Antiquity confers solemnity in shape of Latin mass
Cate Devine
Published on 17 Jan 2010
Attending a traditional Latin mass in Glasgow yesterday was a chilling experience.
Father Stephen Dunn, left, says mass in Latin, above, at the Sacred Heart RC church in Bridgeton, Glasgow
There was no heating in the Sacred Heart RC church in Bridgeton, a vast 100-year-old building in the bosom of a parish first established in 1873.
Perhaps that was because there were only 31 of us in the congregation, but being freezing cold certainly helped focus the mind. After all, they do say austerity is good for the soul.
I was curious to remind myself what mass used to be like, following a debate about how the liturgy is celebrated. This was revealed in the Herald on Saturday, and has been sparked by Pope Benedict XVI’s imminent visit to Scotland.
It was the first time I’d been at Latin mass since I was a child in the 1960s, pre-Vatican Council II, and boy did I have to concentrate. Hard.
Although I attended a convent school, have a Latin O-Grade and studied French at University, the rhythmic delivery of our affable celebrant was difficult to follow. Yet the church was in total silence: this being low mass, there was no singing or any participation in the liturgy, apart from responding to Mgr Hugh Boyle’s familiar repetitions of “Dominus Vobiscum”.
Traditional Latin Mass is said with the priest facing the altar rather than the congregation. This is to help us focus on the altar, the symbol of Christ’s perfect sacrifice to his Father’s will. Thus is the mass depersonalised. As Father genuflects and kisses the altar more frequently than usual, the sense of reverence is palpable.
By the term “Latin mass”, I mean traditional mass said in the Extraordinary Form – that is, the old rite, according to the Roman Missal of l962, before Vatican Council II. It is better known as Tridentine Mass. The version that most modern Catholics are familiar with is the Ordinary Form, or new mass, issued by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
In Scotland there has been a resurgence of interest in, and the practice of, the Latin mass, yet traditional Latin mass was effectively re-instated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. In his apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum the Holy Father said that there were two forms of expression of the Roman Rite of the Mass, effectively decreeing that all priests were now free to choose whether to offer the Tridentine Mass or the new mass.
However, the majority of parishes in Scotland don’t offer Latin mass, and some Scottish bishops are not in favour of it. This, say traditionalists, contradicts not only Benedict but even the late Pope John Paul II, who in 1988 asked bishops to actively support those who felt “attached to the Latin liturgical tradition”.
The anticipated visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Scotland in September therefore highlights a problem. If as expected the Holy Father will want to celebrate mass, could it be in the Extraordinary Form?
The majority of his concelebrants, and therefore their congregations, do not know the liturgy in Latin. Unlike 73-year-old Mgr Boyle, who has celebrated Latin mass throughout his ministry, if not always in public, younger priests will not have learned liturgical Latin.
Father Stephen Dunn, the 48-year-old parish priest at Sacred Heart in Bridgeton, started saying mass in Latin only last May, having made what he calls a “concerted effort” to learn it since 2007. Ordained in 1994, he says he feels “bullied and suppressed” by the Glasgow Archdiocese’s “reluctance to accept” the Pope’s 2007 decree, as shown in Archbishop Conti’s response to it in a letter to Glasgow’s priests on August 10, 2007, in which he questioned the need for it.
Yet as I was about to rediscover yesterday, it’s not just the fact that it’s said in Latin that makes the Extraordinary Form so different. The entire structure of the Mass is almost recognisable from what it is today.
The first thing I noticed on entering Sacred Heart were the altar railings. These are a rarity in Catholic churches, because most were removed post-Vatican II to facilitate the taking of the Host from the priest at Holy Communion and self-administering it. The traditional mass, by contrast, encourages us to kneel and be given Communion as we did in the old days because it helps engender a greater sense of reverence for the sacrament, and humility to God.
We’re reminded that only baptised Catholics, and those in the state of grace, are invited to receive Holy Communion. This is to remind us that we are sinners and to encourage us to attend Confession.
Nobody recites the Creed except the priest, and he says most of the Offertory quietly to himself. The Canon – the very heart of the mass, as it leads to the Consecration – is also silent. There is only one form of the Canon, though there are four options in the new mass.
There are no tambourines or guitars, and no lay church members stepping on to the altar.
Everything is in the priest’s gift, which leaves us free to take from mass what we’re meant to.
It does at first feel stern and authoritarian, but in the end I was humbled by Latin mass, and felt awed by its solemn simplicity. It forced me turn in on myself and to examine my conscience in a way that, for better or for worse, reminded me what being a Catholic is really all about. As soon as I returned home, I felt compelled to look out my childhood Catechism and to re-learn the fundamentals of my faith.
