I didn't start attending the "Latin Mass" out of some strange, retrograde desire to unring the bell of the liturgical changes brought on by the Second Vatican Council. Nor did I first darken the door of the local Chapel staffed by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter because I was shocked— shocked!— by the liturgical abuses of my juridical parish. Rather, when Benedict XVI issued his motu proprio Summorum Pontificium in 2007— and my liberal Catholic friends started gnashing their proverbial teeth, rending their clichéd garments, and literally wringing their hands— I thought I'd find out what all the skull-clenching was about.
Born in 1970, I grew up knowing only the Novus Ordo Mass. And I very much loved it, becoming a daily communicant in college and throughout graduate school, as well as serving as lector and altar server. At Notre Dame, I also became a tour-guide of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as well as participating in the weekly Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction and the Stations of the Cross, all according to norms of the Second Vatican Council.
So I had no "reaction" to the "new Mass", no axe to grind, no animosity— only a vague curiosity as to why Pope Benedict (who, if nothing else, was obviously a bona fide genius; one need only read his books Jesus of Nazareth or God Is Love to realize this) would "bring back the Latin Mass"— and why so many Catholics I knew and admired found this so appalling.
By one of those coincidences that are not coincidences at all, but the hand of God at work, my wife and I had just adopted twins in the spring of 2007. We had had little time to prepare (only 24 hours) before twin-infants arrived thanks to many prayers and the Division of Youth and Family Services of New Jersey. Suddenly "personal time" and "down-time"— make that "time", period— was at a premium. While we still made it to Mass on Sundays, our Monday Night Holy Hour (during which we had prayed that God would finally give us children!) became a luxury we could no longer get to. My K of C meeting attendance became sporadic. And then one evening when my sister-in-law took mercy on me and said she’d watch the twins, I noticed that there was a 7pm Mass at a Chapel staffed by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, just six miles from our door. So I went, not knowing to what, exactly, I was going to ... but that I needed to pray to be a better father and husband.
Having never been to a "Low Tridentine Mass", I had no idea what to expect. It was, in a sense, like getting contemplative bends: instead of barking out "Amen" (this chapel does not do the "dialogue Mass"), or the Confiteor or the Kyrie or ... anything, there was just silence. And more silence. Even the responses from the server were so muted it was almost impossible to tell (without a 1962 Missal which mercifully I had, as a gift from my late grandmother) what was going on.
What was going on was an "active contemplation": I was very much a neophyte that night, but the twenty or so souls around me were edifying to see: the women wore mantillas, the men even had on neckties. There was no musical fillip, no "Let's-try-to-sing-Holy-God-We-Praise-Thy-Name-acapella". Just ... silence. And still more silence. A pure, nearly unbroken sacred quiet.
I had often heard the phrase "full and active participation in the Mass" and, at first blush, this "Extraordinary Form of the Mass" seemed to be the opposite: the priest and altar boy (and I do mean boy) seemed to be having a very private dialogue, and on the few occasions when the priest turned to face the congregation, his eyes were lowered ever-so slightly so he wasn't even really looking at us.
But at some point at that Mass I had an epiphany that may seem a bit obvious: whoever said that "full and active participation" in the Mass means singing loudly (and often badly)? Or that shaking hands at the "kiss-of-peace" (a gesture that no priest shares with another minister: they kiss on the cheek or somewhat hug) makes some kind of sense? Or dozens of people drinking from the same chalice— a practice that I'd forgone since undergoing radiation treatments in 2003 when my immune system was worse than a stray kitten's—was a manifestation of “full and active participation” at Holy Mass?
Again, this was no "This-is-the-ONLY-way-the-Mass-should-be" moment, but rather it seemed like a sane and solemn tonic to variations of the Novus Ordo Mass I’d witnessed over the years. Examples included full-on folk bands replete with drum-sets and glockenspiels; speaking in tongues at a university chapel, liturgical dance at an abbey, and at one memorable occasion, a full-blown gospel tabernacle choir of recovering alcoholics belting out "Hallelujah!" ... during Lent. (Though I couldn't really blame them, as it turned out they weren't Catholic and were just visiting.)
