EF and OF Masses

[SybilMolly]

Hello,

I have noticed that this subject seems to bring out the worst in people on this forum so I hope this will not be the case here. What does EF and OF stand for and what is each Mass’ differences? I looked it up online and could not find anything and this has not been taught to me in religon class yet. thanks to all who reply.

 

[Sirach2]

Hello,

I have noticed that this subject seems to bring out the worst in people on this forum so I hope this will not be the case here. What does EF and OF stand for and what is each Mass’ differences? I looked it up online and could not find anything and this has not been taught to me in religon class yet. thanks to all who reply.

EF means extraordinary form, and refers to the traditional latin mass that began as an indult, but was given papal permission to co-exist with the Ordinary Form wherein the majority of Catholics today worship. Statistics have shown that only 3% of Catholics worship in the EF, and it is not readily accessible due to many reasons, primarily that the document stated there must be a “stable group” of worshippers, and many parishes do not have such a group that desires this form of liturgy.

 

[Rolltide]

The Ordinary Form is what you typically see each week. It is the regular form of the Mass since Vatican II.

The Extraordinary Form is the form of the Mass that was used in virtually every Latin Catholic Church from the Middle Ages until the mid-1960s. It may still be said in Catholic Churches should a priest choose to use it. Some of the differences from the Ordinary Form include the exclusive use of the Latin language (except for the homily), the receipt of Communion exclusively on the tongue and kneeling, the priest facing the same direction as the people (toward the altar and God) so he can lead the people in prayer, no lay participation on the altar, and usually, no responses by lay people.

 

[digitalpapist]

The prayers also can be substantially different in the EF from the OF. You also have things like Prayers at the Foot of the Altar.

 

[Neofight]

I’m really proud of all posters today! It refreshing not to see “only the mass I like it the right one” that we generally see so much of here!

 

[MaryT777]

I concur!
Mary.

 

[corsair]

So far so good! The thing that I’ve noticed is that when one poster gets “offended” then things go down hill very fast. My advise is to “toughen up”. Just sit there in the pond like a duck in a rain storm. Fluff your feathers and let the rain run off your back.

Some folks just can’t express there feeling without becoming caustic. Say a prayer for them.

 

[judynurse]

Thank you for the informative and non-confrontational answers to a religion student!! I also was extremely confused by the abbreviations of “EF/OF”, but lurked around enough posts I finally figured it out! I grew up and was an adult out of college when Vatican II went into effect and had some difficulty adjusting to the new “norms”, but now am very comfortable with the OF. I sometimes miss the EF, but we don’t have it available here. I appreciate an informative reply that I don’t have to delete QUICK because it goes downhill so quickly. Much appreciated by this old lady too!

 

[tawny]

The Ordinary Form is what you typically see each week. It is the regular form of the Mass since Vatican II.

The Extraordinary Form is the form of the Mass that was used in virtually every Latin Catholic Church from the Middle Ages until the mid-1960s. It may still be said in Catholic Churches should a priest choose to use it. Some of the differences from the Ordinary Form include the exclusive use of the Latin language (except for the homily), the receipt of Communion exclusively on the tongue and kneeling, the priest facing the same direction as the people (toward the altar and God) so he can lead the people in prayer, no lay participation on the altar, and usually, no responses by lay people.

Very good explanation. Also the saying of “The Last Gospel”.