Question about TLM parishes in the S. U.S

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lisa44
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lisa44

Guest
Hi,
Here the population is about 50% hispanic. Yet, there are only white people at the TLM.

Has anyone else from a racially mixed community experienced this?

I always assume nowadays that racism is a thing of the past but the parish is not reflecting the community and I have to ask why is that?
 
Lisa44 said:
Hi,
Here the population is about 50% hispanic. Yet, there are only white people at the TLM.

Has anyone else from a racially mixed community experienced this?

I always assume nowadays that racism is a thing of the past but the parish is not reflecting the community and I have to ask why is that?
Click to expand...
It probably has nothing to do with racism. Have you ever been to a Hispanic liturgy? If you have you know that music is very important as is lots of movement, singing and very much participation. Quite unlike the pre-Vat II Mass. That is more likely the reason you are not seeing too many Hispanics.
 
Joannm said:
It probably has nothing to do with racism. Have you ever been to a Hispanic liturgy? If you have you know that music is very important as is lots of movement, singing and very much participation. Quite unlike the pre-Vat II Mass. That is more likely the reason you are not seeing too many Hispanics.
Click to expand...
Hi Joannm
Yes, it could be the music that is allienating them.🙂 Its starting to allienate me also insofar as all music is equally annoying to me in the Mass for the reason that it interfers with prayer. However, if I am to think of the Mass as an entertaining performance then I’d have to say that classical Mexcian guitar is far more enjoyable than organ music (groan).

What is a “Hispanic liturgy”? Do you mean the NO Mass in spanish? The NO Mass in spanish is exactly the same as the NO Mass in English, just a different language.
 
bpbasilphx said:
I always thought Hispanics WERE white!
Click to expand...
Its starting to allienate me also insofar as all music is equally annoying to me in the Mass for the reason that it interfers with prayer.

**St. Augustine disagrees with you. “He who sings prays twice.”

The tradition of the Church disagrees with you, as ideally in all rites, the prayers and readings are supposed to be intoned or chanted.

The Eucharistic Sacrifice is not supposed to be an opportunity for you to say your private prayers.**
 
bpbasilphx said:
Its starting to allienate me also insofar as all music is equally annoying to me in the Mass for the reason that it interfers with prayer.

**St. Augustine disagrees with you. “He who sings prays twice.”

The tradition of the Church disagrees with you, as ideally in all rites, the prayers and readings are supposed to be intoned or chanted.**
Click to expand...
Hello Bpbasilphx
Ok there, lets try and stay on topic ok. Why don’t you start by telling me what the TLM parish is like in your S. U.S. city? Are there Hispanics attending?
 
bpbasilphx said:
The Eucharistic Sacrifice is not supposed to be an opportunity for you to say your private prayers.
Click to expand...
Gosh, I’m sorry, I missed that line. I didn’t want to return your rudeness as it is not Christian to be rude.
Anyways, the TLM I attend suggests in the missal that we “pray the Mass” along with the Priest. I commented that I found this difficult to do with music playing.

Now, there will be no more rude comments from you on my thread. Ok.
The thread is about why I cannot find any hispanics in the TLM here.
Thanks.
 
We have folks come who are Hispanic-probably tourists, though.We do have a lady from South America in our schola & have folks who are Asian that come to Latin Mass on a regular basis.
We’ve also had the local head of the NAACP attend.
 
I can only speak for San Diego, but the ethnic breakdown there includes a good number of Hispanics, more than a few Asians, whites and blacks. One of the Priests there is African American or at least there used to be. I haven’t been there in a while.

I would imagine that the reason you don’t have many hispanics is that they probably don’t know about it. Most Dioceses tend to be very hush hush about the availability of the Traditional Masses, even in areas that have historically supported them, such as San Diego. Also, in many predominately hispanic parishes the theology tends to be very much on the progresive end and traditional ideas and practices are not really encouraged by the priests and power structure within the parish. Again, that is based on my experiences in San Diego as well as in Mexico.
 
I’m certainly not in the south, but there’s a large Spanish-speaking community (from various places) in these parts, so it’s not totally off-topic.

Anyway, the EF at the parish I attend gets an interesting mix of people. Caucasians, blacks (mainly, but not exclusively, West Indian), plus goodly a number of Spanish-speakers. The age mix transcends ethnicity: some are of the over-70 crowd but a lot of the under-45 crowd as well. Some in between, and a very encouraging representation of the under-30s.

Whereas the OF is culturally and linguistically sensitive, the EF is not. People who attend do so because of desire and interest. Whether they are native speakers of English, Spanish, German, Mongolian, or whatever, or whether their musical tastes tend to Hard Rock, Salsa, Sheshmakam, or whatever, doesn’t have anything to do with it. They go to pray.
 
Thank you all for the knowledge that in other areas the TLM parishes are mixed. That does make me feel better although this parish is old and I don’t see why Hispanics have not come to it.
I wanted to go to a TLM and so my husband has graciously attended with me. The last time we were there though (and I feel bad for him being the only hispanic there) I had some bad experiences. I didn’t really want to talk about my experiences. It makes me upset. Anyways, one lady gave my husband a dirty look and when the Mass was over and it came time to exit, the man next to my husband refused to move so that we could exit the pew.