It is, of course, easy to throw the new Mass under the bus, and that is (a) wrong, and (b) not my point. My point is simply that in a world where we each have more email, voicemail, texts, meetings, and Skype-chats than we could possibly digest in a lifetime, the Tridentine Mass offers a complete contemplative oasis. You have the right to be silent when you pray. True, on Sunday at the Novus Ordo, we SHOULD sing "loud-and-proud"— but at Low Mass you can be, you MUST be, silent before your God.
This I found (and find) wonderfully fulfilling — and terrifying. “Fulfilling” in the sense of theosis: as the Mass culminates in Holy Communion, one is literally filled with the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is, of course, absolutely true in the Novus Ordo as well— but this is “terrifying” in that the quieter it is the more one is AWARE that this is happening. Christ becomes present again, and we are about to receive him in perfect silence— not even an "Amen" after communicating.
Nearly eight years later, I attend the Novus Ordo Mass regularly and the Low “Latin Mass” whenever I can—which is “right and just” (for me). The former is the Ordinary Form, the latter Extraordinary. And the silence is not only a respite from this “world of bilk and money”, but a reminder that full and active participation at Holy Mass can mean simply being fully and actively present. Pope Benedict’s wisdom that ours is very much a “both/and” expression of faith seems if not prophetic, than a perfect fit for our faith. Or to use the Pope Emeritus’s own words: “These two expressions of the Church’s ‘Lex Orandi’ [Law of Prayer] will in no way lead to a division in the Church’s ‘Lex credendi’ [Law of Belief]. They are, in fact, two usages of the one Roman Rite.” Amen.
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That should read, “spiritual refuge.”
Kevin,
Wonderful article. In brief, the problems of the modern Roman Catholic liturgy caused me to flee to the spiritual of the Byzantine Catholic and (when I have no options) Orthodox Divine Liturgies.
In my personal experience, I find most contemporary Western Catholic masses have the feel of a lively entertainment concert or public town hall. Overall, the people are wonderful, but the services utterly lack any sense of the divine. I simply don’t think most Western Christians take worship of the divine, eternal, Ever-Living God seriously?
Pray for me a sinner. God bless you and yours.
Were you and your wife able to have biological children?
This long comment came to me directly and the author gave me permission to post it, as long as their name was withheld:
“Dear Kevin,
I know you mean well, because your heart is good.
But liturgy (“the work of the people”) is precisely social and communal prayer.
The rest of your day can be filled with the contemplative prayer of silence and quiet.
That is what we should be teaching and emphasizing. Not mixing the two, although
I do like more contemplative liturgies, as you apparently do too.
The Latin Mass is surely a desire to encounter the Mystery, but mostly by mystification,
keeping the clergy again in charge of God.
Jesus never spoke Latin, and in fact it was the language of his oppressors, and then
the upper and academic elite—never the masses or the poor. The Latin Mass era showed
little concern for social justice, racism, etc.
Our world problems, and our suffering, are too great today to regress into what Pope Francis calls
“antiquarianism” and false mystification behind ancient languages.
I do agree, however, that many popular Masses have become far too chatty and
informal, and thus are not taken seriously. And that is probably what you too often experienced. But did
people first meet Jesus, and receive healings, in incense filled chambers? Why would God’s plan
be so totally different now? Jesus was quite ordinary, present, and happily human. And he spoke Aramaic,
not Latin or even Greek.
Hope this adds something good to your conversation which you invited us into. Thank you for caring.
Blessings,
[name withheld]
I had the blessed fortune to attend both Masses on a Sunday morning for about a good year or so: I’d attend a Latin Mass at an old downtown church esp refurbished for the purpose (by a regular diocesan priest, mind you; he was the parish priest at this old church) and then drive across town to help usher at a parish (in another old 19th century church) where they celebrated the Mass as close to the rules as you could get, and where everyone was as reverent as at a Latin Mass. So I could sort of let both Masses “sink in”. And I think my feelings are pretty close to those of the author here (thank you for writing it, I hasten to add to the chorus of praise!).
