My First Tridentine Mass: What to Do?

  • Thread starter Thread starter GIMJ
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
G

GIMJ

Guest
Hi all! Thanks in advance for answering my questions.

Next Sunday I will be attending my first Tridentine Latin Mass. (I’m very excited! :D) I plan on calling the parish to see if they have any special customs I should be aware of, but as for the basics, I was hoping some of you on CAF could help me out.

I would like to get a missal to help me along, but since this may be a one-time deal, I don’t want to rush out and buy one of the “official” missals…those look expensive. Any good resources you know of?

Any other advice would also be much appreciated. 👍
 
Sancta Missa is an excellent resource for learning to follow the Traditional Latin Mass:

http://www.sanctamissa.org/en/rubrics/

It’s pretty heavy study if you’ve never attended the Mass before, so you might just want to skim the rubrics to get an idea of the liturgy’s structure. The prayers of the Offertory and the Roman Canon are some of the most ancient and most beautiful, so I would try to closely review those.

It’s best to follow along with all the prayers, but this will probably be very difficult the first few times you attend (at least, it was for me), so it might be best to silently observe and, of course, participate spiritually as you normally would at the Pauline Mass. If you don’t already know them, you should learn the Gloria and Credo in Latin. Some churches have misalettes available so that you can follow along with the Ordinary.

Other than that, just remember to genuflect during the Credo and the Last Gospel when the incarnation in mentioned.
 
I keep hoping there will be one near me, am I obliged to wear some sort of head covering if I attend one. I am not hat wearer I hate the dumb things
 
redrosetea said:
I keep hoping there will be one near me, am I obliged to wear some sort of head covering if I attend one. I am not hat wearer I hate the dumb things
Click to expand...
Canon Law doesn’t oblige you - it’s a personal devotion these days. I think it’s a great thing when women wear them, but it’s not essential.
 
Hello,

I saw your questions and they resembled mine the first time I attended a TLM. Here are a few quick things that may be different:
  1. Having a missal helps, but most churches supply the little red booklets which work well and are much more descriptive.
  2. A head covering isn’t strictly necessary, though a lot of women will probably be wearing them, depending on the church.
  3. Holy Eucharist is traditionally received kneeling and on the tongue (unless you have a physical disability that prevents you from kneeling). There is no response.
  4. As the poster above noted, you genuflect during the middle of the creed and the last gospel, but this is pretty clearly indicated in the red missals.
Finally, don’t worry if nothing makes sense - especially during a High Mass it can be hard to follow along at first. But have faith - the TLM truly is the most beautiful thing this side of Heaven. 🙂
 
here’s a very short run-down of a few differences, hope it is helpful. The sitting and standing will be a little different - just take cues from others. Also, don’t assume the congregation answers; at some Masses the congregation remains silent.

The priest prays at the foot of the altar as Mass begins.
The priest faces the Tabernacle and occasionally turns towards the people.
Prayer cards and more candles are on the altar. Altar linens are usually larger and more ornate. Mass is offered on the same altar as where the Tabernacle sits [although in most cases these old altars don’t exist in most churches and Mass is offered on the Table.]
The “I Confess” [Confiteor] is always said during Prayers at the Foot of the Altar.
The main Scripture readings consist of one Epistle and Gospel, with the Gradual in between those readings.
During the Creed, genuflect at the words “and was made Man” [et homo factus est].
There are no Intercessory prayers [General intercessions].
The bread and wine are in the Sanctuary. There is no ‘Bringing up of the Gifts” from the back of the church.
Throughout the Mass, the priest makes many signs of the cross, bows, genuflections [16?], making crosses over the altar while praying, kissing the altar, hand gestures and positions, and keeping the forefinger and thumb pressed together after confecting the Eucharist.
Sit through “Pray brethren, that my Sacrifice and yours…” and the response “May the Lord receive the Sacrifice…”

