Prior to Vatican II were the Gospel readings and Homily in Latin?

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Where I lived the Gospel was read at the altar in Latin, then repeated in English from the pulpit. The sermon / homily was in English - except of course in ethnic parishes where usually at least at one Mass, and perhaps several, the appropriate vernacular language was used, not English.
 
The Gospel was read in Latin and then re-read in English as part of the Sermon. The Sermon was in English.

NOTE: before Vatican II, there were more Sermons because Homilies were not the direction of the liturgy. The Homily is primarily based on the readings of that day, a Sermon isn’t.
 
phil19034 said:
The Gospel was read in Latin and then re-read in English as part of the Sermon. The Sermon was in English.

NOTE: before Vatican II, there were more Sermons because Homilies were not the direction of the liturgy. The Homily is primarily based on the readings of that day, a Sermon isn’t.
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And then there is the third option – expanded announcements or a plea for money to fix the school roof. But that’s another issue :rolleyes:
 
Note that the reading of the gospel (and in some places, also the epistle) after the Latin liturgical proclamation was a feature of Sunday and holy day Masses that had a sermon. It was usually not done at weekday Masses. This is still the case in many EF communities today.
 
phil19034 said:
The Gospel was read in Latin and then re-read in English as part of the Sermon. The Sermon was in English.

NOTE: before Vatican II, there were more Sermons because Homilies were not the direction of the liturgy. The Homily is primarily based on the readings of that day, a Sermon isn’t.
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I don’t remember the Gospel in Latin unless it was read not facing the people .
I believe the epistle was also in English
I remember when I was married in 1965 only my bride and I were allowed the cup.
That’s the first time in my life partaking .
 
gus said:
I don’t remember the Gospel in Latin unless it was read not facing the people .
I believe the epistle was also in English
I remember when I was married in 1965 only my bride and I were allowed the cup.
That’s the first time in my life partaking .
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In my experience the Latin Gospel was read facing the altar (liturgical East), not the people.
 
Tarpeian_Rock said:
In my experience the Latin Gospel was read facing the altar (liturgical East), not the people.
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Actually the Latin Gospel is read or sung facing liturgical north. It had something to do with addressing the barbarians coming from that direction.
 
ProVobis said:
Actually the Latin Gospel is read or sung facing liturgical north. It had something to do with addressing the barbarians coming from that direction.
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That only applied to the Last Gospel. It was said at the edge of the gospel side of the altar (which would be the altar’s northern edge, if the altar is actually facing east) and it was read from the altar card that was at the end of the lineup (if the priest were so young that he needed the altar card; I could still do it from memory). It was given the symbolic meaning of a proclamation of the gospel to the Septentrion.

I always wanted to ask one of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate what they did in the Arctic Circle since the Visigoths were actually south of them. Of course the question is rhetorical as we know what the answer would have been but those questions always start the best clerical conversations.

Otherwise, the Gospel was read from the missal, standing at the right hand of Jesus, facing the apse…east, if the church/chapel was so oriented. Few were in my place and in my era.

My first experience of Mass facing east was actually in a parish where the altar after the Council did face east…the old high altar behind it was facing west because that was how the parish church had to be constructed. It was not something I considered that remarkable then or now.

And we did not speak of “liturgical east” in those days…the altar was built oriented toward the apse of the church/chapel and away from the congregation, whatever the point on the compass was, until after the Council when happily, it changed.
 
gus said:
I don’t remember the Gospel in Latin unless it was read not facing the people .
I believe the epistle was also in English
I remember when I was married in 1965 only my bride and I were allowed the cup.
That’s the first time in my life partaking .
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I could not answer the question for you since the transition had begun in 1965. It depends upon where you were, how advanced your bishop was, and what part of 1965.

It is very possible that the readings were not in Latin at your wedding, since the readings in Latin were the first to be discarded by provision of number 36 of Sacrosanctum Concilium – and a wedding would have been a priority for that since there would be a greater likelihood of non-Catholics being present.

