Friday, February 20, 2009

Fr. Tim Finigan Responds to The Tablet

One of the worst signs that one can receive is that of indifference, because indifference may well suggest that one cannot be taken at all seriously, and that -- worse yet -- there is no real promise and potential in the work one is affecting.

In that vein, it seemed worthwhile mentioning that, recently, the English Catholic periodical The Tablet, took to task the liturgical work of Fr. Tim Finigan, parish priest of Blackfen, located in a suburb of London, England -- but known better to the Catholic internet world by way of his blog, The Hermeneutic of Continuity -- presenting it (and him) as being divisive.

It is tempting to provide a critique of the piece but it seems best to simply let Fr. Finigan himself speak to the issue.

What seems fairly clear in reading the piece by The Tablet, and it is something of a recurring theme in recent weeks, is that what is substantially at stake here is more than just the liturgical and pastoral particulars of one parish and its priest, or even the question of the usus antiquior. Instead, what is at stake is more generally a particular vision, implementation and hermeneutic of post-conciliar Catholic life, practice, and ecclesiology, one which is now more substantively being challenged at a variety of levels, including by the actions and discourses of the reigning pontiff.

With that, I will direct you to the original article and Fr. Finigan's responses: The Hermeneutic of Continuity: Responding to the Tablet

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