Been to the Traditional Latin Mass?

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Our Latin Mass community has been asked by a local Shrine to put on a workshop for people interested learning more about the Traditional Latin Mass. I would like to put together a simple FAQ pamplet for them, so I need to know what kinds of basic questions people may have about the Latin Mass.
I didn’t put this thread in the Traditional Catholic section because most of them already know the Latin Mass - I need questions from people that have never been or have only been a few times.
I ask people to simply put their questions, or for those that have been a couple of times, what information would make their experience at the Latin Mass better next time.

Please, please no arguments or debates - I really just need this info to better serve the people that will be coming to our workshop.

Thank you~
 
Why do they use different readings? Are veils required for women? Is it wrong to not want to ever go back to the other Mass?
 
Not really in the grounds on FAQ, but when I first stumbled on TLM (never having heard of Summorum Pontificum and thinking it was the standard OF Latin Mass I was used to), the sort of things it would have been useful for me to know in advance and random thoughts that I guess would be helpful to some people:

a) You must receive COTT kneeling. It’s not just a preference, the priest won’t give you communion any other way.

b) If you don’t want to/can’t receive communion, just stay in your pew. There won’t be a blessing at the altar rail. It might be worth putting in an explanation of the final blessing etc.

c) Why do so many people not receive? (Answer I personally would give is a combination of people keeping to a stricter fasting regime, more concious of need for confession, more people conscientious about ‘lifestyle’ discrepancies)

d) What should I do if I lose my place in the Missal/can’t understand/hear what the priest is saying?

e) Which responses should I say/sing? Which are only for the choir/servers?

I have to run now to get down to the church in time for Mass, but I might think of more later!
 
Another question ; ‘Why aren’t we allowed to hear what the priest is saying’.

Yes, I know it’s not a case of being allowed or not, but it might be a question that people wonder about.
 
f) What does ‘Extraordinary Form’ mean? What is a ‘form’ of the Mass? Is it a Mass at all? Is it like going to a Protestant or Orthodox service? Is it like some sort of historical re-enactment society? Is it like those weird people who don’t believe in the Pope since Vatican II? Are you actually Catholic?

I know the answer, by the way, and I wouldn’t use some of those terms, I’m just saying what I think people would want to know.

g) Why do you use a different calendar?

h) Why don’t you have any girls serving or lay people reading or being EMHCs? Aren’t you being discriminatory? Aren’t you disempowering the laity?

i) How do I know when to stand up, sit down etc, not everyone does what the Missal says?

j) Why is your translation of the Missal in really old fashioned language?

k) What should I wear? Will people stare at me if I’m a woman wearing trousers?

l) Can I bring my children? What happens if they act up? What rules are there for children? I can feed them crisps, let them play on mobile phones and chase each other around the pews like in Normal Mass, right? [Maybe state this more delicately, I’m sure the people who are interested in EF would be the ones who already behave themselves at OF]

m) Why don’t we shake hands?

n) What are these different types of Mass? [High Mass, Low Mass etc]

o) Why are [the colour of] the vestments different?
from lms.org.uk/faqs, Latin Mass Society in the UK
  1. Why do people want the Traditional Mass?
  2. Does the promotion of a particular form of the liturgy imply disloyalty to the bishops or the Pope?
  3. Isn’t the theology of the Traditional Mass at odds with the theology of Vatican II?
  4. Doesn’t the use of Latin and ‘ad orientem’ worship undermine the participation of the congregation?
  5. Do I have to know Latin to go to a Latin Mass? How can people understand what is going on otherwise?
  6. Isn’t the ‘Old’ Mass really only for people who experienced it before 1970?
  7. Wouldn’t the spread of the Traditional Mass create disunity in the Church?
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I think this FAQ pamphlet is a really good idea! It will help facilitate communication and a friendly feeling between Catholics who have different preferences in Mass.

My biggest concern is staying true to the True Catholic Church of Rome and not getting caught up in something that is forbidden by my bishop.

So I would ask how we can know that this (your) particular community is not sedevacantist, but is “OK” for Catholics to participate in.

I would also ask point-blank, “Is this community the SSPX?”

Finally, I would want to know that the FAQ sheet itself was approved by the bishop of the diocese.

Godspeed to you as you develop this.
 
As a South Jersey Catholic, my diocese has been a pioneer in this area. We have one parish Mater Ecclesiae materecclesiae.org/ and my parish St. Peters of Merchantville that offer the Tridentine form of the Mass. Mater, is a small parish that is a Tridentine parish where all the masses are offered in Latin. The first of its kind parish in the US. St. Peters offers only 1 Tridentine mass and the rest are following the Novus Ordo. At Mater’s website in the ‘From the Rector’ link there is some useful information. You could contact the people at Mater they might better help you.