At this same time I’m referring to, I also had the opportunity to attend a Melkite liturgy in a parish that had many Arab Christians “just off the boat.” THAT was a wonderful and blessed experience too. I suppose that, even though I’m a Western Christian through and through, deep down I prefer the exquisite liturgies of the East.
I think we Catholics are blessed to have these various liturgies available to us because each can answer to different soul and prayer needs, and I pray these opportunities continue, and grow.
All the best to everyone!
Dear Kevin, I actually wanted to ask you if you could keep write about The Joy of Growing up Family Life, if possible in TLM community perspective. I find out that is a new surprise to enjoy. Many people out of community can not understand! It can be inspiring to many people! I believe God will bless you with that mission! I will check on your friend’s book. I like St.Alphonsus.
Dear Readers: since this was my first piece to appear in NCR, I just wanted to thank everyone for reading and for their generally very kind and courteous comments. However, I would never have written the piece, nor submitted it had it not been for regular NCR contributor Trent Beattie, whose book SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI FOR EVERY DAY (2010) I edited for Paulist Press. Indeed, Mr. Beattie came up with the title for this article. If you’ve not read his work, he writes often about sport and spirituality, and I hope you enjoy his work as well.
Thanks again,
-Kev.
God Bless you, Camille. Yours is a strong, strong faith. And so unusual these days. Something to be very much admired, truly. The Lord fully understands, and loves you immensely in whatever struggles you deal with. And even mores because you struggle. As Mother Teresa would say, suffering/struggle is the kiss of Jesus. He finds us and meets us most intimately in our pain and struggles. He has you very very very close and adores your awesome faith, beyond measure.
I can appreciate the best of the vernacular Mass and TLM, esp. when each is done with proper reverance. today I had to attend a local mass since my car was out of commission and I had to walk. There was a contemporary band with guitars and drums. Not, mercifully, overamped, though I feared the worst when I hear the occasional thumping of percussion before Mass. But, alas, as at so many parishes, the same tiresome procession of relentlessly nice, cheery music issued forth, albeit well-played and well-sung. It was for me a matter of taste, not talent. I swear, almost every parish must use the same playlist of 30 nice pop songs. And the priest was a jokester MC at times. That is what turns me off about the contemporary liturgy found in most parishes. It too often lacks seriousness and gravity; not that it need be heavy and grave.
Re TLM, my complaint esp. re the Low Mass, is the rapidity with which it is said. I sit up front so I can follow the liturgy better, and as Pope St. Pius X recommended, “Pray the Mass, don’t just pray at Mass!” I do not understand what the hurry is with the prayers at the foot of the altar is, and elsewhere in the mass. It would not take much longer if the prayers were pray a little more slowly and reverently. And in some places, the priest continues on regardless of whether the choir has finished their sung parts. Long before the sung Introit is finished, it seems like Father is way ahead. Why can this not be coordinated?
Again, I have no complaint about either rite per se; more about the abuses. Most dismaying about many discussions about this is the either/or, not both/and attitude some in each group has, which I detect in this thread as well. Too bad.
I grew up with the Latin Mass ... Vatican II happened when I was in my mid-20s. I grammar school, when the boys were training to be altar boys, we girls had to learn the Latin also. We had dual-language Missals. I still have mine.
It took me quite a while to get comfortable with the change(s). But - I can’t say I have a preference now. I’m not there to be entertained.
I should say, Novus Ordo Masses. My solution, which may not be yours, has been to attend the Traditional Latin Mass exclusively.
The author is very fortunate. I was born at the beginning of the Second Vatican Council and don’t believe that since 1970 I’ve attended more than 10 or 20 Masses according to its norms, particularly with respect to the use of Latin and the primacy of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony.
