Coming to Tradition

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giuseppeTO

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I am always interested in hearing folks share their experiences on discovering/re-discovering the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. So this would be a question for those who attend the EF either exclusively or more often than not.

I’ll start with my experience. I was on a business trip to a Southwestern city and had to stay over the weekend. I was looking in the yellow pages for a Mass that Sunday and came to a church that had Latin Mass at 9AM. I thought that this would be interesting since I hadn’t been to a Latin Mass since I was an altar boy (quite a while ago). I showed up for Mass and, for me, it was like being hit by a train. I don’t quite remember what the sermon was, although I believe it was on discerning mortal and venial sin. What struck me was the piety and serenity of the congregation 30 minutes before Mass, young boys praying the rosary, everyone modestly dressed (as opposed to me in a polo and dockers). It was a High Mass with a small choir and priest who didn’t particularly sing that well. But somehow, I felt that I was in a place that I hadn’t been for many years and didn’t realize I needed … until that Sunday. I wondered how this Mass and its lost treasure of prayers could still exist and I not know about it. And, although I hadn’t thought about it in as many years, I was hit by the second train that told me that I had not been to Confession for 10 years. And I have exclusively attended the EF ever since and if I don’t get to Confession every two weeks, I feel that there a grace I am yearning for in my soul that is only satisfied with that sacrament. Mind you, my experience had nothing to do with charismatic priests, beautiful churches, incense, or heavenly music. It was spiritually primordial, if that makes any sense to you.

Your turn…
 
Four months ago, the Lord led me to this forum where I saw Catholics discussing their faith, theology, serving God, praying etc. That shocked me. You must understand, all the Catholics I knew were non-practicing except on Easter. So I read and read, found out about EWTN and the Journey Home.

Then, I stumbled upon some CAF trads talking about the TLM (which I had to look up) and reverence, etc. I had decided I was going to a mass and I wanted to go to the “reverent one”. I looked up Traditional Latin Mass on YouTube. I was in awe. I looked up Tridentine mass in NYC and found a parish.

Before I went to mass, I practiced genuflecting. I searched online on how to genuflect, lol.

My first mass was awesome. I was lost. But the reverence was really amazing and God reached out and touched my soul.

The rest is history!
 
Careful fellas.

I have a feeling this thread will soon be closed. 😉
 
I believe I understand what you are saying.
I am relatively new to the church, having come home only in 1998. However, in the past year, I’ve found myself becoming more and more yearning for silence… Quiet prayer. Masses that are reverent.

I will not complain about my Masses. They are what they are, and I am blessed that our church is over-full with people. Some Masses, believe it or not, have 100 or more people outside of the church, listening to the Mass with speakers that had to be installed to accommodate them. We are blessed to have a growing parish. And Jesus is there. Every time.

However, I “sneak” off to the Benedictine monastery for Mass on Sundays (the weekday Mass is at 6:30 and I would have to get up at 4:30 to get there on time, and I’m too lazy for that). But the beautiful gregorian chant and Mass brings such peace and serenity to my soul. I can only imagine what you’re experiencing, because we only have one TLM in our whole city, I think.

Blessings
 
I had the same experience way back right after I converted in 1970. I had asked my wife, a cradle Catholic, if we could go to a Latin Mass, like we did before and she told me that I had never been to a Latin Mass to which I argued that she was wrong. But we went and when the Mass was over, I was so emotionally moved that all I could say was “you were right, but it was magnificent”. And then I got mad that we had been robbed of this beauty.

That was in 1970 and I’ve been battling ever since to get the Latin (EF) Mass back. Thanks to the Holy Father and 40+ years of scrapping, we now have it in western Washington. It was certainly nothing that I accomplished by myself. There have been dozens of people in the battle. Many of whom have since passed on without them being able to see the rewards of faithful “scrapping”.

Many in Una Voce western Washington have been at the forefront and are still there. Many are in small communities around the State and they are still “scrapping” for the Mass.

Some communities like Our Lady star of the Sea in Bremerton, WA., & St Francis Xavier, Toledo, WA. now have the EF Mass. Seattle has an FSSP parish. So there is hope.

