What drew you to the Latin Mass?

[lcg101]

I know my own reasons for finding solace in the Latin Mass range from the consistent reverence in accordance with the sanctity of the Real Presence to actual sacred music, but I am always interested in why other people have either 1) stayed with it after growing up attending Latin Mass or 2) chosen it of their own free will.

My heart used to skip a beat when the choir sporadically sang ‘Agnus Dei’ at the NO parish I attended, and when someone informed me that was common practice at the Latin Mass parish, and that I could have that heartbeat-skip with *every song *at ***every mass ***at the Latin Mass parish … I was hooked.

 

[TrueLight]

The first mass I went to labout 3 months ago was a Tridentine Mass.

I had been reading this boards and I read about how reverent the EF was, so I did a search for parishes which offer the Latin mass in NY and I found a parish.

When I attended that mass, I was blown away. I loved the rituals, the incense, the spirit of prayer that the congregants had.

I loved the genuflecting. In fact, I practiced at home before I got there.

I loved the servers.

I loved the Gregorian chant and the fact that the choir was hidden so it wasn’t about the choir.

I loved the mystery of it.

I’ve been hooked since.

 

[At_Trent]

Videos of a TLM got me interested. I wanted to experience the silence of the Low Mass, and the Chant and Sacred Polyphony of the Missa Cantata. That is why I started going.

As I kept going, I realized that the effort I was putting into using a missal kept me focused on the Mass. My focus is more intense, and it is so strong, that only a crying baby in the pew behind me might distract me. (no problem there, I’m a cradle Catholic and surely cried as well) I’ve got a better understanding of what Mass is as well now.

It even helped in assisting the OF as well. So in that way, I think I see what H.H. BXVI meant by the two forms enriching each other. Before experiencing the EF, I would listen to the priest as he prayed at the OF. Now, I pray with him. And again, this increased focus tends to free me from distractions.

 

[svid2]

Not WHAT drew me - WHO drew me. Mom.

I was a kid. Back then it was the only option.

Thank you, Mom! Thank you for getting my butt out of bed every Sunday morning.

When they started having Saturday afternoon Masses, Mom figured, ‘Okay, easier to get you kids to church!’

Too easy. I still prefer worshiping the Lord on the Lord’s day.

My two cents.

 

[OldYoungGuy]

I attend our FSSP parish because I want my children raised with a Catholic identity and to know that our holy religion is the most important thing we can involve ourselves in during this life. Being raised going to the OF I am sad to say that only one or two of my friends are still practicing out of my catechism classes, families we were close with, even my own brothers. I don’t believe this is the fault of the OF, but even Cardinal Raymond Burke said that some masses can be occasions that can harm the faith. I know that I have started taking my faith a lot more seriously since I started attending the EF regularly, and so has my wife. The mass should be the center of every Catholic’s life, and it should move them to a deeper faith. I want my children to have this. Its the only reason I am still living where I’m living.

I find the TLM to be beautiful, and always feel sorry for people who never experience it. The mere thought of not being able to attend it makes me cringe.

 

[Little_One0307]

HI,

I was drawn to it because it used Latin and was the older form of Mass. I have converted and the longer I am a Catholic the more traditional I find myself getting.

I was very attracted to it. There is less room for liturgical abuses in this form of the Mass. It seemed more solemn and what a Mass should be. When I went to my first Tridentine Mass everyone was praying and not talking before Mass. I loved it, and after Mass people were quiet too.

I was drawn to it because people showed a respect, a reverence, which I almost find lacking in the New Order of Mass. Also the Sign of Peace was not disruptive as it is in the New Order of Mass. The music was out of this world. And to me, I know I might get a comment here, Consecration seemed to be more Holy in the Tridentine Mass with all the multiple bell ringins and the long holding up of the Consecrated species.

Another thing is that most people receive Holy Communion while kneeling. I love it.

I guess with me, I am all in favor for scrapping the new and returning back to the traditions that make Catholics well Catholic.

If there is a TLM Mass to be found, I always opt for that one rather than the New Order of Mass.

For some reason, I always feel more after attending a TLM that my Mass obligation has been met, most New Order of Masses I feel like I have just been to a Protestant worship service. It’s so different.

God Bless.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

Exactly 2 years ago I found this forum and a number of Catholic blogs. Many people discussed traditional Mass and I became curious. I converted in my teens back in the mid 90s and NO was all I ever encountered. So after reading about TLM I went on Youtube. I was shocked by how different it was from NO and was very angry for a couple of days. I felt robbed of my spiritual heritage. It turned out that a church nearby had TLM (a FSSP priest) and one sunday I went. That was it. I’ve been going ever since and the reasons mentioned above all apply to me. But perhaps the most important thing is that now I can worship the way Catholics did for centuries before experimenting started.

