Tridentine Mass apostolate
in southeastern Indiana

By Sean Gallagher

OAK FOREST—Catholics in southeastern Indiana who wish to attend a Mass in the Tridentine Rite may now do so at a church near their homes.

Instead of traveling to either Indianapolis or Cincinnati for the liturgy, they can have their needs met at St. Cecilia of Rome Church in nearby Oak Forest. It is celebrated there at 5 p.m. on the second Sunday of every month.

The liturgy, celebrated according to the Roman Missal approved in 1962 by Blessed Pope John XXIII, is also commonly known as the Latin Mass.

The status of St. Cecilia of Rome Church was changed in 2000 to that of a chapel.

A chapel is a church where special sacramental celebrations such as baptisms, weddings and funerals may take place, but where regular Sunday or weekday Masses are not celebrated. It can also serve the broader needs of a specific group of the faithful, such as those who desire to attend the Tridentine Mass.

The use of St. Cecilia of Rome Church for the celebration of this liturgy was approved late last year by Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein.

At that time, Father Daniel Mahan, pastor of St. Louis Parish in Batesville, was named the administrator of the chapel and of the apostolate that uses it. Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Father Dennis Duvelius, the associate pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Indianapolis, was name the sacramental minister for the apostolate.

The first Tridentine Mass was celebrated there on Jan. 9. The liturgies celebrated there so far have been high Masses, with a choir singing various choral works and helping to lead the congregation in chanting responses.

According to Father Mahan, more than 200 people attended the first Mass, exceeding the church’s seating capacity.

Father Duvelius noted that those who attended represented a “fairly broad spectrum” of Catholics.

One of those present was David Oelker, a member of St. Nicholas Parish in Ripley County.

Oelker, who is 37 and converted to Catholicism in 1991, had no knowledge of Latin as a language for Catholic liturgy until he began studying the faith at the time of his entry into the Church.

As he began to learn about the use of Latin in the Church’s liturgies, he concluded that it was an aspect of the faith “that couldn’t be ignored.” He also wanted to be able to introduce his young children to the Tridentine Mass in order “to give them a sense of their heritage.”

In celebrating Mass at St. Cecilia, Father Duvelius is returning to a special part of his own heritage. Born and raised close to nearby Oldenburg, when Father Duvelius entered the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter the order was present only in Europe. And so he expected to minister far away from his home.

“That was a big sacrifice for me,” he said. “By the time I was ordained in 1996, though, the fraternity had established a presence in a number of U.S. dioceses, and my first priestly assignment was not in Germany, but in Scranton, Penn.

“Even then, I didn’t dream that I would soon be in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis again and even saying Mass on my home turf. God is good.”

Through the establishment of the Tridentine Mass apostolate, God has also been good to former St. Cecilia parishioner Kenneth Voelker.

Voelker, now a member of St. Mary-of-the-Rock Parish, in Franklin County, moved to the area from Cincinnati approximately 30 years ago and found a welcoming community among the St. Cecilia parishioners. In the years following, he helped with much-needed work to the church building.

Knowing that the Eucharist is being celebrated on a regular basis in the church that he loves has brought him much happiness.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Voelker said. “It’s absolutely fantastic. At least the church is being used for what it’s supposed to be [used for], for Mass, rather than just collecting dust and being a little place for the critters to exist in.”

Father Mahan commented on the commitment to celebrate Mass at St. Cecelia on a monthly basis and on the prospect of increasing that. “We want to see how many individuals are interested in this Mass,” he said, “and how many are willing to commit themselves and their resources to making sure that this is a viable apostolate. We certainly hold open the serious possibility that this Mass would be offered more frequently than once a month.”

Oelker has attended the first two celebrations of the Tridentine Mass at St. Cecilia of Rome Church in Oak Forest. For him, the celebration of this liturgy has an important value.

“For me, personally, it gives me the whole picture of my faith,” he said. “And it really has brought our full tradition to life for me. I’m very thankful that I’ve been able to experience that.” †