Making a parish more traditional

[mpn_123]

I have never heard of those particular customs. Can you explain them?

(I have also never come across the chalk etc. for the Epiphany in real life, but have heard about it through these boards).

Blessing of candles at Candlemas, and throats on St. Blaise’s day, our exclusively OF parish does practise, however.

See the blessings from the 1962 Roman Ritual.

sanctamissa.org/en/resources/books-1962/rituale-romanum/48-blessings-for-special-days-and-feasts.html

I’m not sure how many of these blessings remain in the OF, but I had St. John’s wine blessed from the OF Book of Blessings (so that tradition is still prevalent today).

Wine is blessed on the feast day of St. John, because legends say that someone once tried to give St. John a cup of poisoned wine. However, after St. John said a blessing over the wine, a snake crawled out of it. He then drank it and did not die. The blessing in the Roman Ritual asks God to deliver those who drink the wine from all poisonous things. Isn’t that nice?

As for the herbs on the feast of the Assumption, the Roman Ritual says it is a German tradition. It has a very lengthy blessing (like Epiphany Water). Too bad I missed the blessing this year at my local TLM parish. I was away from town. I would’ve like to have blessed my culinary and medicinal herbs.

They really should have this tradition in more churches. There is a lot you can do with the herbs. For example, if you have a Mary garden, you can get pots of herbs blessed on the Assumption and put in the garden to extend the Marian themes. And then you’ll have blessed herbs as long as the plant stays alive and keeps growing!

 

[DSbarra]

Please, can we bring back the people who used to attend Mass?

We can’t say, “I’ll come back when the Mass pleases me.” That isn’t an option for Catholics.

Holy Mother Church teaches that attendance at weekly Mass is an obligation, and that those who deliberately choose to stay away from Mass, especially for reasons like yours (don’t like the music, etc.), are in danger of committing mortal sin.

Come back to the Mass, become a serious Catholic who is involved in your parish, and then you will be in a good position to lobby your parish to bring back some of the traditional practices that you miss.

I would suggest that you and others like you do a little searching for a more traditional Mass. If you live in a small town with only one parish, you may not find one. But if you live in a bigger town or small city with multiple parishes, I’ll bet there is at least one parish that has a Mass that you can live with week after week. And even if you can’t find the Perfect Parish, avoiding Mass isn’t an option for Catholics.

 

[DSbarra]

Well, I wasn’t saying that I’ll come back to mass “when it pleases me”. I was saying that it doesn’t move my spirit anymore. I watch a traditional mass on TV from home every week and I get more out of it spiritually than attending the mass at my local church.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

Well, I wasn’t saying that I’ll come back to mass “when it pleases me”. I was saying that it doesn’t move my spirit anymore. I watch a traditional mass on TV from home every week and I get more out of it spiritually than attending the mass at my local church.

So you both attend a real life Mass and watch on TV each week?

Can you describe the differences between the two Masses? Is the TV Mass that you watch from EWTN or another place?

 

[corsair]

I, personally, no longer attend the OF Mass. I am exclusively an EF Mass attendee. I recognize the OF Mass as a valid Mass, but I will not attend something that makes me angrier than when I began.

I have sought out an EF parish and have found peace.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

Corsair, do you attend an OF Mass when travelling or visiting? I can understand not wanting to attend the local OF Mass that you have experienced and know how it affects you, but that can’t be a blanket statement about any Mass. I know that there are many reverant, beautiful OF Masses. Especially around here.

 

[Angel_Bradford]

Well, I wasn’t saying that I’ll come back to mass “when it pleases me”. I was saying that it doesn’t move my spirit anymore. I watch a traditional mass on TV from home every week and I get more out of it spiritually than attending the mass at my local church.

Going to Mass is not about what you get out of it; it is about what you give.

 

[Angel_Bradford]

I feel there is no reason that a church has done away with devotions like the novenas and the holy hours. Those have been and should be part and parcel of the church.

.

Three years ago, my brother was transferred as pastor to a parish with two mission parishes. He attempted to do Holy Hours as he had done in his previous parishes, but no one showed up and, after a while, he stopped scheduling them.

 

[DSbarra]

No, I don’t attend a live mass each week. I do for Christmas and Easter, etc. because I am looking for a church and a priest that “speaks” to me. I have recently found a priest that I really liked when I attended a funeral service for a friend of mine’s father. Yes, I believe that is the station for the TV mass I watch. The differences are mainly in the ritual. They use the bells during communion and in the reading of the gospel on TV…they don’t do that in live mass anymore. The music in live mass is much more secular and they don’t have the canting as they used to and then theres the “also with your spirit” instead of “and also with you”. I know the reason for it but its just another thing that has been changed. There are other differences and I’m sure I just sound petty to many of you but it means something to me. Mass got me though some tough times in my life because it was a place I could go and feel close to God and, though it may sound odd, the ritual helped in that feeling. It’s really hard to explain but I just don’t feel that way at live mass. It’s not always the best on TV either. My favorite is the Christmas mass from the Vatican.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

No, I don’t attend a live mass each week. I do for Christmas and Easter, etc. because I am looking for a church and a priest that “speaks” to me. I have recently found a priest that I really liked when I attended a funeral service for a friend of mine’s father. Yes, I believe that is the station for the TV mass I watch. The differences are mainly in the ritual. They use the bells during communion and in the reading of the gospel on TV…they don’t do that in live mass anymore. The music in live mass is much more secular and they don’t have the canting as they used to and then theres the “also with your spirit” instead of “and also with you”. I know the reason for it but its just another thing that has been changed. There are other differences and I’m sure I just sound petty to many of you but it means something to me. Mass got me though some tough times in my life because it was a place I could go and feel close to God and, though it may sound odd, the ritual helped in that feeling. It’s really hard to explain but I just don’t feel that way at live mass. It’s not always the best on TV either. My favorite is the Christmas mass from the Vatican.

