Deo gratias! The Great Upper Church was built for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. I live in Kentucky but hope to be there in the congregation for this joyous event. The Basilica will be packed. God bless our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for his loving pastoral care for those of us who love the Traditional Latin Mass and who have worked for these many years to preserve its place in our Catholic heritage.

Finally, we will be able to take our children to a Latin Mass. We have waited so long for the chance once again to see the real beauty of the Mass as it was intended. Our children are very pleased to be able to attend a Latin Mass. They have only heard about it. Now they can experience it. God bless the Church……

Extraordinary!

Wonderful. Praise God for Pope Benedict XVI and his support of a return to sacredness in the Mass. What a wise, brave, and loving Holy Father we have.

Step backwards.

That the bishops would make such a big deal about the one true Mass that was celebrated for well over 1400 years in every Roman Catholic Curch around the world is pathetic. This is the Mass that should be celebrated in every Roman Catholic Curch today whether it be in Latin or the country’s own language. Thanks to the deception of Cardinal Bugnini and the failure of the Vatican to admit such fraud from Vatican II, the faithful have long suffered the watered down Protestantized various liberal versions of what the Catholic Church calls the Celebration of the Eucharist. Now, instead of what Jesus Christ and the Fathers of the Church handed down to the faithful to share in the mystical sacrifice of Christ’s life for the salvation of His followers in faith,the Church takes it on the road as some side show from the past. This isn’t some mummy dug up from the sand’s of Egypt. This is the true metaphysical transcendent sacramental act instituted by Christ which truely gives Grace. Now the Church wants to sell it as some freak of nature to those willing to pay the scalpers highest ticket price. St.Thomas Aquinas is turning over in his grave.
Say Three Hail Marys and two Our Fathers
Your sins are forgiven. Go in Peace.
I’m not a priest but somebody needs to stand up and put things in their proper perspective.

“…while we own the mystery”

As the extraordinary form spreads the hope is that it will influence the celebration of the ordinary form. The hope, as I understand it, is also that the extraordinary form will be influenced by the latter. Praise God that so much is being done to reform the Liturgy. Hopefully the two calendars can be reconciled (in a good way) and Mass will return to a celebration ad orientem.

Robert…
You might want to read “The Mass of the Early Christians” by Mike Aquilina.
Blessings,
Deacon Greg

what else can we return to?…..communion under both forms, creed without filioque, confirmation with baptism, married clergy, elected bishops, a Pope “primus inter pares?”……

A LOVELY step ‘backwards,’ thank you! I’m 38 years old, and even I can see the chaos that has ensued and caused confusion among the laity.

Returning to a weekly theatrical show of pomp and circumstance?
Thanks, but no thanks, instead of sitting there listening to a show in a foreign language, spending the time looking around, that’s not Mass. Today’s Mass is so much better, participating with everyone in the congretation, in a simple building without the golden calf chalice bespeckled with precious jewels. Christ did not come to live lavishly, He prefers the simple so more money is available to do the good works, especially helping the poor

It’s always so gratifying to read this blog, where Catholics rip each others’ throats out – er engage in respectful dialog – over the important issues of the contemporary church.
Tune in next time when Deacon K throws more ‘red meat” into the fighting pit – just in time for Lent!

Thanks for spreading the word. We’re really looking forward to this in Washington. And the snow might even be melted by then. Thanks for your blog too it is great.

Those who prefer the Norvo Ordo have access to it in every church on a regular basis,but when some of the faithfull request a Traditional Orthodox Tridentine Mass,every reason under the sun is made,as some of the replys to this post.
Referred to as “a show” “gold chalices” etc.As a Roman Catholic I feel it necessary to provide the best veatments,music,liturgy,archcitecture,finery and so on to the glory of God,but if none of this was available in certain cicumstances,the Mass could be celebrated anywhere under any conditions.It seems that many Catholics would be better catered for at a protestant service

This is great news, as a previous commenter has stated – hopefully the spread of the EF will influence the OF. It is great to see Catholics recover their traditions.

The Tridentine Mass is very beautiful. The glory to the Lord it gives is very apparent. If you have not been, you should try it out. Using a Latin/English missal is a bit harder than having the whole mass in English but there is nothing wrong with a little more work. It really gives a sense of the great tradition of the Church. Also, I believe Latin is still the official language of the church. Please be careful when saying what is a Mass and what is not a Mass. If the Church states that it is a valid Mass, than it is.

