Appreciating the Ordinary Form

[Jaysuitical]

Hello, everyone! I just wanted to take a moment to say how much I appreciate the Ordinary Form. It seems like so many people are down on the Ordinary Form in one way or another, thinking its not as worshipful or beautiful as the Extraordinary Form, and some seemingly wishing that the Church would do away with the Ordinary Form all together. While I acknowledge that Latin is beautiful in its own way, I think that if the Church did not have the Ordinary form I would not have become Catholic. One of the things that attracted me to Catholicism in the first place was the fact that we actively participate in the Mass, as opposed to being lectured to like so many of the Protestant churches I attended growing up. The fact that the Mass is in my native tongue and that I can pray right along with the priest is comforting to me. A missal is just too cumbersome. If people feel more comfortable at the Extraordinary form, that is perfectly fine. It is a valid Mass. But so is the Ordinary Form. Please don’t look down on those of us who prefer it.

Please always remember now-Venerable Paul VI, who issued the Ordinary Form in vernacular precisely for pastoral reasons.

Having said that, the Latin form used to be the draw to most converts, since it showed them that this was God’s work, that the mystery of redemption was being embodied in perpetuity in prayers and gestures which had gone through minimal changes through hundreds of years. I probably would’ve come into the Church sooner had I experienced the EF in the 1980s, when it was practically extinct.

 

[ProVobis]

We just had an entire Anglican parish in our town convert to the Catholic faith last month:

I attended a Catholic Mass in the Anglican rite in San Antonio, and it was very beautiful and reverent. I pray that more and more Anglican churches will make the switch to the Catholic Church!

Whether they do or not, they probably will change much of the text to follow that of the Ordinary Form. The Lutherans as well as they did in the 70’s. But I could be wrong.

 

[James_Beecham]

Thanks for your story. It’s always a blessing to hear other people’s journey to the Catholic faith. My journey was different, as it was the EF that drew me closer to Catholicism. The OF Mass I attended while learning about the Catholic faith was very similar to the Protestant churches I had attended (probably most similar to Lutheran-Missouri Synod, where I was baptised), while it was the EF Mass that seemed to draw me closer to Our Lord. The EF had a transcendent quality that was so far apart from the world that it was much easier for me to focus on Jesus Christ and His love for us. Fewer distractions helped as well. Plus, with me being more of a visual person than an auditory person, I didn’t mind the use of a missal and following along that way.

Again, thanks for sharing, and may God bless you in your spiritual journey! And welcome to CAF!

Just goes to demonstrate another thing that drew me to Catholicism: We are diverse! Most (though not all) of the Protestant churches I grew up in were very uniform in membership. It seemed like everyone in one church had the same goals, outlook, income level, etc. If you didn’t blend in EXACTLY you went elsewhere. That’s one of the weaknesses of Protestantism. There is no true church so you go wherever you please. And human nature being what it is that tends to be exclusive. We Catholics on the other hand believe in only one true Church, so we all go to it because it brings Christ to us, not because we “like” it (though I certainly do!). Thus, we have strength in diversity.

 

[holyfamily1]

I agree. Many converted to the Catholic faith prior to the Missal of 1970.

And…
Most Catholics:
went to Holy Mass on Sunday
knew the teachings of the Church
wouldn’t dare to support abortion/homosexual “marriage”
went to Confession much more often
saw the priest as an “alter Christus” (another Christ)
encouraged their children to consider their vocation; be it marriage, priesthood, religious, single, etc.
would never wear the atrocious immodest clothes some wear
knew the lives of the Saints
received Holy Communion in the state of grace
realized that Holy Communion was not just a piece of bread
weren’t taught heresies at a Catholic school

Just to name a few…

AND, not to mention that there were many, many, many more priests and religious. (Now we have a frightening, growing vocation crisis)

And now, someone reports this thread, I get an infraction, it might get deleted?, and I get “hate mail” messages. This isn’t an overgeneralization. Think about this. Please tell me in someway or another how the Church as a whole is better, now then we were with just the Extraordinary Form.