Yes, I could warm to it. If they turned up the heating a bit.
Forms of mass
Tridentine Mass was used in the Catholic Church until 1970 when its public use was restricted by most bishops after the introduction of the “new” Mass of Pope Paul VI following the Second Vatican Council.
Pope Pius V said in 1570 that priests could use the Tridentine rite forever “without scruple of conscience or fear of penalty”.
Pope John Paul II in 1988 encouraged bishops to support those who wanted Latin Mass.
In 2007 Pope Benedict XVI allowed priests to celebrate it if they wished.
In a Tridentine Mass, everything is in Latin, the priest conducts the liturgy facing the altar and the congregation follows in private prayer and doesn’t play an active part.
"In a Tridentine Mass, everything is in Latin, the priest conducts the liturgy facing the altar and the congregation follows in private prayer and doesn’t play an active part."
Will someone please slap that clown for making such an absurd statement???!!
Joined: 14 Jun 2008 Posts: 69 Location: Kansas City
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:21 pm Post subject:
I don't think this man is a "clown".
I think he's written a fairly balanced review, considering the almost total lack of catechesis over the last forty years.
Bless these priests who stick their neck out with their liberal bishops.
So before you go "slapping down this clown" for trying to search out the Mass in a freezing cold church, you might first take a look in your Pharisaic mirror. Perhaps the real "clown" may be revealed to you? Ya' think?
I don't think this man is a "clown".
I think he's written a fairly balanced review, considering the almost total lack of catechesis over the last forty years.
Bless these priests who stick their neck out with their liberal bishops.
So before you go "slapping down this clown" for trying to search out the Mass in a freezing cold church, you might first take a look in your Pharisaic mirror. Perhaps the real "clown" may be revealed to you? Ya' think?
Joined: 14 Jun 2008 Posts: 69 Location: Kansas City
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:31 pm Post subject:
Now, as far as the comment of "active" participation...
Most Catholics of my father's generation said private prayers and devotions, especially the Rosary, during Mass. To this day, my dad has never used a missal. He couldn't tell you the difference between a Proper and a Collect if his life depended on it. Neither could 90% of his peers; if they were still alive.
Its pretty easy to see why people would have trouble understanding his "active" participation, given the Novus Ordo style of responses by the laity.
Expecting today's Catholic to understand the sublime form of worship in the TLM is not realistic.
It takes time and EDUCATION. A little charity on the part of trads wouldn't hurt either.
Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Posts: 1158 Location: Dar al-Harb
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:37 pm Post subject:
For those who my not be aware, Fr Dunn is the only diocesan priest who offers a regular, traditional Sunday Mass in the whole of Scotland. He does so in the face of persistent and vicious opposition from the hierarchy.
No other diocesan priest has either the interest or the guts to follow his example. Please pray for him.
Joined: 14 Jun 2008 Posts: 69 Location: Kansas City
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:08 pm Post subject:
Indeed, I do THINK!
I think, that instead of internalizing my post as some sort of personal attack on YOU, perhaps you might THINK about the POINT of it?
Calling the writer of the piece a "clown" is just bad form. There are plenty of "clowns" out there, believe me. Picking a copy of the NCR or the Tablet will be proof of that.
Most Catholics of my father's generation said private prayers and devotions, especially the Rosary, during Mass. To this day, my dad has never used a missal. He couldn't tell you the difference between a Proper and a Collect if his life depended on it. Neither could 90% of his peers; if they were still alive.
I am probably one of your father's peers. Most everyone I knew way back then used a missal, as does practically everyone of all ages in my Latin Mass community today. Only very rarely in the past 50+ years (then and now) have I seen anyone praying the Rosary during Mass. (Though I would join with Pope Benedict in warning somewhere that the little old lady praying the Rosary in the back may well be assisting at Mass as well as you or me.)
BTW, I assume you yourself know that a collect is a proper prayer of the Mass. So in a sense there is no difference between a collect and a proper, though there are propers (such as the introit, gradual, etc) other than collects.
Joined: 14 Jun 2008 Posts: 69 Location: Kansas City
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:19 pm Post subject:
LOL
Yes, I threw that line in hoping that somebody would catch the "Proper" humor.
Good for you.
Perhaps there is a cultural divide at work here. My father was from the old country, and he assures me that very few people used missals. Only a select few, usually wealthy and educated, were seen with a missal tucked under their arm. Sadly, they were not looked upon favorably. Missives such as "effeminate" and "priest kisser" etc.. were whispered.
Considering that many men waited outside smoking while their wives went to Mass...my dad was already viewed with some suspicion.
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:19 pm Post subject: old rite
Jack007 wrote:
Now, as far as the comment of "active" participation...
