FINALLY got to attend my first TLM

[CradleCath]

We have a TLM fairly close by, under the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, and go occasionally.

We just attended a High Mass last Sunday. It had been several months since we had attended and the reaction was like yours, truly blessed to be there, welling up as the Latin chants rose, truly something all Catholics who have not experienced, should.

At our regular parish, **the priest brings many elements of the Old Mass into his delivery of the New Mass, chanting parts of it, bells are used, and often more than one priest. **
As fairly recent converts, since 2003, my wife and I feel very fortunate to have access to the beauty of the Mass in both forms.

Oh yes, you are fortunate. I hadn’t heard the bells or the chant for many, many years. COTT has not been allowed, no kneelers, liturgical dancers, props for the homilies etc., etc. If our families didn’t live here, my husband & I would have moved to St. Louis years ago…just to pray the old Mass.

 

[magdalina]

Six times was the charm; finally was able to be able to plan to go, actually be able to leave, find the church, and actually attend the Mass (for Attempt #5, the priest was called away on an emergency, so Mass was canceled).

Unsurprisingly, it was worth the wait

I went to Confession before Mass; I never realized how much I appreciated Confession immediately before Mass until I moved from my home parish. That alone was a holy and moving event; the priest was a great confessor and gave excellent spiritual instruction. Being absolved in Latin was a powerful precursor to the rest of the morning.

It was a Low Mass; the priest was a little difficult to hear at times and he spoke a bit quickly, though once I caught up I was fine. I made the mistake of saying my Novena before Mass, which cut into the time I wanted to use to familiarize with the missal; I fumbled around a good deal to find the correct pages and eventually gave up so that I could simply focus on what was going on. Our ancestors, I reasoned, didn’t have missals, so I was truly worshiping as they did

Even though the priest spoke quickly, hearing the Latin and knowing the solid theology behind the words that were used were like spiritual nuclear warheads. I was filled with a sense of reverence and awe that only increased as the Mass went on. Only the most special Masses said in my very conservative NO church back home rivaled the holiness I felt this morning. Frankly, my words are not fine enough to truly articulate the experience, the chance to finally worship as my parents and grandparents and ancestors did for centuries. Needless to say, I look forward to being able to go again, and hopefully for Solemn Mass if possible.

Even though the church has precious little funds to allocate for even necessities, even though the church itself looks somewhat modernistic and doesn’t appear to be very old at all (I don’t know when the Institute of Christ the King began celebrating TLMs there, but it can’t have been overly long), even though it was a simple Low Mass, it was perhaps the holiest experience I’ve had since childhood - at the least. The reverence I have always had for the Eucharist was deepened and broadened in a way I still feel strongly even as I type; it is true what folks say when they attend their first TLM and talk about having their Eucharistic reverence magnified. It truly felt as if the Eucharist was absolutely central to the Mass, instead of being still the most important part but obscured by singing and hymns and everything else. It was a real joy watching the priest make the sign of the Cross with each Host as he gave Communion, recalling the days when I served on my home church’s altar and the old priests still made that reverent little gesture even though it wasn’t required anymore. And to see the acolyte using a paten; I can still feel the heft of the one I used back home…

Little wonder this is called the Mass of All Time and little wonder this was the way of worship when the Church was strong and vital. One truly felt as if one were there *solely *to glorify the Lord and that the Lord was being worshiped in absolute spirit and truth. I thank God for this, for permitting me to attend that Mass today. I truly pray that more Catholics choose the TLM and that this Mass becomes the standard again for the Church.

Fantastic.

A few questions about the Low Mass offered by Institute of Christ the King priest. I have read elsewhere on these forums that there are differences in how the EF lowmass is offered depending upon region and/or affiliation of priests.

• How was the attendance?
• Is the OF offered at the same location?
• Did you get the sense that there were other first-time EF attendees?
• How did the regulars participate in the Mass?
• Did anyone (other than the servers) respond to the priest’s prayers?

Thanks.

Maggie.

 

[Student09]

I attended my first TLM today. I was kind of disappointed that there was no chant and fewer than fifteen people present, three of whom walked out during the Mass. But, it was very contemplative and I loved being able to receive Holy Communion kneeling.

 

[Advocatus_Fidei]

I attended my first TLM today. I was kind of disappointed that there was no chant and fewer than fifteen people present, three of whom walked out during the Mass. But, it was very contemplative and I loved being able to receive Holy Communion kneeling.

What you witnessed was Low Mass, it is what the priest offers when He cannot get enough servers or a choir maybe when you feel more confident with the TLM maybe ask the priest if you can help out in these areas, its the only way the priest is going to be able to offer the High Mass you would like.

 

[Lycorth]

How was the attendance?