 

[BlytheSky]

The novelty of it, actually. I hadn’t attended any sort of Catholic Mass at all, not ever; I was curious to see what a Latin Mass was like. Since I started crying the minute the choir began, it was fairly evident that this was a religious occasion that ‘worked’: it felt like something devout, something otherworldly, something heavenly. So I’ve attended the TLM ever since.

 

[TrueLight]

The first mass I went to labout 3 months ago was a Tridentine Mass.

I had been reading this boards and I read about how reverent the EF was. I found a beautiful TLM on YouTube and loved it!

SoI did a search for parishes which offer the Latin mass in NY and I found a parish.

When I attended that mass, I was blown away. I loved the rituals, the incense, the spirit of prayer that the congregants had.

I loved the genuflecting. In fact, I practiced at home before I got there.

I loved the servers.

I loved the Gregorian chant and the fact that the choir was hidden so it wasn’t about the choir.

I loved the mystery of it.

I’ve been hooked since.

 

[laszlo]

My heart used to skip a beat when the choir sporadically sang ‘Agnus Dei’ at the NO parish I attended, and when someone informed me that was common practice at the Latin Mass parish, and that I could have that heartbeat-skip with *every song *at ***every mass ***at the Latin Mass parish … I was hooked.

If the new form Mass would sing Gregorian always, and would be prayed with full reverence, would you prefer the Latin or the English what you can hear and feel?

 

[Little_One0307]

If the new form Mass would sing Gregorian always, and would be prayed with full reverence, would you prefer the Latin or the English what you can hear and feel?

I know you probably offered this question to someone else, but I wanted to answer it. I would still perfer the Latin Mass, and I opt for it whenever it is offered. English yes you can hear and feel, but somehow the Latin Mass is more ephereal and heavenly. It seems to stir the sacred chords within that are buried deeply in me. [wow that sounds a little New Age, but those words express my sentiments exactly.] Gregorian chant takes my soul to higher heights than any of the best written English.

God Bless.

 

[GunnerQuick]

For me it was a few things, since I am new to the church ( after a year of RCIA I was Welcomed into the church this Easter ) I was open minded as to what the mass was, I found myself the more I read and studied about the faith that I was becoming more “traditional”. About this time I found this site and one of the sponsors in my class was a big fan of the TLM. We started talking and i started to scan these forms and next thing you know…
I don’t know if it’s just who I am, but I love the quiet so that I can pray, I love the Chant that radiates off the stone walls of my church and really puts you in the spirtual mood. I love the inceanse, and most importantly the tradition expecially because I have taken the extra time to read and find out what all these different symbols mean.
With that being said, it has also fostered a new love for the NO, once you understand what is going on and you can understand the mass from a TLM perspective I can see the value that the NO has. Although in my parish the NO has no latin in it . I would like to see it more like EWTN’s Mass but thats another thread.
The TLM has changed my entire life, but its not for everyone. I enjoy having both available at my parish, although the Latin Mass is usually only once a month . this allows for the people that have a love for the TLM to go to a mass that has people that WANT to be there, that know what is expected and not just people that are there because its the only option.

Pax,
Blake

 

[valoriuslobo]

What attracted me to it was curiosity, at first. I had read awhile back before actually going about the rationale behind employing Latin rather than the vernacular. I found the argument that then Mass is the same everywhere, to be sound. I also think the Holy Spirit had something to do with it too. I say this not to make myself seem select nor special. But it attending the TLM was the beginning of my growing more fully into the faith of my childhood. I had no knowledge whatsoever of how it would be but I just felt I had to go.

After attending my first one, I was shocked by the reverence. In a good way. Gone was the chatter, the raucous sign of peace, the abysmal music, etc etc etc. In its place was a Mystery that was as solemn as it was sublime. As another poster said, my actual participation increased tenfold by using the missal.

 

[Seamus_L]

In short, if it weren’t for the Latin Mass, I seriously doubt I would have come back to the church. When I went to my first ever TLM I can remember, you’ll have to pardon the expression, but it was like “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore”

 

[ajpirc]

HI,

I was drawn to it because it used Latin and was the older form of Mass. I have converted and the longer I am a Catholic the more traditional I find myself getting.

I was very attracted to it. There is less room for liturgical abuses in this form of the Mass. It seemed more solemn and what a Mass should be. When I went to my first Tridentine Mass everyone was praying and not talking before Mass. I loved it, and after Mass people were quiet too.

I was drawn to it because people showed a respect, a reverence, which I almost find lacking in the New Order of Mass. Also the Sign of Peace was not disruptive as it is in the New Order of Mass. The music was out of this world. And to me, I know I might get a comment here, Consecration seemed to be more Holy in the Tridentine Mass with all the multiple bell ringins and the long holding up of the Consecrated species.

Another thing is that most people receive Holy Communion while kneeling. I love it.

I guess with me, I am all in favor for scrapping the new and returning back to the traditions that make Catholics well Catholic.

