This past weekend I received the newsletter for the Monastic Community of Maria Sedes Sapientiae ^[1] – a new Benedictine order based in Norcia, Italy (birthplace of St. Benedict) which counts a good friend as a member (and of which I’ve blogged ^[2] about before). They had exciting news to report:

July 7th, 2009 will mark the 2nd anniversary of the Motu Proprio of Pope Benedict XVI Summorum Pontificum. For this occasion, the monks of Norcia are pleased to announce a new liturgical apostolate, given to us by the Holy See. The Monastery of San Benedetto in Norcia has been asked to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in utroque usu -according to both the extraordinary and ordinary forms of the Roman rite.

This is quite an honor for this young order, and an important one. Pope Benedict very much wants to promote a “hermeneutic of continuity,” meaning that what Catholics believe and practice after Vatican II is in continuity with what they believed and practiced before Vatican II. The restoration of the Latin Mass is a key part of this campaign: nothing in Vatican II in any way abolished this form of the Liturgy, and its celebration today can help us to more properly celebrate the Norvus Ordo. The Community of Maria Sedes Sapientiae has quite a responsibility in celebrating both forms in such a way that Catholics can see both as legitimate – and beautiful – means of worship.

Read their newsletter ^[3] for more details about this new apostolate.