TLM, FSSP Question

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El_PAso

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Hi,

I have been attending daily TLM at an FSSP parish since August and enjoy it for the most part. Today was a feria and the priest neglected to tell us the votive Mass so left clueless as to the lesson.

This brings to mind what I miss about OF Mass is a homily! I had gone to other Latin Masses years ago and recall homilies but they may have been Sundays.

We do get a homily on major Feasts such as yesterday Immaculate Conception but over all feel almost neglected. Doesn’t have to be much, a good priest can say a lot in a few minutes.

Often the priest will quickly state the votive Mass and not give us a chance to get on the same page. I know we are supposed to be praying along with the priest so having us know exactly seems very important. What good is it to even read the Epistle and Gospel if no one can understand it? This is a new parish and few if any have a great handle on latin yet.

In all honesty it seems the FSSP has little regard for the congregation, not in a bad way per se, but I can feel the need for a little more to feel fully part of sometimes. I assume this is just the tradition but I can see what caused V2. (although I think they blew that with the Liturgy, could have just turned the priest around and made more in English/native language and done.)

Any way is the the common way for TLM and FSSP world wide?

Thanks,

EP
 
Funny at my FSSP, parish, parishioners always talk about how they have never felt so well taken care of by the Priests, unlike in the Diocesan churches.
🤷
 
Psalitte said:
Funny at my FSSP, parish, parishioners always talk about how they have never felt so well taken care of by the Priests, unlike in the Diocesan churches.
🤷
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I should clarify. I refer to the Mass. Extra-cirricular events and lectures they are quite amazing.

But to neglect to tell us which Mass happens a lot.

Today for instance, I have no clue as to what the Mass was. It was not the suggested Votive Mass and the bulletin had no indication other than Feria.

I was more just wondering if this is how it goes at TLM’s every where.

I very much love my priests and despite my lack of understanding am very appreciative of them and pray for them daily.

I am blessed to have FSSP nearby!

Sorry to sound too critical.

EP
 
I think it depends on where you are.

Everything in life has pros and cons.

If you have great Diocesan priests, who are very orthodox and great at teaching, pastoral issues, etc… with a dynamic parish with lots of devotional and social opportunities; then the FSSP parish might feel “cold.”

But if you have a parish with a pastor who means well, but wasn’t properly formed and a parish filled with some liturgical abuse and little to no devotional opportunities, then the FSSP is going to feel like a breath of fresh air.

Personally, I think the best parishes are the diocesan parishes which are orthodox and offer lots of devotionals plus the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Parishes like these help reach the parishioners where they are.
 
El_PAso said:
…
But to neglect to tell us which Mass happens a lot.

Today for instance, I have no clue as to what the Mass was. It was not the suggested Votive Mass and the bulletin had no indication other than Feria.

I was more just wondering if this is how it goes at TLM’s every where.

…
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Hello,

No, it doesn’t happen everywhere or all the time. There certainly is no rule that says they can’t tell you what Mass they will be saying. So, I’d recommend considering telling the priest of your desires on this matter.

Dan
 
Feria is Latin for weekday. If it is a feria Mass, then the Mass is that of the Sunday.
 
El_PAso said:
This brings to mind what I miss about OF Mass is a homily! I had gone to other Latin Masses years ago and recall homilies but they may have been Sundays.
Click to expand...
There is no obligation to have a homily at a weekday OF mass.
 
phil19034 said:
Correct, no obligation. But most Bishops (at least in the United States) encourage daily homilies.
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In Canada it’s variable. Our abbey does not do homilies during the week except at major solemnities, holy week, etc. On the other hand St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal always had very brief (1-2 sentence) homilies at daily Mass that were usually pretty sharp and always left you with a “take-away” to ruminate about for the rest of the day.
 
El_PAso said:
Hi,

I have been attending daily TLM at an FSSP parish since August and enjoy it for the most part. Today was a feria and the priest neglected to tell us the votive Mass so left clueless as to the lesson.

This brings to mind what I miss about OF Mass is a homily! I had gone to other Latin Masses years ago and recall homilies but they may have been Sundays.

We do get a homily on major Feasts such as yesterday Immaculate Conception but over all feel almost neglected. Doesn’t have to be much, a good priest can say a lot in a few minutes.

Often the priest will quickly state the votive Mass and not give us a chance to get on the same page. I know we are supposed to be praying along with the priest so having us know exactly seems very important. What good is it to even read the Epistle and Gospel if no one can understand it? This is a new parish and few if any have a great handle on latin yet.

In all honesty it seems the FSSP has little regard for the congregation, not in a bad way per se, but I can feel the need for a little more to feel fully part of sometimes. I assume this is just the tradition but I can see what caused V2. (although I think they blew that with the Liturgy, could have just turned the priest around and made more in English/native language and done.)

Any way is the the common way for TLM and FSSP world wide?

Thanks,

EP
Click to expand...
Like someone pointed out earlier, ferias may not get a homily. If you click on my signature link below, there is an EF calendar which might help.
 
