How’s the Latin mass being received these days?

[ProVobis]

An interview:

patheos.com/community/deaconsbench/2011/02/26/hows-the-latin-mass-being-received-these-days/

 

[Warrenton]

That seems pretty accurate. In the northern part of Virginia, where I live (but not in the city), TLM is quite popular, and growing. We have about 100 plus weekly attendees at my parish, and the mass is at 1230, which is somewhat inconveniet. About 45 minutes away, there is a parish with an awesome schola and that mass has double the number of weekly attendees, on holidays, it is standing room only. 30 minutes east, in a more suburban area, TLM is offered in a brand new parish, and draws at least 100 to 200 people each week.

We dont have weekday TLMS.

A noticeable number of big, young families attend TLM in all of these parishes. The attendance is ethnically diverse. It has been no problem getting altar boys to learn the responses.

 

[malphono]

Interesting interview. Other than the possible exception of the answers to the 4th question, what he says seems to be more-or-less accurate.

 

[laszlo]

Thanks for sharing it

I would agree. Initially there was some hesitation and concern, but we’ve not really seen histrionics in any large way. It’s not had a detrimental effect in terms of fracturing the unity of the church, so a lot of the hype has calmed down. Experience has proven that it’s not caused upheaval, and in most places it’s business as usual.

I’ve heard stories on both ends. I’ve talked to people who had never before experienced the older Mass, especially young people, who go out of curiosity and find beauty in it, something uplifting and moving. I’ve also talked to people who really thought we should go back to this, who then actually attended a Tridentine Mass and felt differently. Over the last forty years, people have grown accustomed to being able to comprehend and participate in what’s being celebrated. Participating by devotion, rather than actually engaging in the rites being celebrated, is a very different experience. Sometimes people who were nostalgic for the older Mass, therefore, end up with a different view once they actually take part in it.

patheos.com/community/deaconsbench/2011/02/26/hows-the-latin-mass-being-received-these-days/

Yes. The TLM did not divided the Roman Catholics. However there is a movement and concentration for the reverent Mass regardless of the form, and apparently this divides the Catholics. The process is slow, and there are signs that the reverent mass will draw Anglicans, Lutherans, and others too

As for the participation the article is right. Visual people (40% of the population) it is enough to read along silently. Auditory people need to hear the words in a language where the words initiate emotions, and those who can participate only by doing it meed active motions as walking in the processes) to feel the participation. Our Church is Catholic, including every type of people.

 

[ProVobis]

A noticeable number of big, young families attend TLM in all of these parishes. The attendance is ethnically diverse. It has been no problem getting altar boys to learn the responses.

It is not probably what a traditionalist would want to hear, but altar boys don’t need to learn responses. In may parish, the priest says the responses if the servers can’t. Last Sunday, he employed eight altar boys. While perhaps it was a small percentage of the crowd, it did manage at least to bring out those boys’ families to the Mass. (The week before there had been seven servers.) So maybe there is something to this “participation” thing which today’s churchgoer seems to want. It can work both ways, it seems.