About 20-25 people. It is in a very tiny oratory situated on grounds shared by the diocese and a hospital, off the main drag. One wouldn’t know it’s there if one did not look online, first, methinks.

Is the OF offered at the same location?

It seems as if that is the case; in the back, where the missals for the TLM are found, are also hymnals that we use at our NO parish. There also seemed to be a NO altar on casters, which was pushed off to the side. I presume it may be for Masses for those who are at the hospital, in individual cases, though I don’t know what goes on there during the week. I do know that the TLM is offered each weekday, as well.

Did you get the sense that there were other first-time EF attendees?

I didn’t consider that, as it seemed as if everyone had been there already. Everyone knew what to do with their missals and knew precisely when to stand and kneel.

How did the regulars participate in the Mass?

If you mean how did the people participate, they seemed reverent to me…?

Did anyone (other than the servers) respond to the priest’s prayers?

Nope, not until the post-Mass prayers (which were in English). Otherwise, everyone was silent throughout Mass, except for what sounded like a baby in the back. But only heard a single whimper out of him

 

[DavidLukenbill]

The Latin Mass we attend occasionally is at St Stephen the First Martyr parish in the Sacramento Diocese in CA, sacfssp.com/default.aspx with the priests being from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, fssp.org/en/index.htm .

When we attended the High Mass—which last about an hour and a half—a week ago, it was packed, with many standing in the back.

High Mass, with three priests, about 15 altar boys, a full choir, and incense, is truly extraordinary and gives me chills just describing it.

 

[Student09]

What you witnessed was Low Mass, it is what the priest offers when He cannot get enough servers or a choir maybe when you feel more confident with the TLM maybe ask the priest if you can help out in these areas, its the only way the priest is going to be able to offer the High Mass you would like.

Ah, ok, thank you for explaining.

 

[ProVobis]

I attended my first TLM today. I was kind of disappointed that there was no chant and fewer than fifteen people present, three of whom walked out during the Mass. But, it was very contemplative and I loved being able to receive Holy Communion kneeling.

Methinks we need a little more promotion.

 

[Victorious]

Methinks we need a little more promotion.

Also catechesis.

 

[Student09]

Methinks we need a little more promotion.

There is nothing about this Mass or even the chapel where it’s offered on the diocesan website, despite the fact that the priest has permission from the bishop to offer it. Also, the chapel, which is owned by the Church, is officially open to tourists confused during the Latin Mass, even though it is officially closed for the regular Sunday Mass, so the priest and parishioners have to devise ways on their own to keep the tourists out. When I showed up, there was basically a barrier and a sign saying we could not have Mass there (even though the regular OF Mass was still scheduled). The priest had no idea why, so we had Mass anyway. I don’t really know the whole situation, but it does seem like the diocese could make it easier for this priest to offer the Mass and could do more to publicize it also.

 

[Lycorth]

The Latin Mass we attend occasionally is at St Stephen the First Martyr parish in the Sacramento Diocese in CA, sacfssp.com/default.aspx with the priests being from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, fssp.org/en/index.htm .

When we attended the High Mass—which last about an hour and a half—a week ago, it was packed, with many standing in the back.

High Mass, with three priests, about 15 altar boys, a full choir, and incense, is truly extraordinary and gives me chills just describing it.

Dayum

 

[ProVobis]

There is nothing about this Mass or even the chapel where it’s offered on the diocesan website, despite the fact that the priest has permission from the bishop to offer it. Also, the chapel, which is owned by the Church, is officially open to tourists confused during the Latin Mass, even though it is officially closed for the regular Sunday Mass, so the priest and parishioners have to devise ways on their own to keep the tourists out. When I showed up, there was basically a barrier and a sign saying we could not have Mass there (even though the regular OF Mass was still scheduled). The priest had no idea why, so we had Mass anyway. I don’t really know the whole situation, but it does seem like the diocese could make it easier for this priest to offer the Mass and could do more to publicize it also.

Well, how did you find out about it, if I may ask?

 

[OraLabora]

The only Masses in Latin I have ever attended have been OF, and in Gregorian chant.

I wonder though: all the folks saying how great the EF Mass is. Was it always so pre Vatican II, or did back then abuses also exist, or priests speeding through the Mass to get it over with, etc? I wonder if the “wonderfulness” of the EF these days is because it serves as a sort of antidote to OF abuses, and is rare enough that priests (and the faithful) put more effort into it?

I was born just before VII (in 1958) and thus don’t really remember the TLM, so I can’t say what it was like. But I have heard elsewhere that abuses in the Mass is nothing new, it happened in the pre-Conciliar days too.

 

[CradleCath]

The only Masses in Latin I have ever attended have been OF, and in Gregorian chant.

