The totally blind and the Tridentine Mass

[TBolt1000T]

Yesterday, I had just attended the Novus Ordo Mass, and I wanted to also attend the Tridentine Mass, but I didn’t. The reason is that I’m totally blind, and if noone is sitting next to me to tell me when to stand, neal, etc, I get lost, and I start feeling out of place, because I’m not standing and nealing with the others. This is especially difficult in a low Mass. I feel funny asking this question, but since I can’t see what’s going on, is it ok for me to just sit throughout the Mass, especially if it’s a low Mass? When I used to sing in the Latin Mass choir, this wasn’t even an issue, because I was up in the choir loft, and there wasn’t a lot of room to neal, and noone could see me except for the other choir members and the music director. Now, I want to sit in the middle of the church, and I feel like everyone is looking at me when they’re all standing or nealing, and I’m just sitting there. I got so nervous about this yesterday, that I just listened to the Tridentine Mass from a side chapel. What should I do?

 

[HCC]

Yesterday, I had just attended the Novus Ordo Mass, and I wanted to also attend the Tridentine Mass, but I didn’t. The reason is that I’m totally blind, and if noone is sitting next to me to tell me when to stand, neal, etc, I get lost, and I start feeling out of place, because I’m not standing and nealing with the others. This is especially difficult in a low Mass. I feel funny asking this question, but since I can’t see what’s going on, is it ok for me to just sit throughout the Mass, especially if it’s a low Mass? When I used to sing in the Latin Mass choir, this wasn’t even an issue, because I was up in the choir loft, and there wasn’t a lot of room to neal, and noone could see me except for the other choir members and the music director. Now, I want to sit in the middle of the church, and I feel like everyone is looking at me when they’re all standing or nealing, and I’m just sitting there. I got so nervous about this yesterday, that I just listened to the Tridentine Mass from a side chapel. What should I do?

That is a big YES! Contact Fr Philips, Superior of the Canons Regular of St John Cantius. He might have an idea for you concerning Missals in braille.

canons-regular.org/go/contact/

 

[scylla]

Yes, it is just fine for you to sit…Many people do this, I have seen other people do the same without anyone raising an eyebrow.

God Bless
Scylla

 

[AndrewA]

I wouldn’t think it would be a problem.
Out of curiosity have you tried listening for when people stand?

At any rate don’t worry about others judging you.
Worship God as best as you can.

 

[St_Francis]

If I were at Mass and a blind person sat next to me and asked me to let him or her know when to kneel and stand, I would have no problem doing that. In fact, you might ask one of the ushers, who may know someone in the congregation who would be most helpful, and not put you next to a mother alone with two small children or anything like that. I imagine that TLM attendees are used to “newbies.”

This is actually a good question, because now if I ever am next to a blind person, I will be sure to offer help. It is difficult sometimes to know what a person will have trouble with; when I worked with the deaf, they would drop things and not notice because they didn’t hear it.

 

[Connor_Paradis]

Yesterday, I had just attended the Novus Ordo Mass, and I wanted to also attend the Tridentine Mass, but I didn’t. The reason is that I’m totally blind, and if noone is sitting next to me to tell me when to stand, neal, etc, I get lost, and I start feeling out of place, because I’m not standing and nealing with the others. This is especially difficult in a low Mass. I feel funny asking this question, but since I can’t see what’s going on, is it ok for me to just sit throughout the Mass, especially if it’s a low Mass? When I used to sing in the Latin Mass choir, this wasn’t even an issue, because I was up in the choir loft, and there wasn’t a lot of room to neal, and noone could see me except for the other choir members and the music director. Now, I want to sit in the middle of the church, and I feel like everyone is looking at me when they’re all standing or nealing, and I’m just sitting there. I got so nervous about this yesterday, that I just listened to the Tridentine Mass from a side chapel. What should I do?

wow that is tough my brother, my prayers are with you. as far as kneeling and standing goes, my best advise would be to just trust that you fellow brothers and sisters in attendence would not be judgmental, and you to not feel like people are judging you (easier said than done i know) but you do know to stand right after the homily for the credo and kneel right after aspergies.

and also dont take this the wrong way, but if your blind, how do you use the computer, do you have a speach thingy that tells you what is on the screen? or does someone just standing next to you when your on the computer telling you what to do? i’m just curious and am not trying to be rude or uncharitable

 

[Bluegoat]

I always assume is someone is sitting, there is a good reason. I have a small baby at the moment, so I sometimes end up sitting when other people stand, and it is pretty hard to kneel at all. I am still involved in the prayers and so on though, even if it doesn’t look like it to others. If they are being judgmental, that says more about them than me.