Hmmm.
At first I though this was incorrect since I do remember attending a “Latin” mass at 1:00pm on a Sunday in the crypt church at the National Shrine in the late 1970′s. Then, the more I read the article, it was about the Tridentine Mass. To the blogger who suggested this format goes back 1400 years, I might remind him/her that the Council of Trent was in the late 1500′s — a tat bit over 500 years ago. Yes, we did have Latin Masses after 400 or so but LATIN WAS THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF ALL OF WESTERN EUROPE AT THAT TIME — much like English is today.
Say, Deacon Greg, have you ever been “on-ceremony” in a Novus Ordo Latin Mass? I was, once, and it was a sung “High Mass” at that. My only problem was chanting the “Ite, Missa Est” at the closing.

“To the blogger who suggested this format goes back 1400 years, I might remind him/her that the Council of Trent was in the late 1500′s — a tat bit over 500 years ago. Yes, we did have Latin Masses after 400 or so but LATIN WAS THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF ALL OF WESTERN EUROPE AT THAT TIME — much like English is today.”
Dear Lord, what on earth do they teach deacons in the schools today?

Norb …
No, I’ve never served a Latin mass, of any kind. Even as an altar boy. I’d be completely lost.
Dcn. G.

How simply glorious!!!

i would gladly think that the tridentine mass saga is quite relevant for those who desire it. it should not be denied them.

The “lavishness” of the EF is not about a “show”; it is about the Glory of Christ the King. The mass is heaven on earth and the vestments, etc are meant to be a reflection of Christ in his glory, in heaven, and it is not inappropriate, while we are at a liturgy that reflects the very song of the angels in adoration (Holy, Holy, Holy) to see the priest, in persona Christi, in kingly robes.
There is room for both humility and pomp in our liturgy and the human heart longs for both. Beauty has been missing from our liturgies for too long. My only fear is that as the pendulum swings back from the uglification of the church that we are finally emerging from, we do not swing too far the other direction, and become all about the trappings, which will do us no good.
That said, I’m not a fan of the EF. I may go to the Shrine on the 24th to check it out, but it’s not my cuppa. My idea of a great mass would be the NO, ad orientem, with Latin responses ONLY at the sanctus, the angus dei and the gloria.
But I doubt Rome will be listening to me any time soon.

“Christ did not come to live lavishly, He prefers the simple so more money is available to do the good works, especially helping the poor”
Except for that part where he excoriated Judas for objecting to his expensive anointing and said “you will always have the poor among you.”
There is a very good piece on that issue here.
http://catholicexchange.com/2010/02/15/89335/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicex+%28Catholic+Exchange%29
Suffice to say, anything can become an idol, even your concern for the poor. Worship and praise is still our “Opus Dei.” Nothing is to be preferred to it. Nothing. It is so easy to sit around feeling smug because you “care” more about the poor than those people who dare to use a gold ciborium instead of a wicker basket for the Body of Christ. But the dirty little secret any priest or sister or missionary who has actually WORKED with the poor will tell you is this: the poor do not want to see God treated like one of them, or humbled into your woven baskets. They WANT God to be given beauty; they appreciate it because it means something to them.
Perhaps only the very prosperous westerners cannot understand that. But the good news is, the way Obama is going…you’ll be poor enough, soon, to appreciate it, too.

Dana…
Come visit my parish in Queens any Sunday, for the 11:30 choir mass!
You won’t be disappointed!
Blessings,
Dcn. G.

Maybe for Easter Vigil!

I miss the Latin mass, and I would feel less contentious if I had easy access to it. People are getting upset about ONE Latin mass in 40 years! Why? Why be so ungenerous? I do quite a bit of traveling and I have three observartions:
1) It’s very difficult to find the Latin Mass in most places in the US.
2) There are some very lovely Novus Ordo Masses out there, but most of them are not very inspiring.
3) We could really use the universality of Latin Liturgy right now. When I was growing up in my ethnic neighborhood the Polish, German, Italian and other non-English speaking Catholics could come with each other and their English speaking children. All of us together in one Church, one mass. Now, where I live in the Southwest, there is an English mass and a Spanish mass. We no longer can worship together.
The loss of the Latin mass was a great tragedy, a generational cultural theft.

strange how little reference to scripture surfaces in any of our texts about the latin mass….as far as I can tell, Christ did not draw glory to Himself, but pointed constantly to the Father…..certainly didn’t present himself as a King

Deacon Greg – I’ve got you beat, I was an altar boy when the Latin Mass was the only – ah – Mass in town. While I’m used to the English Mass, I do miss the original version. As others have noted, after Vatican II there were a bunch of babies thrown out with the bath water; the Latin Mass was one of them. I’d like to see it offered at each parish, maybe right before the Life Teen version. We’re a big, broad-based Church, and I think there’s enough interest to offer it at least once on Sunday in each diocese. I’m just wondering if there are enough priests left who remember how to celebrate it in Latin!
I have to wonder how many people who complain about the possibility of having the Latin Mass have ever been to one. For them, the English Mass is the norm, and maybe they’re suspicious of the new (to them) version.