I wonder though: all the folks saying how great the EF Mass is. Was it always so pre Vatican II, or did back then abuses also exist, or priests speeding through the Mass to get it over with, etc? I wonder if the “wonderfulness” of the EF these days is because it serves as a sort of antidote to OF abuses, and is rare enough that priests (and the faithful) put more effort into it?

I was born just before VII (in 1958) and thus don’t really remember the TLM, so I can’t say what it was like. But I have heard elsewhere that abuses in the Mass is nothing new, it happened in the pre-Conciliar days too.

I attended the Traditional Latin Mass for 28 yrs. For 17 of those years I attended it daily. That’s a LOT of Masses, held in a LOT of different parishes, & I can truly say that I saw NO abuses in the Mass. The old “stories”…“all the old ladies prayed their rosary during Mass, the priest rushed the Mass”, etc. etc. are still there, but they are not stopping the TLM from the growth it’s experiencing now. Once someone has actually attended & prayed this Mass, they return again & again. At my parish, we have all ages there, but especially young parents with children.

I CAN think of one thing that I felt needed to be dealt with:

Some of the generation that parented my own generation had made “good luck talismans” out of some of the saints. My Mother-in-law especially found St. Anthony handy. Whenever someone didn’t know where they left something, she’d tell them to "pray to St. Anthony, he’ll help you find it. And then there was St. Christopher…no Catholic’s car was complete without a St. Christopher’s medal. He was so popular that Protestants even bought the St. Christopher legend & often kept a medal in their own cars.

My own generation, having attended Catholic schools when the nuns taught us, knew that this wasn’t what the Saints were about & I believe the **abuse **of this custom would have died on it’s own had the Church let it. Of course, after Vatican II, the statues were removed from the Church, special Novenas & feast day practices were let go & we went too far. Eucharistic Prayer #1 was not prayed in this diocese, so we didn’t even hear the names of the saints during the Mass.

It’s only during this past year that I have renewed my devotion to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes. I’ve asked him to **intercede **for a relative who is VERY ill & the results have been AMAZING. The important thing is to realize that St. Jude, for instance, is not changing anything…however, **he has God’s ear in a special way , because of the life he lived & his death for Christ (he was stoned to death in the first century for preaching the Gospel) & the prayers he offers for my intention are being honored. **There’s no other explanation for what has been happening with my relative.

O glorious Apostle St. Jude I salute you through the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through this Heart, I praise and thank God for all the graces He has bestowed upon you. Humbly prostrate before you, I implore you through this Heart to look down upon my brother with compassion. Despise not my poor prayer and let not my trust be in vain. To you has been assigned the privilege of aiding mankind in the most desperate cases. Oh, come to my brother’s aid that he & I may praise the mercies of God. All my life I will be grateful to you and will be your faithful client until I can thank you in heaven. Amen.

search.aol.com/aol/search?query=prayer+to+st.+jude&s_it=keyword_rollover

 

[Advocatus_Fidei]

The only Masses in Latin I have ever attended have been OF, and in Gregorian chant.

I wonder though: all the folks saying how great the EF Mass is. Was it always so pre Vatican II, or did back then abuses also exist, or priests speeding through the Mass to get it over with, etc? I wonder if the “wonderfulness” of the EF these days is because it serves as a sort of antidote to OF abuses, and is rare enough that priests (and the faithful) put more effort into it?

I was born just before VII (in 1958) and thus don’t really remember the TLM, so I can’t say what it was like. But I have heard elsewhere that abuses in the Mass is nothing new, it happened in the pre-Conciliar days too.

The EF is effortless, the people just stand and kneel and pray internally free from distractions and the priest just says the Black and does the Red.

The OF requires far more effort than the EF does in my experience or at least the priest and laity throw far more effort into it, at least externally anyway.

Think about how many different people fill different roles in just one OF mass, it can be total chaos sometimes, the EF is simple by comparison once you are familiar with it.

 

[Lycorth]

The only Masses in Latin I have ever attended have been OF, and in Gregorian chant.

The OF is best in Latin as well, and when carried out with such conservative attention to tradition and detail. Chant at the OF can’t help but complete the package

If all the OF Masses in the world were done like that, I think we’d have fewer objections today - or at least a stronger Catholic Church. When you tinker with how the people pray, you tinker with how the people believe and thus, live their lives. Lex orandi - lex credendi; that really is the truth.

I wonder though: all the folks saying how great the EF Mass is. Was it always so pre Vatican II, or did back then abuses also exist, or priests speeding through the Mass to get it over with, etc? I wonder if the “wonderfulness” of the EF these days is because it serves as a sort of antidote to OF abuses, and is rare enough that priests (and the faithful) put more effort into it?

