Motivation for going to Latin Mass

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheDumbFox
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

TheDumbFox

Guest
Sooo here’s my dilemma.

I like going to Latin Mass. but the nearest Sunday Latin Mass to me is 40 Minutes away. That’s not that bad to drive every week, also taking in to consideration that some families drive from much further to attend the same Mass. Yet, my home parish is only just over 7 minutes away and is great, but sticks with the gather hymnal, which I hate. I would really like to have a reverently celebrated Novus Ordo Mass said in light of tradition if I had my way but that’s not the case right now.

I don’t necessarily feel like driving to the Latin Mass because I already am driving into the same city 4 to 5 days a week for school and would really like a break on Sunday and don’t like putting so many miles on my car. Should I just “suck it up” and go? Or go every other week? Or what’s your opinion?

Thanks for the thoughts!
 
Another perspective: which parish has the most suitable community in which you would be most supported in your religious life (with things like Scripture studies and whatnot) and to which you are most able to contribute?
 
I wish to one day. It is not financially prudent to right now
 
I guess that would be my home parish. But I just find myself longing for the Latin mass too, you know? I want to go every week, but I do recognize that I would miss the community that I have at my home parish
 
One fellow I knew had a parish 5 minutes away from him but drive 40+ minutes each way to go to the EF/TLM.
 
Oh I completely understand as I faced a very similar situation. There’s no simple answer since it requires balancing competing priorities and needs. I live in the suburbs, and the closest Latin Mass is a 50 minute train ride away.

For me, the deciding factor was community: orthodoxy of beliefs (fortunately both parishes weren’t problematic) and “tight-knitedness” of community. That is, they organised and participated in community events, they encouraged fellowship outside of the Mass, etc.

The TLM parish, while not bad, was distributed geographically in terms of its parishioners, and so most people left right after Mass and they couldn’t participate in other fellowship. Sometimes it became quite frustrating and there was almost no opportunity to engage with your fellow worshippers: the parish felt more like a vending machine for people’s liturgical preferences (it’s an unfair characterisation, but it’s how I felt at the time).

Of course, a practical issue was also “sucking it up” (which you mentioned): the added transport was very fatiguing and gradually I came to resent the commute. It didn’t put me in a prayerful mindset for Mass.

That being said, I still perform my private devotions in Latin and find other ways to nourish that part of my traditional spiritual life.
 
Last edited:
Thank you! Yeah perhaps a combo of the sorts would be a solution? I mean, I can still be involved in other activities besides Mass at my home parish, but I think going to another mass twice a month won’t be bad? It’s not like my home parish is committing liturgical abuse. If that was the case I’d go to TLM. My problem comes in when I’d prefer a more reverent liturgy but am ‘okay’ when attending the Mass at my home parish.
 
You’re right. Good thing that Liturgical Abuse is not really a part of the Mass. 🙂 Also, I hate the cheesy Gather Hymnal songs that are played during Mass. Not the Mass itself.
 
TheDumbFox said:
You’re right. Good thing that Liturgical Abuse is not really a part of the Mass. 🙂 Also, I hate the cheesy Gather Hymnal songs that are played during Mass. Not the Mass itself.
Click to expand...
If the mass itself is reverent then either suck it up or pick up an instrument and do something yourself. Tbh I’m not crazed on some of the music choices in my parish (and I’m the pastor) but the simple reality is that beggars can’t be choosers - I have a wonderful parishioner who puts together the music each week and leads it and I’d be lost without her. Given this, and my notable lack of musical ability (I can hold a tune but let’s not get carried away here) I’m going to do what I can and leave the rest up to God to sort out!
 
I am in a similar situation. Latin Mass is 40 minutes away and the parish I’m registered at is 10 minutes away. The solution I finally settled on is to drive to the Latin Mass on Sundays and to go to Mass on Fri and Sat mornings at the parish nearby. There are things I love about both parishes and for now, this solution works for me.
 
I pass several parishes on the way to the EF, and my neighborhood parish is less than a 5-minute drive. That said, due to my work schedule I can only get to an EF occasionally. I simply go to one of the local OF Masses on the other days, and one day I’ll try the local Maronite parish on Saturday evening. If you don’t want to put the miles on your car, perhaps you could alternate every other week. You would still be able to get to the EF 2 or 3 times a month, which is more than some other people can do.
 
Last edited:
See if your home parish has a music-less Mass. I just came from the 7 am Sunday Mass at mine, it was a “quiet Mass” with no music, just recited antiphons.
Ideally you should be able to cheerfully attend a variety of Mass types, as we can’t always get our favorite kind all the time. “You can’t always get what you want” but any Mass will give you “what you need.”
 
Last edited:
Well, hate might be a strong word, but hating a hymnal is not the same as hating something about the mass. There are definitely hymnals out there I dislike. I don’t think I dislike anything about the mass.
So let’s give the OP a break on this one.
 
Fr, with all do respect and not wanting to be critical, this is the attitude about music from many pastors that I find frustrating. I understand how pastors can be very dependent on these music leaders. But some guidance often seems necessary and lack of such guidance leaves us stuck in a rut at times. If she is a wonderful lady, why would she not be open to some positive suggestions with regards to music selection?
 
Could be. And if so, the pastor could let it be. But my experience in two different parishes indicates that is not always the case. One, the pastor (who is a good friend of mine), expressed the same view as @InThePew, yet admitted the song selection was not popular.
More recently have been attending maas dominating with 70s style folk based music and one can just watch the lack of participation by the congrgation and compare it to other masses/benedictions at the same parish with more traditional hymns and see a huge difference.
I would also add that the guitar based, folk music has not been that popular in pop culture for quite a while. It was, from a pop culture standpoint, almost nothing more than a far. Yet it seems to persist in Catholic liturgical music. I am guessing popularity is not the reason, beyond the fact that so many Catholics are so used to it that just assume it is the norm. My kids certainly like to make fun of it, if that is any indication. And they tend to have a rather broad taste in types of music. I suspect it’s just a lot of us baby boomers holding onto what we liked as teenagers and young adults. Our generation has never been that great when it comes to taste.
 
Last edited:
It could also be general music education has declined and there are no “real” musicians who arr willing to give their skills for free.

Being a music director, at least in my area, is usually a volunteer, or vey low-paying, part-time job.

I tell a lot of people, when it comes to Church music, you get what you pay for. If you want better music, support local music programs.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top