Behaviour At Tridentine Mass

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Can anybody give me the heads-up here? I’m preparing to attend my first Tridentine Mass, and naturally, I’m quite shaky on the responses, etc; although I have been studying them. However, I’m told that the people who habitually attend this form have a holier-than-thou attitude and are quite likely to take it upon themselves to berate me if I stand, kneel or whatever at the wrong moment. Since a) it will of course take a considerable number of visits until I have internalized the form and b) I believe communion in the Catholic Church (in whatever form) is between the individual and God, not amongst the congregation, any such interference is likely to elicit a short answer from me. Since I don’t go to Mass to pick fights, can anyone tell me if I have been misinformed about the attitudes of the regulars? Should I stick the vernacular, or will I be welcome?
 
Mustard said:
Can anybody give me the heads-up here? I’m preparing to attend my first Tridentine Mass, and naturally, I’m quite shaky on the responses, etc; although I have been studying them. However, I’m told that the people who habitually attend this form have a holier-than-thou attitude and are quite likely to take it upon themselves to berate me if I stand, kneel or whatever at the wrong moment. Since a) it will of course take a considerable number of visits until I have internalized the form and b) I believe communion in the Catholic Church (in whatever form) is between the individual and God, not amongst the congregation, any such interference is likely to elicit a short answer from me. Since I don’t go to Mass to pick fights, can anyone tell me if I have been misinformed about the attitudes of the regulars? Should I stick the vernacular, or will I be welcome?
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Go to the Mass and find out. What good can come of putting up hearsay and suspicions on the internet when you haven’t attended the Mass?
 
I am sure you will get about the same response you would at any Mass - basically that no one will notice or comment upon your behavior.

If you aren’t sure about what to do, sit at least half way back, so that you can follow others in front of you.

I hope you find the Mass fulfilling. :gopray:
 
I think you’re going to have to go and find out. Be sure to give us a report. I find similar questions on some hobby forums I visit. Someone will ask if anyone has tried X (X being a new product or procedure) and no one has yet, but we all eagerly wait for the report! Someone has to go first! 😃

That being said…I doubt you’ll find any overt hostility. Do you see it at Ordinary Form Masses you attend when some new seeker shows up? Probably not. You might not see anyone stepping in to guide the befuddled, but that’s not the same as hostile or critical.

My personal experience with Trads is that they are nowhere near as Sanctimonious in person as they come across on message boards. Not even close. The ones I know would generally be thrilled to get a new parishioner properly indoctrinated.

Don’t forget to report! 😉
 
Mustard said:
Can anybody give me the heads-up here? I’m preparing to attend my first Tridentine Mass, and naturally, I’m quite shaky on the responses, etc; although I have been studying them. However, I’m told that the people who habitually attend this form have a holier-than-thou attitude and are quite likely to take it upon themselves to berate me if I stand, kneel or whatever at the wrong moment. Since a) it will of course take a considerable number of visits until I have internalized the form and b) I believe communion in the Catholic Church (in whatever form) is between the individual and God, not amongst the congregation, any such interference is likely to elicit a short answer from me. Since I don’t go to Mass to pick fights, can anyone tell me if I have been misinformed about the attitudes of the regulars? Should I stick the vernacular, or will I be welcome?
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Just be quiet through out and observe and imitate what everyone else does. Use your missal/missalette. You should do fine if you pay attention. 🙂

The rubrics are there to increase your zeal and piety, so obey them to the best of your ability. If someone corrects you, just nod your head and follow. Best way out of that awkward first time is to follow what the congregation does.

If you have questions, it is acceptable to ask a parishioner before Mass (never during), “Pardon me, but I am new to this mass, may you answer some questions I have?” Talk outside the church proper, so the vestibule e.g., so as to not disturb others who may be praying and to keep the sacred silence reserved for church.

I hope your first time goes well! God Bless You!
 
I think that you will be surprized. The Tridentine Mass is incredibly spiritual.
Everyone who attends does so thankfully and humbly. A tip: try not to concentrate on the “exteriors” but on really connecting with Jesus the way faithful catholics did for hundreds of years before Vatican II. I think of the communion of Saints while attending. This was the mass of S. Francis, Padre Pio, Teresa of Avila, etc etc. and fitting for All Saints day. They would recognize it! You can read up on what is going on beforehand if you like, but don’t let it distract you from it’s spirituality during the Mass itself. Just follow the others and open your Heart.

I went several times before I developed any opinion about it.
 
You should not recieve poor treament. We went to an FSSP Chapel for a few times, and there was no hostility or “Holier than thou” Attitudes…

Trust me, Research the Theology Behind the EF As well as the NO and You will only begin to appreciate what goes on. Its not some Priest wearing funny clothes, with his back turned on you, talking in a “dead” language. Its CHRIST being sacrificed and immolated for us all over again. There is A LOT of symbolism in the EF. Beautiful symbolism.

