rites,” and thus “restored the Missal itself to the pristine form and rite of the holy Fathers.”

Therefore, Pius V ordained as follows:

“Now therefore, in order that all everywhere may adopt and observe what has been delivered to them by the Holy Roman Church, Mother and Mistress of the other churches, it shall be unlawful henceforth and forever throughout the Christian world to sing or to read Masses according to any formula other than that of this Missal published by Us…”

(Emphasis added.)

He continued in the same paragraph to except only those usages that could show they had been in use for at least 200 years, in which case those groups or places could choose their rite or the Tridentine Rite at their pleasure. In all other case, Tridentine is the only is to go.

“All other churches aforesaid are hereby denied the use of other missals, which are to be wholly and entirely rejected; and by this present Constitution, which shall have the force of law in perpetuity, We order and enjoin under pain of Our displeasure that nothing be added to Our newly published Missal, nothing omitted therefrom, and nothing whatsoever altered therein.

(Emphasis added.)

He notes in perpetuity for a second time.

“We likewise order and declare that no one whosoever shall be forced or coerced into altering this Missal and that this present Constitution can never be revoked or modified, but shall for ever remain valid and have the force of law, notwithstanding previous constitutions or edicts of provincial or synodal councils, and notwithstanding the usage of the churches aforesaid, established by very long and even immemorial prescription, saving only usage of more than 200 years.”

Pius V ends the bull even more emphatically.

“Accordingly, no one whosoever is permitted to infringe or rashly contravene this notice of Our permission, statute, ordinance, command, direction, grant, indult, declaration, will, decree and prohibition. Should any person venture to do so, let him understand that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.”

(Emphasis added.)

Finally, it is important to note that priests may not be compelled or bullied to offer Mass in any way other than pursuant to this Bull.

“Furthermore, by these presents and by virtue of Our Apostolic authority We give and grant in perpetuity that for the singing or reading of Mass in any church whatsoever, this Missal may be followed absolutely, without any scruple of conscience or fear of incurring any penalty, judgment or censure, and may be freely and lawfully used. Nor shall bishops, administrators, canons, chaplains, and other secular priests, or religious of whatsoever Order or by whatsoever title designated, be obliged to celebrate Mass otherwise than enjoined by Us. We likewise order and declare that no one whosoever shall be forced or coerced into altering this Missal and that this present Constitution can never be revoked or modified, but shall for ever remain valid and have the force of law, notwithstanding previous constitutions or edicts of provincial or synodal councils, and notwithstanding the usage of the churches aforesaid, established by very long and even immemorial prescription, saving only usage of more than 200 years.”

(Emphasis added.)

Only lovers of disorder or Lavender Mafia minions of Bergoglio or Leo would dare deny and bar the Real Presence of Christ at the Old Latin Mass.

Similarly, Our Lady of Fatima requested that Catholic Christians go to Mass on the First Saturday of every month for five months, and receive Holy Communion, along with three other devotions, namely to meditate on her sorrows and insults to her Immaculate Heart for fifteen minutes on that day; to offer the most Holy Rosary on that day; and to do all in atonement and reparation for the sins and blasphemies especially by priests against her Immaculate Heart. These are the Five First Saturday devotions.

Does not Bishop Martin tempt Heaven and its Queen to send him a gale and blow him down, by banning the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on this First Saturday, the 6th Day of September, and depriving all the good people in the entire Diocese of Cahrlotte, North Carolina, of the right to fulfil this request.

And the priests and people should not out of a false sense of obedience — the only virtue recognized by the hierarchy in Leo-Church today so long as its paid to them and them alone — be so supine to obey such a flagrantly illegitimate command.

If First Saturday is lost to them — having to attend a 5:30 pm Novus Ordo fiasco in a coliseum with rock music does not count under force of coercion of the tyrant of Charlotte — that is too bad but deserved if no priest and parish is brave enough to work around it.

But let not the Old Latin Mass be lost too. Our Lady of Victories and of Lepanto is celebrated on October 7. Again, be not supine, good men of Charlotte.

Let us commence a Novena to her to rid us of these horrible clericalist clerics. Find a Barn. Find a Field. Keep the Mass going with or without the Swishop’s ‘permission.’ You do not need permission. You need guts.

And let them banish the Mass at their own peril, exposure as the creeps they are, and risk of Hell.

1. Butler’s Lives of the Saints, Complete Edition, ed., rev’d & spplmt’d by Thurston & Attwater, Christian Classics, Westminster, Maryland (1956), Vol. II, p. 234.

2. The Battle of Lepanto: “The Best Day’s Work in Centuries,” April 2004, by William J. McPeak, https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-battle-of-lepanto-the-best-days-work-in-centuries/.