I think that is the case; the radical upheavals of the 1970s caused the TLM to be inadvertently protected by its getting pushed into the background. All the weirdos of that time had a new Mass to tinker with, partly due to the less-restrictive rubrics of it, and so the Novus Ordo Mass became the vehicle with which modernists introduced all sorts of abuses into the liturgy.

Now, the TLM is the “hardcore” Mass, the one that ultra-serious Catholics associate with true, traditional worship, and thus it gains in popularity. Not that this is bad; I think it’s wonderful, and I of course do think that there are objective differences between the two Masses that render the TLM theologically and liturgically superior, but that’s another thing.

I was born just before VII (in 1958) and thus don’t really remember the TLM, so I can’t say what it was like. But I have heard elsewhere that abuses in the Mass is nothing new, it happened in the pre-Conciliar days too.

It’s harder to tinker with the TLM because there are tighter rubrics and restrictions, but certainly abuses can happen - and according to Cardinal Arinze at least, they did.

Like CradleCath said, there were some creeping abuses (such as regarding the saints as good luck charms by some) that did need to be addressed. The problem was the addressing of the matters went too far, or else was taken to far by some, and the baby was thrown out with the bathwater. From one extreme to the next it seems people went - from a near-idolatrous take on the saints to ignoring them, from overdoing sacramentals to not doing them at all, from fussing about every item of clothing worn to Mass to not caring at all and turning up in shorts and miniskirts, from focusing intensely on sacred architecture and ornamentation to stripping churches of all ornamentation and even altar rails and reredos and crucifixes and building new churches according to ugly modern architectural fads. A proper and traditional balance was not struck nor was the virtue of moderation practiced, but rather a gluttony of iconoclasm, and the fallout is readily observed in how far Catholic spiritual life as a whole has fallen.

Hopefully, we’ll learn from the past 40 years (just the right amount of time to wander in a spiritual desert) and right things this time. God help it from getting any worse.

 

[Student09]

Well, how did you find out about it, if I may ask?

An online Latin Mass directory.

 

[OraLabora]

Thanks for the replies to my questions. I am blessed in that I can attend Sunday Mass in Gregorian Chant every week if I want, at a Benedictine abbey a 30 min. drive away. In fact I could attend every day if I had the time (and gas/car budget for it), as the Mass there is in Gregorian chant every day. The entire Mass is chanted. Propers and the Ordinary chants in Latin (Greek Kyrie), and the other bits: readings, Eucharistic Prayer, etc, in French plainchant. Only the homily isn’t chanted, and on weekdays, the Intercessions are read, not chanted.

All this is OF of course. For this reason I’ve never had much of an appetite to chase for a TLM, and I would have to drive at least an hour to find one.

 

[Victorious]

The only Masses in Latin I have ever attended have been OF, and in Gregorian chant.

I wonder though: all the folks saying how great the EF Mass is. Was it always so pre Vatican II, or did back then abuses also exist, or priests speeding through the Mass to get it over with, etc? I wonder if the “wonderfulness” of the EF these days is because it serves as a sort of antidote to OF abuses, and is rare enough that priests (and the faithful) put more effort into it?

I was born just before VII (in 1958) and thus don’t really remember the TLM, so I can’t say what it was like. But I have heard elsewhere that abuses in the Mass is nothing new, it happened in the pre-Conciliar days too.

I think the old rite is preferable on its merits. For example, the older Mass starts out with a lengthier penitential rite, during which the priest does not even stand at the altar, but remains at the foot of the altar, and does not approach it until he and the faithful have begged forgiveness for their sins and prayed for forgiveness for each other, using the language of the Psalms. This greater number of acts of humility, I think, does more than the penitential rite in the Novus Ordo to underscore the awsomeness and the solemnity of the mystery about to be celebrated. Besides which, we always do well to humble ourselves before God, and to remind ourselves of our sinful nature; and the old rite contains far more petitions for the forgiveness of sin and preservation from hell.

 

[Onegin]

I CAN think of one thing that I felt needed to be dealt with:

Some of the generation that parented my own generation had made “good luck talismans” out of some of the saints. My Mother-in-law especially found St. Anthony handy. Whenever someone didn’t know where they left something, she’d tell them to "pray to St. Anthony, he’ll help you find it. And then there was St. Christopher…no Catholic’s car was complete without a St. Christopher’s medal. He was so popular that Protestants even bought the St. Christopher legend & often kept a medal in their own cars.

“St. Anthony, St. Anthony, come around. Something is lost and must be found!”

I grew up learning this prayer too and, shockingly, you’d be surprised how many times it worked. That and asking your guardian angel to help you find a parking bay.

I think there’s nothing harmful as long as you know that the proper use of these prayers is intercessory not as a magic trick or anything. Perhaps some people abuse it, but in and of itself, I don’t see anything wrong with asking St. Anthony to intercede to help you find something important.