The John-Henry Westen Show - August 11, 2021


Divine timing? Epic film on Latin Mass released as Francis cracks down on Traditional liturgy


Summary

In the midst of what is perhaps the greatest attack on the traditional Latin Mass in her 2000 year history, comes a film called Mass of the Ages, unbelievably being released right now. That sounds totally impossible, but with providence, everything is possible, and thus no real surprise. With us today is one of the producers, Cameron O'Hearn.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 In the midst of what is perhaps the greatest attack on the traditional Latin mass in her 2000 year history, comes a film called Mass of the Ages, unbelievably being released right now.
00:00:13.700 That sounds totally impossible, but with providence, everything is possible, and thus no real surprise.
00:00:20.540 With us today is one of the producers, Cameron O'Hearn. You're going to want to stay tuned.
00:00:30.000 Cameron, welcome to the program.
00:00:46.320 Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. This is going to be great.
00:00:49.180 Let's begin as we always do with the sign of the cross.
00:00:51.780 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
00:00:56.880 So, this is truly amazing. You guys are releasing a beautiful, unbelievably produced film on the traditional Latin mass.
00:01:09.200 You've had to be done it way before all of the current uproar around it.
00:01:15.300 We've never needed promotion of the Latin mass like we do right now.
00:01:20.580 And out, seemingly dropping out of the sky, comes Mass of the Ages.
00:01:25.240 So, Cameron, tell us, how did this get where it is right now, and what was the inspiration behind it?
00:01:31.860 It's really a trilogy of films, and this is the trilogy that I would have wanted to make right after that Moda Proprio release.
00:01:39.280 It's like, let's make a documentary trilogy on the Latin mass, show people how beautiful it is, how distinctively Catholic it is.
00:01:47.580 And the funny thing is, we've been working on this for like two years.
00:01:52.260 So, the timing is just, like you said, it's just providential.
00:01:56.480 The only one who knew this was going to happen at the same time was our Lord, the King, who is the one in charge of everything.
00:02:03.660 And the inspiration for it was, it boils down to a love for the Jesus and the Blessed Sacrament.
00:02:11.760 That's what it all boils down to.
00:02:14.400 So, many of us can picture being in an adoration chapel and being alone there, and it's usually empty, worshiping Jesus.
00:02:23.880 And it reminds me of John chapter 1, the world is made by him, and he was in the world, but the world knew him not.
00:02:32.580 And my heart was burning with the desire to introduce more people to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
00:02:41.160 And then the second catalyst was realizing that when that Pew study came out two years ago, 70% of Catholics don't believe in the real presence.
00:02:50.820 And what was more shocking to me was of regular, weekly-going Catholics, weekly Mass-going Catholics, only 60% of them believed.
00:03:02.200 So, that's crazy.
00:03:03.000 Like, you think, okay, if 70% of Catholics don't believe, these are Catholics who are just like not even going to Mass.
00:03:08.660 But we're talking about Catholics in the pews on Sunday, Sunday after Sunday, and only 60% of them believe.
00:03:16.060 And that was a huge catalyst because this trilogy we're making, this documentary series on the Latin Mass, really boils everything down to Lex Arrandi, Lex Credendi.
00:03:30.360 When this Pew study came out, a lot of bishops and people with platforms are saying, oh, this is because of bad catechesis or the scandal or whatever.
00:03:42.880 And they had kind of a trump card to explain it away.
00:03:46.900 But no one was talking about, no one that I heard was talking about the way we've been acting.
00:03:53.000 It boils down to Lex Arrandi, Lex Credendi, which means the law of prayer is the law of belief.
00:03:58.780 Or said another way, the way we pray has the greatest influence upon what we believe.
00:04:04.680 So, the bottom line is, across the church and across the world, the liturgy and our priests are just not acting like they really believe.
00:04:13.860 And no matter how much you say it, how much you teach about it, if we're not acting like it, if we're not expressing it in its home, which is the liturgy, then Catholics far and wide are not going to believe in it.
00:04:26.200 So, we had to make a documentary showing people the beauty of the Latin Mass, and then also, in a winsome way, to show the differences between the new Mass and the Latin Mass.
00:04:37.720 And to let people see, they're actually two different missiles.
00:04:42.580 A lot of people think that the new missile is just the old missile translated into English or the vernacular.
00:04:49.800 And it's so funny.
00:04:51.180 Like, I thought that.
00:04:52.840 A lot of people think that.
