Visiting a Traditional Latin Mass

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Lucy_1

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I want to visit a TLM, and I have a question.

If the church doesn’t provide missals, since I don’t know a lick of Latin (well, not much, anyway) can I mentally pray, or quietly say the rosary if I’m in the back?
 
Lucy_1 said:
If the church doesn’t provide missals, since I don’t know a lick of Latin (well, not much, anyway) can I mentally pray, or quietly say the rosary if I’m in the back?
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Most certainly! You’ll be mentally praying most of the time anyway. Here’s a website though that you can use as a missal. Don’t worry about people judging you, they won’t.

https://www.divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/missa/missa.pl

I also suggest you watch a TLM recording so you are familiar with what will roughly happen. Today is the Assumption, so you might see more high Masses than usual.
 
There’s Latin Mass propers you can print out online and take with you if you want. Just search on some phrase like “Latin Mass propers”. However, don’t be surprised if half of what the priest is doing goes so fast or is not super audible so that you don’t really have a chance to use the propers.

It is fine to say a quiet Rosary during the Latin Mass. It is also fine to just sit and watch as long as you make some effort to stand, kneel etc when others do so.
 
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If the red booklets aren’t provided I would recommend just watching the priest and altar servers so you can get a feel for the Mass.
 
Absolutely!

Here’s the advice of Pope St. Pius X:

"The Holy Mass is a prayer itself, even the highest prayer that exists. It is the Sacrifice dedicated by our Redeemer at the Cross, and repeated every day on the altar. If you wish to hear Mass as it should be heard, you must follow with eye, heart, and mouth all that happens at the altar. Further, you must pray with the priest the holy words said by him in the Name of Christ and which Christ says by him. You have to associate your heart with the holy feelings which are contained in these words and in this manner you ought to follow all that happens on the altar. When acting in this way you have prayed Holy Mass."
"Don’t pray at Holy Mass, but pray the Holy Mass."
 
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You can do what feels best to you, of course, nut why sit at tge back and say a rosary? If i were you id be near front (not right at the front, you need the security of a couple of rows to guide you!) ad watching and absorbing the Mass! Just personal preference, its just further back i don’t sas much and there’s more people to distract me. And i never oray a risary, again, just personal preference, as my mind is definitely elsewhere. I prefer to watch, sometimes pray along and follow the missal, but often just watch and mentally pray while contemating the beauty of the Mass itself and what if happé, even if i csnt hear it, if that makes sense. Even the body postures of the servers i find beautiful, humbling, eg diring confiteor, which you wouldn’t see from the back.

But what you propose is perfectly fine if that suits you. Its just you seem to be going to a lot of thought and effort.
 
Jessie said:
Its just you seem to be going to a lot of thought and effort.
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Well I’m probably going to feel pretty out of place, and I’m pretty introverted, so that’s why.
 
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Lucy_1 said:
I want to visit a TLM, and I have a question.

If the church doesn’t provide missals, since I don’t know a lick of Latin (well, not much, anyway) can I mentally pray, or quietly say the rosary if I’m in the back?
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You can actually download a complete Latin / English translation (including the relevant Proper for the Mass) for practically every Mass, every day of the year at the link below.
Printing may be rather expensive due to the number of sheets required, so it might be useful to download to a portable device e.g. telephone /tablet etc and simply take that along as your personal missal… I echo the comments regarding watching what happens as opposed to following the Missal when you go for the first time and any subsequent visits for a while, as you will find it a rather different experience to what you have experienced I suspect. Also, please remember that the form of a Low TLM is very different to a High TLM for example, so why not try both types? I have also included a link to a basic primer that you might find useful also: " 10 Things to Know Before Attending a Traditional Latin Mass" Perhaps you might let us know how you found the experience afterwards?

