Romanitas & the Current Crisis

Given all the chaos and confusion that faithful Catholics are assaulted with on a daily basis and given the recent ending of the Amazon Synod adding way more fuel to the fire and driving Catholics to the brink of madness, it is important to still adhere to what makes us Catholic - the Faith. We can do this more easily by steadfast adherence to Romanitas.

"Schisms and heresies are often begun by a rupture with Romanitas, a rupture with the Roman liturgy, with Latin, with the theology of the Latin and Roman Fathers and theologians (i.e., St. Thomas Aquinas and his commentators)."

"It is this force of the Catholic Faith rooted in Romanitas that Freemasonry wished to eliminate by occupying the Pontifical States and enclosing Catholic Rome in Vatican City. This occupation of Rome by the Masons permitted infiltration of the Church by Modernism and the destruction of Catholic Rome by Modernist clergy and Popes who hasten to destroy every vestige of Romanitas: the Latin language, the Roman liturgy."

Archbishop Lefevre confirms what I concluded in my own research that the Papal States needed to fall before modernism and liberalism could lurk out of the shadows and undermine the Church at Vatican II. Scholars describe the II Vatican Council as the 1789 moment in the Church, but it was really the illegal and unlawful usurpation of the Papal States by Mazzini and Garibaldi. In fact, one time during an exorcism, the priest was able to ascertain that when the Papal States fell, legions of demons were unleashed upon the earth.

This is why Romanitas is important. This is why Romanitas should be embodied in everything we do. This is why it is so important for the Orders under the auspices of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, like the FSSP to adhere to Romanitas. Especially since their charism is centered on being close to Peter. How do we practice Romanitas?

The ceremonial of our liturgy should be as Roman as possible. This entails, following all SRC decrees, which actually has to be done no matter what. Liturgists who imbibe Romanitas, i.e., Gavanti et Merati [1], Wappelhorst [2], Martinucci [3], Baldeschi [4], Le Vavasseur through Haegy & Stercky [5], Zualdi [6], J.B. O’Connell [7], Baltimore Ceremonial [8], Matters Liturgical by Wuest 1947-1959 [9]

Fundamental principles of Romanitas in the liturgy are to always be followed. 

Pre-55 liturgy is also a very important aspect because one of the main focal points of the reformers for their revolution was that their reforms were making the liturgy as un-Roman as possible and more ecumenical. That was the main goal of the liturgical reforms from 1951-1969. In order to make the liturgy ecumenical it had to be stripped completely of its Romanitas. Therefore, what is commonly called "pre-55 liturgy" is vital. A young man asked a liturgy group, what aspects of Romanitas did they like? I noticed some of the answers were particular points as to why people wanted the Pre-55 Rites to be celebrated again (not just Holy Week but all year round). This made me recall that a while back when I was studying liturgy I noticed that a lot of the particulars that the reformers dropped in 1956, 1962, 1965, 1969, and finally 1970 were specifically Roman. Romanitas was the number one enemy to ecumenism. And this is precisely what the Novus Ordo is all about - ecumenism. Of course Romanitas also deals with other aspects of ecclesiastical dress which indirectly relates to the liturgy but which is a part of it. These also were done away with. Roman vestments, and the cotta, aesthetics are a part of it too. The Baroque liturgy is still the official liturgy of the Roman Court. And it's the Liturgy of the Roman Court that is followed and used as an example for all other Catholics, doctrinal unity through ritual uniformity. This also entails inferior ministers sitting on steps and not on stools or chairs, (an SRC decree prescribes this actually), the inferior ministers do not genuflect on the predella unless they are filling in for a sacred minister. The priest or deacon of the Mass, if they preach, take off the chasuble or dalmatic to do so. The celebrant bows to the altar cross at the name of Our Lord when the deacon chants it during the Gospel, the biretta is worn for preaching, hearing confessions, and the exorcisms at baptism, etc.

The customs of the clergy, i.e., shaving the face (which is Canon Law), unless one is a missionary, not having the bottom of trousers show under the cassock, wearing the greca, buckled shoes, and saturno with the cassock when outside church property (in a Catholic country).

This also entails the interior life, i.e., the rosary, mental prayer, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, examination of conscience, frequent confession (which are Canon Law), plus all other spiritual exercises.

Roman School Philosophy and Theology, i.e., Salmanticenses, John of St. Thomas, Zigliara, Cornoldi, S.J., Sanseverino, Garrigou-Lagrange, Gotti, Billot, Franzelin, Hugon, Gardeil, De Groot, Schultes, Merkelbach, Piolanti, Parente, Palazzini, Gredt, O.S.B., Charles Boyer, S.J., etc.

"Ours is the duty to guard this Roman Tradition desired by Our Lord in the same way that He wished us to have Mary as our Mother."

The Romanitas of Abbe Franck Quoex, R.I.P.

---

[1] Gavantus was consultor to the S.R.C. and named perpetual consultant of the S.R.C.

[2] Faithful to Romanitas and wrote for the U.S. Diocese.

[3] One of the greatest Papal MCs of all time and consultant to the S.R.C.

[4] Papal MC; Faithful adherence to Romanitas and the Papal States.

[5] Faithful adherence to Romanitas, based the first edition off of Baldeschi and Abbe Favrel, Approbations by Pius IX, Leo XIII, and St. Pius X. Pius IX said their manual is “everything elaborated according to the spirit and norm of the Roman Church.”

[6] Faithful adherence to Romanitas.

[7] Adherence to Romanitas and heavy reliance on the S.R.C. as opposed to heavy reliance on other rubricists.

[8] U.S. Bishops strictly called for adherence to Roman Usage. And that the Ceremonial be paced at all times on the Credence table in all U.S. churches. 

[9] Basically it’s a categorization of current S.R.C. decrees for every subject of liturgy for the U.S. Clergy.