Spanish mass English speaker

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rudolph
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Rudolph

Guest
I live in Georgia and most Catholics here are Hispanic. I’m an english speaker. Tomorrow I have to be at a Father’s day event at 10:30. The only mass I can attend is at 8:00 in spanish. Any tips to not look out of place?
 
I wouldn’t worry about it. You won’t be able to do the responses and such, but I can’t imagine anybody giving you a hard time. Don’t sweat it.
 
Yes, and I know almost zero Spanish. Just wasn’t a problem. You’re Catholic, they’re Catholic. Occasionally my daughter would have to attend the afternoon Spanish Mass. She was the only blonde in the church. Didn’t bother her either.
 
If it like our area plan on it being a little longer, 10 minutes or so, a little more expressive, and lively music. I’ve been to a few and it is different. I know very little Spanish so I struggle following along too. Just enjoy.
 
While we have a quickly growing number of Hispanic Catholics in Georgia, it certainly would be inaccurate to categorically state that “most Catholics here are Hispanic.”
 
If they’re anything like the Hispanics at my local Spanish Masses, they won’t care.

At the sign of peace, say La Paz.
When you receive Communion, try to do like everybody else is doing because sometimes everybody at a Spanish Mass is receiving on the tongue.

Expect lots of music and a longer homily.

(I’m very visibly white non-Hispanic and I go a few times a month because they have the only evening daily Mass around here.)
 
Last edited:
I’ve attended many Spanish Masses. It’s okay to clap to the music, say “gracias” and “la paz” at the exchange of peace. They seem to be very devout. If you know a little Latin you probably can follow the prayers. The readings and sermon you’ll just have to follow the tone. I hope you enjoy.
 
Last edited:
You won’t look out of place at all. We are joyfully an international body of Christ and it doesn’t matter in the least if you don’t understand a word spoken. Bring an English translation but usually they have the Missal in English and Spanish.
I have been to many Spanish masses and I just enjoy the music and also go there to Adore the Lord. Mass it mass.
 
One time my husband asked me why I returned home so soon, I told him the people at the front told me this was a Korean Mass (I asked them if the Mass started) and he said “You should have told them Mass is Universal and you should have stayed”. Ouch! We have a hard time with making it to Mass because of his work schedule so I guess he felt bad I just left.I never thought of it that way. Weeks later because of his work schedule he had to attend a Korean Mass and he didn’t talk much about it except that he wanted to receive the Lord. That’s what Jesus sees anyway, your desire to be with Him. Forget about everyone else! God bless!
 
Last edited:
I have attended a handful of Spanish Masses.
I know Spanish though, but it is still overwhelming because they speak so quickly.
You should still be able to follow along and
recognize which part of the Mass they are at.
I would read your readings beforehand in English because the readings and homily will
also be in Spanish.

You will be fine. Just relax and observe and worship Jesus and pray to him the same way
you always do.
 
I don’t know if this applies to Spanish Masses in the US, but when I was living in the Dominican, the Sign of Peace was a lively drawn out affair where people flittered between pews to hug and kiss while saying “La Paz”. And the announcements at the end of Mass sometimes went on for 15-20 minutes. 😜

Definitely longer on the whole compared to the typical English Mass. A priest told me that the Cardinal’s Easter Vigil Mass went on until 5 AM one year.
 
Last edited:
I do this pretty regularly, OP. It’s fine. You’ll problably be surprised actually how easy it is to follow along. And I tend to say the prayers and responses in english quietly to myself as the rest of the congragation is speaking it more loudly in spanish of course.
God bless.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
When you receive Communion, try to do like everybody else is doing because sometimes everybody at a Spanish Mass is receiving on the tongue.
Click to expand...
If you are in Georgia (USA – Dunno about Asia) and all other things being equal there is no reason that the decision to receive in the hand or on the tongue does not rest with the communicant.
 
When I was a child hearing how my father went into a church to pray and they threw him out because he was the wrong race.
 
Yes, I have no doubt that could happen. The reality of the mortal sin of bigotry somehow skips the minds of some so called Christians. My first experience of bigotry as a child,who loved her neighbors who were Jewish, was hearing some, SOME, (have to repeat that word) Catholics say derogatory statements. To this day I still hear Ding Bats speak that way. Ignorance is far from bliss. It’s all over, they had the French church, in New England which was just for the French from what my relatives said. True bigots, if they don’t seek God’s mercy, might find their group all fighting together at the end of their lives…in hell.
 
Last edited:
You shouldn’t have deleted your post. It is true that at one time the Latin Mass was familiar to all Catholics in the Roman Rite and only the sermon might have been the divisive factor.
 
In those days the Catholic leadership were willing participants in the segregation.
 
poche said:
In those days the Catholic leadership were willing participants in the segregation.
Click to expand...
Not all. There were plenty of clergy and leadership who opposed segregation, and the Catholic Church was also one of the first, if not the first, church to perform racially mixed marriages.

I grant that individual priests, individual Bishops, etc may have behaved in a non-Christlike way when it came to segregation. The story of Venerable Fr. Augustine Tolton shows this; the white priests were jealous of his preaching ability and didn’t want him preaching to whites, so he had to be moved somewhere else to get away from them. Thankfully, those days seem to be gone.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top