About the Latin Mass: Conclusion

The Latin Mass and the English Mass are similar but different. One was born from the other, but unmistakably has differences in objectives due to differences in presentation, as has been discussed for the past year in these articles.

The intention of these articles has been to have you not feel intimidated by the Latin Mass, and to understand more fully what you are experiencing. Even if you don’t know Latin, you will recognize the structure and dialogue of the Mass from the English Mass. If you venture to try attending a Latin Mass, take with you the sensation from the Psalm portion of the English Mass of trying to communicate with God through heartfelt dialogue. This is what the Latin Mass is about in many ways throughout the Mass.

At either Mass, the moment of consecration and the sight of the parishioners processing forth to meet our God are profound, and may be a preview of some of the sights of heaven.

We must always remember that regardless of which Mass we attend, reverence is the key for all participants, at the altar, in the pews, and behind the music. We must always, always strive to not give the sense that any element of what we celebrate is a canned product. It would be best for the priests, instead of preaching to put on a show, to preach with humility. Promote all holy vocations, not just those that involve working in a soup kitchen. Present the Eucharistic Prayer as an important part of the Mass and not as an afterthought which follows the homily. Assess what your core Eucharistic Prayers, sung responses, and hymns will be, to establish your identity as a Catholic church without risking an excess of variability. And always keep the prescribed phrasing of the prayers unchanged. These are some of the key ideals that are important to be mindful of, since the English Mass, through its structure, use of vernacular, and choice of modern music, seems to be more susceptible to deviating from them.

Accomplishing the elements of the Mass in a proper and reverent manner helps to enforce that the Latin Mass and the English Mass are indeed two different forms, the extraordinary and ordinary form, respectively, of the same Roman rite, as noted by our Holy Father.

The Latin Mass is celebrated Sundays at Blessed Sacrament at 8:30 and Nativity at 9:00.