Most Catholics of my father's generation said private prayers and devotions, especially the Rosary, during Mass. To this day, my dad has never used a missal. He couldn't tell you the difference between a Proper and a Collect if his life depended on it. Neither could 90% of his peers; if they were still alive.
Its pretty easy to see why people would have trouble understanding his "active" participation, given the Novus Ordo style of responses by the laity.
Expecting today's Catholic to understand the sublime form of worship in the TLM is not realistic.
absolutely!! EDUCATION and constant exposure to the old form is what taught the faith to millions before Vat II
It takes time and EDUCATION. A little charity on the part of trads wouldn't hurt either.
"It does at first feel stern and authoritarian, but in the end I was humbled by Latin mass, and felt awed by its solemn simplicity. It forced me turn in on myself and to examine my conscience in a way that, for better or for worse, reminded me what being a Catholic is really all about. As soon as I returned home, I felt compelled to look out my childhood Catechism and to re-learn the fundamentals of my faith."
What an amazing conclusion to his article! This man deserves our admiration and gratitude. To turn himself around like that after attending a single Latin Mass speaks volumes about the quality of his soul and the intentions that must have lain dormant, waiting to be awoken by his first encounter with the true Faith.
For those who my not be aware, Fr Dunn is the only diocesan priest who offers a regular, traditional Sunday Mass in the whole of Scotland. He does so in the face of persistent and vicious opposition from the hierarchy.
No other diocesan priest has either the interest or the guts to follow his example. Please pray for him.
"It does at first feel stern and authoritarian, but in the end I was humbled by Latin mass, and felt awed by its solemn simplicity. It forced me turn in on myself and to examine my conscience in a way that, for better or for worse, reminded me what being a Catholic is really all about. As soon as I returned home, I felt compelled to look out my childhood Catechism and to re-learn the fundamentals of my faith."
What an amazing conclusion to his article! This man deserves our admiration and gratitude. To turn himself around like that after attending a single Latin Mass speaks volumes about the quality of his soul and the intentions that must have lain dormant, waiting to be awoken by his first encounter with the true Faith.
Max, that was one heckuva post! Great perception! Very nicely said! _________________ Salus animarum prima lex
I think it was a good article it ddint seem to have the usual drivel that I am used to. The end of the article was very good. I thought. _________________ JMJ
I thought the article was excellent and a good account of the reverence we are blessed with at the True Mass.
I, too, use a Missal at Mass. The only time I don't is when I am "forced" to go to a NO Mass for weddings/funerals - and then I turn to Her and "pray my beads." It makes ignoring the fools wanting to kiss me or shake my hand and all the shenanigans going on on the stage much easier.
The last NO Mass I succumbed to was for my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary. My wife and I hesitated taking our nine kids to it - but, since most of them had never been to one before, I thought it would be an eye opening experience for them. Half way through the "service," my nine year old son looked up at me and asked, "What religion is this, anyway?"
Half way through the "service," my nine year old son looked up at me and asked, "What religion is this, anyway?"
Well, boy, this is one o' them lib-rul concoctions, I reckon. Ol' Pius XII was ag-in' it but them coyotes sneaked it in once he passed on. Dang shame, too! _________________ Salus animarum prima lex
A little bit of background on the priest mentioned here:
"Even when relaxing in his armchair while watching TV in the first-floor living room of the rambling priest's house, Father Stephen Dunn can be reminded of just how hostile some members of the community are towards his faith.
'I can be sitting here in an evening and someone will shout up "Away ye Fenian bastard, we don't want you here",' he says, his voice rising with as much exasperation as indignation. 'Almost all the glass in these windows is Perspex now because over the years they've thrown stones up and smashed them. The door gets battered and kicked quite a lot, and the week I arrived here Rangers had lost some European match, so someone ran two coins along the length of my car. If we have a funeral here on a Saturday afternoon we have to hire security just to be sure the hearse isn't damaged.'
Dunn's parish, the Sacred Heart, is barely a five-minute drive away from Glasgow's increasingly glamorous city centre. But Bridgeton Cross seems to belong to a bygone era.
The last NO Mass I succumbed to was for my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary. My wife and I hesitated taking our nine kids to it - but, since most of them had never been to one before, I thought it would be an eye opening experience for them. Half way through the "service," my nine year old son looked up at me and asked, "What religion is this, anyway?"
The last NO Mass I succumbed to was for my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary. My wife and I hesitated taking our nine kids to it - but, since most of them had never been to one before, I thought it would be an eye opening experience for them. Half way through the "service," my nine year old son looked up at me and asked, "What religion is this, anyway?"
Had the same experience at a family funeral when my five year old said, "I thought Uncle Jimmy was Catholic."
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