Initial Request

Les Syren
Anchorage, Alaska 99511

September 14, 2007
Feast of the Triumph
Of the Holy Cross

Most Rev. Roger Schwietz, OMI
Archbishop of Anchorage
Ex Officio Pastor, Holy Family Cathedral
Via Hand-Delivery

V. Donald J. Bramble, OP (V.G.)
Pastor, Holy Family Cathedral
Vicor General, Archdiocese of Anchorage
Via Hand-Delivery

Dear Archbishop Schwietz and Father Donald,

I am writing on behalf of “a stable group of faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition,”[1] and pursuant to Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, Given Motu Proprio, (at Article V), to formally request “to celebrate the Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal published in 1962,”[2] on each Sunday and weekday at the Cathedral (unless otherwise not permitted under Summorum Pontificum), “for special circumstances such as marriages, funerals or occasional celebrations, e.g. pilgrimages,”[3] and “for permission to use the earlier ritual for the administration of the Sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, Penance, and the Anointing of the Sick,”[4] to begin immediately.

Father Nigro, S.J. is willing and able to say the Mass, but has limited availability due to his previous obligations at the Holy Spirit Retreat House. Father Kaspar and Father Wiseman are willing to say it also but I do not believe they know how. (I know of two laymen in Anchorage, Stan Grove and Dr. Gregory Froelich, who have already offered and are qualified to give instructions in ecclesial latin. I also know of other duly authorized institutions that are willing to provide and/or train priests to say the Mass. We are willing to privately fund this training.) Father Andrew Szymakowski, on sabbatical from the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, who was here for two years and is now serving Archbishop Vasa in Oregon, is willing to return here to say the Mass. He would also be able to train others.

Attached is a list of people who, upon information, belief and/or personal knowledge constitute the above referenced stable group. As the list shows, most of the families on the list already attend Holy Family Cathedral. Moreover, all families throughout the Archdiocese in a sense belong to the Cathedral. Finally, the Cathedral is probably the one church in the Archdiocese in which the extraordinary form of the Mass has been celebrated the most.[5] I note the happy coincidence that ground was broken for the construction of the Cathedral on this very day, September 14, 1915.

We hope we too can “break ground” with the Holy Father’s Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum and begin building up Our Lord’s Church by the use of the extraordinary form of the Latin Rite.
Sincerely,



Les Syren


cc:

Rev. Thomas T. Brundage, JCL
Judicial Vicar
Via Hand-Delivery

His Eminence Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos
President Commission Ecclesia DeiPiazza del Sant’ Uffizio 11 00120 Vatican City, Italy, Europe
(For informational purposes only)
[1] Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, Given Motu Proprio, at Article V.
Art. 5, § 1. In paroeciis, ubi coetus fidelium traditioni liturgicae antecedenti adhaerentium continenter exsistit, parochus eorum petitiones ad celebrandam sanctam Missam iuxta ritum Missalis Romani anno 1962 editi, libenter suscipiat. Ipse videat ut harmonice concordetur bonum horum fidelium cum ordinaria paroeciae pastorali cura, sub Episcopi regimine ad normam canonis 392, discordiam vitando et totius Ecclesiae unitatem fovendo. As you may recall from our meetings this past spring, Your Excellency gave me and my wife Nicole permission to act as liaison in this matter at the request of Fr. Nigro, who has been graciously assisting us this year.
[2] Id.
[3] Id. at sec. 3.
[4] Id. at Article 9.
[5]
My parents’ wedding picture at the altar of Holy Family Cathedral.