Inspiring Presentations for Extraordinary Catholics
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “Pro Multis” mean?
Pro Multis is Latin for, “for many.” It is taken from the consecration of the Precious Blood in the Traditional Latin Mass:
Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei, novi et æterni testamenti; myserium fidei, qui pro vobis et PRO MULTIS (For this is the chalice of My blood, of the new and everlasting testament, the mystery of faith, which According
to the Catechism of the Council of Trent, Our Blessed Lord
intentionally said “for many” at the Last Supper and these words were
deliberately retained in the Holy Mass: We
must confess that the Redeemer shed His blood for the salvation of all;
but if we look to the fruit which mankind has received from it, we
shall easily find that it pertains not unto all, but to many…With
reason, therefore, were the words “for all” not used, as in this place
the fruits of the Passion alone are spoken of, and to the elect only did
His Passion bring the fruit of salvation.
Rome
has decreed that the English translation of the consecration of the
Precious Blood in the Novus Ordo Mass must be corrected from "for all"
to “for many” to properly reflect this theological reality. We
chose the name Pro Multis Media to express our fidelity to the teaching
of the Church, and to convey our commitment to producing authentically
Catholic presentations for “the many” Catholics who share that fidelity. Why will my DVD play in my computer but not in my DVD player? Firstly,
customer satisfaction is of great concern to Pro Multis Media, and we
are always glad to promptly replace a defective item. That
said, it is an unfortunate fact that there is simply no guarantee that
every DVD will play in every DVD player. This is due to inconsistencies
between that way DVD players are manufactured and the idiosyncrasies of
the DVD “burning” process. We continue to work with our duplicator to make certain that our products are of the highest possible quality. Again,
while we are happy to replace an item that won’t play properly, if a
disc works in your computer, but not your player, it’s probably not a
defective disc. Why don’t your Rosary materials include the new Luminous Mysteries? The
short answer is, because Pro Multis Media is dedicated to providing our
customers with Traditional Catholic materials. According to tradition,
Our Lady gave the fifteen decade Rosary to St. Dominic in the 12th century; the Luminous Mysteries on the other hand, are less than ten years old. Pope
John Paul II was not the first to propose a legitimate variation on the
traditional Rosary (i.e., the Servite Rosary, the Franciscan Rosary,
etc.). But, simply put, the late Pontiff’s introduction of the Luminous
Mysteries in his document Rosarium Virginis Mariae did not officially “change the Rosary” as some assume; the traditional fifteen decade Rosary remains normative. This
is aptly illustrated by the response we received from Fr. Reginald
Martin, O.P of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. The Rosary
Confraternity was established by St. Dominic himself, promoted by St.
Louis de Montfort, and is still administrated by the Dominicans today. Those enrolled in the Rosary Confraternity gain special indulgences for praying the Most Holy Rosary. According to Fr. Martin: Pope John Paul II wrote an Apostolic Letter on the Rosary, in which he Clearly
then, the Luminous Mysteries are not mandatory, nor is one being
"disloyal to the pope" for praying only the traditional mysteries. This is also true of the Traditional Way of the Cross. Although
the Luminous Mysteries are better known, John Paul II also introduced a
“new and improved’ Stations of the Cross, as well.
effendetur in remissionem peccatorum.
for you and FOR MANY shall be shed unto the remission of sins.)
said: "I believe... that to bring out fully the Christological depth of
the Rosary it would be suitable to make an addition to the traditional
pattern...."
The Luminous Mysteries are an option, "...left [wrote the Holy Father] to
the freedom of individuals and communities..." so no one is under
obligation to include them when praying the Rosary. Thus, the
traditional indulgence stands for praying no more than the traditional
fifteen decades.
On Good Friday 1991, our erstwhile Holy Father introduced a revised Way
of the Cross without any of the strictly “traditional” (i.e.
non-biblical) stations. In his new Stations of the Cross,
the pontiff removed Our Lord’s three falls, the meeting of Our Lord with
His Blessed Mother, and His meeting with Veronica; and replaced them
with the more “biblical” episodes of: Jesus in the
Garden of
Gethsemane, Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, Jesus condemned by the Sanhedrin, and Peter’s denial, along with other changes.
Yet most Catholics do not pray this revised Way of the Cross. Obviously
it’s easier to change the way one prays the Rosary than to change the
architecture of a church, which might account somewhat for the
difference in popularity, but the point is the same: Catholics are not obliged to abandon their traditional devotions because of the introduction of these recent innovations.