I was frustrated

[Katie1723]

This evening I went to a vigil Mass for tomorrow’s holy day because I will be away tomorrow. I went to myregular parish. Turns out the Mass was bilingual : English/Spanish. To me it was frustrating because although I knew what was going on, I found it hard to follow , if that makes sense. The gospel was in English and the homily was in Spanish. The priest then gave a 2 minute summary in English what was said in Spanish. The whole Mass was a mixture of the two and I found it very difficult to follow. All in all I was not happy and for the first time ever, I was very anxious for it to be over. I wasn’t the only person who felt this way. I know we should be more tolerant and understanding. I know some of you are saying that’s how Spanish people feel when they go to an English Mass. Had I known it was bilingual, I would not have gone. Am I wrong to feel this way?

Kathy

 

[benedictgal]

This evening I went to a vigil Mass for tomorrow’s holy day because I will be away tomorrow. I went to myregular parish. Turns out the Mass was bilingual : English/Spanish. To me it was frustrating because although I knew what was going on, I found it hard to follow , if that makes sense. The gospel was in English and the homily was in Spanish. The priest then gave a 2 minute summary in English what was said in Spanish. The whole Mass was a mixture of the two and I found it very difficult to follow. All in all I was not happy and for the first time ever, I was very anxious for it to be over. I wasn’t the only person who felt this way. I know we should be more tolerant and understanding. I know some of you are saying that’s how Spanish people feel when they go to an English Mass. Had I known it was bilingual, I would not have gone. Am I wrong to feel this way?

Kathy

Katie, even though my diocese is on the Texas-Mexico border, I can certainly empathize with you. I am a bilingual speaker; however, it does get frustrating because I do not know my prayers in Spanish. Furthermore, it is somewhat disconcerting when the Eucharistic Prayer is said half in English and half in Spanish. It is supposed to be said in one complete language. I guess that’s why Pope Benedict, in Sacramentum Caritatis, strongly recommended that it should be said in Latin during these kinds of Masses.

The important thing, though, is that you were there for Mass. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices, whether they contend with music, language or some other oddity that happens in the Mass. My first language is English. I guess I am sort of an anamolie in my city. I pray in English (and Latin, now). I don’t know how to pray my Rosary in Spanish and I get somewhat persecuted by some of the older ladies at the local hospital chapel. One of them told me, in Spanish, that “the Blessed Mother wants you to pray in Spanish.” I replied, “Really, well she understands Latin and English just fine.” I realize that was not the best answer to give her, but it was frustrating.

Sometimes, when I happen to be at a bilingual Mass and not fully understand the Spanish segment of the homily, I read the reflection of the day in the Magnificat and silently pray. That may not be the most kosher approach, but, it helps keep me in focus, rather than just cast a blank stare at the celebrant.

I hope this helps you.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

This evening I went to a vigil Mass for tomorrow’s holy day because I will be away tomorrow. I went to myregular parish. Turns out the Mass was bilingual : English/Spanish. To me it was frustrating because although I knew what was going on, I found it hard to follow , if that makes sense. The gospel was in English and the homily was in Spanish. The priest then gave a 2 minute summary in English what was said in Spanish. The whole Mass was a mixture of the two and I found it very difficult to follow. All in all I was not happy and for the first time ever, I was very anxious for it to be over. I wasn’t the only person who felt this way. I know we should be more tolerant and understanding. I know some of you are saying that’s how Spanish people feel when they go to an English Mass. Had I known it was bilingual, I would not have gone. Am I wrong to feel this way?

Kathy

The Sacrifice of the Mass is well the greatest act of worship possible no matter what language it’s in. However It is important that you let your pastor know as well as the others should too.

 

[peary]

This evening I went to a vigil Mass for tomorrow’s holy day because I will be away tomorrow. I went to myregular parish. Turns out the Mass was bilingual : English/Spanish. To me it was frustrating because although I knew what was going on, I found it hard to follow , if that makes sense. The gospel was in English and the homily was in Spanish. The priest then gave a 2 minute summary in English what was said in Spanish. The whole Mass was a mixture of the two and I found it very difficult to follow. All in all I was not happy and for the first time ever, I was very anxious for it to be over. I wasn’t the only person who felt this way. I know we should be more tolerant and understanding. I know some of you are saying that’s how Spanish people feel when they go to an English Mass. Had I known it was bilingual, I would not have gone. Am I wrong to feel this way?

