Going to a TLM for my first time..what do I do?

[Marilena]

catcher5:

Marilena, it is probably a mortal sin to attend the SSPX Mass on Sunday instead of a Mass in a Roman Catholic church.

Well, it may be, but if so I want proof that it is. Rand told me it was.
Either it is, or it isn’t. What is the truth? I also asked this question
of an Apologist, and they never answered me. I have 3 family members who go to the SSPX Mass, and I worry about them as they are in it. Sofar, no one has given me any conclusive answer.

 

[mercygate]

Marilena:

When you attend a Traditonal Latin Mass, if you are a woman, or girl, must cover your head witha head covering . You cannot wear short skirts. you must have your legs fully covered by a dress, No jeans. No showy tops either. Women are to dress conservatively. Men must wear pants suitable for the occasion, no jeans. They must also wear a shirt that is not short sleeved, but over the elbows. You can ask the Traditional priest of where your going before you go what you must where and what you must do. It is a very reverent Mass. women are not to wear strapless dresses, or spaghetti strap type dresses. It is very traditional. Generally the women I see there, do not show their arms. They cover them with a long sleeved dress. Long skirt well below the knee. My mom says ankle length is appropriate. Also, you do not remove your head covering at all during the Mass. Itis to remain on you unril you leave. Men wear no head covering, just a nice shirt, or suit with appropriate pants. and no street shoes, or sandals. not from what I have been told. Men wear dress shoes.

Most of these “musts” apply to the Mass of Paul VI as well as to the TLM. When I attend TLM, many women do not wear head coverings, and many women wear slacks. The sanctimonious wardrobe police are more common at schismatic traditionalist chapels than at parishes with the Indult.

Don’t sweat the wardrobe but do think about what is normatively respectful in your culture. I’m in Manhattan; what is normative here is a far cry from what is considered respectful and normative in south Texas.

Be prepared to be a little “lost” because much of the TLM is said in silence – not to mention that the Latin might be a stretch for you, even with a facing-page translation. Try to follow along in the missal, and it’s great if you can go with someone who knows the ropes.

 

[Nekic]

Hey.

I’ve been wondering for a long time,
If you do go to a TLM, are you able to say the responses with the altar servers, at every mass, or will you be stared at?
Are there special masses where you are able to respond with the altar servers?

Also, how does one become an altar server/acolyte?

I have been wanting to go to a TLM for ages, but it is a half hour trasin rida away…

 

[mosher]

Nekić:

Hey.

I’ve been wondering for a long time,
If you do go to a TLM, are you able to say the responses with the altar servers, at every mass, or will you be stared at?
Are there special masses where you are able to respond with the altar servers?

Also, how does one become an altar server/acolyte?

I have been wanting to go to a TLM for ages, but it is a half hour trasin rida away…

It depends on the parish. Some places that I have been have dialogue masses and some do not. It is a good idea to go and follow what the regular mass goers are doing.

If you want to help serve just speak to the priest after mass and he will help you with that.

 

[FuzzyBunny116]

Also-how do I receive Communion? How does the process work?

 

[silverwings_88]

FuzzyBunny116:

Also-how do I receive Communion? How does the process work?

Well, we are blessed with one (only one in BC itself) Tridentine Latin Mass on Sundays at 12:30, and my friend and I go (or at least try to go) for one Sunday a month because it is necessary to take the Skytrain and buses to get there. Other Sundays, we worship at our respective parishes.

Since you are blessed with having a TLM around your area (and it is blessed because there are surprisingly so few, here in the West anyways), what I have understood so far, it is by railing. One sees a rail around the altar, and one will see people kneeling while they receive the Species.

For our TLM, it is only the wafer (which I love taking both Species, and I do it whenever I can at my own NO parish). As another had said, just do what the others do.

Nekić, it takes about a half an hour for us too, except we do it by bus and skytrain. And I managed to get a Catholic worship buddy with me as well ^__^. Anyways, it depends on the parish. The TLM parish here is by dialogue, and I actually love it, because I love dialogue Masses. We are always to pray with the priest anyways, and that has been always taught since I’ve received that learning.

Being an acolyte is finding the training first!

As for the dress, half of the women wear a head covering (including my worship buddy, with me and my typical white shirt/black pants and tie) kind of thing, and a quarter dress in what would be considered everyday clothing. The traditional aspect causes us both to dress formally, but despite dress, the worship of God is much more important IMO.

 

[SFH]

Marilena:

When you attend a Traditonal Latin Mass, if you are a woman, or girl, must cover your head witha head covering . You cannot wear short skirts. you must have your legs fully covered by a dress, No jeans. No showy tops either. Women are to dress conservatively. Men must wear pants suitable for the occasion, no jeans. They must also wear a shirt that is not short sleeved, but over the elbows. You can ask the Traditional priest of where your going before you go what you must where and what you must do. It is a very reverent Mass. women are not to wear strapless dresses, or spaghetti strap type dresses. It is very traditional. Generally the women I see there, do not show their arms. They cover them with a long sleeved dress. Long skirt well below the knee. My mom says ankle length is appropriate. Also, you do not remove your head covering at all during the Mass. Itis to remain on you unril you leave. Men wear no head covering, just a nice shirt, or suit with appropriate pants. and no street shoes, or sandals. not from what I have been told. Men wear dress shoes.

Gosh, I don’t think the dress requirements are quite that strict. When I was in college a few years ago, I used to bike to the Latin Mass some 15 miles away, and because it frequently rains where I went to school, I’d come in drenched to the bone, splattered with mud, and out of breath. (Let’s just say the semis on the highway don’t slow down or change lanes for bikers.) Everyone understood why I looked the way I did and no one ever suggested that I was dressed inappropriately.

I think the key is to dress appropriately given your circumstances and to try and follow along with the missal (most churches provide a missal). I don’t think you’ll have a hard time figuring out what to do; I never did. Just watch what everyone else does and follow along.

God bless!

 

[brotherhrolf]

Wow! I grew up with TLM and was an altar boy both before and after VII. I really want to thank all of you posters for giving me a newcomer’s viewpoint!

Just a few points, though. Men were allowed to wear short sleeves back in the 50s because of the heat and humidity. Our parish church did not have a/c but big oscillating fans. A lot of people went to 6am Mass on Sunday (yes, 6am) to avoid the heat. Women and girls always wore hats although lace veil caps and mantillas began to replace them around oh, '63 or’64.

Missals were the key. You received your “little” Missal when you made your first communion and you received your “big” Missal when you were confirmed. Confirmation was in the sixth grade back then. I still have both of my missals and was always able to follow the Mass with Latin on the left page and English on the right.

But, the biggest thing I miss today is not being able to receive the Holy Eucharist kneeling. We have only one church here in my diocese which still has its communion rail intact. It’s also the parish where the indult TLM is said but you can receive communion kneeling at all Masses. To this day I have never received the eucharist in my hand.