Tridentine Mass Etiquette?

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Atlanta_Jen

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I have a two year old. Can I take her? Should I not? Anything else I should know?
 
Hi Jen, is it your first TLM ? If so, it may be best if you don’t, so you can focus on the Mass. My first TLM back in December left an impact on me. The choir had me fighting back tears before the entrance procession had even reached the Sanctuary.

Anyhow, my point is, it’s hard enough to follow along the first few times. The TLM itself is a beautiful prayer, and should be experienced by all Catholics.

I’ll leave the advice on tending to the little ones to the moms on the forum 🙂
 
Thanks! I’ve been reading- I just don’t know what to expect. The website says that the church has a strict dress code that is posted at the door and is expected to be adhered to, but it would be helpful if they actually posted it on the net as well.
 
Atlanta_Jen said:
I have a two year old. Can I take her? Should I not? Anything else I should know?
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While you might choose to not bring your child for your own sake, countless patents do bring their children to traditional latin masses. The TLM I attend is full of young children. You might find it easier to concentrate on the new experience without your child, but I’m sure the rest of the congregation will have no problem with it if you choose to your child along.

With regard to the dress code, if it’s not on the website, they can’t really expect newcomers to know about it ahead of time, can they? If you want to be safe, you could choose the most conservative route. This would be a tie and perhaps jacket for men, and a dress/skirt that covers the knee for women. Avoid anything sleeveless or with low-cut necklines. Most women at the TLM also wear a head cover such as a chapel veil.
 
It is common to see small children in the Latin Mass Parish that I attend on the west side of Atlanta. There is a cry room with a large glass window so parents can view the Altar while seeing to the needs of their children.

Yes, the first time visiting a Latin Mass can be quite moving. After my FIRST TIME, I went directly to the Priest and stated… “I would like to become Catholic!” It was the reverence of the Tridentine Mass that finally converted me for I had been to English Masses before with college friends.
 
Georgia_Papist said:
It is common to see small children in the Latin Mass Parish that I attend on the west side of Atlanta. There is a cry room with a large glass window so parents can view the Altar while seeing to the needs of their children.

Yes, the first time visiting a Latin Mass can be quite moving. After my FIRST TIME, I went directly to the Priest and stated… “I would like to become Catholic!” It was the reverence of the Tridentine Mass that finally converted me for I had been to English Masses before with college friends.
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Thank you. That is the one I plan to attend. Anything else you can tell me?

And what a moving story! Congratulations to you!!
 
Some good comments so far. I, too, would suggest attending for the first time without the little one. You will be more at ease and able to concentrate on the beautiful Sacrifice of the Mass. If you are easily moved to tears, bring a hankie.

Do dress conservatively, and wear a veil or at least a scarf or hat.
 
Thanks for those links! I have also been considering attending a TLM. Which church were you speaking of, Atlanta Jen, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m an Atlanta native, now living in NW GA and have been looking at Saint Michael’s in Roswell.
 
hnoel1225 said:
Thanks for those links! I have also been considering attending a TLM. Which church were you speaking of, Atlanta Jen, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m an Atlanta native, now living in NW GA and have been looking at Saint Michael’s in Roswell.
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You are replying to an old post, but the Church being discussed was St. Francis de Sales in Mableton: francisdesales.com/
 
Atlanta_Jen said:
I have a two year old. Can I take her? Should I not? Anything else I should know?
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All children are welcome at any Catholic Mass. In our church, an FSSP parish, the only request is that children be taken out if they get disturbingly overactive and cranky, our tolerance for overactive and cranky is quite high so they are rarely taken out. It used to bother me when children acted up until I realized the importance of attending Mass as a family if at all possible.
 
There are usually ALOT of little kids at TLM masses. 😛 If it’s your first I would suggest going alone just to see what it’s like and everything. God bless you!
 
Bob_Aliano said:
All children are welcome at any Catholic Mass. In our church, an FSSP parish, the only request is that children be taken out if they get disturbingly overactive and cranky, our tolerance for overactive and cranky is quite high so they are rarely taken out. It used to bother me when children acted up until I realized the importance of attending Mass as a family if at all possible.
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Yep, you’re response is to an old question but the response itself is timeless 👍

Kids should be in church on Sundays and people should learn to live with kids being kids. As our guest priest last Sunday said, “better for kids to be running thing way (points towards the altar) than the other way (points out the door)”. Indeed. When we stop bringing kids to church, they grow up thinking they don’t need it. They should learn and understand that being in church on Sunday is as important as drinking, eating, breathing. The life of our soul depends on it!
 
absolutely you can take your child of any age, the church went almost 2000 years without cryrooms and everybody made out okay. In fact you may find your Latin Mass congregation even more welcoming to babies at Mass. The dress code will simply be what it always was until people lost their respect for themselves, each other and Christ present in the Eucharist, namely standard business and street wear: Dress,suit or skirt and top for ladies, with proper hose and shoes, modest, no cleavage, bare shoulders, bare midriff, at least knee length, with hat or any head covering. For men dress slacks and shirt, or suit with proper shoes and socks, no hat in church.
 
puzzleannie said:
absolutely you can take your child of any age, the church went almost 2000 years without cryrooms and everybody made out okay. In fact you may find your Latin Mass congregation even more welcoming to babies at Mass. The dress code will simply be what it always was until people lost their respect for themselves, each other and Christ present in the Eucharist, namely standard business and street wear: Dress,suit or skirt and top for ladies, with proper hose and shoes, modest, no cleavage, bare shoulders, bare midriff, at least knee length, with hat or any head covering. For men dress slacks and shirt, or suit with proper shoes and socks, no hat in church.
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I love the bolded.
 
The proper etiquette for attending a Traditional Latin Mass is the same as for attending Mass in the Ordinary Form. Either you wear head covering or you don’t. It is not the form of the Mass that determines whether or not you wear head covering or bring your small children to Mass or how you dress.
 
zab said:
The proper etiquette for attending a Traditional Latin Mass is the same as for attending Mass in the Ordinary Form. Either you wear head covering or you don’t. It is not the form of the Mass that determines whether or not you wear head covering or bring your small children to Mass or how you dress.
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Sorry, but that’s not true even though you might want it to be true. 🙂
 
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