At end of day we will be judged by the Righteous God depends on our disposition and conducts. In today’s Gospel, we hear that if we are not property dressed at the wedding feast, some will be thrown into the dungeon. All are invited to the wedding feast, however we are required to put on the wedding garment with the sate of the grace. God alone specified to Israelies how to dress when the priest come to sanctuary, or people come into the tent. God struck down people who are dressed or represent improperly in his presence. Until, VTII, 75% of Catholics attended mass, VTII made 25% of Catholic to attend the mass. Of course we lost vocations and religious houses! Liberal 101: call people by name, call them Divisive! Look at yourself in the mirror!
ps: I think we have mountain of holy friends in the New mass community, the one who are calling TLM by name it appears the same way of the Extrem liberals hate conservate with uncontroble emotion. something inside of them are very insecure! I feel very very sorry for them! Good Catholics would not hate the friends at inside of same house, The holy Catholic Church!
Judy, your words are just as divisive as those who promote the Extraordinary Form as the only legitimate way to worship. Please take a look at Archbishop Samples’s homily on the subject, which he delivered at a Mass in the Extraordinary Form. I learned to love God and His Church attending the Tridentine Mass (the only one that we knew), often daily, from my First Communion in 1957 until my first “English Mass) in June 1968. I also meditated on the theology of Vatican II, and I find that to be prophetic. Say what you will about some of the ways in which the Mass changed, as a result. We’re human! We make mistakes! I’ve been in High Masses in the Extraordinary Form recently, and found them to be ostentatious displays of pomposity that are as narcissistic as some of the worst examples of the Novus Ordo Masses. Have mercy on your fellow Catholics, for goodness’ sake. By the way JPII celebrated an awful lot of Novus Ordo Masses. He sure seemed to enjoy the experience with his fellow Catholics.
Judy, I have looked at it online a bit. Very enticing for sure. Our family does a lot of work with the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa’s sisters, in our area, and they too have a lay order that I am interested in as well. Have a Blessed weekend!!
I, too, grew up knowing only the Mass and Liturgy made after Vatican 2. Only recently have I discovered the richness of the traditional liturgy. The Latin/English 1962 Breviary, following the traditional lectionary and seasons of the year have introduced to me a richness and treasures beyond compare. Imagine Pentecost having a Vigil Mass that blows your socks off and having an entire octave to celebrate Pentecost fire! We have Ember days that coincide with the seasons of the year that keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning bright. We have hymns over 1000 years old to sing and a gold mine of Gregorian Chant! These treasures of centuries of Latin tradition which fed and formed the saints and so much more are simply waiting for us to discover.
This is our birthright! Let’s dive in and claim it!
J.Jones, have you checked out the secular order Discarscled Carmelite? Sounds like it may fit you!
I discovered the FSSP parish near me when my husband was approaching hospice. The Novus Ordo priest said he could not minister to my husband when he became home bound on Hospice Care. The FSSP priest came every week for two years bringing the sacraments and friendship.
You should try a Sunday high Mass - it is, also, a meditative Mass, but with chant, poliphany, and traditional hymns before and after. I can no longer go to the Novus Ordo happily, nor can my small grandchildren. We do when we must, but we find it narcissistic rather than Christocentric.
God bless you on your journey to Jerusalem. - Sue
Exactly, Judy!! It is definitely a matter of disposition. I am inclined to more contemplative forms of everything, and I have friends who are not. This is why the choice is such a gift. I just wish every parish could offer the Latin Mass so people could rediscover it, particularly those with the disposition for it, and older people who have missed it so much.
J.Jones, people think about TLM is a matter of form! I tell my good friends at new mass, IT’S a matter of Disposition!”.
Camille, your comment is beautiful, I prayed for you. I do believe you will come in full Sacrement because you long for it. Mean time, seems like you make Spirtual communion with our Lord. Many times I thinks it’s more humble and beautiful than who abuse Eucharist. Blessings!
I really believe that the TLM will be more with the younger generation. Can you imagine the church after 20 yrs? JPII generation will have their church after Kasper’s gang is gone!
