Enough Valley Catholics love Latin that Masses in the church's ancient language will become permanent and more frequent.
Church officials have deemed a yearlong test-run a success and given the service's worshipers status as a mission called Mater Misericordiae, or Mother of Mercy.
The move makes it possible for a future parish based on the Latin Mass.
"There is a stable community now, and we will see what happens," said Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted.
Here's the whole thing. It actually manages to avoid concluding that the Tridentine crowd are reactionary lunatic zealots.
This is what a "wide and generous application" looks like. I hope we see more of it.
*sigh* I guess it's the liturgical nit-picker in me, but I never cease to be irritated when "Latin Mass" is used exclusively to refer to the 1962 Missal, as if the 1970 can't be celebrated in Latin.
But I'm still glad to see a wider application of the indult. Deo gratias!
Nick,
I was planning a post on that EXACT same point.