FLORIDA
The Tampa Tribune
By MICHELLE BEARDEN | The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 14, 2012
TAMPA —
The Rev. Peter Ruggere began his seminary training when Roman Catholics were still celebrating Mass in Latin.
By the time he was ordained a priest in 1968, the church had gone through massive changes with Vatican II, a council which sought to align the centuries-old religious institution with the modern world and brought sweeping reforms to Catholicism.
One of those was implementing English in Mass, making it more accessible and participatory for Americans.
“The Latin Mass is something I never had to do,” says Ruggere, priest in residence at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Temple Terrace. “All those changes that made the church open and welcoming were positive, as far as I was concerned.”
But with the tradition-minded Pope Benedict XVI at the helm of the 1 billion-member church, there’s been a slow shift toward returning to some of the old practices and structure.
That’s a concern for some clergy.
This week, about 240 priests from around the country are meeting at Saint Leo University in St. Leo for the inaugural assembly of the newly formed Association of U.S. Catholic Priests. Among its goals: To be a “voice of hope” and to “celebrate and implement the visionary concepts of Vatican Council II.”
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