What drew you to the Latin Mass?

[TrueLight]

I was drawn to the Latin Mass (and the traditionalist spirituality) since before I became Catholic last year. As an outsider, I was stunned by the beauty of it all. Of course, I was unaware of the FSSP run parish in my hometown until a little before this past Christmas. After the crazyness of the holidays, I called their office because I was in need of a ride (I don’t own a vehicle). I was floored by the office assistant’s dedication to getting me there on only a few day’s notice. The guy actually came and got me himself that Sunday. From the following week onward till now, I’ve been riding with a member of the choir. The parish itself is very vibrant, with something going on every single week. Truly, I have grown much there. One final thing to mention is that it has led me to explore a vocation to the priesthood. Naturally, I intend to join an order that uses the 1962 books exclusively if God wills it. That’s my story.

I’m sorry to go off on a tangent, but since your experience has been so good with the FSSP, why are you leaning towards the SSPX?

 

[lcg101]

Originally to be honest, I was not Catholic (yet) and began atending latin Masses so I could learn Latin better. God kind of met me there and slapped me in the face. Now I am Catholic and I’d love to go to Latin Mass because of the reverance and historicity (is that a word LOL?)…

One could say it was the Latin Mass that led me into the church.

What a beautiful story!! Thank you for sharing.

 

[robert7685]

I’m sorry to go off on a tangent, but since your experience has been so good with the FSSP, why are you leaning towards the SSPX?

Because I agree with many of the Society’s points. My choice of an FSSP parish was almost by default. The nearest SSPX chapels are over 3 hours away, and the only other TLM in town is from the CMRI, which is not an acceptable choice. I should point out that I don’t see the FSSP as a bad thing at all. I love both of my pastors from there and they are dedicated men. Frankly, it breaks my heart to see so much tension and often animosity between the FSSP and SSPX, especially from the “SSPX only” crowd. It is truly senseless.

 

[john_aurelius]

I was a choirboy at St. Mary’s Cathedral and we sang in Latin for 99% of our repotoire. So the Kyrie (Greek btw), Gloria, Sanctus, Credo, Benedictus and Agnus Dei are all second nature.

Occassionaly we sang gregorian chant but the majority was counter-reformation polyphonic masses by Composers such as Palestrina and Vittoria &c. As a treble, we had to learn the pieces off by heart so we couldn’t have folders with sheet music in the front rows.

My dad taught me Latin from when I was about 10 years old.

Recently at college, I had to do Ecclesiastical Latin as a subject, it was sooooooo easy (ended up getting a high distinction).

This wasn’t excatly the Latin Mass, but when I was introduced to the LM I fell in love immediatley

 

[admonsta]

Went Latin when the FSSP was invited to Melbourne by then Archbishop Pell. To be honest I only went because a woman who claimed to have visions from Jesus told us that God had withdrawn his grace from the Novus Ordo, and anyone who went to one had not fulfilled their obligation.

I didn’t fully believe her, but a part of me did. I figured out very quickly that she had lost the plot, but by then I was hooked on the EF. There were two reasons - first and probably most important, it kept me faithful. For some reason I found it easy to keep going to Mass every Sunday without missing it. Beforehand it was an absolute struggle to go, and I missed Sunday Mass many many times.

The second reason I was hooked was that the instruction that I received from the wonderful FSSP priests (not SSPX, by the way) was unfailingly Catholic, didn’t pull any punches and was very much more instructional than what I had been getting from the local parish. Fifteen-ish years later, I still find the same thing.

For many years I have been a bit prejudiced against the OF - I’d go if I had to but I would very much prefer the EF, knowing that I’d get a reverent and correct Mass. Now I’m thinking more along the lines that both types are good. I live some distance from the EF Mass now, so I can only go about once a month. I enjoy being a member of two very different parishes and I see benefit in both. I like to think I’m not an EF snob any more.

 

[tradconvert]

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!

Ashes777, go for it - don’t delay any further - you’ll never regret it one minute!!!

