Silver Lining Department

A canny observation found in a two year-old edition of the St Joseph Foundation's newsletter Christifidelis:

One beneficial and I presume unintended effect of the almost exclusive use of the Pauline Missal was that it served to protect the Traditional Mass from unauthorized or ill-considered innovations. Had the 1962 Missal remained in general use during the turbulent post-conciliar period, it is reasonable to expect that abusive and disedifying liturgical practices, including those mentioned above, would have appeared anyway. As it turned out, however, the effective suppression of the Traditional Mass until 1984 and its marginalization thereafter had the effect of limiting its celebration only by those most devoted to it. This might have insured the survival of venerable liturgical practices that had benefited souls for centuries, not to mention many musical treasures. As the old saying goes, it's an ill wind that blows no good.

Christifidelis, vol 25, No. 6. November 9, 2007, pg 6