...And now for something completely different

[BrAndreyu]

I went to a TLM today for the first time. It was about a 31 mile drive one way, and I got there early but apparently not early enough because the church was already packed, as the building is small. I have never seen that many young people in a Catholic church in my life.

All in all, it was pretty but I couldn't follow what was happening at all and I think the girl next to me in the pew knew this, because she spent most of the mass looking over at me because I don't know any of the responses in Latin or even know what you're supposed to do. So I basically just followed as per the guy next to me, kneeling when he knelt, standing when he stood, so on and so forth. The homily was in English and went on for like half an hour, most of it being about the recent Motu Proprio and how the Bishop has said that things will continue "as usual" at that parish while he studies it more in depth.

This was a sung mass and although I enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of it, it was very uncomfortable because I didn't know what I was doing and stuck out like a sore thumb. I did not even attempt to go to communion because I have no idea what to do, what to say, etc (Besides, I fulfilled my weekly mass obligation yesterday here in town at my usual N O mass). Really I was just there to take it all in.

The church itself, despite being small, had beautiful stained glass and the wall behind the altar was painted like a night sky deep blue with starts on it.

I don't think I'm going to be regularly making the haul up to Sarasota to go on Sundays, because I felt out of place not knowing what to do as compared to what I normally do in N O mass, so if I go again it will be more for like "special occasions" as I feel the need. I don't regret going but I'm frustrated that I stuck out and probably ruined the coherence of the mass for the people sitting next to me.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I went to a TLM today for the first time. It was about a 31 mile drive one way, and I got there early but apparently not early enough because the church was already packed, as the building is small. I have never seen that many young people in a Catholic church in my life.

All in all, it was pretty but I couldn't follow what was happening at all and I think the girl next to me in the pew knew this, because she spent most of the mass looking over at me because I don't know any of the responses in Latin or even know what you're supposed to do. So I basically just followed as per the guy next to me, kneeling when he knelt, standing when he stood, so on and so forth. The homily was in English and went on for like half an hour, most of it being about the recent Motu Proprio and how the Bishop has said that things will continue "as usual" at that parish while he studies it more in depth.

This was a sung mass and although I enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of it, it was very uncomfortable because I didn't know what I was doing and stuck out like a sore thumb. I did not even attempt to go to communion because I have no idea what to do, what to say, etc (Besides, I fulfilled my weekly mass obligation yesterday here in town at my usual N O mass). Really I was just there to take it all in.

The church itself, despite being small, had beautiful stained glass and the wall behind the altar was painted like a night sky deep blue with starts on it.

I don't think I'm going to be regularly making the haul up to Sarasota to go on Sundays, because I felt out of place not knowing what to do as compared to what I normally do in N O mass, so if I go again it will be more for like "special occasions" as I feel the need. I don't regret going but I'm frustrated that I stuck out and probably ruined the coherence of the mass for the people sitting next to me.

Don't worry about it. I stuck out like a sore thumb a few times in my life. One was a Christmas Eve mass in Africa where I didn't know I was supposed to bring my own candle. How embarrassing. Another where everything was in Manjago but I only knew Mandinka. Someone translated for me.

Next time consider printing out a guide with the responses and translations. I would have expected they would have had that available, but maybe not or you just missed them. So print your own from what you can find on line.

Communion would be a bit different. There would be an altar rail where you would kneel and wait. The priest would then come by and place the host on your tongue. A bit disconcerting if you have never done that. I remember way way back when I was getting my first communion we had a practice session before the actual first communion. You wouldn't have that opportunity. Basically you just open your mouth big and stick your tongue out. The Ordinatiate have an added twist to that where they follow up with a common cup that you take a sip out of. They do the cup handling and tilting for you. Then they clean the part you touched and on to the next person.

My novus ordo English language mass today had the priest encouraging us to receive the host on the tongue. Not that we had to, but he definitely did encourage it. We don't have a communion rail but a few people did kneel down to receive communion. That is allowed.

