With rare exception, most of the blogs in my Bookmarks are defunct.

So I was browsing the Catholic Blog Directory for New Jersey blogs and came across a lay minister at St. David the King in Princeton Junction who leads a Bible study for Young Adults drawing from his own resources.

He remarked, in a post from late summer, that he would attend the traditional Latin Mass in Berlin. If he did, he never blogged about the experience.

I know Mater Ecclesiae parish is the "premier" setting for one who wants the "full experience." And maybe first timers owe it to themselves

but it's too far for me. And, heck, it's too far for him, an hour each way.

I had heard that the traditional Mass moved from Immaculate Conception Parish in Eatontown, where I occasionally caught it when I lived over that way, to St. Mary's in Middletown (NJ, not NY!). But, MT isn't any closer than Berlin.

Then, to my surprise (well, almost, I know better), I noted that OLM in Englishtown started a traditional service this past October, on the 7^th, actually ... naturally.

OLM has a new pastor; dear ol' Fr. V. must be finally gone.

And this pastor seems to split his time between OLM and St. Thomas More in Manalapan, in much the same way as Fr. V. used to split between OLM and St. Joe's.

I had heard, at Jim's Bible Study, over the course of a couple of Thursday nights, from a St. Thomas More parishioner that, since the word came down that extraordinary ministers were no longer permitted to purify the vessels, her parish receives communion under one species. This was implemented in her parish at the beginning of Advent, just past, with the tone that it was diocesan-wide.

So, as she's complaining about it, she's confused that we don't know what she's talking about!! Jim broke it to her gently, "It's only your parish. It's happening only in your parish, Mary Ann." How long 'til it's everywhere?!

Is it just me, or is "Roman" Catholic beginning to have a meaning of its own, and distinct from "Catholic" Catholic?

UPDATED: I spoke with the wife of a deacon assigned to this parish, a long-time friend, and she explained that the pastor sought and received training to relearn his Latin in order to celebrate the traditional liturgy. That's a positive indication, I think. I mean, the laity ought to be pleased with his commitment to them and the liturgy.

She wasn't clear on the rationale for offering holy communion under one species ... I mean, she didn't mention that Rome failed to renew the indult that permitted lay ministers to purify vessels as the principle reason.

She said I ought to talk to her husband for the fine details ... I would like to do that.