It just takes a few brave men & women to step forward and “push the rock up hill” as a priest friend told me.

and to Marlap, why not try Holy Family in Vancouver, BC. I go there every time I visit my son.

God Bless
 
giuseppeTO said:
I am always interested in hearing folks share their experiences on discovering/re-discovering the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. So this would be a question for those who attend the EF either exclusively or more often than not.

I’ll start with my experience. I was on a business trip to a Southwestern city and had to stay over the weekend. I was looking in the yellow pages for a Mass that Sunday and came to a church that had Latin Mass at 9AM. I thought that this would be interesting since I hadn’t been to a Latin Mass since I was an altar boy (quite a while ago). I showed up for Mass and, for me, it was like being hit by a train. I don’t quite remember what the sermon was, although I believe it was on discerning mortal and venial sin. What struck me was the piety and serenity of the congregation 30 minutes before Mass, young boys praying the rosary, everyone modestly dressed (as opposed to me in a polo and dockers). It was a High Mass with a small choir and priest who didn’t particularly sing that well. But somehow, I felt that I was in a place that I hadn’t been for many years and didn’t realize I needed … until that Sunday. I wondered how this Mass and its lost treasure of prayers could still exist and I not know about it. And, although I hadn’t thought about it in as many years, I was hit by the second train that told me that I had not been to Confession for 10 years. And I have exclusively attended the EF ever since and if I don’t get to Confession every two weeks, I feel that there a grace I am yearning for in my soul that is only satisfied with that sacrament. Mind you, my experience had nothing to do with charismatic priests, beautiful churches, incense, or heavenly music. It was spiritually primordial, if that makes any sense to you.

Your turn…
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As I perpuated, the Latin Liturgy is a beautiful one, but can you tell me what is taking place? We have to change with the times,eg, look how most of the sisters dress now a days; in street clothes. We have to leave what is in the past and move on. I am so happy you used the Sacrament of Confession; the Church’s teaching about Confession is at least monthly who want the graces, but, in essence, the requirement off the Church is once a year if you are not i n mortal sin to make your Easter Duty.

JESUS II TRUST IN YOU
 
Jim_Roberts said:
As I perpuated, the Latin Liturgy is a beautiful one, but can you tell me what is taking place? We have to change with the times,eg, look how most of the sisters dress now a days; in street clothes. We have to leave what is in the past and move on. I am so happy you used the Sacrament of Confession; the Church’s teaching about Confession is at least monthly who want the graces, but, in essence, the requirement off the Church is once a year if you are not i n mortal sin to make your Easter Duty.

JESUS II TRUST IN YOU
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Is this a troll?

Everyone at a TLM has a hand missal to follow along, so they do, indeed know what is going on.

Why must we change with the times? That makes no sense what so ever. By that standard, we should give up on the teachings of the Church against abortion and contraception because “the times” tell us that it is out dated.

Leave things in the past? Why? Since when did secular trends define the church? It’s the CHURCH that should be changing the TIMES, not vice versa.

I’m sorry, but your post contributes nothing to this thread.
 
It was just over 4 years ago. I was very pregnant with my first child and scared because I had never even really heard about the EF before. I was self-conscience and lost the entire time. But there was just something about it. It felt transcendent. I felt like I was witnessing a tiny piece of heaven. It is not easy for our family to go to the EF. We drive over an hour each way every Sunday. I now feel a little uncomfortable going to the OF. 🙂 It’s funny how the Lord works in our hearts.
 
My first mass ever was the EF at an FSSP parish. I had been considering the Catholic Church and doing a lot of reading about it both on and off line and I knew from the beginning that if I became Catholic it would a traditional one. I just showed up at mass, no missal no head covering and I sat in the back and observed. I was early and people were lined up for confession before mass and the parish had the old confessionals. I had no idea what was going on during mass but I just did whatever everyone else did, lol. I left before the consecration because I’d read somewhere that traditionally mass of the faithful was only for the baptized.

Unfortunately I was forced to move before I could become Catholic and the only EF in the city I moved to was at the SSPX. I tried a few OF parishes but this was an extremely liberal diocese and I eventually started attending mass at the SSPX and learned a lot from the priests there. Then I moved again to a city with a diocesan EF at a parish with an orthodox RCIA program where we receive kneeling at the altar rail and on the tongue from the priest or deacon only. I was received into the Church at that parish.
 