To Deacon Norb,
About the 1400 year span of of the traditional Latin Mass. The Council of Trent and Missal of 1570 specified one version of the Latin Mass for all in response to the Protestants. But the Latin Mass, with local variations, existed in essence since at least the time of Pope St Gregory I (around AD 590)–parts of it surely were in place before that. So, although it’s often called the Tridentine Mass, the traditional Latin, Roman Mass goes back much much earlier.
I’m looking forward to praying at the Shrine Mass in April.

**somebody needs to stand up and put things in their proper perspective**
OK, I will.
There is ONE Holy Mass. To promote one form of the celebration of the Mass as better or greater than the other, or to refer to the Ordinary Form as somehow less valid or less intrinsically beautiful than the other form is to border on heresy and blasphemy.

I suppose the Mass will be a Pontifical Mass and therefore, the highest form of the Latin Mass (all the “bells and whistles”). From the postings here I’m sure some will consider it a sideshow (how impoverished). I enjoy the intimacy of the Latin low mass during the week. I suggest those interested attend both a Latin Low Mass and High Mass.
We had a Pontifical Mass at our parish and I was able to enter into that more deeply because much of it was explained to me before hand, the meaning of the different garments that were placed on the Bishop during the mass, etc. Absolutely everything had meaning. What a rich liturgy.
Since I’m a protestant convert, I’m unable to spar with the in house boxers here. I just thank God there was a place left where the Eucharist is treated with holiness and sacredness, by a holy priest, and the confessionals are full of people preparing themselves to receive this incredible grace.

I served the Latin Mass for several years in the 1940s – even after memorizing the responses and having a daily missal, there were areas you couldn’t tell what the Presider (priest) was saying. Does anyone remember in the middle of the Gradual (between the Epistle and Gospel) sometimes there would be a “Tract” where the priest was reading whatever in Latin for some period of minutes, then come back to the Gradual.
I do miss some of the music from Sunday masses -
But a major point in favor of the OF (1970 Missal) is the three year cycle of readings on Sunday (two year cycle on weekdays) providing a much broader base of Scripture selections. Over the course of the 3 years, we get much more of each of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s life and teachings, and of the epistles.
And I never could get the point of the “Last Gospel” – reading the opening verses of John’s Gospel at the end of mass, day after day, to genuflect at “and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. Today I would understand that as a stress on the reality of the Incarnation, and that Trent felt that should be stressed 360 days every year.
TeaPot562

Quote from Mike: Christ did not come to live lavishly; He prefers the simple so more money is available to do the good works, especially helping the poor. End quote
Mike I think you have it backwards. Nothing we can do to honor God is “too lavish.” One of the reasons we do go all out with lavishness is FOR the poor. I was recently listening to a rerun of Mother Angelica and she explained that the “lavishness” is the great equalizer for the poor, who because of their poverty should not be denied the right to honor God in all of his Glory and beauty. Also Mike, beauty transcends, be it music, stained glass windows, a beautiful chalice, or the overall beauty of the Liturgy; all “beauty” IS God.
As for the mass, I don’t see what the big debate is all about. I personally love both forms, and as Bender pointed out, ALL are “THE mass.” Even an unholy priest can still perform a licit holy mass.
For what it’s worth, I often attend the National Shrine for mass, and often on weekdays. IMO, they have the NO the way it was meant to be post Vatican II; enough Latin but for the most part, in English. Most of all, it’s always done with great reverence. My preference is the daily mass down in the crypt, but I’m a sucker for daily mass because everyone there usually is usually in love with the mass.
That said, I also love the Latin Mass, but when I do attend one, it’s usually as a 2nd mass. Maybe it’s just me, but when I go to mass, I like to pray it, and I have a hard time praying in a language I don’t fully understand. So, I sometimes use the Latin mass as a “holy hour of sorts” and just sit in the back and “absorb”, not ever really understanding it. I don’t even want to make the effort to “learn it”, because I love the NO, but of course prefer the chant and the music of the Latin Mass.
The biggest reason I will remain a NO person is because of the gospels. After finally coming back and learning the faith, little has served me more than the daily gospel and homily, which I believe, finally enabled me to fall in love with Christ, subsequently, love the Catholic Faith and Sacred Scripture. I would NEVER give that up for a limited “Latin” gospel cycle.
Again, I don’t know what the big debate is all about, all is good, but I do have a problem at times with the “Traditionalists” who think they are “holier” than we NO mass goers.
I can’t wait to see what happens when we all get a dose of the beautiful Catholic Anglican Liturgy. At the very least, it will probably make the NO finally improve what now passes as music.
Last but not least, let us not forget the “first mass” with Jesus’; no bells or whistles there, and Jesus WAS the priest incarnate. Bottom line, “Calvary is calvary.”