If there is a TLM Mass to be found, I always opt for that one rather than the New Order of Mass.

For some reason, I always feel more after attending a TLM that my Mass obligation has been met, most New Order of Masses I feel like I have just been to a Protestant worship service. It’s so different.

God Bless.

WOW!!! I agree with every single particle of each letter of each word of each paragraph of your post!

I especially agree with the paragraph in bold!

 

[FromTheAshes777]

I am a soon to be convert. In belief I am a Catholic, I just have not been recieved yet into the Church and recieved the Sacraments.

The thing that initially drew me to the TLM was first the history and continuity with the history of the Church. The music was a big plus, the imagery and visuals usually associated with the celebration also helped. Reverence and a love for the Holy Eucharist was probably the biggest reason at the beginning, and still is now.

I also love the altar rail, chapel veils, the beautiful vestments, Holy Communion on the tongue from the hands of the celebrant only, incense, everyone facing liturgical East, the focus being first and foremost on worship of our Lord before anything else, altar boys, candles.

It had very little to do with the language, although I do appreciate and enjoy the Latin in the spoken and sung parts of the liturgy, as well as the musical tradition of the Church.

The thing though that has kept me interested and kept me wanting to go back to the TLM is the theology. The whole celebration is oriented twoards very sound and solid theology.

I also appreciate seeing a long line of people going to confession in the half hour before Mass, the homily of the Priest talking about sin and making a good examination of conscience, many other things I have seen and heard from this priest indicate a deep commitment to orthodoxy and to solid Church teaching.

Most of all though, the TLM is well…VERY VERY Catholic! I mean no disrespect to the ordinary form, and I am not sure I would have initially started my inquiry into the Church without it, but there is something so richly deeply Catholic about the TLM. I come to the Catholic Church because I want Her teachings, Her liturgy, Her Sacraments, Her reverence and love twoards God, Her deep devotion that has flowerd in the lives of so many of Her Saints. I come to the Catholic Church because I want to BE Catholic. The more Catholic it is, the better!

God love you!

 

[Little_One0307]

In short, if it weren’t for the Latin Mass, I seriously doubt I would have come back to the church. When I went to my first ever TLM I can remember, you’ll have to pardon the expression, but it was like “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore”

“Toto, I don’t think this is Novus Ordo anymore.”

 

[Stylites]

What drew you to the Latin Mass?

My blessed parents’ car, originally.

 

[Stylites]

I am a soon to be convert. In belief I am a Catholic, I just have not been recieved yet into the Church and recieved the Sacraments.

The thing that initially drew me to the TLM was first the history and continuity with the history of the Church. The music was a big plus, the imagery and visuals usually associated with the celebration also helped. Reverence and a love for the Holy Eucharist was probably the biggest reason at the beginning, and still is now.

I also love the altar rail, chapel veils, the beautiful vestments, Holy Communion on the tongue from the hands of the celebrant only, incense, everyone facing liturgical East, the focus being first and foremost on worship of our Lord before anything else, altar boys, candles.

It had very little to do with the language, although I do appreciate and enjoy the Latin in the spoken and sung parts of the liturgy, as well as the musical tradition of the Church.

The thing though that has kept me interested and kept me wanting to go back to the TLM is the theology. The whole celebration is oriented twoards very sound and solid theology.

I also appreciate seeing a long line of people going to confession in the half hour before Mass, the homily of the Priest talking about sin and making a good examination of conscience, many other things I have seen and heard from this priest indicate a deep commitment to orthodoxy and to solid Church teaching.

Most of all though, the TLM is well…VERY VERY Catholic! I mean no disrespect to the ordinary form, and I am not sure I would have initially started my inquiry into the Church without it, but there is something so richly deeply Catholic about the TLM. I come to the Catholic Church because I want Her teachings, Her liturgy, Her Sacraments, Her reverence and love twoards God, Her deep devotion that has flowerd in the lives of so many of Her Saints. I come to the Catholic Church because I want to BE Catholic. The more Catholic it is, the better!

God love you!

A hearty pre-welcome to home, FromTheAshes777!

Belong to the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church; not just to the culture of belonging. All too many take the logical destination of wanting to be VERY VERY and end up being NOT AT ALL.

 

[Robert_Burns]

I know my own reasons for finding solace in the Latin Mass range from the consistent reverence in accordance with the sanctity of the Real Presence to actual sacred music, but I am always interested in why other people have either 1) stayed with it after growing up attending Latin Mass or 2) chosen it of their own free will.

My heart used to skip a beat when the choir sporadically sang ‘Agnus Dei’ at the NO parish I attended, and when someone informed me that was common practice at the Latin Mass parish, and that I could have that heartbeat-skip with *every song *at ***every mass ***at the Latin Mass parish … I was hooked.

I have never left the Tridentine Latin Mass. I left the Church and Returned when Latin Returned.