 

[BrAndreyu]

Next time consider printing out a guide with the responses and translations. I would have expected they would have had that available, but maybe not or you just missed them. So print your own from what you can find on line.

They had books, but the books are structured weird in that they have the specific readings for that Sunday and then the actual order of the mass is in the center, so I was able to keep up with a little bit but the flipping back and forth eventually lost me and I think the girl sitting next to me knew that because she spent most of the mass looking at me and that was awkward as it gets.

The guy next to me had a little red colored book that I'm going to try and get if I decide to go up there again, which I likely will in another month or so. It's a few exits on the Interstate from my house and about 60+ miles roundtrip, so I won't be able to go every weekend but I did find it beautiful and would go maybe once a month or so.

I noticed that it's a lot longer than the Novus Ordo. Especially the homily, that was in English so I could follow it and that calmed me down a bit, and I was able to follow the movements of the parish pretty well but the specific things like when to bow, cross yourself, genuflect, etc would take effort on my part to get good at and I have no problem putting in that effort, I just wish that there was a parish that offered this type of mass here in town because then I'd put in the effort and make it a regular sunday thing for me, as I personally liked the incense and the fact that it was a sung mass and felt out of the middle ages.

Communion would be a bit different. There would be an altar rail where you would kneel and wait. The priest would then come by and place the host on your tongue. A bit disconcerting if you have never done that.

Yeah that's what it was so I didn't even attempt to go because I already did my weekly obligation last night at a Novus Ordo mass here in town and there were some other people who stayed in the pew, but I just felt too awkward not knowing for sure what to do and how to do it to make the attempt to go, so I just stayed on my knees and prayed silently. Maybe next time I go I'll join them. There's no reason why I shouldn't be able to, but I feel the same way I felt about when I went to the Greek Orthodox church where I'm not allowed to get the actual communion bread (but can get the common bread for everyone after the Divine Liturgy).

My novus ordo English language mass today had the priest encouraging us to receive the host on the tongue. Not that we had to, but he definitely did encourage it. We don't have a communion rail but a few people did kneel down to receive communion. That is allowed.

I actually knelt down to receive the Lord in a Novus Ordo mass for the first time in my life about two fridays ago (on the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel). There were only three people on my side of the church, so we all went to the front pew and kneeled down. I felt weird about it, but I think that Fr. Les understood that I was just doing what the other two people were doing and didn't mind.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I noticed that it's a lot longer than the Novus Ordo. Especially the homily ....

Yup. Longer on both counts.

Yeah that's what it was so I didn't even attempt to go because I already did my weekly obligation last night at a Novus Ordo mass here in town and there were some other people who stayed in the pew, but I just felt too awkward not knowing for sure what to do and how to do it to make the attempt to go, so I just stayed on my knees and prayed silently. Maybe next time I go I'll join them.

There is no obligation to go to communion. There is only the obligation to attend mass. But it feels like everybody HAS TO GO to communion. Not actually so. It also seems few people go to confession anymore. Actually few do. But that should be a monthly thing, or even more often. Anyhow, point being it should not be awkward not to go to communion. It's a great good thing to go but the obligation is just to be at mass and participate in it.




I actually knelt down to receive the Lord in a Novus Ordo mass for the first time in my life about two fridays ago (on the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel). There were only three people on my side of the church, so we all went to the front pew and kneeled down. I felt weird about it, but I think that Fr. Les understood that I was just doing what the other two people were doing and didn't mind.[/QUOTE]

 

[BrAndreyu]

There is no obligation to go to communion. There is only the obligation to attend mass. But it feels like everybody HAS TO GO to communion. Not actually so.

I noticed a woman in the pew in front of me didn't go, so I felt less awkward about it after that. I was taught in CCD that unless you're guilty of mortal sin, that you have to go up for communion during the mass. Although I think I was taught a lot of things in CCD that didn't exactly square with actual church teaching. We were taught by these two old women and one of them was always getting mad at me because I wore T-shirts to the class. I guess she expected me to be wearing a button down or something.

It also seems few people go to confession anymore. Actually few do. But that should be a monthly thing, or even more often.