00:04:53.920 Until you actually look at the history after Vatican II and actually compare them side by side, there's a lot of shocking things to discover.
00:05:01.880 So, now we're making a trilogy, and it comes out a month after the Modo Proprio, God's timing indeed.
00:05:08.800 Just amazing.
00:05:10.740 Quick question.
00:05:11.980 Obviously, from this, the timing of it just alone, you know that you're being used by God.
00:05:18.000 How does that feel?
00:05:19.140 Really terrifying.
00:05:22.080 But in the same time, I feel safe.
00:05:26.440 And it's kind of a paradox, but I was reading about Moses in Exodus 4 this morning.
00:05:35.940 I'm not trying to say I'm a prophet.
00:05:37.780 I'm just saying we all read.
00:05:39.680 We all can see ourselves in the prophet's shoes.
00:05:42.040 And when he is told to go back and free the Israelites, he's scared because he can't talk well, and he feels stupid.
00:05:54.260 He's like, no one's going to listen to me.
00:05:55.800 When God is doing something big and you're a part of it, you can feel equal parts terrified and safe because he's ultimately in control.
00:06:03.280 I remember a year ago when we started doing the Kickstarter to fund this project, I was just recording a video.
00:06:11.340 It was just me recording a video in front of this image of Christ the King.
00:06:15.400 I was like, all right, if this is going to happen, the King's going to make it happen.
00:06:19.260 And little did I know it was going to lead to this big moment in the church.
00:06:24.780 Some of the differences, I actually did a show on the differences between the traditional Latin Mass and the regular Mass.
00:06:30.520 And a lot of people are interested in it because many people don't know.
00:06:35.020 One of the things, for instance, one of the main differences is the facing of the priest.
00:06:40.000 The priest faces the people during the Novus Ordo Mass or the New Mass.
00:06:44.940 And in the traditional Latin Mass, the priest faces the tabernacle, faces east with all the people sort of leading them in prayer to God Almighty.
00:06:54.340 What significance do you make of that?
00:06:56.860 And how do you portray that in the film?
00:06:58.460 This is a trilogy of films, which means we're kind of approaching the topic from three different directions.
00:07:04.380 So episode one is really a beautiful introduction to the Latin Mass.
00:07:08.680 So it's inspiring, very winsome.
00:07:13.260 It's going to get the viewers to want more.
00:07:16.140 Like, I want to learn more.
00:07:17.240 I want to go to my first Latin Mass.
00:07:19.560 It's really inspiring.
00:07:21.200 Episode two gets a little more nerdy.
00:07:23.920 And some people really like that.
00:07:26.000 And we go into the actual differences between the two texts.
00:07:29.700 So particularly with the priest facing the people, one of the misconceptions about the New Mass is it kind of rolled off the shelf of Vatican II.
00:07:40.380 They had Vatican II, and then the New Mass kind of came right after Vatican II.
00:07:44.800 But there was a really important period of about five years when the Concilium, which is a committee put together by Pope Paul VI, was to assemble and revise the new Missal.
00:07:57.500 And they started to do very aggressive things to change the rite.
00:08:04.280 So you mentioned, you know, priests facing the people.
00:08:06.900 That's not mentioned in Vatican II.
00:08:09.220 But the first instruction that the Concilium released in Torokumenici said it would be preferable for the altar to be freestanding so that the priest could, you know, face the people.
00:08:22.840 And when you start to peel back the layers, you start to see that their goal with the liturgy was to make it a communal, non-threatening liturgical celebration where they remove a lot of the references to sacrifice and merit and saints.
00:08:43.000 And they're focusing more on this communal meal.
00:08:46.200 Obviously, the New Mass is valid.
00:08:49.040 But once you start to peel back the layers, you see there's a lot more to the story than just the New Mass is just an English Latin Mass.
00:08:56.460 There's so much more to it.
00:08:57.680 We get into that in episode two.
00:08:59.460 You're a fairly young man.
00:09:00.840 You weren't alive when all of this went down, most likely.
00:09:04.940 How do you find yourself at a traditional Latin Mass?
00:09:08.560 Which, I guess, the common perception is for old people who are still attached to it.
00:09:14.900 And why you?
00:09:16.740 Why young people?
00:09:17.700 There was a bishop at the Synod of Bishops in 1967, Bishop Columbo.
00:09:25.280 And he said, you know, we should stop debating about this New Mass and stop disagreeing about it because a New Mass, a new ritual kind of reveals its value over time.
00:09:35.240 So we have to wait and see whether or not the young people will take to this New Mass in the same way that their parents and grandparents are attached to this Old Mass.
