The American theologian and writer Peter Kwasniewski announced that on the upcoming Sunday, December 14, at 8:30 PM, a Solemn High Mass will be celebrated according to the ancient Ambrosian rite (liturgical books from 1954) in the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan, precisely next to the tomb of Saint Ambrose, one of the great Fathers of the Latin Church.
It will be the first time in almost fifty years that this liturgical form—prior to the post-conciliar reforms—will be celebrated publicly again in the most emblematic temple of the Ambrosian tradition. The event, moreover, is part of the activities of the Jubilee Year proclaimed by the archdiocese.
A celebration aimed at making visible a tradition at risk
As Kwasniewski explains, those who can attend will have the opportunity to send a “clear message” to the local and universal Church: it is time to abandon the restrictions that weigh on the celebration of this ancient rite, noble and deeply rooted in the liturgical history of the Church of Milan.
The theologian emphasizes that filling the basilica would be a public way of testifying that the faithful who love this tradition exist, are numerous, are alive, and desire to worship God according to the spiritual richness of the liturgy inherited from Saint Ambrose.
The ancient Ambrosian rite: a liturgical heritage fighting to survive
The traditional Ambrosian rite, distinct from the Roman rite and with its own characteristics, has suffered in recent decades limitations, reforms, and reductions that have put its living continuity at risk. For many faithful, priests, and scholars, its preservation is part of the duty to conserve a liturgical treasure that expresses a faith, a music, and a spirituality with more than a millennium of history.
Kwasniewski warns that this heritage “is at risk of being lost” if the dioceses do not facilitate its celebration. The Mass on December 14 aims precisely to reawaken interest, promote its study, and reclaim the legitimate place it deserves within the liturgical diversity of the Church.
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