God Bless
 
paperwight66 said:
Another question ; ‘Why aren’t we allowed to hear what the priest is saying’.

Yes, I know it’s not a case of being allowed or not, but it might be a question that people wonder about.
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According to the Council of Trent, Session 22:
CHAPTER V.
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On the solemn ceremonies of the Sacrifice of the Mass.
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And whereas such is the nature of man, that, without external helps, he cannot easily be raised to the meditation of divine things; therefore has holy Mother Church instituted certain rites,** to wit that certain things be pronounced in the mass in a low**, and others in a louder, tone. She has likewise employed ceremonies, such as mystic benedictions, lights, incense, vestments, and many other things of this kind, derived from an apostolical discipline and tradition, whereby both the majesty of so great a sacrifice might be recommended, and the minds of the faithful be excited, by those visible signs of religion and piety, to the contemplation of those most sublime things which are hidden in this sacrifice.
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CaptCrunch73 said:
Why are there extra prayers at the end of the mass?
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I think the best way to incorporate questions like these is to have a printed Order of Mass, with explanations of each part. Write about how many, if not most, of the prayers of the Ordinary are the same.
 
YoungTradCath said:
I think the best way to incorporate questions like these is to have a printed Order of Mass, with explanations of each part. Write about how many, if not most, of the prayers of the Ordinary are the same.
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I kind of agree. I think it would be useful to talk through the Order of Mass and explain all the bits, but I wouldn’t like that as an Order of Service. The whole thing’s already so complicated, especially if you were trying to prepared a general one which would be used for several Masses (as opposed to one which had all the propers integrated on the same page and could only be used for one particular celebration), the last thing I would find helpful as a newcomer is loads more writing.
 
Batfink said:
I kind of agree. I think it would be useful to talk through the Order of Mass and explain all the bits, but I wouldn’t like that as an Order of Service. The whole thing’s already so complicated, especially if you were trying to prepared a general one which would be used for several Masses (as opposed to one which had all the propers integrated on the same page and could only be used for one particular celebration), the last thing I would find helpful as a newcomer is loads more writing.
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Right, I just mean the Order of Mass, not the Propers.
 
YoungTradCath said:
Right, I just mean the Order of Mass, not the Propers.
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So, do you just mean an outline, like the title of each thing and the explanation, or the full text and an explanation?

Like:
Asperges - the priest sprinkes the altar and the people present with holy water whilst chanting words from a psalm asking the Lord to cleanse us from our sins.

or:
Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor,
Lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen
Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor,
Lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.

The priest sprinkles . . . etc

?

I still think the second version would be too much for a newbie, but it’s only my opinion, and it may not be what you meant anyway.
 
What is a “high” mass vs. “low” mass?
Why does the priest not face the congregation?
The vestments may look different. Why?
Is it ok to say the rosary during the mass like my grandmother did?
How do we “participate” if we cannot understand?
 
Batfink said:
d) What should I do if I lose my place in the Missal/can’t understand/hear what the priest is saying?
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As you become familiar with all the rubrics (where the priest stands and what he’s doing), you should be able to determine where in the Mass he is. Do the red. One actually doesn’t need to hear the texts of the Mass to follow it. A handmissal helps obviously.
 
Batfink said:
So, do you just mean an outline, like the title of each thing and the explanation, or the full text and an explanation?

Like:
Asperges - the priest sprinkes the altar and the people present with holy water whilst chanting words from a psalm asking the Lord to cleanse us from our sins.

or:
Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor,
Lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen
Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor,
Lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.

The priest sprinkles . . . etc

?

I still think the second version would be too much for a newbie, but it’s only my opinion, and it may not be what you meant anyway.
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An outline.
 
ProVobis said:
As you become familiar with all the rubrics (where the priest stands and what he’s doing), you should be able to determine where in the Mass he is. Do the red. One actually doesn’t need to hear the texts of the Mass to follow it. A handmissal helps obviously.
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I’m not sure who this is addressed to. I know the answers to the questions I wrote, I was just giving them as examples of things a person interested in but not experienced in TLM might want to know. I didn’t think the OP was looking for answers, I could be wrong.
 
I would also include how people should dress for Mass for both genders.

Examples –

Women / Girls - modest shirts/blouses/sweaters with skirts that are not tight & and reach the knees at minimum (non tight dressy pants/trousers instead if not a skirt wearing person), dresses that reach the knees or below, no sleeveless items; headcovering of some kind is preferred like a chapel veil, scarf, mantilla, hat etc

Men / Boys - Nice pants or khakis with either a polo shirt (or preferably a button down dress shirt), jacket and tie optional

Both genders: dress shoes preferred, no sandals, no trainers/tennis shoes, no athletic apparel, etc.
 
Here is a copy of Cardinal Burke’s comments on Veiling at the TLM. I think it would be a good handout.
 
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