This was perfectly stated, Mr. DiCamillo. Great, great article. This should not be a divisive issue. However, those of us born after Vatican II do need to experience and understand the Latin Mass. It is the ultimate form of Catholic Mass, and the most historical and contemplative form there is. It is absolutely beautiful and raises the soul to God in a way that is incomparable. All Masses are valid though and the laity should not be so angry over this issue. The Church allows us to choose, for those of us fortunate enough to have a Latin Mass in our areas, it is a gift. It’s important to note, too, that facts are stubborn things. And the fact remains that millions of Catholics left the faith after the changes of the Mass took place when Vatican II ended and the “reforms” spread and took on a life of their own. It was literally a “mass” exodus, in a profound and damaging way, a historical chain of events that the Church has never recovered from. Of course the loss of the Latin Mass is only one factor that propelled that mass exodus of Catholics, but it is an important one that many do not want to admit. When a person experiences a Latin Mass something extraordinary occurs, the soul is lifted in an incomparable way. Changing the Church to fit secular culture, or to mimic Protestantism has done nothing but full the ongoing exodus of millions of Catholics from the pews. I enjoy both forms of the Mass, but instinctively can see that the Latin Mass holds something incomparable to all other forms of worship.
Rome made a big mistake when is allowed the Latin Mass o still be said after the reforms. It should be stopped. One can experience the joy and contemplation in a Mass well said in English. If you attend Mass for the rubrics only then a mistake is being made.
We try to go to the TLM as often as we can (the closest is about an hour away, so it feels like a pilgrimage.) & when we go to our NO Mass at our Parish, I do not participate loudly and boldly. I prefer as much quiet as possible. I do not sing during the offertory and try to read the Offertory prayers from the 1962 missal instead. I do not sing during Communion because I believe that distracts from the sanctity of it especially if the music is bad and not too sacred. I sing the entrance hymn and the last processional hymn. Don’t hold hands during the Our Father or do more than extend the “kiss” of peace to the two people on my left and right. These two times have become sources of abuse. Because our sanctuary is so noisy with people talking after mass (why can’t they take it outside?) my husband and I kneel and bow our heads until the 2 or three pews clear out before us and then say the Salve Regina and the prayer to St. Michael. These things are the only way that I can attend Mass at my parish each Sunday and not feel that I am in a Protestant “church.”
As a revert, I returned to Mass three years ago in Tucson, AZ. I decided to attend TLM after reading—of all things—Anne Rice’s description of it. After one Mass I was hooked, and I still remember the joy of using my own, new missal for the first time, a feeling greater than the excitement of my first saddle or my first pair of Irish dancing hard shoes. I now live in West Hills, CA and drive 45 minutes to participate in the 7 pm Sunday High Mass in West Hollywood. I’ve learned more from the homilies of Latin Mass priests in three years than I ever learned in seven years of Catholic school. I think I’m attracted to this Mass because I strayed so far from the Church that I feel I need the intense reverence in this Mass to make up for lost time. I need the immense beauty of the ritual and chant to combat the ugliness of the modern world. By the way, I am not in a State of Grace, but I still go. I pray that one day my life will change, and I will be able to receive the Sacraments again. I do not pray that the Church will change her doctrine to accomodate my sins.
What are the fruits of Vatican II? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?
Kevin, we are blessed with TLM. I too love Jesus of Narazerh by papa Benedict. In his the other Apostolic Exhortation SACRAMENT OF CHARITY he has heavenly clarity about the holy sacrifice of Mass . He said “Priestly spirituality is intrinsically Eucharistic”. He emphasized on the Spirtual communion. When we have a doubt with the receiving the holy Eucharist, he instruct us make a Spirtual communion. He see this Spirtual communion so tenderly with a special love. It can go on to marriage issues, missing confession and missing priest at some situation. The communion service is not Priestly and not Catholic! There is no priest, there is no communion! I now, not participate any communion service. Just offer a Spirtual communion. Kevin, your family is blessed with TLM community. That’s the best gift you can give to your children!
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