The Extraordinary Form Conquers More and More of the Souls of the Franciscans of the Immaculate

Paix Liturgique, in its newest Italian newsletter, has an interview with Fr Alessandro M. Apollonio, rector of the theological seminary of the Franciscans of the Immaculate (FFI), which brings splendid news from this young order which now has more than 700 members. Here is a translation of the part concerning the liturgy:

The vocation of a seminary is to give priests to Holy Church. This year eight of your friars will be ordained in Florence, on the Feast of the Annunciation, 25 March. Last year, the ceremony took place at Tarquinia and, for the first time in the history of your institute, the sacrament of orders had been conferred on five of your friars according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Monsignor Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, officiated. This year Cardinal Rodé, another prelate of the Curia, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, will be the celebrant. Again, the Pontifical Mass will be accordiing to the older form: can we conclude that the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite now becomes the ordinary manner of your ordinations to the priesthood?

Yes, as long as the Pope allows it, in the sense of being the preferred form, not the exclusive.

for the rest of the story please see: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2010/03/extraordinary-form-conquers-more-and.html

Also see http://orbiscatholicus.blogspot.com/search?q=franciscans+of+the+immaculate

for more photos on the ordinations.

And for a very short video see http://romancatholicvocations.blogspot.com/2009/03/franciscans-of-immaculate-ordinations.html

(some of the pictures and video are from last year)

Ave Maria!