The Latin Mass RULES! Much better than the hand-holding masses I see across the country.

MargaretMary,It will be a glorious day when the Latin Tridentine Mass will be celebrated in the Shrine,afterall That Mass is our Umbillical chord from heaven to our immortal souls.That Mass has For You and For Many,Christ’s exact words,not for you and for “all”.You get the feeling of going home when you attend that Mass,and your own heart will tell you so.It is just so beautiful. Also we have two Popes who condemned anyone who would change that Mass and they are our two saints, St.Pius V and St.Pius X. How much more can Heaven tell us without giving us a jolt.

The Tridentine Mass is so uplifting to my soul…the low mass and the high mass, both beautiful, inspiring and brings heaven to earth…one of the posts suggested to learn more…there’s a website with videos and explanations. it’s a dot org. traditionallatinmass and the youtube site has videos with talks that explain the mass.

To YOUR NAME: one can pick up the Bible on any given day and get all the readings one likes.

For those who can’t make it to the shrine, your welcome to come to St. Boniface Church in Pittsburgh. Celebrated with the permission of the Bishop. Beautiful Choir! Every Sunday 8:00 a.m low mass, 11:00 a.m High Mass. From downtown, take parkway north I-279 to Hazlett St. Exit. Deo Gratias!

They need to bring back the Latin mass everywhere. Did you ever think what a waste it is to buy mass books every few months, then throw them away? It’s just common sense to let everybody have their own missals.
They must be spending millions on those books! Just because they had to change all the words and readings.
The priest does nothing except the sermon and consecration now. I thought the priest celebrated mass FOR the people!
I miss the holiness of the Latin Mass and traditional music.

This is an opportunity to have the Statue of Our Lady of America enshrined at the the Basilica. Please someone with authority get in touch with the Bishop or the Pope’s Representative, and get them to agree to the enshrinment of the Statue of Our Lady of Americ.
Please God make them listen.
Thank you,
B.OB Ar

I love the Traditional Latin Mass! Nothing expresses the life of the Old and new Testaments like the TLM! And concerning the enshrinement of the Our Lady of America Statue at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, WOW! It’s starting to look like it can really happen! I will so blown away if it happens! I will start praying for it today! God bless everyone!

I second the motion to bring back the Latin Mass everywhere. It is very difficult to concentrate in prayer when loud, Protestant-style hymns are blaring during Holy Communion and when people think it’s acceptable to talk during Mass and thus show disrespect to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The creative liberties some parishes have taken with the Sanctus, Kyrie and Agnus Dei are appalling – not to mention the handholding during the Our Father which is a charismatic Protestant thing. The Church was flowing with vocations and devotions until the Latin Mass was taken away; it’s past time to make things right again!

Margaretmary,
With Quo Primum, Pius V forbade anyone to change the Missal at all. But the problem is that the Missal from before Vatican II had already been changed. Popes Clement VIII, Urban VII and Leo XIII all revised the Missal. The changes may not have been as drastic as those of Paul VI, but Quo Primum forbids *any* change, not just major change. Also bear in mind that Pius V also revised the Breviary and attached the same prohibition to it that he did to changes in the Missal. But here’s the thing, the Pope who has made the greatest changes to the Breviary since Pope Pius V was .. Pope Pius X. If we are to condemn those associated with the revisions to the Missal after Vatican II because of Pius V’s prohibition, then we must condemn Pius X as well, for he did the exact same thing to the Breviary in the face of the same prohibition.
Pius V’s prohibition could not bind other popes, only other people who would seek to change the Missal. That is why so many other popes, including Pius X, have gone ahead and changed things despite Pius V’s prohibition. You might issue with the changes that were made, but the reality is that Pope Paul VI had every right to make them.
Andrew,
The decline in vocations began in the 50s and was well under way in the 60s, long before the liturgy was revised in the early 70s.
As to the faults that you mention in contemporary masses, there is not much inherent in the EF that prevents them any more than in the OF. The reality is that the EF exists almost exclusively in ghettos of good liturgical sense, piety and devotion. It is not inherent to the Missal, but to the people. If we applied that same good liturgical sense, piety and devotion to the OF, we would solve almost all of the problems with contemporary liturgies.

