Mass from 1966 to 1969

[SMHW]

In the years from 1966 to 1969, how common was it for Masses in the United States to be celebrated in Latin?

I don’t remember any after 1966.

 

[Augustinian]

In the years from 1966 to 1969, how common was it for Masses in the United States to be celebrated in Latin?

I don’t remember any after 1966.

As I recall, I was a kid born in 1956, there was a transitional mass where it was partly in Latin and partly in the vernacular for several years- before going all vernacular in the 1970’s.

 

[SMHW]

Now that you mention it, I guess some of the priest’s parts were still in Latin.

 

[Hope1960]

I’m 57 and don’t remember Mass being celebrated in Latin.

 

[Augustinian]

I’m 57 and don’t remember Mass being celebrated in Latin.

I don’t think the change from Latin to the Vernacular occurred everyplace at the same time.

So that isn’t so surprising.

 

[stpurl]

Yes, you’re correct. I was in a major Northeastern diocese (and I’m your age) and I remember singing in the choir the year I was 10 and all the responses for the services were Latin; the next year, all the responses were in English but the chant tunes were pretty much the same. And from 1966-1969 we still had a lot of the older hymns but done in English instead of Latin; instead of Pange Lingua we sang "Sing My tongue the Savior’s Glory; instead of Adoro Te Devote it became Humbly we adore Thee. But in 1970 we started getting new hymns like Joy is Like the Rain, and Sons of God (that latter didn’t last too long, guess it was too masculine) as well as Bridge over Troubled Water and later things like Anne Murray’s You Needed Me (sung while the projector flashed beautiful pictures of sunsets and babies). What I noticed also at Masses in that time frame (during which I lost my dad, probably the reason I did notice because I was paying more attention to the liturgy and prayer in general) is that the translation in that 3 year or so period was much closer to the current ICEL translation, and that it was much easier and better liked by the people than the 1970 translation, which a lot of people found was not at all ‘equivalent’ to the words we were accustomed to, either Latin or English.

People DID get upset (but were much less vocal than today, and more inclined to be ‘in sorrow, not in anger’ because it was literally done ‘overnight’ and with no explanation and pretty much an attitude of ‘if you don’t like it, you’re going against the Church which has determined this is better for you’ which was usually quite sufficient to make the person beg pardon and submit in humility, never knowing that what they were told was not what “the Church” had decided in many cases, i.e. tearing down communion rails and "you MUST receive in the hand now’.)

 

[FrDavid96]

There is a frequent member here who has a complete collection of the Missals/Sacramentaries from the 1960s
and that’s pretty rare as most such collections are incomplete.

I cannot remember who that might be, unfortunately.

Maybe the user will notice and chime-in. Maybe someone can search the threads.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

1967 is about the first year I have good clear memories. I do not recall any Latin whatsoever in the Masses I attended with my mom between 1967 and 1969.

 

[OldCAFMember]

FrDavid96; that would be I. I have all versions of the Missal during that period. They are most interesting to review.

 

[Milt]

As I recall, I was a kid born in 1956, there was a transitional mass where it was partly in Latin and partly in the vernacular for several years- before going all vernacular in the 1970’s.

I remember this as well.

 

[FrDavid96]

FrDavid96; that would be I. I have all versions of the Missal during that period. They are most interesting to review.

Thanks for volunteering!

I would much rather trust actual written documentation than anyone’s memories of 50 years ago.

So what do the Missals actually say for the time period the OP inquired?

 

[SMHW]

OP jumping in here.

I have “heard” that some of the transitional changes were implemented optionally by region, even within the United States. For what it is worth, I have always lived within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

 

[OraLabora]

I was born in ‘58, so I turn 60 this year. I remember going to Mass in the ´60s, but my recall is of it being all in French (Quebec, Montreal to be precise).

To be honest, as a young boy Mass was pretty low on my list of young boy priorities, so my recall is not so good. But, I could describe to you in minute detail my first ever plane ride in those days because I got to visit the cockpit!

 

[Sunbreak]

I remember the same thing. I still have the little brochure that told us what parts were in Latin still and what was in English and I also have my missal from 1962 where I marked the same thing in it. I don’t know when they stopped doing the Latin part though.

 

[OldCAFMember]

1. The Roman Missal with the Imprimatur of Cardinal Spelliman on 2 April 1964, implemented on the Fist Sunday of Advent, 1964: This one is the most easily found. It is the Tridentine Mass, with the 1960 rubrics, with the priest’s inaudible prayers in Latin, as well as the orations, preface, and Canon of the Mass all in Latin. What is in English are the antiphons (introit, gradual, offertory, and communion), the readings, and the Kyrie/Gloria/SanctusA/gnus Dei. The idea was that anything that the people would say was in the vernacular, and the priest’s parts were all in Latin. It is unusual because the full Tridentine rubrics remain, and the missal was simply a Latin Missal, with the necessary Latin words removed and replaced by English. This was done even in the rubrics, so when then entire text of a rubric is in Latin, but directs the server to say something, that one word or two of the sentence appears in English, while the remainder of the sentence is in Latin. This version of the Order of Mass was quite short-lived, as it began in Advent, 1964, and then in Lent, 1965, the prayers at the foot of the altar were shortened, and the last gospel was suppressed, plus several other small changes in text. The rubrics were changed somewhat at that time. Because these changes came so quickly after the 1964 Order, a new altar missal is not printed until February, 1966.
2. The English-Latin Sacramentary with the Imprimatur of Cardinal Spellman inn February, 1966. This version is the first of the modern missals to use the term Sacramentary, and as its title suggests, one of its purposes was the assertion of English as the primary tongue of the liturgy in the US. This missal is the first published by Catholic Book Publishing, who came to be associated with vernacular liturgy in this country, and the missal sheds the Benziger-style of typeface and layout. All texts are included in Latin, including the rubrics for the Order of Mass, but the Latin is in the margin, in smaller font, throughout the book. The English prayers and rubrics are the main part of the page, except prayers that are still recited in Latin by the priest–in most cases, inaudibly. Those are still in large print in Latin, and centered.