 

[mackk]

I hope this isn’t forward but my mom was blind as well. I’m not certain how sensitive you are.
but have you tried reaching your foot forward and resting it on the kneeing bar? it should vibrate a good bit when the other folks lower there’s and then you would at least know when they are kneeling.
I hope it helps. I know that independence is always the goal.
Thank you for bringing this up though. I am accustomed to coming up with ways for mom to know what was going on maybe I can come up with something better …

 

[JReducation]

The rules governing posture are not rigidly applied to senior citizens, people with health problems or people living with disabilities. This is across the board in all of the Catholic Churches, all the rites and all of the forms. The important thing is to participate in the liturgy with one’s whole heart and mind.

I know an FSSP priest who has CP. He cannot kneel or stand. He sits on a stool while at the altar and at the communion station. The Church is a merciful mother.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Marie5890]

The rules governing posture are not rigidly applied to senior citizens, people with health problems or people living with disabilities. This is across the board in all of the Catholic Churches, all the rites and all of the forms. The important thing is to participate in the liturgy with one’s whole heart and mind.

I know an FSSP priest who has CP. He cannot kneel or stand. He sits on a stool while at the altar and at the communion station. The Church is a merciful mother.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

THANKS be to God.

 

[laszlo]

In the good old times (before 1970) we just knelled all time, except standing for the Gospel’s reading and if there was sermon, sitting tor the sermon. Old people were sitting, except for the consecration. This was so even in the seminary.

In my standard in the US people make too much motion on the TLM, and concentrate on the postures instead of the Mass.

 

[TBolt1000T]

Thanks for all the responses! It really makes me feel better about attending the Tridentine Mass, even if I can’t find anyone to sit next to me to tell me what to do and when to do it. For the most part, I’ve found that Catholics don’t tend to be as judgmental as some other Christians, but I was still feeling a bit uncomfortable because I wasn’t able to do what everyone else was doing.

First of all, to the person who wanted to know how I operate the computer, I have screen reading software, which speaks the contents of the screen.

Concerning braille missals, those wouldn’t do much good in a low Mass, because nothing is sung except for the processional and recessional hymns, and the Offertory and Communion anthems. In a normal high Mass, I can hear the priest chant, followed sometimes by the choir’s response, but in a low Mass, everything is spoken softly, and it’s extremely hard to hear, and very difficult to follow, even though I know a little bit of Latin.

In the perish I go to, the sound of people standing and the sound of them nealing is exactly the same, I guess because it’s a huge church with a lot of echo, and a lot of people attend the Masses. I’ve been to a Latin Novus Ordo at the same perish, and I could follow it, because microphones were used, and I could hear everything that was being said. If they used microphones at the Tridentine Mass, it would be much easier for me to follow, especially at a low Mass.

 

[ProVobis]

In the perish I go to, the sound of people standing and the sound of them nealing is exactly the same, I guess because it’s a huge church with a lot of echo, and a lot of people attend the Masses. I’ve been to a Latin Novus Ordo at the same perish, and I could follow it, because microphones were used, and I could hear everything that was being said. If they used microphones at the Tridentine Mass, it would be much easier for me to follow, especially at a low Mass.

Actually this is a beautiful testimonial to the Latin Mass, albeit it is the OF. At the parishes I’ve attended which do have the EF Low Mass, I find sitting up front makes the Mass more audible, but you’re right, there are times especially during the canon where this can become a problem, though the low-tone is part of the rubrics. Maybe in the future priests will be instructed to increase the decibel level a bit, I don’t know. In the meantime do the best you can and keep the faith.