There seems to be confusion as to why the Scriptures are read in the Mass. It is first and foremost as an offering back to God, then as an edification for our souls. The Scriptures are not just for us to listen to and follow along with. The readings are an integral part of the Liturgy and they are an offering, which means we do not have to understand and follow along word by word for there to be worth to them being read. If there is no homily and the Scriptures are not read in English from the pulpit, then find the reading later and meditate on it after Mass. The FSSP priest is not being disrespectful to you or ignoring you. Also there are are many ways to participate in the Mass.

The prevailing mentality today is that you have to follow along with every word in the Missal and pray along with it. This is certainly legitimate, but is not the highest form of participation. There are also two other ways. You can say other prayers during the Mass. If you look at older Missals and older prayer books you often see prayers during Mass in them. People also said the rosary in conjunction with the Mass, etc. There is nothing wrong with this type of participation. Finally there is another way to participate. The highest form of participation is meditation during the Mass. Which means yo are engaged in it on a higher level than vocal prayer.

There is much to be learned from the old Rite Mass that has been forgotten by many today in the Church since the liturgical changes came about. I hope this helps to put a little more perspective on what is going on. May God bless and keep you!
 
I attend a parish operated by the Institute of Christ the King. The masses used for the week are published in the Sunday bulletin.
 
Psalitte said:
Funny at my FSSP, parish, parishioners always talk about how they have never felt so well taken care of by the Priests, unlike in the Diocesan churches.
🤷
Click to expand...
Same here. In fact, it was because I couldn’t find a diocesean priest willing to hear my confession after being away from the church for 10 that I discovered the FSSP and EF.

Daily homilies aren’t required. They’re nice, but not required. Audio Sancto had several traditional sermons online for every day, and most people don’t have daily hand Missals to follow along anyway. I think you’re expecting too much.
 
As much as I love the FSSP I also prefer a diocesan parish that offers both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Mass, which I’m sad to say is a rarity. My parish priest always seems to be eager to give a good and relevant homily. As someone else also mentioned all the liturgical days for the week should be in the previous Sunday’s bulletin.
 
phil19034 said:
Correct, no obligation. But most Bishops (at least in the United States) encourage daily homilies.
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I disagree. I believe that some bishops, probably a minority, actively encourage it, but most leave it to individual priests’ discretions, and offer little actual guidance, because local circumstances vary widely. Many daily Masses, especially those in the morning, are frequented by people who are on their way to work, and some priests don’t want to prolong the Mass, forcing people to either leave early or not attend at all.
 
I think there’s always room for a homily on weekdays, even if it’s as short as 30 seconds or 1 minute. That being said, some priests may not be able to effectively do this, and in that case it would probably be better to just not have one at all. Even if I need to get somewhere I always love to hear a good, short reflection/message for the day from a priest! But I suppose that’s just my opinion.
 
AsceticHermit said:
There seems to be confusion as to why the Scriptures are read in the Mass. It is first and foremost as an offering back to God, then as an edification for our souls. .
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This is interesting and I’ve never heard it put this way before. Do you have some further reading I can do on this topic? It doesn’t make sense to me and has bothered me on the rare occasion that I’ve attended a TLM in which the readings have not been repeated in English. If not for the edification of the people, why else would the scriptures have been translated into Latin in the first place? Wasn’t Greek or Hebrew sufficient?
 
babochka said:
This is interesting and I’ve never heard it put this way before.
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I have to admit, I have not heard it put that way either. All’s I know is that the priest does the readings facing liturgical east (with the gospel facing the barbarians to the north). The choir (if any) would repeat the antiphons for the congregation and for the greater glory of God. None of this is done facing the congregation (except perhaps for the vernacular repeats of the Epistle and Gospel, but that’s only a recent event). Why this was all done in Latin (as opposed to Greek or Hebrew) is a separate issue IMO.
 
ProVobis said:
I have to admit, I have not heard it put that way either. All’s I know is that the priest does the readings facing liturgical east (with the gospel facing the barbarians to the north). The choir (if any) would repeat the antiphons for the congregation and for the greater glory of God. None of this is done facing the congregation (except perhaps for the vernacular repeats of the Epistle and Gospel, but that’s only a recent event). Why this was all done in Latin is a separate issue IMO.
Click to expand...
I’ve noticed that too, and it was rather disconcerting to me. I’ve only been to a couple of low masses and I really didn’t understand why the readings were done that way.

In the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, the epistle is chanted facing east, but it is read from the nave, from among the people, and clearly intended for the people. The gospel is chanted facing the people; again, clearly intended for the people.

I wonder, what is the historical development of this in the Roman rite in this matter? Was it always this way, or was it a later development, due to particular circumstances (for example, because of the prevalence of saying Mass without a congregation)? At any rate, it is practices like this that make me believe that, however poorly it was implemented, the Roman rite was in need of reform and the Council Fathers were wise in calling for that reform.
 
babochka said:
At any rate, it is practices like this that make me believe that, however poorly it was implemented, the Roman rite was in need of reform and the Council Fathers were wise in calling for that reform.
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Maybe, but AFAIK the Council Fathers never put down anything in writing in regards to facing the people for the readings or for any other part of the Mass for that matter. I could be wrong, though.
 
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