http://extraordinaryform.org/masses.html

 
IanM said:
Printing may be rather expensive due to the number of sheets required, so it might be useful to download to a portable device e.g. telephone /tablet etc and simply take that along as your personal missal
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I’d just caution if this is your first TLM, you might want to wait and see if others there are using devices before planning on using your own. Some traditional churches/ congregations do not like to see people using a phone or tablet during Mass, even if they’re just using it to follow the Mass. If you go once and see others following along on a phone or tablet, then you know it’s okay.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
I’d just caution if this is your first TLM, you might want to wait and see if others there are using devices before planning on using your own. Some traditional churches/ congregations do not like to see people using a phone or tablet during Mass, even if they’re just using it to follow the Mass. If you go once and see others following along on a phone or tablet, then you know it’s okay.
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That is very sad and thankfully not something that I have ever experienced in numerous different locations. My wife actually has a copy of the Catholic truth Society pocket missal and often prints the relevant proper and carries both when travelling. It is very reasonably priced and easily fits into a handbag

https://www.amazon.com/Extraordinar...+catholic+truth+society&qid=1597645822&sr=8-1
 
Absolutely. Some who have Missals don’t use them anyway. I usually put mine away during the Consecration and the prayers immediately after, for example. It’s not at all a requirement, but just an option (and a popular one at that) for understanding all of the words. But there is nothing wrong with not having one.
Hope you have a great experience and God Bless!
 
Tis_Bearself said:
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IanM:
Printing may be rather expensive due to the number of sheets required, so it might be useful to download to a portable device e.g. telephone /tablet etc and simply take that along as your personal missal
Click to expand...
I’d just caution if this is your first TLM, you might want to wait and see if others there are using devices before planning on using your own. Some traditional churches/ congregations do not like to see people using a phone or tablet during Mass, even if they’re just using it to follow the Mass. If you go once and see others following along on a phone or tablet, then you know it’s okay.
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That is, unfortunately, a possibility. Especially some older people, who do not think in terms of using a smartphone to access an online missal (my elderly father, who neither uses nor wants a smartphone, and uses the absolutely simplest flip phone I was able to find for him, always asks me to “call such-and-such place” to see if they have a desired item, what time they open or close, order a pizza, etc.), will see this and think “they’re looking at their phone when they’re supposed to be paying attention to Mass”. While it is nice to avoid scandalizing people, we are not obliged to avoid scandalizing all people at any cost. Sometimes it’s simply on the other guy to give us the benefit of the doubt.

While wishing our elders length of years, this will become less of an issue as smartphone use becomes even more common and pervasive than it already is. (Hard to imagine how it could get any moreso!)
 
Its not simply old peiple nit understandung why people use tech. I don’t like phones /tablets because our church is quite daek, and the extreme glare of a fully lit-up screen is really distracting. Even if it is to look at a missal/prayer etc i just don’t feel comfortable with it. Not to mention googling / flicking round various sites looking for whatever spiritual tit bit that might take their fancy. Thankfully, it is quite rare in our church, but a brightly lit up screen, and seemingly no awareness of it being a nuisance, i just really don’t think it’s appropriate. Unless the user has the screen really dimmed and makes an effort to not disturb other people with it. And doesn’t spend ages googling. 😖
 
If this is going to be your first TLM, I wouldn’t worry about any of it. Just observe and let the holiness of the Mass take you wherever it may. Your attention may well be captivated enough where you wont even feel like retreating into personal prayer.

Even if you do have a missal handy, between trying to get yourself oriented and flipping through the pages, it might be easiest to just sit back and observe. You mentioned that you are introverted, but I would recommend sitting closer to the front. If you have one or two rows of attendees in front of you, that will be helpful in prompting when to sit, kneel, stand, etc. without feeling awkward looking around for cues. Although, even if you do you will be just fine 🙂
 
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Yes. You will most likely get lost in the missal as a first-timer, anyway. I wouldn’t recommend saying the rosary during the mass for your first time. Just try to take in what’s going on and mentally pray.
 
Attending a parish that offers the TLM regularly, I will note that our priests suggest that for the first few times, or if you’re just visiting, prayerful attention to the events without worrying too much about following along is often the best. It can be a lot to take in, and you’re not doing anything wrong or sinful by reverently watching rather than attempting to follow along. Most people get lost anyway the first few times.
 
I heard it somewhere can’t remember where, but agree with the analogy. The TLM is like drinking beer or whiskey. It’s a taste you acquire over time. Go and experience it, receive what you can understand, but do not worry if you can’t grasp it all. Like anything, the more you experience it, the more you get comfortable with it and it starts to click. Remember, we will never completely understand the sacred mysteries.
 
I took 2 years of Latin, and I still don’t understand a lot of it. As many commenters have indicated, if you print the Latin Mass text, and just follow along, you’ll eventually get there.
 
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