Jim_Roberts said:
As I perpuated, the Latin Liturgy is a beautiful one, but can you tell me what is taking place? We have to change with the times,eg, look how most of the sisters dress now a days; in street clothes. We have to leave what is in the past and move on. I am so happy you used the Sacrament of Confession; the Church’s teaching about Confession is at least monthly who want the graces, but, in essence, the requirement off the Church is once a year if you are not i n mortal sin to make your Easter Duty.

JESUS II TRUST IN YOU
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In every thread about the Latin mass, you say we have to change with the times. Where are you getting this from?
 
Windmill said:
Is this a troll?

Everyone at a TLM has a hand missal to follow along, so they do, indeed know what is going on.

Why must we change with the times? That makes no sense what so ever. By that standard, we should give up on the teachings of the Church against abortion and contraception because “the times” tell us that it is out dated.

Leave things in the past? Why? Since when did secular trends define the church? It’s the CHURCH that should be changing the TIMES, not vice versa.

I’m sorry, but your post contributes nothing to this thread.
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Well said Windmill.

I think a lot of the problems in the church have been caused by too many people “moving with the times”. I had a discussion with a couple of workmates a little while ago. They both considered themselves good catholics but one stated she did not believe in hell and both did not believe me when I told them about the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Their comments were like " the true prescence? Are you sure? Don’t you mean the bread is a symbol of Christ?" This coming from the second generation after Vatican II. I’ve also heard anecdotely of a nearby Bishop instructing his Priests not to mention hell in the sermons, as he didn’t want to scare the parishioners. :confused:

Me, I converted to tradition about 5 years ago (yes, into the dreaded SSPX), due to the quality of the priests and the parishioners and the due reverence given to worshiping God. I could tell they were very good & kind people and very happy with where they were in life. I also liked their “black & white” teachings because I knew I needed strict guidelines to follow after years & years of a sinful life. I know I wouldn’t have lasted very long with the wishy washy “grey” teachings of the modern church that has tried to “move with the times”. Cheers.
 
I discovered the EF of the Mass last year. It all began with my interest in the history of the Mass. I figured the OF of the Mass was the same Mass always celebrated but I learned I was quite wrong in the sense the OF of the Mass was roughly 40 years old. I learned through books on Catholicism at the university library there was a Mass in use long before. I started talking to this girl that only went to this Mass in the Houston diocese so I asked if I could join her and see it for myself. All throughout Mass I was in awe. It was beautiful and everything I imagined it to be. I saw all the women veiling (which puzzled me at first). I had finally heard Gregorian Chant at a Church (only heard it in movies). It further sparked my interest in the Mass and since then I’ve learned the difficulties the EF of the Mass and those who love it have had to endure and still do in order to simply worship God in this way. They say ignorance is bliss and sometimes I wish I never knew since it did cause a lot of spiritual strife for me personally. I just couldn’t understand or make sense of why such a jewel of the Church could be cast aside so easily and with all the changes made in 60s. My world turned upside down. I’m in my 20s so I never even knew the Mass even existed till a year ago. I never bothered to question the historical nature of the Mass and the TLM Mass itself was never talked about. It was like a well kept secret. But all in all, I love the Mass and I am so glad our Pope has brought it back to equal status. I hope it continues to spread and change many people’s lives for the better. That traditional girl I went to Mass with later became my girlfriend by the way. 😛
 
