La messe des enfants (in Latin!)
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Here's a different approach to doing Children's Masses. Once again, I'm not a member of the SSPX, nor have I ever been, nor do I ever intend to be. However, perhaps they're doing something that we could all learn from. Namely, fulfilling the wishes of the Second Vatican Council and teaching the children "to say or sing in Latin those parts of the Mass that pertain to them."

    Maybe they've discovered something. Maybe it's really a whole lot simpler than many have thought these last fifty years. They don't seem to need international commissions to draw up guidelines and make up liturgies for children. All they're doing is what the Church has asked for---namely, teaching the children "to say or sing in Latin those parts of the Mass that pertain to them."

    To those who say it can't be done and little tots can't possibly learn how to sing the parts of the Mass in Latin, just take a look at this video. and here.

    (And be sure to listen to the totally charming closing hymn starting at 17:40!)
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Julie,

    I can't watch the video right now, but I wholeheartedly agree with your basic contention that children can learn Latin and sing the parts of the Mass.

    Which people continually claim that it's impossible?

  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    I don't want to name specific people, but I've been told many times by pastors and diocesan liturgy experts that Latin is "too hard" for any congregation to learn, and that "youth" and "family" liturgies must be totally dumbed down to be relevant to young people and children.

    If the parish worship committee at my local parish thinks "This little light of mine" and "Jesus loves me" are the gold standard of music for their Children's Mass, I can only imagine their reaction to someone suggesting that 5 and 6 year olds sing a Mass setting from the Kyriale as they do in this video, or what they'd think of 8 and 9 year old French boys singing the propers from the Graduale as they do in the other video (with one of the boys actually conducting the schola.)
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    I don't want to name specific people, but I've been told many times by pastors and diocesan liturgy experts that Latin is "too hard" for any congregation to learn, and that "youth" and "family" liturgies must be totally dumbed down to be relevant to young people and children.


    This is very common, as - I think - we all know.

    There is no cure for this kind of stupidity.


    The good thing is that I imagine this will largely disappear as a problem over the next 40 years or so. The bad thing is that I think the reason for this is that all the people who get raised with primarily that sort of music will simply leave.
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    There is no cure except demographic extinction. Any institution that believes children and young adults are so mentally/emotionally/spiritually deficient that they can only process soft rock, pop psychology and cartoons is ultimately not going to survive.

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