Only thing I am worried about is being seen as some young convert who has never even expreienced an EF Mass first-hand and is trying to stir things up.
You are not causing trouble by asking for a Tridentine Mass. There are many traditional Catholics in the UK who attend the Extraordinary Form on a regular basis. In fact, the UK was one of the first countries to be granted an indult for these masses after the implementation of the Mass of Paul VI. I mention this to show you that the Extraordinary Form is not uncommon, and that many other Catholics prefer this Mass. Also, I am 22 and I attend the EF almost exclusively. There are other young adults within my parish who also attend. The EF is not just for older people. In fact, the Tridentine Mass is currently undergoing a revival because more young people prefer it over the Mass of Paul VI. I have been attending the EF for a couple of years now, and I have seen a steady increase in the amount of young people who attend this Mass. I used to be the only one, and now there are at least 6-8 of us. This trend looks set to continue.
I’ve looked on the Latin Mass Society website and the EF mass near me is an hour away by train and bus. I know this isn’t a terribly long way away but I live in quite a big city (230,000 pop.) with about eight catholic churches.
As it would be very difficult for you to attend the existing EF Masses in your area, I think you have a valid reason for asking for a regular EF in your parish. I’m sure there is at least one priest in your area who would be willing to celebrate the Tridentine Mass. There should be at least one regular EF within your area for people like yourself who prefer the Tridentine Mass.
You are not asking for a great deal. Afterall, there are eight Churches in your area and all of them celebrate the OF. The traditionalists in your area only want
one regular EF Mass per week. That’s not asking for much.
In addition I think that, as you say, if I were to get an EF Mass going anywhere in the city it could be well attended as we have a pretty good and large Catholic community across the city and this would hopefully mean that there would be a good attendance at these Masses.
You need to prove that there is a stable group of individuals who would attend the new EF regularly. This is vital. No priest would go to the trouble of establishing an EF Mass if he thought that people would stop attending after a while. Also, you must make a committment to attend the EF regularly if you succeed in getting one in your parish. Afterall, your priest may have to work very hard for you and you must show him that it is worth the effort.
Here’s what you should do:
Learn as much as you can about the EF Mass. You may be asked to state your reasons for wanting this Mass and you wont get very far if you can’t provide good answers. You will be able to put up a better case if you know about the Tridentine Mass.
Collect a petition. You need to prove that there is a stable group of parishioners who want the Tridentine Mass. This will prove to your Bishop or priest that there is a genuine need within the diocese. Collect as many signatures as you can. Doing so will increase your chances of success.
Discuss this with your priest. I would approach your priest once you have learned about the Tridentine Mass and after you have collected a petition. Your knowledge of the Mass and your petition will prove to him that you are serious about wanting a regular EF Mass.
Write a letter to your Bishop and include a copy of the petition. State your reasons for wanting an EF in your parish and provide statistics proving that there are others who feel the same way.
Hopefully, you will find a priest to celebrate a regular EF Mass after you have done all of this. If none of this works, then I suggest you contract the Ecclesia Dei commission and the Latin Mass Society.
.) So, this church could hold the EF Mass but I do not know anyone there to form a group. Also, there might be other churches in the area with altar rails which I do not know about.