Different Mass

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Hi, I’m currently in RCIA and will be joining the Catholic Church at Easter.
I went to a church in the city during my lunch break yesterday and I think I caught the last 10 minutes of Mass, however I’m curious what form it was, as the congregation was chanting or singing the responses? It wasn’t like the Mass I attend every Sunday. Also I noticed that the priest was using incense. It was definitely in English not Latin.
I was also surprised and amazed at how full the church was, there were people kneeling on the floor at the back. I’d never seen anything like that before!
 
Ssmats said:
Hi, I’m currently in RCIA and will be joining the Catholic Church at Easter.
I went to a church in the city during my lunch break yesterday and I think I caught the last 10 minutes of Mass, however I’m curious what form it was, as the congregation was chanting or singing the responses? It wasn’t like the Mass I attend every Sunday. Also I noticed that the priest was using incense. It was definitely in English not Latin.
I was also surprised and amazed at how full the church was, there were people kneeling on the floor at the back. I’d never seen anything like that before!
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The two Forms are Ordinary (vernacular) and Extraordinary (Latin).

If the prayers were in English, you were hearing the OF.

ICXC NIKA
 
Maybe Mass was over and they were doing Benediction/Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which would make sense if people were kneeling. This is done after Mass every Sunday at my parish.

The Anglican Use of the Roman Rite comes to mind too; basically an Extraordinary Form Mass in English. Was the priest’s back to you?

Are you sure it was a Roman Catholic Church? Perhaps it was Eastern Catholic. There are over 20 rites in the Catholic Church.
 
It is definitely a Roman Catholic Church. They were saying the hail Mary at one point. does that mean it could be an Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament?
 
If they were doing Benediction you would know because the Blessed Sacrament would be exposed in a monstrance. If this were the case people would be kneeling and likely singing.

After a Low Mass (Extraordinary Form), the Hail Mary is sometimes said with the priest and servers kneeling before the altar as well as the congregation kneeling. Hail Holy Queen is another prayer often said then as well as the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.

This is all speculation though. I think your best bet would be to look up the parish’s website and see which Mass you happened to walk in on.
 
The use of incense and/or chanting is done to add a more solemn character to the celebration, and can be done in most any mass.
 
I’ll contribute a couple of possibilities;

1- could be an OF Mass said ad orientem and /or with Latin. For example; there is a church in Portland, Oregon that does this. They have a professional choir that does magnificent polyphony and Gregorian Propers for the OF Mass and the priest does ad orientem for the 11:00am.

This makes a world of difference for the uninitiated. 👍

2- Although its not normally done in the OF Mass, some parishes say the Leonine prayers right after Mass is over. And there are 3 Hail Mary’s in those prayers. Usually they are done in the vernacular, even in the EF Mass.

Its possible, because you are new to the church, that you have never been exposed to the vast variety of prayer and Rites. I can almost guarantee you that RCIA will not inform you of all that is available. Its a life long learning experience. :highprayer:
 
When you got their at that time it could have been something special,Iknow that after Mass,at my church,their now saying the Divine Mercy,so amy be that is why it was full of people.
 
Also, Tuesday was the feast of the Annuniciation, a solemnity, which may have boosted attendance.
 
ProVobis said:
The Angelus perhaps?
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I was thinking that too. Especially if the Mass ended at noon when the Angelus is said the second time of the day.

I must confess that I am too tired and old to waken for the first time at 6 am. 😊:sleep:
 
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