While I can understand the appreciation that many share for the pre-Vatican II liturgy, I believe that much of the blame for the “lack of reverence” in the Novus Ordo is misplaced.
It’s not that the Vatican II mass is the problem. Rather, I believe that in most cases it’s that the Novus Ordo was not properly implemented. Some priests began to see their roles more akin to that of Protestant ministers presiding over worship rather than as celebrants of the sacred mysteries. That attitude certainly catches on.
I remember years ago hearing Fr. Benedict Groeschel giving a talk where he shed some light on masses in the “good old days,” essentially dispelling the myths that all the liturgies were akin to what will be celebrated in the National Shrine.
The reality is that much liturgy was poorly done and that the congregation wasn’t necessarily pulled into the mystery of what was taking place. Get in by the gospel and out after communion and all was set.
I believe there is something to be said for the reform of the reform, and given time I see great promise. Return to the Latin masses of old would appeal to a very small minority, but I fear would be difficult for many others to adapt to – more difficult than going from the Latin to the vernacular.
Let’s think before we make sweeping statements about turning back the clock 40 years. Pope Benedict XVI speaks often of continuity, that is, moving forward, not breaking with the past whether it is of 2000 years, 500 years, or 40 years.

I’ve attended N.O. masses which were very reverential, and which imparted a sense of Sacred Mystery, but suspect that more is at play re: “bad” N.O. masses than priests viewing themselves as “presiders”. After Vatican II, there was a general “de-mystification” of all things Catholic. Understanding is good, but ours is a mystery religion. Intellect takes us only to the brink of faith, not beyond it. I will never forget the day when a priest, after Mass, handed me (an unordained layman)a ciborium of consecrated hosts and a tabernacle key, saying, “Here, would you put this away for me?” A greater use of the old Mass will hopefully correct this kind of mentality.

There are too many women involved now. Our priest will not even intone the Kyrie, Gloria,or Agnus Dei: it is done by the woman cantor (who, by the way, sings in an upper range so high that no one can follow). A lady sacristan, with great self-satisfaction, carries out the sacred vessels. The usher is a woman. The reader is often a woman. And of course women aren’t to be denied the role of Eucharistic ministers. Our church has no girl servers, but I am sure that development is coming. The Church should beware of this phenomenon, as most Gnostic cults are started or run by women.

This kind of medieval darkness what I have
read here made me sad guys.please awake

Have we seen a large response to the acceptance of the changes brought about by VaticanII? How about solemnity at the Novus Order Mass, the distraction of the “peace exchange”,hugs kisses , does this belong during Mass,and lastly ,how about the vocations that should be coming from this “catholic church as we know it.I don’t know about your churches but the ones where I live out of 12 churches,8of them have realtor for sale signs on them.Yes, we have no priests to say Mass as a result of this and “other problems”,now we have no church. Why is it all the vocations are going to Society of St. PiusX? It has been said ,”by their fruits you will know them”. Well ,looks like we know where the Good Lord is sending the vocations.

Just a deep seated thought to ponder on, the Tabernacle. This is the Place where the Blessed Sacrament is kept,under lock and key ,safe and sound. ,and It belongs in the middle of the sanctuary not off to a side where you cannot find it unless you see the little red vigil light.They have put chairs in place of the tabernacle,presidentialchairs,I might add. This reeks of disrespect for Our Lord,nothing more than a protestantpresentation of their sanctuary.Now,the govt. is trying to jam the new world order down our throats, don’t like that word, but how about the Novus Ordo, new order of the mass, don’t like that familiarity of the likeness of one to the other.We must wait and pray that God in His Glory and Justice will show the way,the way He wants it.,because it’s a comin’and soon from the looks of things. AMEN

I guess finding useful, reliable inormfatoin on the internet isn’t hopeless after all.

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