Again, I was taught in this CCD class that you're supposed to go every week but the people I know who still go, usually go about once a month. I tried going yesterday and got there with 15 minutes to spare, but the priest had already left the booth. So I sat in the chapel for a while and just relaxed because I had over an hour until mass started in the main church. I noticed that the light over the statue of St. Joseph would flicker, that struck me as being kind of odd. I also felt like the statue of the BVM was breathing as I stared at it for a few minutes. I've had experiences like that before where statues looked like they were moving or breathing as I stared at them, so I just chalked it up to a minor hallucination from my condition rather than some grand miracle. It was good to be in the chapel alone with my thoughts for a while, even if I didn't get to go to confession. I'll just try again this coming saturday.

It's a great good thing to go but the obligation is just to be at mass and participate in it.

Yeah I did my best. I stood when they stood, knelt when they knelt, followed them when it came to crossing myself, etc. I tried following along in the missal but it was confusing and I eventually lost where they were because the missal is broken into readings for that Sunday and a section in the middle of the book that actually lays out what the priest is saying in Latin and in English, but I didn't realize that until around the point that the communion process was starting.

One other thing I noticed is that people don't go straight from communion out the door like they do at my parish. And when Mass is over they kneel and say a few prayers in English before everyone gets up to leave.

Like I said, I'll eventually go again and hopefully will have the red book to follow along in by that point, but it's not going to be somewhere I go every sunday because it's kind of a haul to get to that parish, as it is a few exits North on the interstate. I definitely think that it's a shame that they don't have a Latin church in my city proper though, otherwise I'd go more often.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I noticed a woman in the pew in front of me didn't go, so I felt less awkward about it after that. I was taught in CCD that unless you're guilty of mortal sin, that you have to go up for communion during the mass. Although I think I was taught a lot of things in CCD that didn't exactly square with actual church teaching. We were taught by these two old women and one of them was always getting mad at me because I wore T-shirts to the class. I guess she expected me to be wearing a button down or something.




Again, I was taught in this CCD class that you're supposed to go every week but the people I know who still go, usually go about once a month. I tried going yesterday and got there with 15 minutes to spare, but the priest had already left the booth. So I sat in the chapel for a while and just relaxed because I had over an hour until mass started in the main church. I noticed that the light over the statue of St. Joseph would flicker, that struck me as being kind of odd. I also felt like the statue of the BVM was breathing as I stared at it for a few minutes. I've had experiences like that before where statues looked like they were moving or breathing as I stared at them, so I just chalked it up to a minor hallucination from my condition rather than some grand miracle. It was good to be in the chapel alone with my thoughts for a while, even if I didn't get to go to confession. I'll just try again this coming saturday.




Yeah I did my best. I stood when they stood, knelt when they knelt, followed them when it came to crossing myself, etc. I tried following along in the missal but it was confusing and I eventually lost where they were because the missal is broken into readings for that Sunday and a section in the middle of the book that actually lays out what the priest is saying in Latin and in English, but I didn't realize that until around the point that the communion process was starting.

One other thing I noticed is that people don't go straight from communion out the door like they do at my parish. And when Mass is over they kneel and say a few prayers in English before everyone gets up to leave.

Like I said, I'll eventually go again and hopefully will have the red book to follow along in by that point, but it's not going to be somewhere I go every sunday because it's kind of a haul to get to that parish, as it is a few exits North on the interstate. I definitely think that it's a shame that they don't have a Latin church in my city proper though, otherwise I'd go more often.

Another place to try, in the opposite direction and a bit farther for you, would be Ave Maria. They have the vetus ordo and the novus ordo in their schedule, not just the vetus ordo as the FSSP would do. Just an idea. And there are other options listed here including Latin and other options: Find a Reverent Catholic Church Near You

Note that there are more reverent masses than reverentcatholicmass.org knows about. I'm not for a second pretending that their list is comprehensive.

 

[BrAndreyu]

Another place to try, in the opposite direction and a bit farther for you, would be Ave Maria.

