Questions about attending a Mass

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Cor_ad_Cor said:
why not just attend your first Mass and soak it all in rather than trying to follow everything? You might find more value there.
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I second this. When The (Protestant) Husband came with me to his first EF Mass he became so flustered trying to follow along in the missal that he nearly walked out. I suggested he put the missal down and just let the liturgy penetrate. He was far more relaxed thereafter, and later told me that he’d liked it very much.

That Mass was the Easter Vigil, BTW. I probably should have chosen a less toothsome introduction to the EF… 😊
 
You will see similarities for sure and be able to trace our roots to your tradition. The consecration is a reenactment of the Last Supper, which is similar to (but not exactly like) a Passover Seder. There will be reading from our Old Testament (the Tanakh) and probably a Psalm too.
 
I may try a bit of both. I’ll try to follow in the Missal but gladly put it down if I get lost. I’m there to take it all in, not write a thesis about it! I just want some printed material that I can review ahead of time more than during the service itself. It will hopefully give me an overall feel on what to expect and when to expect it. I’ve studied Catholicism enough to understand what most of the parts mean. I mostly just want to enjoy myself and I won’t berate myself if I get lost here and there. It’s kind of like exploring a new city. Getting lost is sometimes the best way to experience it and find those little nuggets you’d never find otherwise.
 
Is an EF (extraordinary form) mass a standard mass like the SaturdayNight/Sunday mass?
 
One of the things I found very cool when I went to a Shabbat service was that they prayed the berakah. We have the same prayer during the Mass, though the choir is usually singing at that point so you don’t actually hear it. “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer…”
 
In Polish Catholic Churches there are missals with both Polish and the translation. If the predominantly Spanish church does not have a similar missal, I would speak to the priest and bring up this point.

I have a priest contact at a Polish church if need be, send me a message if this is a problem.
 
Yes, it’s in English. Though you usually won’t hear it said out loud at a Sunday Mass. The choir is singing so the priest says the prayer quietly. You’d be more likely to hear it at a weekday Mass without singing.
 
Since I have a choice of 3 churches and only one is Spanish only, I figure I’ll take turns and just check out the 2 English speaking ones. It should allow me to get a flavor for each of those 2 without having to be completely clueless trying to remember my poor Spanish 😃. I can actually struggle through Spanish better in written form than I can just hearing it. I do have to add that the service being in English rather than Latin is a huge improvement for what I am doing. The Mass I went to in my younger days was completely wasted on me.
 
CatholicChristian said:
Is an EF (extraordinary form) mass a standard mass like the SaturdayNight/Sunday mass?
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If you’re asking if the Order of the Mass in the EF on a given Sunday is the same as the Order of the Mass in the OF on a given Sunday, the answer is no. The OF Mass is not simply the EF Mass celebrated in the vernacular, nor is the EF Mass just an OF Mass in Latin.

I may, however, have misunderstood your question. 🤔
 
UpUpAndAway said:
If you’re asking if the Order of the Mass in the EF on a given Sunday is the same as the Order of the Mass in the OF on a given Sunday, the answer is no. The OF Mass is not simply the EF Mass celebrated in the vernacular, nor is the EF Mass just an OF Mass in Latin.

I may, however, have misunderstood your question. 🤔
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Thank you for the response. To clarify, I have not yet been to a mass and was asking what the difference is between an EF mass and an OF mass. I couldn’t easily find a clear answer to this other than EF means extraordinary form. Should I (or OP) prefer one over the other for a first mass? I asked because someone in this thread meantioned EF mass and I hadn’t heard of it yet.
(Not trying to hijack the thread, I feel it’s related enough to not make a new post. Correct me if wrong.)
 
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If they don’t have a Mass card, there should also be an Order of the Mass section in the hymnal.
 
One thing to be aware of, there is a lot of “Catholic Calisthenics.” We stand, we sit, we kneel, etc. Just follow what everyone else does.

There are some prayers that most people know by heart. The Creed is one of them. The parish will likely use either the Apostle’s Creed or the Nicene Creed. It might help to have these pulled up on your phone as they are long and hard to memorize. Sometimes you can also find these in the hymnal too.
 
Oceans of ink have been used to expound on the differences between the two Rites, so yes, @CatholicChristian, in my opinion the topic deserves its own thread. You could begin with this article, but it assumes some familiarity with the OF so I’m not sure how helpful it will be to you.


One question I will answer:
CatholicChristian said:
Should I (or OP) prefer one over the other for a first mass?
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If you have never attended a Catholic Mass in any rite, you may find the OF easier to follow because the vast majority of OF Masses are offered in the vernacular so at least you will be able to understand what is being said. This is not to say that the EF is totally inaccessible to a first-time Mass attendee, but unfamiliarity with the Order of the Mass will be compounded by not understanding the text of the liturgy unless you happen to speak ecclesial Latin.

While most people who attend Mass do prefer one form over the other, neither is objectively “better” than the other.
 
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I love calling it calisthenics! In Orthodox Judaism there is a lot of standing and sitting (no kneeling, though) and then we add in rocking while standing. One of my fondest memories is watching from the balcony (separate seating for men and women) looking down on the men standing, rocking and praying out loud with no attempt to do so in unison! Since they all knew the prayers by heart, they all spoke at their own pace and the Rabbi just waited until all were finished before going on. I alway envisioned an outsider trying to make sense of any of it.😹
 
I was fortunate to get invited to a friend’s bat mitzva. I don’t remember a whole lot of it, but was impressed with the sincerity and beauty of it.
 
TC3033 said:
You don’t have to kneel if you don’t feel comfortable. I don’t kneel when going to Mass with my family, I just slide forward in the pew a bit to give the person behind me room.
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Good advice. Trying to kneel when the person in front of you is leaning all the way back in their pew puts your face right in their hair.
 
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