00:09:45.920 And we've seen the opposite effect, where it's not about old people being attached to an Old Mass.
00:09:52.560 It's about new people discovering a treasure that's been hidden from them, and they want it.
00:10:00.640 This is our birthright as Catholics.
00:10:02.960 This is Catholic faith on level 11.
00:10:05.540 And my first experience of it was a very simple low Mass, so almost completely silent.
00:10:13.700 And like you said, the priest isn't facing you, so it's very quiet.
00:10:18.000 Some people can get lost in kind of a confused way, but I was lost in prayer.
00:10:23.000 I was just, it was the first time I probably prayed, and I mean meditated at the Mass.
00:10:29.240 Like, Mass became a source of meditation for me, which it never was, at the Novus Ordo, which ended up being, you know, loud resuscitation of out loud English prayers, and that wearied my attention.
00:10:43.780 Instead, at this low Mass, I found a place where I could really pray.
00:10:47.460 And then it was just little by little, my girlfriend, who became my wife, we started attending together, and like, wow, this is really interesting, and maybe we can do both, and how are we going to raise our kids?
00:10:58.500 And now we're just in love with the Latin Mass, and we think it's just a perfect environment that teaches our Catholic faith, especially the real presence.
00:11:09.040 Like, for example, before and after the priest even touches the Blessed Sacrament, he has to genuflect in the Old Mass, in the Latin Mass.
00:11:19.920 So these kinds of things just reiterate and reinstate the faith in our children, so this is where we call home.
00:11:28.040 Now, you guys, I've heard, had some interesting happenings during the filming process. Let us know what happened.
00:11:33.820 Every time we're on set, it's like, wow, God is really steering the ship.
00:11:38.120 But I think the most surprising thing for me in all the filmings, you know, the rollercoaster of productions we've been on, is I was shocked just by how normal traditional Latin Mass people are.
00:11:52.360 And, you know, in the moda proprio, it says that, you know, this community who's attached, says, this is in similar words, but it's attached to this Old Mass, and they're divisive, and they are calling into question, you know, Vatican II and the Pope.
00:12:10.280 And all those questions aside, the people who go to Latin Mass, what I discovered was they're not people who are just grumbling and angry and rejecting this or that in the church.
00:12:20.940 They're people who are just, like, excited to be a part of this beautiful thing, which is the Latin Mass and these communities, which are very strong, very rooted in their faith.
00:12:31.640 So I was shocked, honestly. I thought it was going to be a lot about reshaping the narrative around, like, okay, yeah, there's a lot of really angry people, but, you know, we've got to look at what's good about this.
00:12:44.660 And it was the opposite. It was like, wow, most people are just in love with Jesus and love the Latin Mass.
00:12:51.020 Yeah, what an incredible thing with all the young people. That's what's so stunning to me.
00:12:56.740 I personally can't get to a Latin Mass where I am, and so have been always with a Novus Ordo.
00:13:03.860 Whenever I travel, I'm at the Latin Mass, but that hasn't gone on for, like, a year and a half.
00:13:10.160 So just having seen the numbers of young people has been totally fascinating.
00:13:16.240 And not only young people, moms with all their kids in tow, with no dads because the dad's at work.
00:13:24.060 And it's incredible, the sacrifice. And so often the kids are all there sitting there by themselves. It's amazing to see. It's stunning.
00:13:32.880 For this series that you've done, this film series, who are you intending this for? What's the audience that you're hoping will view this?
00:13:40.580 There's a lot of good content for people who already love the traditional Latin Mass.
00:13:46.380 You go online, you can find long videos explaining the differences, and we can get really nerdy, get out our popcorn, like, yeah, this is all good.
00:13:55.200 But we really want to make a difference with this documentary series.
00:13:59.140 And that means we want millions of Catholics who've never been to a Latin Mass to see this and want to go for the first time.
00:14:06.380 We want thousands of priests to see this and want to start to offer the Latin Mass.
00:14:11.280 And so that means our audience is people who are faithful Catholics who attend the Novus Ordo.
00:14:19.920 And we want to invite them to the Latin Mass.
00:14:22.540 So it's really geared for that kind of demographic of people who just are faithful Catholics.
00:14:29.460 They do love the church. They do have a prayer life.
00:14:32.500 They think there is a crisis in the church.
00:14:35.560 They just don't know what it looks like.
00:14:37.720 And now there's this beautiful treasure we just want to introduce them to.