Stand as the Canon begins with the priest’s “Dominus vobiscum.” S. Et cum spiritu tuo.
P. Sursum corda…

Kneel at the Sanctus.
No Proclamation of the Mystery of Faith following the Consecration.
The priest says the Our Father, the response is “But deliver us from evil” [sed libera nos a malo], to which the priest responds “Amen”.
There is no congregational Kiss of Peace. When done, this is reserved for those living in consecrated communities or for those at the altar.
Communicants kneel to receive Communion while the priest moves from person to person.
Communicants receive Communion on the tongue from the hand of the priest.
Communion is always in the form of bread.
Don’t respond with “Amen” just before receiving Communion after the Priest’s “May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ keep your soul unto life everlasting. Amen.” [Corpus Domini Nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen.]
After Communion, the congregation continues to kneel, with the option of sitting after the priest closes the Tabernacle.
Congregation kneels to receive the priest’s Final Blessing.
At the end of the Old Mass, stand to hear the “last Gospel” [the beginning of the Gospel of St. John], genuflecting at “et verbum caro factum est”.
 
I just went to my first TLM today, and it’s going to take some getting used to, but it was awesome. I think TiA’s covered a lot of the differences, so study up on the missal and enjoy 🙂
 
Miles, that’s great! so glad you got to go to the old Mass!👍
 
The missal is going to be confusing if you haven’t been before. (no insult to your intelligence)

I would just go and if you can tolerate the kneeling, kneel when others do. If female, cover your head.

Otherwise, just copy what the other folks are doing.

Oh, and don’t say anything.
Unless there are the Leonine prayers at the very very end and everyone else is saying them, but they will be in Latin and if you don’t already know them . . .then again, say nothing.

👍
GIMJ said:
Hi all! Thanks in advance for answering my questions.

Next Sunday I will be attending my first Tridentine Latin Mass. (I’m very excited! :D) I plan on calling the parish to see if they have any special customs I should be aware of, but as for the basics, I was hoping some of you on CAF could help me out.

I would like to get a missal to help me along, but since this may be a one-time deal, I don’t want to rush out and buy one of the “official” missals…those look expensive. Any good resources you know of?

Any other advice would also be much appreciated. 👍
Click to expand...
 
I also went to my first TLM a few weeks ago and thought it was glorious. I had a fairly easy time with it since I already knew some of the responses and mass parts (Gloria, agnus dei, sanctus), and had watched one on Youtube. The sitting/standing/kneeing was the only part that was a little confusing, but I just followed what everyone else was doing. I’ll have to plan to attend another one - it’s far enough away that I have to ask off work on Sunday in order to have enough travel time.
 
It sounds like learning the TLM is a lot like learning the NO: just do what everybody else is doing until it makes sense! 🙂

I appreciate all of your replies. Dauphin, Extempore and Tina, yours are especially helpful… Thanks!

By the way, Dauphin, I know we sort of butted heads in another thread, and I’m glad I didn’t burn any bridges! I love the traditional worship the Church has hidden away, and I am thrilled at the opportunity to participate in the TLM this week.

I’ll be sure to let you all know how it goes.
 
You’ve been given some great advice above, and I would second all of it.

If I were to make two suggestions though,…I would suggest that you sit somewhere other than the first couple rows,…and try to keep an isle seat.
From just a few rows back, you’ll be able to hear the priest and the responses better, which will allow you to find and keep your place in the little red missal. (Having a few members of the church in front of you will allow you to feel more comfy following their “lead”.)
The isle seat will allow you to see what’s taking place at the alter.

The first time I took my wife, we sat in the back and in the middle,…she could neither hear nor see what was going on. She didn’t like that at all.