My own conversion was because I found the traditional latin mass after a very long interval. I had always been drawn to be a Catholic for a very long time once I was convinced of the truths of the faith. I was a junior high school student when curiosity first drew me to the Church and that was because mass was still being celebrated generally according to the pre-V2 forms and the churches were still beautiful in a traditional sense. But a little while later, after I discovered the beauties of the Catholic faith, the mass suddenly changed and regrettably I slipped away, partly because of immaturity - because I have no dispute as such with the OF, but because I so much wanted something that was as you say “VERY VERY Catholic” By that I mean what is unmistakably traditional Catholicism with no pseudo protestant features - I wanted to move on from what I grew up with as a mainstream protestant. I ultimately converted because I yearned for what represented Catholicism as the true faith, completely different from all the watered down versions represented by non-Catholic sects. So after 25 years of not attending church at all, it was the Latin mass which I discovered it at an SSPX chapel which was the catalyst that brought me to convert. It is what I should have done - if my parents would have countenanced it at the time (which they wouldn’t have done) when I was (albeit a pretty young) student. The traditional latin mass plus all the beautiful “VERY VERY Catholic” devotions and of course the beautiful teachings are what keep me loving the Catholic faith and building it more deeply. NB While I still sometimes attend mass at the SSPX I generally go to the EF at my mainstream parish.

 

[excubitor]

Whilst we may fulfill our Sunday obligation at an SSPX mass, we must not attend regularly because we may absorb their schismatic mentality. Also we should be aware the SSPX confessions are not valid. I urge those interested in the EF to seek out an FSSP mass or an EF put on by a local parish. These masses are in full communion with the Pope whereas the SSPX masses are not and do not have the support or permission of the local ordinary.

 

[ProVobis]

I urge those interested in the EF to seek out an FSSP mass or an EF put on by a local parish.

Or an ICRSP parish. Many of these are EF-only parishes, no altar or other church conversions, with a higher number of home-schoolers and larger-family types of people.

At least it seems that way.

 

[TrueLight]

. I urge those interested in the EF to seek out an FSSP mass or an EF put on by a local parish. These masses are in full communion with the Pope whereas the SSPX masses are not and do not have the support or permission of the local ordinary.

No FSSP parishes in NYC. Closest one is in Jersey. What is wrong with those people. NYC should have everything!

Or an ICRSP parish. Many of these are EF-only parishes, no altar or other church conversions, with a higher number of home-schoolers and larger-family types of people.

And marriageable, umm…youngish men?

I have no idea what ICRSP is. I’ll do some research later.

 

[ProVobis]

I have no idea what ICRSP is. I’ll do some research later.

Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis, which has been anglicized to the ICK acronym (Institute of Christ the King)

Hey, I’m not the one enamored with the English language.

 

[the_phoenix]

1. My childhood and teenage years were filled with Masses in English in parishes which were often lukewarm. The sermons were sometimes so liberal that I remember my mother (who was a contributing author for the magazine “Homiletic and Pastoral Review” as well as a religion teacher for twenty years) teaching us kids after Mass in the car what the priest should have said in the sermon so as to agree with the Pope, the Vatican, the Teachings of the Church. Then we’d sometimes end up looking for a new parish that was genuinely aligned with Rome.
2. The singing was so bad in one particular English-language parish that I hesitate to describe my reaction to it fully. When I was in the children’s choir, the choir as a whole seemed to be all right as far as people singing on key, hitting the right notes, and being loud enough for people to hear in an appropriate manner … good enough. But then a professional song leader was hired by the parish to sing without a choir. This song leader could not stay in tune and the parishioners in the pews participated mostly like death warmed over, mumbling, whispering, moving their lips barely audibly. When I sang out loud it sometimes felt like I was singing a duet with the song leader. Rather uncomfortable.
3. I studied Latin in high school along with Spanish and I love languages. Which means I’d be happy with a reverent Mass in Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Japanese … etc. etc. … and yes, I happily attend reverent Masses in English!

So no, I’m not an old fuddy-duddy dinosaur who grew up with the Latin Mass and then became angry when it was taken away from me. I’m a child who grew up with the liberal innovations (including hippy-hymns like “the answer my friend is blowing in the wind”) and am very happy to have the opportunity to now attend the Latin Mass.



PAX ET BONUM,

the phoenix

 

[Stylites]

But he returned to the Church, so why is that sad? Some people are misguided, others come in due to the wrong reasons, ie. they are married to a Catholic so feel obligated to join, but through the process their hearts are converted.

Certainly it is joyful to hear he returned. The sad part was to drop away at all. Even assuming that Jesus was getting liturgically whipped and scourged by men in clown costumes, I can’t see a devotee walking away on that account.

It took the abandoning Apostles 40 or 50 days to want to die for Christ, while we’ve had 2,000 years to mull over whether we will walk away from Him or not.

