How One Priest Discovered the Extraordinary Life
The following guest post is by Rev. Jeffrey R. Keyes, a Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, California. Father Keyes was born in 1953, ordained in 1991, and serves at the Cathedral in Santa Rosa. He is also chaplain for the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa, and teaches Scripture and Church history at Cardinal Newman High School.
I personally had no desire to learn how to offer the Extraordinary Form. My intention was to celebrate the Ordinary Form in the manner that Sacrosanctum Concilium imagined it: in Latin, with English readings and orations. If it stayed the same Mass after Mass it would be in Latin. If it was for this mass only it would be in English. Of course, Mass would be celebrated “ad orientem.”
I learned the Extraordinary Form because a bishop asked me to, telling me that there were 100 families in the region asking for it. So in 2012 I celebrated my first Extraordinary Form Mass. On a two week vacation I celebrated in the Extraordinary Form every day so that I could really learn it and be comfortable with it.
Three things happened.
First, it completely transformed my priesthood and it affected the way I celebrated the Ordinary Form. Every Mass became completely Christocentric. Many people recognized this and it caused a greater spirit of prayer in believers.
Secondly, boys who served the mass began to think of vocations to the priesthood. Ordinary boys who would play and roughhouse with great abandon became little soldiers of Christ with great seriousness in the celebration of the Mass.
Thirdly, it caused a reaction of visceral anger and anguish on the part of liberals who were now convinced that I was completely nuts. Their angry letters caused my provincial superior to judge me in a manner that had little relation to reality. So from 3000 miles away he made decisions which changed the nature of the parish and disrupted my life. And I am grateful because I landed in a place that appreciates the Extraordinary Form, that loves reverent prayer, and even has 24/7 adoration. And I am no longer subject to that provincial.
This post originally appeared at Fr. Jeffrey Keyes website and is reprinted here with his permission.
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Posted on September 22, 2017, in liturgy and tagged extraordinary form of the mass, Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa, traditional latin mass. Bookmark the permalink. 8 Comments.
liturgy guy 
God will always come through. I’ve had many dark times in my priesthood, but know from experience that they pass and we later see the reason.
We were never promised anything but a Cross. The consolations are indeed sumptuous desserts, but they do not help us get closer to God as much as the fruit of trials do.
Too often, we live in a “woe is me” society intent on placing the blame anywhere but squarely on our own shoulders. The modern “whiner syndrome” must be countered with many penance minded Catholics. My sins merit punishments and I should not be surprised by an earthly evening of the score (and probable further corrections at my Judgment).
Father Keyes is an inspiration; would that all of us keep on keeping on spiritually.
So, what religious order did Fr. Keyes belong to?
I thought it was rare to be allowed to leave the religious life (i.e. exclaustration) in favor of the diocesan priesthood because the religious life (i.e. the vowed life of poverty, chastity and obedience) is considered the “higher” calling?
The missionaries of the Precious Blood are a Society of Apostolic Life without vows so it is a parallel transfer
Your witness speaks volumes! Thank you! I only would hope we could have that Mass near where I live but don’t 😥
For those Catholics who are attending the Novus Ordo and trying to be good Catholics, this reply may aggravate you. My background for starters. I was raised in the Traditional Latin Mass in the early ’50s, fell away from the Church when I went into the Army in 1970, came back to the Church in the early 90s. The Novus Ordo was in full force and I attended it, not liking all the changes that I saw, but was fooled into believing that “Well, the Pope changed the Mass so it must be OK”. It wasn’t until this year that after doing extensive reading on how and why the Novus Ordo was instituted did I return to the true Traditional Tridentine Mass, not the “Extraordinary” form of the Latin Mass as coined by Pope Benedict XVI. The Extraordinary form is what is known as an “indult” Latin mass, meaning the Bishop, true to the Novus Ordo mass, is “allowing” the Indult mass to be said basically for the “Oldtimers” who don’t like the Novus Ordo.
This sentence is from a similar story on this site. “Following the release of Summorum Pontificum, priestly formation for many of these young men now includes learning how to offer the Mass in both forms of the rite.” The problem with these new priests learning the sacrifice of the Mass “in both forms” is a big problem. The Novus Ordo is a heretical, Protestantized version of the Traditional Mass, or at least doubtfully valid. The Extraordinary Masses usually end up using hosts from the Novus Ordo mass or are said on the same altar/table that Novus Ordo mass is celebrated on rendering them invalid.
This article will better explain the problems with the Novus Ordo and the many errors produced by Vatican II and the damage it has done to the Church and its people.
God Bless
https://onepeterfive.com/why-do-people-have-a-problem-with-the-novus-ordo/
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