For e.g., The Transfer of the Missal from the epistle side to the Gospel side symbolizes that the Jews (No disprespect intended here) Rejected Our LORD and that the Gentiles recieve the Message of Our LORD.

The Missal is tilted to about a 30 degree angle on the Gospel side. This is to symbolise, in most Traditional Churches, that the Gospel was being proclaimed to the Northern Barbarians.

The Altar Rail is meant to divide “Heaven” (The Sanctuary) from “Earth” (The rest of the Church). You will notice that no EMHC will march up there, or just anyone. Whenever the Server or Priest enters the Sanctuary it is done with utmost reverence and care.

The Priest, in addition to wearing the Amice, Alb, Stole, Cincture and Chasuble, will also be wearing what will appear to be a “little stole” on his left arm. This HAD practical uses as a handkerchief, to wipe the brow of sweat, however, now is used to symbolise the hard work and toil that the Priest must make to offer the Holy Sacrifice

Just some symbolism, hope I didn’t scare You away, once gain, the folks should not be holier than thou. If they are, they are false Christians. It doesnt matter what Form of the Roman Rite is being used. I hope You enjoy and become a regular attendee of this wonderful gem and spiritual treasurehouse of our Faith…
 
Mustard said:
Can anybody give me the heads-up here? I’m preparing to attend my first Tridentine Mass, and naturally, I’m quite shaky on the responses, etc; although I have been studying them. However, I’m told that the people who habitually attend this form have a holier-than-thou attitude and are quite likely to take it upon themselves to berate me if I stand, kneel or whatever at the wrong moment. Since a) it will of course take a considerable number of visits until I have internalized the form and b) I believe communion in the Catholic Church (in whatever form) is between the individual and God, not amongst the congregation, any such interference is likely to elicit a short answer from me. Since I don’t go to Mass to pick fights, can anyone tell me if I have been misinformed about the attitudes of the regulars? Should I stick the vernacular, or will I be welcome?
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Whereas this should not happen, experience tells me it’s distinctly possible that you might encounter the rad-trad contingent. (I had one of those a couple weeks ago who was seated in front of me and very blatantly stuck his fingers in his ears whenever I joined in the chant. It gave me a laugh after Mass, but it didn’t bother me: I know the type and totally disregard them. No, I’m not Mario Lanza but I do know some chant and can sing it passibly well, and will absolutely sing what I know, irrespective of what any congregant has to say about it.) My suggestion? Do what I do: ignore them. You’re not attending the Usus Antiquior to please them (at least I hope not), so any negative remarks that may come up are their problem, not yours.
 
When I went to my Tridentine Mass,I had to look what they were doing,were they were Kneeing .standing I did this bye seating a few pews back,once I see the way they were doing it,I moved up to the front area.As to worry about the people their that might say to themself,she doing the wrong thing,don,t worry, your their to please God.
 
The first couple I went to I wound up sitting and observing. As has been suggested, if you sit towards the rear, mimic others and open your mouth to receive communion (instead of lifting your hands) you will be in good shape. It is a powerful experience.
 
Just don’t sit in the front row. You’ll be able to follow along with what everybody else is doing.

Depending on how they do it at your parish, you may not even have to worry about saying much of anything. For significant chunks of the Mass there are no responses from the congregation at all. Some parishes, I have heard, have the congregation saying ALL the responses of the server. Not sure how common this is, I’ve never seen it.

You may also be thrown off by the fact that you can’t hear a lot of what the Priest is saying (I know I was). It may take a few times attending to be able to consistently follow along in a missal. In the meantime, take the time to pray through the Mass regardless of whether the Priest is speaking out loud or not; in other words, read the Missal until you hit a point where you KNOW there has been a transition to a new part of the Mass. This is usually triggered by the priest saying aloud “per omnia secula seculorum.” That line is a nice point of reference, since it is usually said aloud.

In short, I would say go to Mass, do what everyone else does, and enjoy the experience 🙂 If you get lost a few times don’t sweat it, you’ll be a pro after two or three celebrations. And don’t be self conscious. If anyone decides to get all holier than thou instead of just worshipping and praying that’s their problem and their loss.
 