00:14:42.040 And there's so many people around the world that if they just saw what the Latin Mass is, how beautiful it is, how distinctively Catholic it is,
00:14:50.300 then we think it's going to start a huge movement.
00:14:53.300 It's already a big movement in the church, but it's just going to rocket it forward.
00:14:57.400 The key to everything you've done here and everything I've seen of it is beauty.
00:15:04.000 Your film is so beautiful.
00:15:07.020 And I guess you guys are aiming to capture the most beautiful thing on Earth, literally, in the universe, literally.
00:15:15.420 Where was your inspiration for such beauty?
00:15:18.420 And what did you do to try and get there?
00:15:21.780 The inspiration is really the mass itself.
00:15:23.900 If you said it best, it's the most beautiful thing in the universe.
00:15:28.200 And so when we wanted to make a film on it, we could have made it a cheap quality film that was still engaging and maybe shared a lot.
00:15:35.980 But it wasn't fitting for our topic.
00:15:38.260 Our topic is the mass of the ages, which is just the most beautiful thing.
00:15:44.440 You want to pour out your gifts like the sinful woman at the feet of Jesus.
00:15:49.180 You just want to break open this jar and give God the best you have.
00:15:53.400 And that's really the ethos of the Latin mass as well.
00:15:55.660 So from the beginning, we wanted to invest in the best gear, the best people we knew, the best audio.
00:16:03.760 People underestimate audio and how important that is.
00:16:06.840 So I think when people see the film, they'll realize this is quality.
00:16:12.000 This is something I could have seen in theaters.
00:16:14.400 And I want to give a shout out to Tom Shannon, who's our cinematographer.
00:16:19.260 I've been working with him for like six years.
00:16:23.100 And sometimes I have a vision.
00:16:26.200 I'm like, this is exactly what I want.
00:16:28.220 And I'm like mapping it out by the inch.
00:16:30.240 But then other times, I'm just like, OK, we're shooting, you know, the signs of the cross at the altar.
00:16:34.740 Just, you know, make it look good.
00:16:36.300 What do you just do your thing?
00:16:38.760 And he's just an amazing cinematographer.
00:16:41.220 So a big shout out to him.
00:16:43.320 Shout out to Jonathan, who's been with me from the beginning.
00:16:45.960 I wouldn't have made this trilogy without him.
00:16:48.780 He's one of our producers.
00:16:50.580 Shout out to Jake, who's just been hustling above and beyond what he's required to do with our communications.
00:16:57.620 And this team of people is just passionate about the Latin mass.
00:17:01.080 And we're just going the extra mile to make sure it reaches as many Catholics as possible.
00:17:06.440 Awesome, Cameron.
00:17:07.580 Where can people see it?
00:17:09.260 So if you go to theliturgy.org, you can click a button that says Get Notified.
00:17:14.600 And you'll get a link to watch the film.
00:17:17.160 We have a premiere on August 15th at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
00:17:22.260 And that'll be on YouTube.
00:17:23.860 But make sure you get notified so you get a link in case anything happens.
00:17:27.980 And you can join us for that live premiere.
00:17:30.220 We'll also have it for free.
00:17:31.760 Again, we want as many Catholics to see this as possible.
00:17:34.580 It'll be free.
00:17:36.320 Any money that we raise just goes into marketing and distribution.
00:17:40.960 And we just want, like I said, millions of Catholics to attend the Latin mass who've never been before.
00:17:46.180 We want thousands of priests to start celebrating the Latin mass.
00:17:48.980 We want this to be a big catalyst for change.
00:17:51.460 And let me say to all of you viewers out there, I know many of you are already attached to the traditional Latin mass.
00:17:56.520 If you've been looking for a way to guard it, to spread it, to defend it, to stop the attacks against it, particularly in today's day and age, here's a really good way for you to do that.
00:18:10.380 Share this premiere of this film.
00:18:12.700 Share this film.
00:18:13.640 Get the news out there.
00:18:14.620 Convince your priest to watch it, your friends and family to view it, so that that love engenders in their hearts as well.
00:18:23.140 Because in doing so, you're not only promoting this film, not even just the traditional Latin mass, you're promoting the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:18:30.840 Thank you, Cameron.
00:18:31.980 And God bless you.
00:18:33.080 Thanks, John Henry.
00:18:33.900 God bless you.
00:18:34.400 Thank you.
00:18:35.140 And God bless all of you.
00:18:36.440 We'll see you next time.
00:18:37.320 We'll see you next time.
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