Sine dominico vivere non possumus
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    (Without Sunday Mass, we are not able to live) This ancient precept came to mind yesterday at Sunday brunch as I listened to two good friends describe their two-year odyssey to find a TLM and homeschooling community in the southeast. This couple and their young children attended our EF Sunday Missa Cantata for several years before deciding to relocate to a rural setting after the husband retired from government service.

    They had formerly attended the OF but fell in love with the Latin Mass when they encountered it four years ago at our little cemetery chapel. When they decided to move out of Queens, they decided that a sine non qua of their new home would be a weekly Sung High Mass so, compiling a long list of potential Latin Mass venues to visit, they took to the road.

    After two years renting apartments in two different states and travelling to many other states, they returned this weekend to visit the chapel. They claim to have visited every Latin Mass community south of NY and east of Ohio, and there is no Missa Cantata except Dom Daniel Oppenheimer's order in West Virginia that they feel is comparable to what we have at St. John's and, equally important, no community except Dom Oppenheimer's that is as welcoming and friendly.

    Furthermore, the husband is so galvanized by his experience that he is on a mission to discover what it is that makes our Missa Cantata and community so unique. He peppered my husband and me with questions yesterday because he was discouraged by the lack of places that offered a weekly High Mass and surprised by the silent Low Mass mentality he so often encountered (e.g. the glares at his children for making little noises, etc.) and how he had been hurt many times by the unfriendliness and lack of welcome he experienced. He described many people as being alarmed at his approach after Mass, and being offended by his invasion of "their private space" when he was simply trying to strike up a friendly conversation. (Pope Francis' words: "pickled pepper-faced Christian" came to my mind as he was describing his unfortunate encounters.)

    Their experiences at OF Masses, on the other hand, were the complete opposite. People were friendly, helpful and welcoming, and we tried to explain that is precisely the gift of Sacrosanctum Concilium and Vatican II, the effort to encourage participatio actuosa, which is the attitude that is lacking sometimes in EF venues. His conclusion was that many "traddies" purposefully cling to the silent Low Mass because they believe having the people sing and respond to the prayers of the priest is a "conciliarist" invention.

    What struck me most in his conversation was how their experience of a Sunday High Mass with collective liturgical singing, according to the goals of the early Liturgical Movement, had so deeply affected this family and impelled them on such a lengthy search. I couldn't help but think of Cardinal Ratzinger's words: "This is why it is very important to observe the essential criteria of the Constitution on the Liturgy .. . including when one celebrates according to the old Missal! The moment when this liturgy truly touches the faithful with its beauty and its richness, then it will be loved!" (my emphases)

    All we could do was assure him of our prayers that someday they will find what they are looking for, and if not, that they will find a community that is loving and welcoming and willing to work towards building a beautiful, fulfilling Sunday liturgy. It's certainly a valuable lesson on the power of the old Missal when it is celebrated according to the Church's liturgical documents.

    Thanked by 2StimsonInRehab bonniebede
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    Your friends apparently missed St. John the Beloved in McLean, Virginia, which has had weekly EF Missa cantata for several years. It is somewhat unique among TLMs in that it was started, not by a group of local traditionalists, or by a traditionalist order, but by a diocesan pastor, one who had very clear ideas of what a traditional Mass should be -- progressive by most traditionalists' standards. Thus, the Mass includes much congregational singing and responding, including the entire Pater noster.

    I think the moral of the story is that traditional congregations that are strongly led by their pastor/chaplain will tend toward the vision of your friends, while those instigated by groups of traditional lay people (and relying more on itinerate priests) will tend toward the more, for lack of a better term, silent version of TLM. What you need to remember is that such congregations were more often than not started during a time of great difficulty, and their members often endured extreme hostility in pursuing their "rightful aspirations". I think part of Pope Benedict's motu proprio rationale was to move us away from an environment largely hostile to the TLM; however, for older traditional Catholics, giving up their suspicions toward any liturgical expressions they consider modern or novus ordo will take a long time. Without condoning their nasty reactions to your friends (whose experience is hardly unique), I would counsel charity toward those battled-scarred soldiers, without whose endurance you would likely not have any opportunity to experience the Church's glorious ancient liturgy.

    Finally, as a musician with many years experience singing the traditional Mass, in both chant and polyphony, I nevertheless strongly endorse Low Mass, which has its own unique spirituality and prayerful richness. It is also part of our Catholic heritage, for better or for worse, and one should not dismiss it out of hand, nor its adherents. Disparaging terms like "traddies" are not helpful, endearing, or apt to integrate you into any traditional community.
    Thanked by 2JulieColl gregp
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Thanks for the very helpful info about your parish; I shall pass it along to my friends. I agree with you completely that the guidance of a wise, pastoral priest is essential to the formation of a thriving, joyful community, and we are also very fortunate to have that in our diocesan leadership.

    Great insights about the battle-scarred TLM veterans, and the term "traddie" was my friend's, not mine. He is a pretty tough native New Yorker, and not a shrinking violet by any means, but his experiences with some of the Latin Mass goers rattled him quite a bit.

    P.S. I incorrectly referred to Fr. William Oppenheimer. His name is Dom Daniel Oppenheimer and Steve Skojec wrote an excellent article about the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem at the Priory of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Charlestown, WV, in Crisis magazine, entitled "The Traditional Mass Is Not a Spectator Sport.
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