The desire for cradle Catholics to return to some of these pre-Vatican II traditions is not all wrong-headed. I am sure at least some, if not most, of the Catholics attending Ordinariate Masses are all on board for forced intinction for the very reason they ARE cognizant of the transubstantiation of the bread and wine. Sadly, too many priests and Catholic faithful are willing to overlook the little particles of the Body of Christ that become trampled during the communion lines; out of sight, out of mind I suppose.This actually applies to very specific conditions in fewer than half a dozen of the largest OCSP parishes I don't know if anyone has counted exactly how many use intinction, but some communities do administer the sacrament kneeling at the altar rail where possible, whatever other conditions, like basement chapels, shabby environments, or lack of music, apply. But these are less likely to attract enough traditionalist Catholics to make the smaller groups viable. Naturally, altar rails are hard to find where the communities must use diocesan facilities.
In fact, the smaller groups are proving to be highly unstable. Despite a surplus of OCSP clergy, these men are largely undeployable, since the small groups can't pay them and make a move across hundreds or thousands of miles worthwhile. So if a priest leaves a smaller group, the group folds. This has recently happened in two cases, St Anselm. Corpus Christi TX and of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Savannah GA. Fr Lou Lindsey, according to my regular correspondent,
was formerly Bishop to the Armed Forces of the Episcopal Missionary Church, whatever that is. In any event he has been on the staff of a diocesan parish in Savannah since his ordination and the Ordinariate group seems to have failed to thrive. Fr Lindsey is no longer saying mass for them. . . . A group put together as a stepping-stone to ordination, IMHO.My correspondent estimates the number there as never more than a dozen. St Anselm's has closed as anticipated following Fr Vidal's move to St Luke's.
Apparently there were about 10 members at St Anselm's---approximately the same number as there were when Fr Vidal arrived and subsequently brought it in from the Pastoral Provision. Again, a pretext for something. This appointment came after he was on the staff of Mt Calvary, Baltimore for a few months prior to its entry into the Church. So this brings the number of closures to four: five if we include St John Fisher, Arlington VA supposedly "merged" with St Luke's, Washington. I would identify another five as very fragile, if not actually circling the drain.So one problem for the OCSP is that it was not intended for large numbers of cradle Catholics, whether traditionalist or not -- and even if the very flexible qualifications for "membership" allowed them in, it apparently hasn't attracted more than some hundreds total, adding up those in any community.
But beyond that, the numerous groups-in-formation, often numbering a dozen or so members, seem to exist primarily as justifications for ordaining their priests, and if-and-when those priests move on, or simply lose interest, the groups close. This is something I've noted here in the case of the new Pasadena group, cobbled together from whatever Fr Bartus could dig up, primarily to justify ordaining now-Dcn Bayles, like many of the newer candidates, a marginal guy.
Of the groups now on life support, my correspondent notes,
St Benedict, Edmonton AB; Christ the King, Tyendinaga ON; and St Gregory, Mobile AL are ministered to by local diocesan clergy. Should they fully retire or be transferred it is uncertain whether they could be replaced. The congregations are very small. Good Shepherd, Oshawa ON; Our Lady of the Sign, Fredericton/St Bede, Halifax NB; San Agustin, Pinecrest FL; and St James, St Augustine FL are very small congregations in small markets led by clergymen past (clerical) retirement age. Finding a replacement when they retire will be challenging. Our Lady of Walsingham, Maple Ridge BC is also a very small congregation led by an elderly priest, although if it relocated to downtown Vancouver it might be possible to replace him when the time comes, and attract new parishioners. Maybe the Bros would like to return home.The conclusion I would draw is that although a few OCSP parishes may prove to be serendipitous for cradle Catholics looking for reverent celebration, many OCSP communities are too small, poor, and unstable to provide this, and the sparse geographical distribution of the best communities makes them unavailable to nearly everyone who might be looking for them as a solution.Several other groups do not seem to be growing towards sustainability but currently have younger priests with other jobs to support them, so they are not in danger at the moment.
Unfortunately, looked at from the perspective of what problem it's trying to solve, the OCSP exists to justify ordaining a small special-interest group of former Protestant clergy, not to provide a reverent worship environment for cradle Catholics looking for this. On the whole, I believe Fr Z's advice to such Catholics, to work with their dioceses and make it plain that they will support such efforts in attendance and money, is by far the best approach.