I’ve posted this before, but I’ll post it again. A priest’s story.
**I began serving the “old Mass” as an altar boy in 1927. I am now 88 years old, 62 years as a priest. As a lad, knowing the perfect recitations of all the Latin Mass responses, I dealt with priests of every age and devotion and I do not recall any who deliberately mumbled their prayers. The churches were not air-conditioned in those days and in the hot summer days it was not uncommon to omit the sermon; Low Mass might last for only 20 minutes, and Communions were much fewer in those days. Now with the Novus Ordo, I have attended Mass in 10 minutes. A possible scandal.
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The only scandal I can recall in the old days was people sleeping during the sermon. Nobody complained about the Eucharistic fast from midnight; nobody complained about Communion on the tongue or about the Latin. In fact, we were proud of the Latin we knew. Non-Catholics marveled at the piety and the reverence of the congregation and the head-coverings of the women. Those were the glory days of the Church when our Catholic faith was a family thing, a treasure we prized. Our faith was so much a part of our life that it colored our moods, shaped our social activities, influenced our style of dress, and flavored our conversation. How many families can make the same claim today?
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Last Sunday I experienced what perhaps was the greatest joy of my priesthood. I could scarcely contain myself. Indeed, my cup runneth over. I celebrated the Tridentine Latin Mass with a congregation of two hundred people. It was like a repetition of my First Holy Mass 56 years ago. It was a Missa Cantata — those sacred Gregorian melodies so fitting for worship: the solemn Trinity Preface, the solemn Pater Noster, the Holy Gospel, and the Orations.
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My daily vernacular Mass has been a joy in my life, but there was always something about this Tridentine Latin Mass that went beyond all telling. I’ve found something that I had lost some 35 years ago. All those years my heart ached for the Latin Mass that I had lost, always hoping that some day, please God, I would find it. Last Sunday I found it. And like the widow of the Gospel who found her lost coin and who called in her neighbors to rejoice with her, now I was the one who wanted to call in the whole world to share in my joy. It was like being away from home all these years and always hoping that some day the permission for me would arrive to return home and share again with my dear ones the joys of long ago. It was home sweet home again. My joy knows no bounds.
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My humble and ineffable thanks to our good Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, the Good Shepherd who went out looking for all those abandoned sheep to lead us back home again — to Rome, sweet home.**
newoxfordreview.org/letters.jsp?did=1004-letters
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Jim_Roberts said:
As I perpuated, the Latin Liturgy is a beautiful one, but can you tell me what is taking place? We have to change with the times,eg, look how most of the sisters dress now a days; in street clothes. We have to leave what is in the past and move on. I am so happy you used the Sacrament of Confession; the Church’s teaching about Confession is at least monthly who want the graces, but, in essence, the requirement off the Church is once a year if you are not i n mortal sin to make your Easter Duty.

JESUS II TRUST IN YOU
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Jim, Be careful you must not fall into the Heresy of Modernism.
 
Thanks Corsair… I will.

why not try Holy Family in Vancouver, BC. I go there every time I visit my son.

God Bless
Marla
 
We had a priest who was himself discovering Tradition. One time he compared the prayers of the two Masses in a sermon. It was illuminating. At around the same time, Father announced one week that we would be having our weekly High Latin Novus Ordo Mass with the priest facing the same direction as the people. But the Archbishop heard about it, and that idea was quietly scrapped.

This planted some seeds of desire to hear more and learn more, but the seeds were unwatered and we soon forgot. In November of 2004, we were jolted out of our lethargy by learning that our oldest son, who had just begun attendance at Thomas Aquinas College, in California, was travelling with a group of fellows over an hour away to go to a Mass of the Society of St. Pius X. We needed to quickly evaluate our assumed position against the Society. In addition, we had new priests in our parish, one of whom apparently agreed with a few posters here. Our other son, who was a young teenage altar server reported that a new notice was posted in the sacristy which read, “The times change, and we will change with them.”

We learned what part of the agenda for “the times” was when our altar server son was admonished in the sacristy for being too solemn during Mass. He was instructed to smile more and to stop genuflecting every time he passed the altar. A bow (which resembled more of a nod), was recommended instead. There were other indications that the parish was going to undergo some modernization. A prominent parishioner who we admired invited us to go with them on the holy day of obligation, January 1st, for the Feast of the Circumcision (according to the old calendar), at the Society parish. We went intermittenly for the next half of the year 2005 and were drawn to it for all of the usual reasons and acquainted ourselves with the history of the Society and the arguments for why there is a crisis in the Church and how we should respond.

It could never be any arguments alone that sustain me in the decision we made in mid-2005 to assist exclusively at the Society chapel. We need to look at the fruit. If it was not a time of crisis in the Church in 2005, it was a crisis point in our family, and I am happier every day for the choice that we made. By their fruits you shall know the true pastors of the flock. It is already easy to look back and see how our move, at a critical juncture in the lives of our children, has been radically beneficial to my family.

PP
 
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