.

 

[lcg101]

So no, I’m not an old fuddy-duddy dinosaur who grew up with the Latin Mass and then became angry when it was taken away from me. I’m a child who grew up with the liberal innovations (including hippy-hymns like “the answer my friend is blowing in the wind”) and am very happy to have the opportunity to now attend the Latin Mass.

Love it! Thanks!

 

[pataburd]

For me, the TLM provides the more solid and faithful expression of what I have come to believe as a Catholic. When I attend the Traditional Latin Mass, I come away with an unshakable certainty that Christ has performed the very work of my salvation at the altar and brought me to the Father!

 

[Danquayle76]

I attended my first Traditional Latin Mass just out of curiosity. I had read a bit about the old mass during my studies and when I found out a local church was offering this mass I decided to go check it out.

My first reaction was confusion. I thought I would just be attending the same old mass I had always attended, just in Latin, but I was shocked at how different the liturgy was. The second time I attended I realized that transubstantiation was true. I had never doubted transubstantiation, but the reverence given to the Eucharist during the mass really made me think about what was going on at the Mass in ways I had never done so before.

I briefly went through a phrase where I declared I hated the Ordinary Form of the Mass and would never return (for context I had previously attended a very liberal parish where a nun typically gave the sermon…so I was a bit bitter at the time). A friend however corrected me by telling me this was very flawed thinking and that even if I found the Extraordinary Form as having a greater impact on me I had to accept not just that the Ordinary Form was valid, but sacred as well. So while I accept the Ordinary Form is holy and sacred I have found the Extraordinary Form as having a greater impact on me for the following reasons:

1. The reverence given toward the Eucharist makes it easier for me to understand the mystery of transubstantiation.
2. Particularly at High Mass, the “smells and bells” help me enter an “other-worldly” space that helps me delve deeper into my faith.
3. Having to basically re-learn the Mass from scratch has helped me better understand what occurs at Mass in both forms.
4. I find comfort that I am attending the liturgy that many of the Saints also attended.
5. I attend Mass daily, and I like how the Extraordinary Form is better suited to celebrating the feast days of the saints as well as requiem masses during the regularly scheduled daily mass.
6. The reverence given toward the Eucharist has also led me to take more seriously the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

 

[Danquayle76]

I have no idea what ICRSP is. I’ll do some research later.

The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (Latin: Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis) is a society of priests in the Catholic Church that celebrates the Liturgy in Latin in accordance with its constitutions and founding documents. Its goals are to preserve and patronize traditional Latin Rite liturgical art and music.

The Institute is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, whose rule of life is based generally on that of the secular canons. The Institute has its own choir dress, adopted in 2006, which was given to members by the Cardinal Archbishop of Florence. Its stated mission is the defense and propagation of the reign of Christ in all areas of human life, both private and social.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Christ_the_King_Sovereign_Priest

 

[TrueLight]

The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (Latin: Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis) is a society of priests in the Catholic Church that celebrates the Liturgy in Latin in accordance with its constitutions and founding documents. Its goals are to preserve and patronize traditional Latin Rite liturgical art and music.

The Institute is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, whose rule of life is based generally on that of the secular canons. The Institute has its own choir dress, adopted in 2006, which was given to members by the Cardinal Archbishop of Florence. Its stated mission is the defense and propagation of the reign of Christ in all areas of human life, both private and social.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Christ_the_King_Sovereign_Priest

Thank you DanQuayle.

 

[ProVobis]

Or an ICRSP parish.

That should be ICRSS. Thanks.

 

[MissRose73]

I think for me partly it was to experience what my parents and grandparents attended before me. Another part for me was to learn more and appreciate the Mass also.

I love the reverence and respect at the Latin Mass, and that people dress nicely and appropriately too.

 

[Cider]

The first mass I ever went to was an FSSP EF. I knew even before I was baptized and confirmed that the TLM was what I wanted. When I moved I tried the NO but was personally unsatisfied, so I went to the SSPX as they were the only option locally. I still miss the SSPX missa cantata. Now I’m at a parish that has low mass once a week on Sunday, but at least we receive kneeling at the altar rail by the priest or deacon only even at the OF masses there. But I really want to live somewhere that there is a full time EF parish, I’d love to know that the EF available to fulfill all holy days of obligation.

As to why? The history and reverence. And yes Latin is required. No vernacular EFs.