Latin Mass

[Poor_Soul]

If you prefer to feel mysterious and not worry about understanding everything–if this helps you to worship God–then that’s great. God bless you.

No human can fully comprehended or understand the Sacrifice of Calvary, and I believe this is what TLM attendants are trying to convey to those who inquire about the TLM and how to attend it.

 

[ProVobis]

Great advice!

The first time I went, I couldnt hear what the priest and altar server were saying, they were speaking so softly, so I moved right up to the front row. Then, I couldnt see what was going on behind me. So I moved across to the end of the pew so I could see over my shoulder a little better.

And it was obvious that everyone knew I was the one and only ‘‘spectator’’ but equally obvious that I was interested in learning.

Don’t worry about it. I see a lot in the front pews standing or sitting when they’re not supposed to. Sooner or later, they’ll get the hang of it. There’s always something to learn, even for the most experienced EF attendee.

 

[Lion_IRC]

The Latin is really interesting.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

 

[Deborah_Marie]

I am a cradle Catholic who fell away from the Church for quite some time. A few months ago I renewed my Faith and commitment to the Catholic Church. Now, mind you, I was born in 1969. So, I was not raised with the Latin Mass. Yes, I went to Catholic school and was fully raised in the parish lifestyle. However, I knew nothing about the Latin Mass and had no knowledge of the Latin language. I have been going to TLM for about two and a half months now and find it the most wonderful way to celebrate Mass. Yes, I was lost the first two or three times. I bought myself the “red missal” and studied it, along with the notes of instruction in the margins. After applying myself, because I REALLY wanted to learn and understand what was going on, I am able to fully follow and participate. I am very, very fortunate to have a very reverent chapel to go to every Sunday for TLM. I also go to the parish we belong to on Saturday nights, which is OF. My preference is TLM.

For those who are new to TLM, just give it some time. Before you know it, you will be able to understand what is going on and even sing some of the prayers/responses. The “red missal” really does provide instruction and explanations. By the way, I loved the post where someone said to just hum along until you get it. That’s what I did and it really does work!

Et cum spiritu tuo

• Debi

 

[EDKidd]

I too come from an Evangelical background, moved to Church of England, then Catholic (Ordinary Form) and now I attend Mass at ICKSP or ICRSP if you prefer.

When embarking upon my first “visit” I was also advised here to just ‘let it all wash over me’ and ‘sit and absorb it all in’. I was at first frustrated by this but then as I began attending more frequently, I realised the value in this philosophy as the TLM can mean different things to different people. It is incredibly multi layered, meaning that sometimes only through absorption can one find their own preferred way of praying the Mass. For example, I prefer to pray along with the Priest, others prefer to sing with the choir and reflect prayerfully upon what the Priest is doing etc.

Moreover, like many from a Protestant background, I was used to stage 1 leading to stage 2, leading to stage 3 and so on. I was not prepared for stages 3 and 4 potentially happening at the same time. It can be frustrating not to be able to understand it all straight away but remember, the TLM is the most profound, deep and humbling experience one is likely to see this side of Heaven. Only by frequent TLM attendance, personal study, prayer, reflection and - perhaps most importantly - Grace, do we have any chance of fully understanding it and even then I doubt we can ever truly appreciate the amazing gift that we Catholics have.

 

[Rich_C]

I too come from an Evangelical background, moved to Church of England, then Catholic (Ordinary Form) and now I attend Mass at ICKSP or ICRSP if you prefer.

When embarking upon my first “visit” I was also advised here to just ‘let it all wash over me’ and ‘sit and absorb it all in’. I was at first frustrated by this but then as I began attending more frequently, I realised the value in this philosophy as the TLM can mean different things to different people. It is incredibly multi layered, meaning that sometimes only through absorption can one find their own preferred way of praying the Mass. For example, I prefer to pray along with the Priest, others prefer to sing with the choir and reflect prayerfully upon what the Priest is doing etc.

Moreover, like many from a Protestant background, I was used to stage 1 leading to stage 2, leading to stage 3 and so on. I was not prepared for stages 3 and 4 potentially happening at the same time. It can be frustrating not to be able to understand it all straight away but remember, the TLM is the most profound, deep and humbling experience one is likely to see this side of Heaven. Only by frequent TLM attendance, personal study, prayer, reflection and - perhaps most importantly - Grace, do we have any chance of fully understanding it and even then I doubt we can ever truly appreciate the amazing gift that we Catholics have.

QFT. Wonderful post.

 

[Mike30]

New Catholic here and I am kind of interested in going to a Traditional Latin Mass. What is different? In the missalette, will they have the responses in Latin so I know what to correctly say? I just need an over view. lol Thanks!

Hi. I know that you have probably been somewhat overwhelmed by the responses here and that is unfortunate.

Most Extraordinary Form Masses will have a small booklet available that will have the responses for you. Naturally, these bookletes, cover the general outline of the Mass so that they can be used at different Masses. Different feasts are celebrated and these have different prayers that are inserted. A good Extraordinary Form Mass will normally have these printed out and available also.

You will kneel a lot more than you are probablu used to, and will not stand as often. The Priest will be facing the Altar during most of the Mass including the consecration. Some of his prayers will be in a very low voice and you probably will not hear them. The readings may be done in the vernacular, in Latin or both. It depends on the Priest.

During the course of the Mass the Priest uses a series of cues that alert the Altar Servers as to what is coming up. If you learn these cues, you will know where you are in the Mass, even if you have become lost, and that does happen on occasion believe me.

One thing you will notice immediately is that not everything has to be done in unison as is the case in the Ordinary Form. In fact, it seems to me as if there has been a role reversal of sorts. In the Extraordinary Form, the Priest was locked into a very stylized and ritualized position. The congregation was not. Now, the Priests have considerable freedom but the congregation seems locked into more stylized position. Everybody stands at the same time, sits at the same time, makes all the responses together, etc etc.

There are several very good guides available on line that explain the Extraordinary Form quite well. There are also a number of good missals that you can buy at reasonable prices. If you can find one and are interested, I would reccommend getting what is known as a continuous missal. Instead of having to flip back and forth as is the case with most Missals, it has everything broken down day by day, with all the correct prayers, propers and collects that pertain to that particular day.

There are also missals available that have pictures showing what the Priest will be doing atcertain points in the Mass. They are not that easy to find but E-Bay usually has them in the 10-30 dollar rangs.

Have fun.