The Anomoly of Arlington in Anecdote: They’re Not Coming for the Trads, They’re Coming for the Mass

In reflecting on the situation in Arlington over the weekend, I have come to some realizations. I mentioned in a previous post that Arlington never had an Ecclesia Dei community post-Summorum Pontificum. I’ve also reflected on the number of contacts I have in that place and I’ve remembered that I need to tread carefully lest I betray any of them.

So instead tonight I will offer a glimpse of what I believe is actually going on. Here’s a hint. They’re not really coming after you – not as Mr. and Mrs. Tradcatholic anyway. Let me explain.

If you missed the previous background, I’ll bring you up to speed. The Arlington Diocese was split off of the Richmond Diocese in 1974. It covers 21 counties in Northern Virginia. Interestingly, it’s see “city” isn’t a city at all but the entirely unincorporated Arlington County which sits directly across the Potomac from DC. Also of note, Arlington is not suffragen to Wilton’s Washington but to Lori’s Baltimore. There are currently 70 parishes of which 21 offer the TLM – many on a daily basis. After September 8, there will be just 8 and only 3 of those in the church buildings proper.

Going back to the lack of Fraternity or Institute parishes, it is because the good priests of Arlington are just that. For the most part, these men are solid and desirous of bringing souls to heaven through reverent liturgy. True, many of them were not familiar growing up with the TLM. But that describes me as well and I bet it does many of you.

Unicorns and Mutual Enrichment

We’ve joked about the “unicorn” that is the reverent Novus Ordo mass. If you’ve lived in Arlington you probably know what I’m about to say. If there was ever a place on earth where such a thing might be considered a reality, it was here. There really weren’t the overt and wide scale liturgical abuses in Arlington that have been endemic of the Church writ large. They didn’t even have girl altar boys until 2006 and most people weren’t happy when Bishop Loverde pushed them through.

As far as the call of Benedict XVI that the old and “new” Masses should provide mutual enrichment for each other, consider this. Due to the large number of parish churches offering both NO and TLM Mass, most Catholics in this diocese have attended both and actually understand both. It’s personally not my style and I think there ought to be unity in worship (TLM only) but Arlingtonians we’re kind of doing it and without much issue. What I mean specifically is that many families would go back and forth between the two liturgies without a problem.

The Mass, Not You

This brings us to the point. In the Bishop’s directive, much talk is made of shepherding the people back into the “sole expression” of the Roman Rite. We’ve discussed this and it’s nonsense. But the document is worded in such a way as to imply that those attending the TLM are somehow diametrically opposed to the NO. This simply is not the case in Arlington and they know it. In point #9 we read:

So you see, the Diocese knows this. They know the people of this see don’t have a problem in se with the NO. This truly seems to be a matter of preference. They admit it right in their text!

So if they have to have a plan to bring back people who haven’t left, what gives?

I’ll tell you what gives. The Antichurch gives. They cannot stand the ancient liturgy because it is holy, reverent, and brings souls to Calvary. They call us “rigid” as if that wasn’t some faggoty Freudian slip of theirs. Trust me, Bergoglio and Roache are all about rigid when they think no one’s watching. No, my friends, this is about the complete suppression of the Latin Mass.

You didn’t have a problem with the Novus Ordo. They have a problem with TLM and they need it gone and dead.

That’s what’s going on.

Pray for the priests of Arlington and everywhere.

I pray for all of you.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

St. Peter in Chains, pray for us!