Yesterday, January 23, was the one-year anniversary of the FBI internal memo that dealt with their monitoring of Catholics (whom they dubbed "radical-traditionalist Catholics") who attend the Traditional Latin Mass. I wrote a bit about it when a whistleblower made the memo public. So how was that anniversary commemorated? In a quite glorious fashion!
For the first time in the nation's history, the Traditional Latin Mass was offered inside the Capitol, specifically to commemorate that memo and to show that we simply won't be cowed by either the FBI's anti-Catholic bigotry nor by Traditionis Custodes. I understand it was a high Mass. It was organized by the Arlington Latin Mass Society, with the assistance of House Speaker Mike Johnson. The approval of the Archdiocese of Washington was not sought; for that reason, the identity of the celebrating priest must be kept under wraps. Recall that, speaking of the Traditional Latin Mass, Cardinal Gregory said that "tradition dies a slow death". He disregards one key component of a bishop's task, to guard tradition, not destroy it.
It was attended by over 50 people, many of them congressional staff workers. The celebration of that Mass must have been a source of grace for that building and its inhabitants, grace that is sorely needed. But, oh, to have been a fly on the wall of Cardinal Gregory's office when he learned of that Mass! Pray for the man.
