First reactions of teenage boys to the traditional Latin Mass

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First time I went to Latin Mass when I was 15 or 16 (I’ve been like 4 times) I was like “why so many readings, when will this end?”

It takes getting use to
 
In my experience this young man’s reaction is pretty typical. Our Latin mass parish is bursting at the seams with young people, and young families with many children. It is a very encouraging sign.
 
Weird, since it has less readings than new Masses (they’re equal if you include the last Gospel in the TLM but don’t count the responsorial Psalm in the OF).

In my experience, the two take the same amount of time on average.
 
I used to help out at a summer camp hosted by conservative Franciscans in the 90’s. The teens were impressed by the reverence and incense. They came back for more year after year.
 
Tradition is the new counterculture, and that drives many of their elders bonkers.
 
Without getting into OF and EF differences, I do think there is a longing for the sacred. The mass is always sacred, mind, but I think sometimes we forget that the sacredness is veiled. The “smells and bells” serve as a symbol for that sacredness and help us to feel it and sense it in a tactile way rather than just intellectually. They are there to uplift us to contemplate that sacredness and help us to experience it.
 
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This guy makes lots of interesting videos, and he made one on his reaction to his first Latin Mass.

 
Wesrock said:
I do think there is a longing for the sacred
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I also believe this. The TLM is not offered currently in our area although we do have a priest who has be taught to celebrate the TLM but has not yet received permission.

As the director of youth ministry I am planning to add some more of the more traditional aspects, such as teaching our youth O Salutaris Hostia and Tantum Ergo when we have adoration. Teaching them some of the Latin responses. Hopefully having them prepared when we are allowed to have a TLM or even Mass in the ordinary form said in Latin.
 
The only thing I find lacking in EF is no old testament reading routinely. I wish we can modify it so that OT readings are included.
 
My diocese has a few churches that do Latin mass and one that does it weekly. I’ve only gone like 4 times because I don’t really understand it and I feel like I didn’t go to mass afterwards
 
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I keep hearing comments like this. And have for years. Yet I don’t see any extra trad parishes starting anywhere near me, nor has there been for 20+ years.

I wonder if it is wishful thinking in all honesty.
 
That’s true I guess, and I would certainly support more regular readings from the OT. One thing to remember though, is that many of the regular texts of the Mass, especially the propers, are drawn from the OT. So while there may not be standardized readings as with the Gospels and Epistles, the OT is found throughout the liturgy.
 
There is naturally going to be less interest in areas where people have no exposure to the EF, especially if the clergy take no interest. My experience has been the same as other commenters here. Our TLMs are filled with young people, and several more priests in my diocese are currently learning to offer it.
 
The only fair test would be to have one weekly sung EF at every parish, and then see what happens. I said fair test, not practical scenario. The scales now are so far tilted that it’s impossible to draw valid conclusions about what young people would or would not choose.
 
snarflemike said:
The only fair test would be to have one weekly sung EF at every parish, and then see what happens. I said fair test, not practical scenario. The scales now are so far tilted that it’s impossible to draw valid conclusions about what young people would or would not choose.
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It sounds like some kind of game or contest.

I think people would choose the Mass that best fits their schedule, which is perfectly acceptable to the Lord and to the Church.

I know quite a few families that attend the 6:30 a.m. Sunday Mass because it works really well for their young children, who are generally at their best in the early morning, and it’s a lot shorter because there is no music at all–great for the little ones with very short attention spans (which is NORMAL for little ones and nothing wrong with them at all!).

I also know quite a few teenagers who attend the Sunday evening Mass (a contemporary OF Mass) because there are Youth Group meetings and activities after this Mass. It’s very convenient for them, and afterwards, they still have time to go home and do all the homework that they put off all weekend!

It’s a question of schedule, not preference.

The Latin Mass in our city offers two Masses on Sunday morning–one is quite early and one is mid-morning. Neither of these Masses seems to draw young families or teenagers away from their home parishes. Maybe a different time would attract more people? Are there reasons why Latin Mass can’t be said on Saturday or Sunday evening?
 
Peeps said:
It sounds like some kind of game or contest.
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It’s called gathering valid data on what the people being served actually want. It’s called evaluation. In most circles it’s considered a good thing. The current situation is like having voting day extend for 14 hours for one political party, and 10 minutes for the other political party. Would you be surprised if the results were skewed towards the first party?
It’s a question of schedule, not preference.
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That is a completely unwarranted generalization. Plenty of people will alter their schedules to go to a “good” Mass and avoid a “yucky” Mass. Do you not adjust your schedule to go to a Mass in your language and avoid a Mass in a language you don’t understand? I’d guess 98% of people do exactly that.
 
Peeps said:
The Latin Mass in our city offers two Masses on Sunday morning
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Compared to how many total weekend Masses in that city, at how many different churches? Trust me, you cannot draw much in the way of valid conclusions from those two different data sets.
 
And BTW, in case anybody wants to dismiss me as some kind of RadTrad, I probably only go to a Latin Mass once every year or two.
 
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