If you are Catholic and not physically attending Mass each Sunday, and you have no physical impediments to going, than you are putting yourself in a precarious situation. I urge you strongly to go to confession and begin attending Mass again each week.

If you can get to the funeral priest’s Masses (and confession), good! But if not, go to the closest parish. Your preferences for music, bells, and good homilies are not what should be guiding you in this. The needs of your immortal soul are!

 

[Lormar]

These comments really touched me. For so many Catholics, the “norm” is a truly irreverent Mass (I don’t mean preferences they don’t like) and a dying diocese, and too often I’ve seen them turn to CAF for support and be told they have a bad attitude by people who don’t seem to realize how bad it can be. Thank you.

 

[LightBound]

No, I don’t attend a live mass each week. I do for Christmas and Easter, etc. because I am looking for a church and a priest that “speaks” to me. I have recently found a priest that I really liked when I attended a funeral service for a friend of mine’s father. Yes, I believe that is the station for the TV mass I watch. The differences are mainly in the ritual. They use the bells during communion and in the reading of the gospel on TV…they don’t do that in live mass anymore. The music in live mass is much more secular and they don’t have the canting as they used to and then theres the “also with your spirit” instead of “and also with you”. I know the reason for it but its just another thing that has been changed. There are other differences and I’m sure I just sound petty to many of you but it means something to me. Mass got me though some tough times in my life because it was a place I could go and feel close to God and, though it may sound odd, the ritual helped in that feeling. It’s really hard to explain but I just don’t feel that way at live mass. It’s not always the best on TV either. My favorite is the Christmas mass from the Vatican.

I’m sorry and this will sound harsh, but you need to get over yourself. The Mass is not made to “speak” to you as though it was a flashy Protestant service at some hip megachurch. You are endangering your immortal soul over a selfish preference. Throughout history, we’re told of Saints that “offered it up” when it came to a less than pleasant experience and while I hate to use the term “less than pleasant” to describe the Holy Mass, if your perception of it is, well, so be it, but you need to be meeting your weekly obligation and if you don’t find the Mass to your liking, then attend it anyway, as we as Catholics are required to do, then “offer it up” if need be.

 

[LightBound]

If you are Catholic and not physically attending Mass each Sunday, and you have no physical impediments to going, than you are putting yourself in a precarious situation. I urge you strongly to go to confession and begin attending Mass again each week.

If you can get to the funeral priest’s Masses (and confession), good! But if not, go to the closest parish. Your preferences for music, bells, and good homilies are not what should be guiding you in this. The needs of your immortal soul are!

 

[LightBound]

I’m sorry and this will sound harsh, but you need to get over yourself. The Mass is not made to “speak” to you as though it was a flashy Protestant service at some hip megachurch. You are endangering your immortal soul over a selfish preference. Throughout history, we’re told of Saints that “offered it up” when it came to a less than pleasant experience and while I hate to use the term “less than pleasant” to describe the Holy Mass, if your perception of it is, well, so be it, but you need to be meeting your weekly obligation and if you don’t find the Mass to your liking, then attend it anyway, as we are required to do and then “offer it up”.

 

[pnewton]

We have been in the process of incorporating more Latin. It started with adding the prayers in Latin to the bi-lingual Mass. We now have Mass in Latin on Fridays. I have approached my priest with the idea that we can take another step to having Latin responses during Lent. Since we have progressed slowly, the parish has been open to incorporating this part of our Catholic culture.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

This year is a good year for those slow changes - partly because it is the Year of Faith, but also because Easter is early this year which means that Lent starts right on the heels of Christmas ending.

People are used to “more” during Christmas Masses, so traditional hymns/carols, perhaps even bells, incense, chanting by the cantor or priest, are acceptable as being ‘special’ and ‘formal’ in response to a special time.

Of course Lent is another special time and so very Catholic - even many high church protestants don’t really celebrate Lent. So building on the specialness of Christmas, we have the specialness of Lent.

By the time Easter rolls around, a parish could be doing these extra things for 6 months, by which time they may even be a habit and the “way we’ve always done things around here.”

 

[pnewton]

This year is a good year for those slow changes - partly because it is the Year of Faith, but also because Easter is early this year which means that Lent starts right on the heels of Christmas ending.

My biggest reason is the new translation. We have spent a year learning one setting. I do not like to change these around too often. Since we already know Jubilate Dei, it would serve as a good contrast for Lent. That’s my pitch in a nutshell.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

My biggest reason is the new translation. We have spent a year learning one setting. I do not like to change these around too often. Since we already know Jubilate Dei, it would serve as a good contrast for Lent. That’s my pitch in a nutshell.

I like it!

 

[Mrs_Sally]

Some comments in other threads brought to mind a few other ideas. In particular about celebrating the little known days like Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, and the Presentation.

The Biblical stories behind these feasts are reasonably well known, so that helps to make the reason for the celebration obvious, but what the celebration can then do is help teach people about the liturgical calendar and the theology behind the dates.

A party in the parish hall or a celebration in CCD or RCIA this year and then maybe a Holy Hour next year.