R
Richmart
Guest
I have recently begun attending the Tridentine Mass at a nearby Church. My own parish doesn’t have them. This is the most reverent thing I have ever witnissed. (even when this priest says the English Mass it’s an overwhelmingly Spiritual experience. Yes I know. It’s supposed to be)
I first sought out the Latin Mass in a sort of nostalgic light. I’m 54 and probably only experienced the Latin Mass for a couple of years. But I had a very happy childhood and it reminds me of my grandparents, my parents, my Catholic elementary school, etc.
Nostalgia no longer has anything to do with why I attend the Latin Mass. But I WAS what got me there.
I was away from the Church for about 25 years at that time. I wasn’t necessarily physically away, I would use Mass as an excuse to get together with my parents on the weekends. But I was spiritually away. I was a young man having a good time (or what I thought was a good time, but you get the idea.)
I’ve always been happy but I’ve always craved the past for some reason. Even now I enjoy listening to old-time radio (which was actually before I was born)
Anyway, I would collect books from eBay that I had in grammar school. But now tell me that this isn’t the Holy Spirit.)
I got it in my head to buy a Rosary. Now I was still a wild young man at the time. It was because of nostalgia and nothing else (at least as far as I knew) Not being religious, it never occured to me that there were Religious articles stores that sell these or that I could probably get one from a Priest. So, it ended up taking me two years to find one, which I did, at a Christmas bazaar at some church. (I hadn’t been introduced to eBay yet)
That Rosary hung on my bedpost for another two years. One day, I decided to say it. I don’t know where I got the text on how to do it but I got it from somewhere. I’m sure I couldn’t have remembered it. Not all of it anyway.
I think I started sporadically going back to Church. I had re-established a friendship with some childhood friends (a married couple). I used to go over to their house every saturday. they were Church-goers so I went with them. And there is where it came together. I was hooked.
In an un-related incident, I worked in a place where the people were either the strongest most vocal Catholics, or the exact opposite!! Someone gave me a book by Wayne Weible on Medjugore, and the journey was complete. When I came back, I came back with a vengeance. Interestingly, nothing bad happened in my life to bring me back. I met my wife in 1994, had my first date with her in May, proposed in July and were married in March, 1995. We celebrated our 15th anniversary this March.
She had been away from the Church due to anger because of her mother’s near-fatal heart attack. I never asked her to accompany me. I DID say, on Saturdays, that “I’ll be up after I go to Mass”. At one point, she said “I want to start going to Mass with you” when we were still dating. We’ve never missed a Mass since.
My point is that I’ve heard more than one person say “Oh, the people returning to the Church are just doing so because of nostalgia.” Particularly the media. My answer to that is “So What?”
I first sought out the Latin Mass in a sort of nostalgic light. I’m 54 and probably only experienced the Latin Mass for a couple of years. But I had a very happy childhood and it reminds me of my grandparents, my parents, my Catholic elementary school, etc.
Nostalgia no longer has anything to do with why I attend the Latin Mass. But I WAS what got me there.
I was away from the Church for about 25 years at that time. I wasn’t necessarily physically away, I would use Mass as an excuse to get together with my parents on the weekends. But I was spiritually away. I was a young man having a good time (or what I thought was a good time, but you get the idea.)
I’ve always been happy but I’ve always craved the past for some reason. Even now I enjoy listening to old-time radio (which was actually before I was born)
Anyway, I would collect books from eBay that I had in grammar school. But now tell me that this isn’t the Holy Spirit.)
I got it in my head to buy a Rosary. Now I was still a wild young man at the time. It was because of nostalgia and nothing else (at least as far as I knew) Not being religious, it never occured to me that there were Religious articles stores that sell these or that I could probably get one from a Priest. So, it ended up taking me two years to find one, which I did, at a Christmas bazaar at some church. (I hadn’t been introduced to eBay yet)
That Rosary hung on my bedpost for another two years. One day, I decided to say it. I don’t know where I got the text on how to do it but I got it from somewhere. I’m sure I couldn’t have remembered it. Not all of it anyway.
I think I started sporadically going back to Church. I had re-established a friendship with some childhood friends (a married couple). I used to go over to their house every saturday. they were Church-goers so I went with them. And there is where it came together. I was hooked.
In an un-related incident, I worked in a place where the people were either the strongest most vocal Catholics, or the exact opposite!! Someone gave me a book by Wayne Weible on Medjugore, and the journey was complete. When I came back, I came back with a vengeance. Interestingly, nothing bad happened in my life to bring me back. I met my wife in 1994, had my first date with her in May, proposed in July and were married in March, 1995. We celebrated our 15th anniversary this March.
She had been away from the Church due to anger because of her mother’s near-fatal heart attack. I never asked her to accompany me. I DID say, on Saturdays, that “I’ll be up after I go to Mass”. At one point, she said “I want to start going to Mass with you” when we were still dating. We’ve never missed a Mass since.
My point is that I’ve heard more than one person say “Oh, the people returning to the Church are just doing so because of nostalgia.” Particularly the media. My answer to that is “So What?”