 

[holyfamily1]

And…
Most Catholics:
went to Holy Mass on Sunday
knew the teachings of the Church
wouldn’t dare to support abortion/homosexual “marriage”
went to Confession much more often
saw the priest as an “alter Christus” (another Christ)
encouraged their children to consider their vocation; be it marriage, priesthood, religious, single, etc.
would never wear the atrocious immodest clothes some wear
knew the lives of the Saints
received Holy Communion in the state of grace
realized that Holy Communion was not just a piece of bread
weren’t taught heresies at a Catholic school

Just to name a few…

AND, not to mention that there were many, many, many more priests and religious. (Now we have a frightening, growing vocation crisis)

And now, someone reports this thread, I get an infraction, it might get deleted?, and I get “hate mail” messages. This isn’t an overgeneralization. Think about this. Please tell me in someway or another how the Church as a whole is better in catechesis or practicing Catholics or… at all, now then we were with just the Extraordinary Form.

 

[James_Beecham]

And…
Most Catholics:
went to Holy Mass on Sunday
knew the teachings of the Church
wouldn’t dare to support abortion/homosexual “marriage”
went to Confession much more often
saw the priest as an “alter Christus” (another Christ)
encouraged their children to consider their vocation; be it marriage, priesthood, religious, single, etc.
would never wear the atrocious immodest clothes some wear
knew the lives of the Saints
received Holy Communion in the state of grace
realized that Holy Communion was not just a piece of bread
weren’t taught heresies at a Catholic school

Just to name a few…

I think that has more to do with the infection of modernist secularism in the seminaries that was rampant in the 60’s and 70’s than any change in the mass.

 

[Urn]

Hello, everyone! I just wanted to take a moment to say how much I appreciate the Ordinary Form. It seems like so many people are down on the Ordinary Form in one way or another, thinking its not as worshipful or beautiful as the Extraordinary Form, and some seemingly wishing that the Church would do away with the Ordinary Form all together. While I acknowledge that Latin is beautiful in its own way, I think that if the Church did not have the Ordinary form I would not have become Catholic. One of the things that attracted me to Catholicism in the first place was the fact that we actively participate in the Mass, as opposed to being lectured to like so many of the Protestant churches I attended growing up. The fact that the Mass is in my native tongue and that I can pray right along with the priest is comforting to me. A missal is just too cumbersome. If people feel more comfortable at the Extraordinary form, that is perfectly fine. It is a valid Mass. But so is the Ordinary Form. Please don’t look down on those of us who prefer it.

AMEN!

While I deeply appreciate the the continued existence of the EF Mass, I much prefer the OF Mass for myself.

One thing that many won’t recognize is that before the coming of the Pauline Mass, the celebration of the Tridentine Mass wasn’t always as reverent as it is today in far, far smaller numbers. How the EF Mass is celebrated today in comparatively tiny numbers is not a good indicator on how it was celebrated on average in the past.

Burning through the celebration of the Mass as fast as possible (including skipping prayers) was a huge priority in many parishes in the past. Many times Father XYZ’s Masses were critiqued by how long they lasted. That legacy continues today with some older priests and it continues to impinge upon the celebration of the Mass – all Masses.

People often didn’t actively follow the Mass when the Tridentine Mass was the normative form. Missalettes made things unnecessarily difficult. People prayed the Rosary or engaged in other private devotions. That wasn’t good.

 

[BernadetteM]

I don’t know about Australia but that’s not the case in Great Britain.

From my understanding the Anglican Use is being used in England in some of the Ordinariate parishes.

Rome is working on the new missal, which will probably be for all in the Ordinariate, whether in England the US and the other countries which now have the Ordinariate.

You might check it out with one of the Anglican Use (Ordinariate) parishes to see what is being used now. I believe that the Book of Divine Worship is being used at some of the churches in England.

God Bless

Bernadette

 

[BernadetteM]

There appears to be only 11 parishes in the U.S. where this liturgy is available.

But having seen the text here, I see more resemblance to the Ordinary Form.

liturgies.net/Liturgies/Catholic/RCCAnglicanUse.htm

There are more parishes in the US that are Anglican Use. Recently there have been at least five or more established.