The other suggestion would be to not limit yourself to just one visit,…go several times. If you’re like me, several visits should allow you to pick up on a few things you might have missed the first time.
 
i went to my Tridentine Mass before i was confirmed. i probably will maybe go back once more. it was really long. i tried to follow along with the booklet they gave me that was in english and latin. i didn’t bring a head covering with me, but they had a little plastic tub there with head coverings and bobby pins. it is very strict. a lot of kneeling and standing. the priest does most of the work. the congregation participates very little which i didn’t like, but maybe if i would have been brought up that way i would see the beauty in that type of mass. i also attended a latin mass that was in accordance to post Vatican II and i liked that better.
i am glad i got to see what the Tridentine Mass is like, but i couldn’t help but think how hard it must have been to learn all of that in Latin for all of the kids growing up until Vatican II. just sit back and enjoy the experience. i have not been Catholic even a month yet, so in a couple of months i will try the Tridentine Mass again and i think it will have more significance. just be sure to allow 2 to 2 1/2 hours. i left early since i couldn’t take communion anyway. they also kneeled to received the Eucharist.
 
GIMJ said:
Hi all! Thanks in advance for answering my questions.

Next Sunday I will be attending my first Tridentine Latin Mass. (I’m very excited! :D) I plan on calling the parish to see if they have any special customs I should be aware of, but as for the basics, I was hoping some of you on CAF could help me out.

I would like to get a missal to help me along, but since this may be a one-time deal, I don’t want to rush out and buy one of the “official” missals…those look expensive. Any good resources you know of?

Any other advice would also be much appreciated. 👍
Click to expand...
Your first time, if you get lost, treat it like Eucharistic Adoration.

Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you.
 
GIMJ said:
It sounds like learning the TLM is a lot like learning the NO: just do what everybody else is doing until it makes sense! 🙂
Click to expand...
That is an excellent way to look at it. I am a recent convert and my first few visits to the NO mass were clumsy, clumsy, clumsy. I had a better time at the EF because I studied up on it before going, and because the FSSP parish I attend has Latin/English missals that are pretty easy to follow.

Have a joyous OF mass ! 🙂
 
Just a little additional note:

As the posters above mentioned, don’t give up! I’d say that the first 3-5 Masses I attended were completely lost on me, and since I spent the entire time just trying to figure out when to kneel/sit/stand, the whole beauty of the Mass itself was basically lost on me.

Second, definitely sit up front as the earlier poster mentioned. Many of the prayers are said silently but you can usually pick them up if you sit close to the front. It helps with following along.

Finally, one of the biggest myths about the TLM is that you need to know or understand Latin to know what is going on - you don’t! The missal is Latin with the English translation next to it, and after a while you will be able to tell exactly where the priest is so that you could follow along with the whole mass in English if you want.
 
someone on another thread just posted a link to a video on you tube that was a kind of tutorial to the tridentine mass. it was beautiful. feast of the sacred heart. i don’t know if you could find it, but it would give you an idea of how they do it. very formal
and reverent. i think the thread was started by cuddy duck, but i don’t remember the name of the thread. sorry.
 
deborahaz said:
someone on another thread just posted a link to a video on you tube that was a kind of tutorial to the tridentine mass. it was beautiful. feast of the sacred heart. i don’t know if you could find it, but it would give you an idea of how they do it. very formal
and reverent. i think the thread was started by cuddy duck, but i don’t remember the name of the thread. sorry.
Click to expand...
Click here.
It is a solemn high Mass with priest, deacon, and subdeacon.
 
Ok, so I went to the Tridentine Mass today. It was wonderful! I absolutely loved it. 🙂 I just wanted to share a couple of my initial thoughts:

I admit it was hard to follow along, because I wasn’t sitting close enough to hear the priest all the time, but the atmosphere of reverence was remarkable. Receiving communion at the altar rail was a humbling experience. It felt like I was being fed by Christ (which I was, of course!) The priest gave a wonderful homily. Even though I couldn’t follow all of the Latin, I felt like I understood the Mass better than I ever have.

All in all, I feel spiritually well-fed today.
 
glad it was such a wonderful experience for you.

hope you get a chance to attend a second one.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top