My first Latin mass since childhood

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ontheway1

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Went to my first Latin mass since childhood. It felt like coming home after such a long time. Enjoyed it very much, even though I wasn’t really prepared. Lots of “old” folks it attendance. (like me) but many young families with small children and even teenagers. (gasp)
The choir did their best with the chant.
I loved the whole thing and will probably continue attending even though it is not in my parish, but rather some distance away. I recomment it to any one who has not experienced it.

If you have similar or different experience, share your thoughts.
 
I have been Protestant my entire life. I have always been drawn to the Catholic Mass. I love tradition and the smells and bells aspect. The EF is what I thought Mass was. I was pretty surprised when I decided to convert and went to my first OF mass which wasn’t much different than what I was used to. I go to EF whenever I can. Luckily the only TLM in my diocese is less than ten miles away.
 
I found the attitude of the participants to be much different as well. The church was quiet when I entered and everyone seemed to be engaged in prayer or contemplation. Most of the women had their heads covered. Even the little children were quiet. One little girl about 2 or 3 years old a couple of pews ahead of me watched the choir the entire time as they chanted. There was no chit-chat in the back of the church. Mom’s with babies that needed to leave the pew did so discreetly.
It just felt like church.
 
I agree 100%. I love my home parish and our OF is good and follows the rubrics but there is no comparison. It’s still like a social hour compared to an EF mass. There may be the unicorn OF mass that is not like this but it is the exception not the rule.
 
You can’t beat the reverence. Went this Sunday as well. Hard for me to follow, but understand enough to know what is going on. Love the communion rails and seeing everyone praying after Mass instead of sprinting towards the exits.
 
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This raises a good issue. Is there an Latin-English missal available on the market?
 
I love the TLM. I have to drive an hour to the nearest parish that offers it.
 
I like the reverence in the Latin Mass, but there’s one big problem, which is that it’s in Latin. Appreciation of reverence only goes so far when I don’t understand what’s going on outside of the readings and homily. I wish there was an option to have something that’s exactly like the Latin Mass but conducted in the vernacular.

I went to a few Eastern Orthodox masses and they seemed to work on that level, having the reverence and tradition, but being in a language I actually understand (for the most part; there was some Greek, but it was mostly English).
 
The mass I attended had little booklets with Latin and English texts, so even though this was my first Latin mass of my adult life I could follow things pretty easily.
 
JSRG said:
I wish there was an option to have something that’s exactly like the Latin Mass but conducted in the vernacular.
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This is always my argument in a Vatican 2 thread. The TLM could have been said in the vernacular with no other changes. I have yet to have anyone even acknowledge the point let alone debate it.

As far as understanding the mass in Latin think of it like watching a foreign movie with subtitles. Everything is translated in the Missal. If you follow the order of the mass (once you learn it as it’s different from NO) you know where you are. The priest will be speaking in Latin but you can read in English what he is saying. Even the silent prayers you can read if you know the order and where you are. A common complaint is not feeling involved at TLM. Doing what I suggested will certainly keep you involved.
 
Love the Latin Mass. My wife grew up Protestant while I grew up with the OF. I wasn’t the best Catholic coming out of College but meeting my wife made me want to be a more virtuous man so I began to learn more and more about the faith. I had been to one Latin Mass at an SSPX chapel for a Christmas Vigil with my grandparents before learning about their irregular status and found it to be quite beautiful although I remember being lost at parts but my grandmother kept helping me out with where I needed to be. My wife and I continued to attend the OF at the Cathedral in our city where we eventually got married. We moved to a new city and found a parish we were happy in but ended up moving too far away from that parish and started to look for a new one. Our friends mentioned that there was an FSSP parish nearby and we gradually started to make the shift there. 1 1/2 years later we couldn’t be happier with it. The Latin Mass improves with familiarity to it. It’s a very contemplative and intellectual experience and it engages me in ways that the OF never did.
 
Bushum said:
This is always my argument in a Vatican 2 thread. The TLM could have been said in the vernacular with no other changes. I have yet to have anyone even acknowledge the point let alone debate it.
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I don’t disagree in principle (pretty sure that’s what was happening right after Vatican II, before the Novus Ordo came out). But I do have two counter-comments. One, the vernacular instantly ghettoizes any parish. WHO’S vernacular? I’ll mention again the story that a priest told me. He took some American kids to a World Youth Day, and they were the only kids there who couldn’t participate in the Mass in Latin, and they were embarrassed. My second point is that today, I simply don’t trust that we can get a good authorized translation devoid of any other agenda. Unauthorized ones, yes, but I have no confidence that the powers-that-be could or would produce an accurate and elevated translation.
 
I’m not arguing in favor of the vernacular and I agree with you. My point with that argument is simply to disprove the fiction that the mass was changed because people couldn’t understand Latin. If it were then the language could have been the only change. Instead, the entire mass was completely changed for other reasons.
 
I attend a TLM sometimes too. It’s good having it in my town here in Fresno, California. It’s a small parish where they basically rent out a chapel from a bigger parish and hold the TLM there. I’m going to a bigger parish now though where I’m taking a class for practicing Catholics who have not been confirmed. Doing first confession later this month and then being confirmed in September. There just isn’t a lot of resources at the place that has the TLM. I work nights and all they would have is RCIA one Monday night a month. That would never work for me. God opened that door for a short while to show both kinds of Mass and I’m so grateful for that. Keep that TLM in your prayers to grow. It’s called Holy Cross Chaplaincy. They are associated with the FSSP. Everybody should have the chance to experience the TLM at least once.
 
Try looking up Sunday Missal for Latin Mass. I found one on eBay.
 
Bushum said:
I’m not arguing in favor of the vernacular and I agree with you. My point with that argument is simply to disprove the fiction that the mass was changed because people couldn’t understand Latin. If it were then the language could have been the only change. Instead, the entire mass was completely changed for other reasons.
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OK, now I understand your point, and I agree with it. Not only was the vernacular allowed, but the entire theology of the Mass was altered in many ways, large and small. Instead of a few tweaks, it was bulldozed and remade.
 
Amazing coincidence this is. I just stopped by the Half-price books shop in town this afternoon and found the 1960 Maryknoll Missal in very good condition and for only ten bucks. Have been going through it since then.
 
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