  • Sit apart from the congregation - like a first-time visitor! - and keep an eye on what everyone else is doing. You are allowed 490 errors at your first EF. They will stand at obvious times like the entrance and exit, but they will sit unexpectedly in the middle of prayers and songs, genuflect without warning, and in some cases will line up for confession even after Mass has already begun. Sitting apart from the congregation (especially in the back) you will avoid kneeler-wars and icy glances. It will be easier to deal with situations where you missed a cue to stand/sit/kneel/genuflect. In general it doesn’t matter if you mess up, so console yourself with the knowledge that Mass isn’t all about you.
  • Note that in general the congregation does not say any responses, even “Et cum spiritu tuo” - those are handled by the altar boys and the choir. They are saying them for you. Let them. They are freeing you up to participate more fully and actively in what is really going on, a perfect rational act of worship.
  • I recommend you read through the ritual at least once before going; some missals include drawings of what you will see at different times (e.g. of where everyone is positioned during the reading of the Epistle or during the Canon) so that you can make an educated guess about what’s happening at a given moment and feel less lost. However don’t bother fiddling with your EF missal on your first visit, because that is a skill you will gradually develop over time, plus we regulars can give you tips on how to work it smoothly. For now just watch.
  • Time works differently in the EF. Things happen simultaneously in the EF that happen sequentially in the OF. For example, if there is a choir, they sing the Kyrie long after the priest has already said it and gone off to sit down on the side to wait for them to finish, then he gets up again, starts the Gloria, and goes back and sits down. The choir sings the Sanctus and then stops in the middle for no apparent reason, then you see that the consecration is happening, and then they pick up again where they left off. :confused: There is a peculiar logic to all of this, of course, and it makes perfect sense to someone who is thoroughly familiar with that form of the liturgy.
Finally, is is sad but true that the EF attracts snobs and nutcases, but not in virtue of itself. It’s because snobs and nutcases are attracted to the EF. You’re not there to meet them, you’re there for Mass. Be circumspect at the coffee-and-donuts afterward and ask the Knight of Columbus at the cash box who you should meet, if you want to meet anyone.
 
You will always find crazy people wherever you go. What I recommend is to sit towards the back. Stand up when everybody stands up. Sit down when everybody sits down. Kneel when everybody kneels down. If you can do this you should be ok.
:):)🙂
 
In my experience, people at the TLM care less about what others are doing than people at the OF, so I wouldn’t expect any problems.

If I were you, I wouldn’t try to make any responses at your first traditional Mass; a) because it will make it harder for you to pray if you’re focused on the externals, and b) not all parishes make the responses and unless you won’t know if they do until you’ve gone once.

I hope its a really prayerful experience and I’ll say a pray for that.
 
Hmgbrd said:
…try not to concentrate on the “exteriors” but on really connecting with Jesus the way faithful catholics did for hundreds of years before Vatican II, since Vatican II and continue to do today…
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While I was posting I decided to fix it so you did not come off implying that Catholics at EF and OF masses post-Vatican II were not faithful. You did not mean it that way, right? 😉

To the OP: Go to the Mass that feeds your soul the best - that is one of the primary reasons you are there so do not let the attitudes of some of our brothers and sisters, or the threat of their attitudes, put you off.

I think you will find a warm welcoming group, however if someone does say or do something handle it as you would at any Mass:
  • If it is the Priest, speak with the Pastor.
  • If it is an Usher, speak with the Priest.
  • If it is someone in the congregation, pray for them.
 
I attend the Tridentine Mass at a diocesan church, and I haven’t noticed any particular “attitudes” there. A priest who used to be the officiant has moved out of the area, and since we have a couple of different priests there now, people have seemed to relax a bit instead of being as rigid as they used to appear to the casual observer.

After one of the hottest summers on record in these parts, the weather deteriorated markedly over the last couple of weeks, and it’s cold and rainy. I went to the Tridentine All Saints’ Day Mass yesterday evening. Plenty of people there were wearing fairly casual clothing and bundled up against the weather in parkas. So don’t worry too much about what you’re going to wear. Just dress the way you would if you worked in a conservative office. I don’t know if you’re a man or a woman, but a lace chapel veil isn’t necessary, either. Any head covering (hat, beret, scarf) is perfectly acceptable.

Instead of bringing an old missal you either had, or have purchased, the first couple of times you go, you might want to either not use a missal at all, or use the red missalette that are handed out before Mass. I’ve heard that the missalettes contain the rubrics with more easily understandable “cues” than a big daily or Sunday missal does, and I’ve also heard that they have pictures so you can more easily follow along with what Father is doing on the altar. Until you get the feel of the Mass, trying to follow along in a big missal is a daunting and possibly futile exercise, anyways. That’s just my opinion, of course, and

Remember, a significant part of priest’s prayers in the Tridentine Mass are inaudible, so trying to keep up with it for a newbie is really difficult. Things such as the Confiteor, the Credo, and the Epistle and Gospel will be obvious at the beginning of Mass. Actually, because there are very few audible responses from the people, it’s a little easier to blend in than at an Ordinary Form Mass. And you’ll probably be able to manage a few “et cum spirituo tuo’s” with aplomb!

