Warka
05-28-2010, 01:06 AM
I spotted this letter to the editor in my local newspaper the other day and just came across the online version. Good stuff.
Sung Latin Mass was Awesome (http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2010/05/27/opinion/doc4bfc44dba1810394257795.txt)
May 27, 2010
To the Editor: This is in response to your recent article (“Solemn High Mass to be celebrated in Latin” (http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2010/05/09/life/doc4be434047294d435278685.txt)). I participated in the Solemn High Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in Wyandotte on May 16.
The sung Latin High Mass, celebrated according to the Roman Missal of 1962, was nothing short of awesome. This was truly a “cosmic Liturgy” full of reverence, and surpassing space and time. A phenomenal organist and outstanding choir, along with soul-stirring music, added to the beauty of this historic celebration.
I felt an enormous joy to see, in this area, what could be a first step in a liturgical restoration for the Roman Catholic Church. After nearly 50 years of liturgical abuses and insanity, this liturgy has risen from the ashes here in the Downriver area.
I literally held back tears of joy at numerous points in the Mass. I smiled as the altar servers reverently processed down the aisle, with the priest, deacon and subdeacon fully vested in Roman vestments and wearing their birettas.
This was nothing short of a historic moment for Wyandotte and for the entire Downriver area.
However, I also felt a great hurt that we as Catholics had been robbed of such a great liturgical heritage. What passes for “Mass” in most of our parish churches is a pathetic atrocity, often accompanied by irreverence, a disregard for liturgical rubrics and rules, often a general turning away from God to focus on and to entertain “us.”
While many who take part in this may be sincere and in good faith, I can't help but think they’re wrong.
This Mass at OLMC, on the other hand, actually resembled the Roman Liturgy that was handed down from Jesus Christ and the Apostles, slowly developed over centuries, and survived for 2000 years. (Decades ago, this was the Mass, celebrated all the time, at OLMC and in all of our parishes.)
Together we — clergy and laity — faced in the same direction, toward the East (and toward the High Altar and Tabernacle). This Latin Mass, with all of its prayers, rituals, ceremonies, gestures, chants, etc was extremely conducive to truly worship the Heavenly Father in spirit and in truth.
This Tridentine Mass, or traditional Roman Mass, is the Catholic Mass that will not die. This is as sure to be the Mass of our grandchildren as it was the Mass of our grandparents.
Let’s hope and pray that this form of the Holy Mass will return sooner, rather than later, to our Catholic parishes every Sunday.
Thank you, News Herald, for reporting about it.
Dave Phillips
Taylor
Sung Latin Mass was Awesome (http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2010/05/27/opinion/doc4bfc44dba1810394257795.txt)
May 27, 2010
To the Editor: This is in response to your recent article (“Solemn High Mass to be celebrated in Latin” (http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2010/05/09/life/doc4be434047294d435278685.txt)). I participated in the Solemn High Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in Wyandotte on May 16.
The sung Latin High Mass, celebrated according to the Roman Missal of 1962, was nothing short of awesome. This was truly a “cosmic Liturgy” full of reverence, and surpassing space and time. A phenomenal organist and outstanding choir, along with soul-stirring music, added to the beauty of this historic celebration.
I felt an enormous joy to see, in this area, what could be a first step in a liturgical restoration for the Roman Catholic Church. After nearly 50 years of liturgical abuses and insanity, this liturgy has risen from the ashes here in the Downriver area.
I literally held back tears of joy at numerous points in the Mass. I smiled as the altar servers reverently processed down the aisle, with the priest, deacon and subdeacon fully vested in Roman vestments and wearing their birettas.
This was nothing short of a historic moment for Wyandotte and for the entire Downriver area.
However, I also felt a great hurt that we as Catholics had been robbed of such a great liturgical heritage. What passes for “Mass” in most of our parish churches is a pathetic atrocity, often accompanied by irreverence, a disregard for liturgical rubrics and rules, often a general turning away from God to focus on and to entertain “us.”
While many who take part in this may be sincere and in good faith, I can't help but think they’re wrong.
This Mass at OLMC, on the other hand, actually resembled the Roman Liturgy that was handed down from Jesus Christ and the Apostles, slowly developed over centuries, and survived for 2000 years. (Decades ago, this was the Mass, celebrated all the time, at OLMC and in all of our parishes.)
Together we — clergy and laity — faced in the same direction, toward the East (and toward the High Altar and Tabernacle). This Latin Mass, with all of its prayers, rituals, ceremonies, gestures, chants, etc was extremely conducive to truly worship the Heavenly Father in spirit and in truth.
This Tridentine Mass, or traditional Roman Mass, is the Catholic Mass that will not die. This is as sure to be the Mass of our grandchildren as it was the Mass of our grandparents.
Let’s hope and pray that this form of the Holy Mass will return sooner, rather than later, to our Catholic parishes every Sunday.
Thank you, News Herald, for reporting about it.
Dave Phillips
Taylor