I attend one and know of another South of me. There are some of the original AU parishes that so far have not, in my opinion, been allowed to join the Ordinariate and I believe I know the reason for the largest one. Although spectulation on my part I believe that the parish wanted to be part of the Ordinariate and were denied…

We should all be praying that more former Anglicans and Protestants are drawn to the Catholic Church through the Ordinariate.

God Bless

 

[BernadetteM]

Whether they do or not, they probably will change much of the text to follow that of the Ordinary Form. The Lutherans as well as they did in the 70’s. But I could be wrong.

The Anglican Use has been in use for over 30 years and the only changes that I have heard of, is that the new liturgy will be closer to the EF, except in English.

Pope Benedict has stated that Anglicans have brought their treasures into the Church, and I would assume he also means the liturgy.

God Bless

Bernadette

 

[yaycatholic]

Just want to share this, but yesterday; I attended this AMAZING Ordinary Form Mass at the Oratory of the Immaculate Heart here in London. The Priest and Deacons wore ‘Tridentine-style’ vestments. The whole of the Mass was in Latin (apart from the readings in English and Kyrie in Greek); they even used the ROMAN CANON! They also celebrated it Ad-Orientem with Gregorian Chant, and the majority of people received Communion kneeling down in front of the communion rail! However, a minority insisted receiving communion by hand whilst kneeling down.

 

[Filii_Dei]

Just want to share this, but yesterday; I attended this AMAZING Ordinary Form Mass at the Oratory of the Immaculate Heart here in London. The Priest and Deacons wore ‘Tridentine-style’ vestments. The whole of the Mass was in Latin (apart from the readings in English and Kyrie in Greek); they even used the ROMAN CANON! They also celebrated it Ad-Orientem with Gregorian Chant, and the majority of people received Communion kneeling down in front of the communion rail! However, a minority insisted receiving communion by hand whilst kneeling down.

That sounds wonderful, but sadly this is the exception rather than the norm in most parishes. The fact that one must attend an oratory or religious community to experience this standard of liturgy makes it a rather disappointing state of affairs.

 

[yaycatholic]

That sounds wonderful, but sadly this is the exception rather than the norm in most parishes. The fact that one must attend an oratory or religious community to experience this standard of liturgy makes it a rather disappointing state of affairs.

It is disappointing that most parishes don’t really ‘care enough’ about Liturgy!

 

[ProVobis]

The Anglican Use has been in use for over 30 years and the only changes that I have heard of, is that the new liturgy will be closer to the EF, except in English.

Pope Benedict has stated that Anglicans have brought their treasures into the Church, and I would assume he also means the liturgy.

God Bless

Bernadette

I was responding to the poster who said the Anglican Use (not the AO) didn’t exist in the U.K., or something to that effect. Maybe you know why because it baffled me.

 

[ProVobis]

Just want to share this, but yesterday; I attended this AMAZING Ordinary Form Mass at the Oratory of the Immaculate Heart here in London. The Priest and Deacons wore ‘Tridentine-style’ vestments. The whole of the Mass was in Latin (apart from the readings in English and Kyrie in Greek); they even used the ROMAN CANON! They also celebrated it Ad-Orientem with Gregorian Chant, and the majority of people received Communion kneeling down in front of the communion rail! However, a minority insisted receiving communion by hand whilst kneeling down.

Good point. The OF can be done to closely resemble the EF. It’s done that way at St. John Cantius and is well-attended.

 

[YoungTradCath]

Good point. The OF can be done to closely resemble the EF. It’s done that way at St. John Cantius and is well-attended.

I’ve never been to an OF with the Roman Canon in my life.

 

[coachdennis]

I’ve never been to an OF with the Roman Canon in my life.

We have it quite often in my parish, especially on feasts and solemnities

 

[yaycatholic]

Also forgot to mention that the whole sign of peace ‘shaking hands’ within the congregation was omitted!

 

[maryjk]

I’ve never been to an OF with the Roman Canon in my life.

You are pretty young. Have you traveled to other parishes?

I have heard it numerous times. (But I am much older.)

 

[Filii_Dei]

I’ve never been to an OF with the Roman Canon in my life.

It has been used occasionally in my parish (including this year), but generally only on festal occasions. Furthermore, it tends to be used by the younger priests who have a greater devotion to tradition, as well as the occasional senior priest who also happens to celebrate the EF.