I’m still a very new newbie, at the ‘silly questions’ stage, so please excuse me if this has been well-covered elsewhere. I did use the search function, but couldn’t find precisely what I’m looking for.
My question is: how do I know which Mass is which? I see the initials OF and EF and TLM and…well, I know there are others but I can’t remember them offhand.
My church does a sung Latin mass on Sunday - the mass I attend - but I don’t know which of these it is. How could I tell? What differentiates one from the other?
Once again, sorry if this is a ridiculous question… consider me
if so.
By no means ridiculous, save to the hard hearted.
Here are the terms and missals commonly used in the Roman Church in the United States
EF: Extraordinary Form [of the Roman Mass]
TLM: Traditional Latin Mass - same thing as the EF.
either of these can be the High Mass, Sung Mass, or Low Mass
Always in latin. Priest almost always faces away from the people. Priest will usually have on a maniple (The stole-like vestment on the left arm.)
High mass: 6 candles, priest chants
Sung mass: Priest chants
Low Mass: everyone kneels until the gospel, priest speaks.
Pontifical Mass: mass said by a bishop with priests present. lots of differences.
Dialogue Mass: people respond along with the servers. May be Low, Sung, or High.
OF: Ordinary Form [of the Roman Mass]
Pauline Mass
The missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI, and revised by Pope John Paul II. Might be in latin or in the vernacular, or in a commonly used secondary language for the local area. Priest may face the people.
Dominican Mass: The mass according to the Dominican Missal.
Part of Roman Tradition, but essentially unchanged since the 1200’s except for the calendar. Only said by Dominican Priest-Friars. Latin, can be mistaken for the EF mass, can be high, sung, or low. The chalice will be filled and veiled before mass, the priest having said the prayers of offering over the bread and wine before hand.
Anglican Use Missal
BODW: Book of Divine Worship
a special missal used by priests who converted from being Anglicans. Looks like an EF mass done in English, and possibly with the priest facing the people.
There are also Eastern Catholic Churches in the US. The Eastern Catholics look like the various Orthodox Churches, but are in full communion with Rome. If it says Catholic, but looks Orthodox, odds are it’s Eastern Catholic. despite having different bishops, they are still united to the Church and the Pope.
DL: Divine Liturgy
Badarak
Qorbono
Qurbana
The various liturgies of the Eastern Churches which are equivalent to the Roman mass. Yes, you can fulfill your Sunday or Holy Day obligation at one. The holy days might not match up, tho’. (Still fulfills the obligation, even if they don’t have the same readings.)
Divine Liturgy is for Byzantine (Melkite, Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Romanian, and Russian Catholic parishes) and Coptic parishes. The bishop commemorated will be different from the local roman parishes, and will be a different flow, and be sung. You’ll have a hard time missing the icon screen. and different vestments are used from the Roman.
Badarak is the name for the Armenian service. It’s also referred to in English as a Mass. Vestments are different. Again, the bishop commemorated will be different.
Qorbono and Qurbana, both also called Masses, are the terms used by the Chaldean, Syrian, Syro-Malabar, Maronite, and Syro-Malankar Catholics. Vestments may or may not be notably different, but the flow of mass wil be different. Also, again, the bishop commemorated will be different from the local Roman Bishop.
“What are they talking about?”
