Just got my 1962 Missal...How do I use this thing?

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20wldct

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Thread title pretty much explains it.

I’m a cradle Catholic, fell away during high school and college…literally didn’t go to Mass for years. About a year ago something, I can’t even explain it, changed. I started reading EVERYTHING I could about Catholic theology, teachings, history, Canon Laws, Catechism, etc. Well I’m still struggling to get to Mass every week b/c of law school completely dominating my life. Not an excuse, but there it is. Anyway when I do go to Mass I try to go to the Church right around the corner from my school, and while they have multiple Masses every day…they’re the “hippie” Masses that killed my interest in Catholicism in the first place. So I went to a few Latin Masses and loved them. It helps that I’ve taken Latin since 6th grade lol. I decided to get a Roman Missal a couple months ago…and I haven’t really had a chance to go back to the Latin Mass since then.

I think part of it is that I was very intimidated when the Missal arrived in the mail…and I had no idea how to use it.

This is the Missal I ended up getting. I love it because it has a number of prayers, a basic run down of BASIC theology, morning prayers and evening prayers, etc. But I still have no idea how to use it for a Mass on any given Sunday.

Hopefully someone can advise me on this??? Please. :o
 
Before Mass, set three ribbons or book marks (the color doesn’t matter).

Set the first one to the beginning of the Mass itself, usually in the center section of the missal.

Set the second ribbon to the actual calendar Feast Day of the day, i.e. today is May 3rd, Feast of St. Alexander & Companions.

The majority (common) parts of the Mass will be at your first ribbon. The Proper parts (those that change with each Mass like the Introit, Collect, Epistle, Gradual, Gospel, Offertory, Secret, Communion, and Post Communion) will TYPICALLY be at the second ribbon.

Frequently, the Daily Mass is a predefined standard Mass for the Saint being commemorated (Martyr, Doctor, Apostle, Pope, etc). In those cases, there will be an instruction on the page for today’s feast day telling you where to find the proper Mass parts for today. Set the third ribbon there if applicable.

You can now follow Mass primarily from the section marked by your first ribbon and refer to the other two ribbons at the Proper parts of the Mass.

Some weekdays are Ferial Days, meaning the priest will either offer the Mass from the previous Sunday, or may have the choice of a Votive Mass as allowed by the diocese or superior.

Same deal on Sundays, except your second ribbon will mark the particular Sunday we are celebrating.

There are more rules you will discover as you get more comfortable with the Missal but I would start with these simple suggestions to get started.

It can still be confusing since today the priest had the choice of saying the Mass of St. Alexander, Martyr (Red Vestments), or the Mass for the Finding of the Holy Cross (Red Vestments), or the Votive Mass Of Jesus Christ, Eternal Priest (since it is First Thursday). Sometimes, you need to take your queue on which Mass is being said by the color of the vestments, although that wouldn’t have worked today.
 
I’ll only add two things:

The beginning of Mass should have a heading like “Ordinary of the Mass.”

Also, this coming Sunday is called the “Fourth Sunday After Easter.”
 
I think you need to charge it overnight before you first use it.

Anyway, here’s how I set up mine:
  • Ribbon markers are great (like this binding-insert style: www.amazon.com/Ribbon-Marker-Bibles-Missals-Prayer/dp/B002CWSXR6/)
  • Ribbon 1 = Proper of the Season, Fourth Sunday after Easter (opening words of the Introit are “Cantate Domino”)
  • Ribbon 2 = First page of the Ordinary of the Mass
  • Ribbon 3 = Proper of the Saints, May 3, Sts Alexander I, Eventius & Theodulus, Juvenal
  • Ribbon 4 = Thanksgiving After Mass
  • Ribbon 5 = Sacrament of Confession (has an examination of conscience)
If I don’t have ribbons, I just use self-adhesive note sheets.
 
giuseppeTO said:
It can still be confusing since today the priest had the choice of saying the Mass of St. Alexander, Martyr (Red Vestments), or the Mass for the Finding of the Holy Cross (Red Vestments), or the Votive Mass Of Jesus Christ, Eternal Priest (since it is First Thursday). Sometimes, you need to take your queue on which Mass is being said by the color of the vestments, although that wouldn’t have worked today.
Click to expand...
At our evening Mass, our priest said the Mass for the Finding fo the Holy Cross. I never did find it in my Baronius Press missal. 😦 Usually when that happens, I just meditate on the Passion - you can never go wrong with meditating on the Passion.
 
giuseppeTO said:
Set the second ribbon to the actual calendar Feast Day of the day, i.e. today is May 3rd, Feast of St. Alexander & Companions.
…

It can still be confusing since today the priest had the choice of saying the Mass of St. Alexander, Martyr (Red Vestments), or the Mass for the Finding of the Holy Cross (Red Vestments), or the Votive Mass Of Jesus Christ, Eternal Priest (since it is First Thursday). Sometimes, you need to take your queue on which Mass is being said by the color of the vestments, although that wouldn’t have worked today.
Click to expand...
I thought yesterday was a feria, with a commemoration of Ss Alexander and other martyrs. Meaning a priest could do: feria (Mass of Sunday), Ss Alexander and others, or pretty much any other votive Mass since it was a IV class.

Am I right?
 
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