I can tell you that you and your bride receiving from the cup was because of your bishop’s implementation of the provision that accommodated that in Sacrosanctum Concilium.
 
Don_Ruggero said:
That only applied to the Last Gospel. It was said at the edge of the gospel side of the altar (which would be the altar’s northern edge, if the altar is actually facing east) and it was read from the altar card that was at the end of the lineup (if the priest were so young that he needed the altar card; I could still do it from memory). It was given the symbolic meaning of a proclamation of the gospel to the Septentrion.

I always wanted to ask one of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate what they did in the Arctic Circle since the Visigoths were actually south of them. Of course the question is rhetorical as we know what the answer would have been but those questions always start the best clerical conversations.

Otherwise, the Gospel was read from the missal, standing at the right hand of Jesus, facing the apse…east, if the church/chapel was so oriented. Few were in my place and in my era.
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Actually, the gospel of the day and the last gospel are read in the exact same spot. The only difference is that the priest reads the proper gospel from the missal, whereas the last gospel is read from the altar card.
 
Chatter163 said:
Actually, the gospel of the day and the last gospel are read in the exact same spot. The only difference is that the priest reads the proper gospel from the missal, whereas the last gospel is read from the altar card.
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Not the way we did it in my diocese.
 
Why is it so complicated to say “Thank you, Rather, for your information.”?
Why do people on this forum continually have to find fault in everything, and correct people who are not only much more knowledgeable but ACTUALLY HAVE CELEBRATED the Mass we are talking about?!

We are lucky that we have members of the clergy here to help us in our understanding, although, who knows for how much longer. If I were a priest or deacon, I have a feeling I would have discontinued my membership on this forum long ago.
Chatter163 said:
Please look at the gospel and last gospel pictures here. How was it different in your diocese, prior to 1965?
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Who found fault? I simply shared the pictures that match the typical EF practice and asked what differences might have existed in his time and place. As a liturgical student and longtime MC at an FSSP parish, I was curious. Not sure where you think there was fault-finding.
 
Chatter163 said:
Who found fault? I simply shared the pictures that match the typical EF practice and asked what differences might have existed in his time and place. As a liturgical student and longtime MC at an FSSP parish, I was curious. Not sure where you think there was fault-finding.
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You might not have provoked the reaction you did, had you specified with your question that you were a liturgical student.

In any event, I am happy enough in the circumstance to satisfy your curiosity.

Here is a photo. Please note that it is not an altar where I celebrated the vetus ordo Mass but it depicts well enough the proportions and also allows me to explain the relative placements, which match how the altar was arranged when I read the indult Mass.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

Looking at the Gospel side of the altar, the missal, for the proclamation of the Gospel, would have been placed in front of the High Mass middle candle by the altar server.

This photo reproduces well where I placed the Last Gospel altar card. Personally, I did not need to read it from the card but I said it standing at the very end of the altar and directly in front of the card…in other words, a half-step to a full-step to the left from where I had proclaimed the Gospel.

(I will add that where the missal is shown on the Epistle Side is some four or five inches further to the right from where I would have had it.)

When the indult Mass was entrusted to me, after the petition to the bishop, I arranged the altar cards in the same arrangement that had been used some twenty years before.
 
Oneofthewomen said:
Why is it so complicated to say “Thank you, Rather, for your information.”?
Why do people on this forum continually have to find fault in everything, and correct people who are not only much more knowledgeable but ACTUALLY HAVE CELEBRATED the Mass we are talking about?!

We are lucky that we have members of the clergy here to help us in our understanding, although, who knows for how much longer. If I were a priest or deacon, I have a feeling I would have discontinued my membership on this forum long ago.
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Thank you.

I sincerely appreciate this kind intervention.

As for your last comment…I will admit that I miss in this forum the prerogative that was mine in the lecture hall to rebuke unto silence, or banishment, an impertinent auditor. It rarely needed to be invoked since, when it was used, it had a profoundly dire consequence for the future prospects of the one rebuked, as the rebuke was reported to the rector, the vocation director, and the bishop…and initiated a process of re-evaluation.
 
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