Be prepared to do quite a bit of kneeling, and I’m just going to give you a heads-up on that point in case you have bad knees. If you can’t manage kneeling, just scoot forward on the pew and let it support most of your weight. God doesn’t ask the impossible from us.

In short, just go and enjoy. Enjoy being in the presence of the Lord in such a beautiful setting! Priests aren’t going to castigate you if you’re off-step. Laymen probably won’t either, and if they do, who cares? What do they know, anyways–LOL!

Hope you find the experience of this form of the Mass a new and rich motherlode of treasure for your faith!
 
Mustard said:
Can anybody give me the heads-up here? I’m preparing to attend my first Tridentine Mass, and naturally, I’m quite shaky on the responses, etc; although I have been studying them. However, I’m told that the people who habitually attend this form have a holier-than-thou attitude and are quite likely to take it upon themselves to berate me if I stand, kneel or whatever at the wrong moment. Since a) it will of course take a considerable number of visits until I have internalized the form and b) I believe communion in the Catholic Church (in whatever form) is between the individual and God, not amongst the congregation, any such interference is likely to elicit a short answer from me. Since I don’t go to Mass to pick fights, can anyone tell me if I have been misinformed about the attitudes of the regulars? Should I stick the vernacular, or will I be welcome?
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Wow — SERIOUSLY the wrong attitude to be going to ANY Mass. But that aside - I doubt that anyone will chase you down with torches and sticks in the parking lot if you forget to kneel at the right time.

I think that what people perceive as “holier than thou” (and I always wonder, what’s so wrong about wanting to be holy???) is people just being distracted, when they are deeply participating in the Mass. If someone were to be so bold and rude as to say something to you - just humble yourself and say, " :o sorry, this is my first Latin Mass, I hope I did not distract you." — and leave it at that.

Most of all - worry about your own self, and participate as fully as you can. The more you go, the more you will get it. Soon (as I found myself last night) you will go to a Novus Ordo Mass and start kneeling at the wrong time, and totally feel like a newbie!!! 😊

Just go – don’t worry so much – and enjoy the sacred beauty of our Faith in the most awesome Sacrifice known to man.

~Liza
 
Basically, just follow what everyone else does. I did have an unfortunate experience at my first Tridentine Mass (I said Amen when receiving Communion and the woman behind me was horrible about it). I was a very new Catholic at the time and it was a few years before I went to another TLM.

The Tridentine Mass is beautiful and I look forward to going whenever one is available. In my own parish we are having a solemn sung EF Mass in a couple of weeks for the deceased members of our parish.
 
Rainaldo said:
  • Sit apart from the congregation - like a first-time visitor! - and keep an eye on what everyone else is doing. You are allowed 490 errors at your first EF. They will stand at obvious times like the entrance and exit, but they will sit unexpectedly in the middle of prayers and songs, genuflect without warning, and in some cases will line up for confession even after Mass has already begun. Sitting apart from the congregation (especially in the back) you will avoid kneeler-wars and icy glances. It will be easier to deal with situations where you missed a cue to stand/sit/kneel/genuflect. In general it doesn’t matter if you mess up, so console yourself with the knowledge that Mass isn’t all about you.
  • Note that in general the congregation does not say any responses, even “Et cum spiritu tuo” - those are handled by the altar boys and the choir. They are saying them for you. Let them. They are freeing you up to participate more fully and actively in what is really going on, a perfect rational act of worship.
  • I recommend you read through the ritual at least once before going; some missals include drawings of what you will see at different times (e.g. of where everyone is positioned during the reading of the Epistle or during the Canon) so that you can make an educated guess about what’s happening at a given moment and feel less lost. However don’t bother fiddling with your EF missal on your first visit, because that is a skill you will gradually develop over time, plus we regulars can give you tips on how to work it smoothly. For now just watch.
  • Time works differently in the EF. Things happen simultaneously in the EF that happen sequentially in the OF. For example, if there is a choir, they sing the Kyrie long after the priest has already said it and gone off to sit down on the side to wait for them to finish, then he gets up again, starts the Gloria, and goes back and sits down. The choir sings the Sanctus and then stops in the middle for no apparent reason, then you see that the consecration is happening, and then they pick up again where they left off. :confused: There is a peculiar logic to all of this, of course, and it makes perfect sense to someone who is thoroughly familiar with that form of the liturgy.
Finally, is is sad but true that the EF attracts snobs and nutcases, but not in virtue of itself. It’s because snobs and nutcases are attracted to the EF. You’re not there to meet them, you’re there for Mass. Be circumspect at the coffee-and-donuts afterward and ask the Knight of Columbus at the cash box who you should meet, if you want to meet anyone.
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Guess you’re right. I have never seen any snobs or nutcases at an Ordinary Form Mass. Oh well, I suppose they have to go somewhere.:rolleyes:
 
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