It was just really awful it makes me feel sick to my stomach and I just will not return to this church because it just makes me ill. I could never put my husband in that position again. Perhaps I should just tell the Priest and tell him why I won’t return.

Peace to all and thanks for reassuring me.🙂
 
Lisa44 said:
Thank you all for the knowledge that in other areas the TLM parishes are mixed. That does make me feel better although this parish is old and I don’t see why Hispanics have not come to it.
I wanted to go to a TLM and so my husband has graciously attended with me. The last time we were there though (and I feel bad for him being the only hispanic there) I had some bad experiences. I didn’t really want to talk about my experiences. It makes me upset. Anyways, one lady gave my husband a dirty look and when the Mass was over and it came time to exit, the man next to my husband refused to move so that we could exit the pew.

It was just really awful it makes me feel sick to my stomach and I just will not return to this church because it just makes me ill. I could never put my husband in that position again. Perhaps I should just tell the Priest and tell him why I won’t return.
Click to expand...
That’s interesting, and it gives rise to a question: is this an EF-only parish, or does it do the OF too? If the latter, does it include any Spanish-language services? If so, maybe the attitude you described has given the EF in that parish a negative reputation.

If not, or if the parish is EF only, it could that people are unaware that the EF is offered there. Or again it could be the attitude.

Speaking of that attitude, I wonder how those people would feel if they went to the EF in, say, Mexico? Or Argentina? Or Brazil? Or the Philippines? Then again, they probably wouldn’t be in any of those places anyway. Too “foreign” for some people. :eek:

In any case, you’ve nothing to lose to mention it to the priest. His response might give you a better insight into the entire situation.
 
malphono said:
That’s interesting, and it gives rise to a question: is this an EF-only parish, or does it do the OF too? If the latter, does it include any Spanish-language services? If so, maybe the attitude you described has given the EF in that parish a negative reputation.

If not, or if the parish is EF only, it could that people are unaware that the EF is offered there. Or again it could be the attitude.

Speaking of that attitude, I wonder how those people would feel if they went to the EF in, say, Mexico? Or Argentina? Or Brazil? Or the Philippines? Then again, they probably wouldn’t be in any of those places anyway. Too “foreign” for some people. :eek:

In any case, you’ve nothing to lose to mention it to the priest. His response might give you a better insight into the entire situation.
Click to expand...
Hi, it is an EF-only parish. It’s an institute of Christ the King. If that means anything to you.
I’m a bit gun-shy of Priests. In that I’m a new convert and, Ive had a Priest be rude to me before and I’ve had a Priest tell me not to ask questions and so forth.
Anyways, I’ll ask the Priest there if Hispanics are welcomed. Maybe I’ll say that we didn’t feel that welcome or something to that effect and see what he says. Either way, he is not going to come out and say no, they’re not welcome so I’m not sure what good asking will do. Besides, he might not even be aware of some of his parishoners attitudes.
Even so, I should tell him how we felt because I’ve heard other Priests in another parish admonish people for racism. Maybe this Priest needs to give a similar homily.
 
Lisa44 said:
Hi,
Here the population is about 50% hispanic. Yet, there are only white people at the TLM.

Has anyone else from a racially mixed community experienced this?

I always assume nowadays that racism is a thing of the past but the parish is not reflecting the community and I have to ask why is that?
Click to expand...
St. Robert Bellarmine in Miami (Diocesan “Indult” Mass for the last almost 20 years, I think) is pretty evenly mixed Spanish and Anglo. Most of the common prayers outside of the context of the Mass (the Rosary, etc) are prayed in Latin, the common language of the Church.
 
Could it be an - Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest- thingy?
Maybe I should be asking other members of this group if their parishes are racially mixed in neighbourhoods that are racially mixed?
Actually here, Hispanics are 95% Catholic and Whites are probably ? I’m guessing - 15% Catholic?
Its quite a thing to have no Hispanics in this parish. How did they accomplish that?
Being rude to Hispanics would certainly accomplish that. I’m not sure how else they could exclude such a majority? The music as a poster pointed out could be a factor no doubt. But I don’t think it could be that much of a force. Not all Hispanics like spanish music anyways, my husband for one won’t let me tune the radio to it without revolting.

I’m not trying to build a case against this parish, its just that now I’m really curious the more I think about it. It doesn’t really add up to a coincidence.
 
Lisa, just curious - how are you sure the reception your husband received was because he is hispanic?
 
Lisa44 said:
Could it be an - Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest- thingy?
…
I’m not trying to build a case against this parish, its just that now I’m really curious the more I think about it. It doesn’t really add up to a coincidence.
Click to expand...
I really doubt that it has anything to do with the ICRSS. It’s an international society with a very good reputation, and that sort of thing just doesn’t seem to fit. To me, it still sounds like it might be an attitude problem on the part of some of the attendees.
Lisa44 said:
… Besides, he might not even be aware of some of his parishoners attitudes.
Even so, I should tell him how we felt because I’ve heard other Priests in another parish admonish people for racism. Maybe this Priest needs to give a similar homily.
Click to expand...
Yes, it might be easiest to just tell the priest how you feel. When you do speak with him, please let us know the response.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top