I'd have to OK it with my probation officer because that involves leaving the county. The only time I don't have to OK leaving the county with him is when I go to court, and I only have one more court date before I'm done with that. I'm looking forward to next August when I can petition to early terminate my probation and won't have to worry about any of this anymore.

I've noticed that my Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish is listed on there, I used to go there until I came back to the church and just started going to the Roman Catholic church in town because it is the easiest and does mass in English. I've been thinking about trying to go back there (St. Mary's) again when they go back to having mass in English, which is usually during snowbird season because they do the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. The one problem is that I'm worried about C19 due to the fact that they give you communion on a spoon but I'm sure that they've already figured out a way around this.

I'm not going to pretend like I didn't like the mass this morning. I thought it was cool and I wish that I knew how to follow it better, because I feel like I would have gotten more out of it. I figure I'll probably keep going to that one once a month or so. I'd like to learn it and be able to go weekly, but it's just a haul to get there and it's a shame that they don't have a Latin church here in town because I'd be willing to bet that a lot of people would go and it would be a younger parish.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

I did not even attempt to go to communion because I have no idea what to do, what to say, etc (Besides, I fulfilled my weekly mass obligation yesterday here in town at my usual N O mass).

That is sad that you missed reception of the sacrament. Hopefully no one receives it out of obligation and maybe someday people will not be attending simply out of obligation. In fact, I wish the Church would do away with the obligation so we all can freely choose to go out of love rather than fear.

 

[Michie]

That is sad that you missed reception of the sacrament. Hopefully no one receives it out of obligation and maybe someday people will not be attending simply out of obligation. In fact, I wish the Church would do away with the obligation so we all can freely choose to go out of love rather than fear.

I’ve thought the same myself but knowing human nature, it probably would not be a good thing.

 

[BrAndreyu]

That is sad that you missed reception of the sacrament.

Nah, not at all. I got it yesterday evening at my N O mass. I have enough respect for these people today & I take it seriously enough that I'm not going to risk going up there and doing something wrong because I don't know what I'm doing. Better to not receive it (again) than to mess it up and ruin the mass for everyone else.

 

[BrAndreyu]

In fact, I wish the Church would do away with the obligation so we all can freely choose to go out of love rather than fear.

You know, I wish the same thing. Currently my parish is the only place that I really feel comfortable being. I get a greater sense of comfort there than in my own home a lot of the time & going to mass there is definitely less awkward than going to the FSSP church that I went to today.

Even still, I feel kind of bad. I feel bad because I wasn't raised in the TLM tradition so I was trying to take everything in and I feel like people definitely noticed. I have never been to a Catholic church before where I felt awkward and felt like I did not belong there, I usually only get that feeling when I visit Orthodox churches but the people are too busy paying attention to the divine liturgy than to be looking over at me every couple of minutes.

I wish that someone had just said "It looks like you don't know what's going on. Here, use these pages/follow off of me". I'm eventually going to attempt to go there again, but I'm hoping I can get my hands on one of those red booklets that are in the other thread before I make another attempt to go. I'm probably going to go one Sunday a month and then just do the rest of the month at the Saturday vigils at my parish I usually go to.

 

[anna ~ grace]

I’m glad you got to go, man.

 

[Lady Bug]

I think you'll probably like it more as time goes on. I think if I were in your shoes I would have contacted the priest first and told him you want to attend TLM Mass from time to time, but that you'd like to take a Missal home with you (are you allowed to do that sort of thing?) to practice it on your own. Perhaps that's something you might want to consider. I don't know if it would help, because I've never seen a Missal for the Latin Mass, but it probably can't hurt either.

 

[BrAndreyu]

They have books that you can use to follow along, but they're structured weird: the readings are on one page and then the actual order of the rest of the mass is in the center of the book, so you have to flip back and forth.

There is a red book that some people use, it's not that big. The guy next to me was using one but I had no money and could not find the gift shop, so I wasn't able to get my hands on one for yesterday. I'm only going to be going from time to time, it's too far of a haul to go every week.