Kathy

**You should ask your priest if there is something ‘wrong’ with offering a Mass in English for those who do not know Spanish. **

 

[WanderAimlessly]

Lets go back to Latin, even the the OF. This happens in my parish on many parts of the Mass.

 

[palmas85]

I don’t want to hijack the thread but I have an observation that I think is quite relevent. Back home in the Philippines, my mom was very active in the Church, cleaning things washing altar linens and vestments and repairing them. So, as a small boy I was in the Church a lot and got exposed to the Mass very early. I was allowed to participate with the altar boys even though I was younger than most of them.

We moved to the United States when I was nine. I spoke almost no English and what I did speak was gramatically incorrect and usually pretty vulgar. We moved fairly close to a Church and I once again got involved with the Altar Boys. Mainly because even though my English was limited and stilted, I could say the responses in Latin, knew what they meant and could participate in the Mass, even though no one there could speak Visayan except for my family and I . I was very good at what I did and soon gained the respect of the Fathers, the Sisters, other Altar Boys and the families in the neighborhood. It amazed them that me, a little brown skinned boy who didn’t speak English was right at home in the Church.

Now lets see in todays world if I could have done that. First I would have had to find a Church that offered Masses in Visayan, I didn’t even speak Tagalog at that time. Go ahead, look in your diocese and see how many Visayan Masses are offered. I will guarantee you they are quite few in number and not even available in most places… So, I would not have been able to participate except in a very limited fashion. The other kids would not have had as much to do with me and my whole life could have easily taken an entirely different path.

What I’m saying is that Latin afforded me and others like me the opportunity to fully participate in our religion even if we didn’t speak the language where we were. Heck, I could have served anywhere in the world the first day I walked into the Church. And believe it or not when you are a small kid in a foreign country and you don’t speak the language, it is very good to have something that can help you out.

Thats pretty much all gone now in the mad craze to have Masses offered in the vernacular wherever you are and nothing else. Hopefully the pendulum will swing back.

 

[Sheeniac]

I’m a revert, and my confirmation was done in a combination of English and Spanish. It didn’t bother me, but it did my upset several other people.

 

[ClaireS]

Why not just ask your pastor to list in the bulletin which masses would be bilingual or in Spanish? Also, there is a missalette easily available which he should order a couple dozen copies of for the parish which shows all the mass prayers as well as the readings in Spanish and English. I often attend a Sunday evening Spanish mass in a neighboring parish which has a large (for our area) hispanic presence. With the missalette and the Spanish I learned in school more than 40 years ago, I can participate in most of the prayers and understand some of the homily. And Spanish speakers who attend the masses in English can use the booklet at those masses.

I do think bilingual masses leave everybody dissatisfied. IMHO the priests who have them do so from the good motive of trying to be inclusive but it doesn’t work very well.

I loved the Latin mass and went daily as a teenager but had to read it in translation in the missal. For me, mass in French, German, or Spanish isn’t really that different from mass in Latin because very few of us spoke Latin and even many of the altar boys just memorized the responses (sorry, my brothers were altar boys and I speak from experience). I love the mass in the vernacular because I can just listen and absorb myself in the action without the missal.

 

[Phemie]

I come at this as a Francophone in an Anglophone world. In one military parish that I attended they never had totally French Masses but usually the Sunday Mass was bilingual. If it hadn’t been for a bilingual Mass I never would have heard my own language in church for the 5 years I lived in that parish.

I think on a feast day your priest was trying to accommodate both cultures at each Mass, something commendable rather than condemnable IMO. Although I appreciate a the bilingual English/French Mass, going to a Spanish, German or Italian Mass is still going to Mass and since I was at home at Latin Mass way back when, I’m still at home at Mass in any language.

 

[Just_wondering]

I understand your frustration, OP, but I agree with Phemie. People cannot always speak the language of the parish they’re in, and it is thoughtful of the priest to be more inclusive on a holy day.

I’m not Catholic, but my boyfriend is. I’d like to start going to church, but his offers mass in Tagalog, and the other churches around offer mass in Korean. He’s going to ask if they offer any bilingual masses that I could attend - I’m really praying that there will be a bilingual mass for Christmas.

It’s hard to live somewhere you’re not fluent in the language. That frustration you felt when you couldn’t understand what was said? Some of us live with it everyday, in every situation.

 

[puzzleannie]

reality check: in a parish with a “mixed” congregation, if there is only one Mass on the Holy Day if will probably be bilingual, Know that and be prepared. Is there some reason you can’t follow along with the parts done in the other language in the missalette [edited by Moderator]?