Isn't the Mass about faith?

[Oren]

font=Book Antiqua]**First of all, I was wondering if the apologetics line at Catholic Answers is toll free or not. **

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Now, my question is about a friend of mine. He was a Catholic, now he is converting to Eastern Orthodox. His main point to me for evidence that he should do something like this, is the letter where the Pope said that the Tridentine Mass could never be changed. The Quo Prium of St. Pius V. What I don’t understand is why the Mass doesn’t constitute Faith or Morals under the law of whether not it was an infallable statement. People told me it wasn’t infallible because it doesn’t have to do with Faith and Morals, but this didn’t make sense to me since to my thinking the Mass has a great, great deal to do with Faith. I was wondering if someone could explain all that to me. Thanks.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Dear Oren,

The telephone line for our radio program “Catholic Answers Live” (888 318 7884) is a toll free number as is our order line: 888 291 8000. But our main line, which is the line for leaving voice mail (619 387 7200) is not a toll free line.

What we believe about the Mass IS a matter of faith, e.g., the Sacrifice of the Mass, the Real Presence-Transubstantiation and so forth. But as to the style in which the Mass is celebrated, this is not a matter of faith. Through the centuries there has been a wide variety of ways the Mass has been and still is celebrated. Certainly, there have long been differences in the way it has been celebrated in the East from the way it has been celebrated in the West. But what we have believed about what the Mass is has remained constant.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.