To be continued…

 

[OldCAFMember]

2 continued) For each set of propers in the altar missal, here begins the custom that prevails today, of including the three orations, but not the readings. A a separate one-volume Lectionary had been issued with the 1964 edition, with the single-year cycle still used, and since lectors were now standard, it was apparently assumed that there was no need to include them in the altar edition. Even if a priest was celebrating without assistants, such as at a weekday Mass, he would approach the ambo and read from the lectionary there. The antiphons no longer appear, though they are still used. The rubrics state that the antiphons may be said or sung in English by the people, otherwise the celebrant recites them. There are still only two readings at every Mass. Prayers of the Faithful may be included, but naturally, other than mentioning that they may take place, nothing else appears. It is interesting to see the rubrics direct the priest to kiss the altar multiple times during the Mass, typically before he says “The Lord be with you,” as is done in the Tridentine Mass because usually the priest would then turn and face the altar again. Here, one sees that the osculations still happen, even when the priest is already facing the people. The inaudible offertory prayers are still said in Latin, but now the preface may be in English. The Canon follows, still inaudible and in Latin, then the vernacular Our Father with the embolism Libera nos, also in Latin and aloud. The vernacular Lamb of God follows, with the priest’s silent prayers in between in Latin. For the first time the invitation to communion Ecce Agnus Dei__emphasized text_ and Domine, non sum dignus are in English. The words of administration are simply The Body of Christ. After the postcommunion collect in English, the dismissal and blessing (still in that order) follow, both in English. There is no last gospel.

1. The Roman Missal in Latin and English for Sunday, Feast, Ferial and Votive Masses, published by The Liturgical Press. This edition was printed to include the liturgical decree Tres Abhinc Annos of 4 May 1967 (which modified the rubrics), and the permission of 22 Oct 1967, which permitted the vernacular and audible use of the Roman Canon. The typset is very simple, unlike either Benziger or Catholic Book Publishing. This edition uses the same Latin-in-the margin as the 1966 version by CBP, but reduces the font size of the Latin texts in the margins. The priest’s inaudible prayers throughout the Mass are still recited in Latin, but the Canon and everything else are now in English. The rubrics have been simplified to omit the multiple kisses of the altar, and multiple genuflections before communion. Also removed are some manual acts, such as the many signs of the cross made over the oblations (now called offferings), and the priest’s fingers no longer need to be conjoined after the consecration. Still two readings and the Tridentine kalendar. The dismissal now is said after the blessing.

To be continued…

 

[OldCAFMember]

The additional three Eucharistic prayers were promulgated on 15 Aug 1968. Like other changes to the Order of Mass, these were printed in an insert by the bishop’s conference, which was intended to be glued into the altar missal, since the revised missal was nearing completion. (Why they didn’t just wait and include these in that is beyond me, but things were happening quickly.)

The revised Order of Mass was promulgated on 3 April 1969, and took effect on Advent Sunday, 1969. This was also printed in an insert, because the entire English missal was not published in the US until 1970. At the same time the new three-year lectionary was promulgated in a separate volume, and the revised Roman Calendar took effect on 30 Nocember 1969, when the missal and lectionary also began.

In some countries there were issues with the speed of the reforms and the ability to print and implement them. These places were given until 1971 to implement the entire missal.

The revised missal ran into some minor issues that needed tweaking, and a second edition (the one that most of us remember prior to the new translations a few years ago) was issued in 1973, and began to be used the following year.

This is lengthy (had to be split up into parts, due to length limitations), and probably contains typos that require correction, but I must go now. Ask questions as needed.

 

[FrDavid96]

…
This is lengthy (had to be split up into parts, due to length limitations), and probably contains typos that require correction, but I must go now. Ask questions as needed.

Wow! Thank you. That was a lot of work typing all that!

 

[ProVobis]

The words of administration are simply The Body of Christ.

Strangely enough, the priest’s communion words were left intact, even to this day.

 

[joeybaggz]

As a 20 year old college student in a Catholic College established and run by a Monastery, I remember that after the end of Vatican II, the change from Latin to English was almost immediate. Occasionally a Latin hymn was incorporated, but as to the Mass itself, English all the way. It was later (1969 to the mid 70’s) that the real strange happenings (ballet masses, people crowding around the altar at the consecration, women baking the Eucharistic bread in their homes-definitely not unleavened, and other such activities occurred and were gone by the eighties, at least in the diocese where I lived. The aforementioned liturgical abuses did not occur at the college I attended - just to be clear.