So I have been told by a good number of people their recommendation to try Latin mass. And I found a place. I may go in the next day or two.
What can I expect?
I’m going to look clueless. It’s going to be totally different. Uncomfortable perhaps but excited to see what the fuss is about. I’m going to sit in the back and hide. Obviously if the previous pope (I was not a fan) wanted to outlaw Latin mass and throw Catholics in jail for attending, then it’s probably something beneficial!
What happens after the Latin mass? Does anyone talk afterwards? Is it morose and sad?
This is awesome! I’ll be interested to hear about your experience.
I would say, don’t build it up too high in your head. Go in with no expectations. I have been to a TLM once by accident (we were on vacation). It was okay. The Church was quite dated and not very well upkept (inner-city).
I also accidentally attended a Maronite Rite Mass (from the Antiochene Syriac tradition) while visiting a Basilica. I found it quite reverent and beautiful. I actually liked it more than I did the TLM.
@DLW might be able to give you more insight into the TLM.
I don’t think there’s much of a need to “hide” per se because most people aren’t terribly focused on each other during the actual liturgy. What I would say is don’t try to follow every word of the Missal. Just observe and take in every sight, sound, and smell. The totality of the ritual is what matters the most, not necessarily understanding every word.
I haven’t seen many people be morose and sad. Quite the opposite. It depends on where you go though; in many places people will stay in the church for 10-15 minutes afterward making their thanksgiving instead of leaving immediately—and you definitely won’t see a post-communion-reception stampede out the door! The quality of conversation depends on the community and the people in it.
I am a Novus Ordo lifelong Catholic. However, I have been to a number of LTM over the past few years. It is a beautiful ceremony. I find the priest raising the Eucharist with his back to the congregation and looking to the cross and heaven to be very powerful.
What I experienced and what you may experience: congregants are very serious and devoted to the Lord. The Church I go to for Latin Masses has the Eucharist on display prior to the mass for veneration. Sometimes leading up to Mass, a rosary is prayed. Most people kneel on both knees and prostate themselves before entering the pew. Some will kiss the ground. Many women (not all) wear veils that cover their heads. Some, although fewer than those with veils, will be wearing gloves. The average or median man is dressed nicer than my regular church (long pants, button-up shirt). That said, the range goes from shorts to suits. There will be a crowd on the altar with multiple priests and altar servants, all male. Lots of incense. Being my Latin is limited to Domini (which you will hear often naturally), I find it hard to follow the liturgy. Cantering is more common at the Latin Mass. At certain points during the Mass, a number of people bless themselves and pound a fist to the heart. The readings, Gospel and sermon are usually in English, although sometimes it is all Latin. Communion is received kneeling at the altar railing on the tongue. Depending where you go, receiving in the hand may be viewed as sacrilegious. (They believe that only those with consecrated hands may touch the Eucharist.) While I won’t say it is silence after Mass, it is very quiet. Many stay and continue praying.
I last went there on Corpus Christi (Thursday night, not Sunday) and the Church was packed. The mass included a very slow and reverent procession. During the procession, everyone was on their knees, even those in the back on the hard tiled floor.
I find the devotion of the congregation to be refreshing compared to my parish’s service.
I am just pointing out differences from my usual Novus Ordo Mass and the Latin Mass that I sometimes attend. I am not making any judgements. I wouldn’t worry about looking lost or out of place. Go and enjoy the service. It is Catholic and you and your family will be welcomed.
While not legally mandated for the congregation (there really aren’t “congregational rubrics” in the TLM per se), it is customary to make the sign of the cross at certain points: when the priest says “Adjutorium nostrum…” and “Indulgentiam, absolutionem et remissionem…” during the prayers at the foot of the altar (and also before communion if the Confiteor is recited by the servers before communion, a rubric technically absent from the 1962 Missal but retained by custom by many communities), at “cum Sancto Spiritu” in the Gloria, “et vitam venturi saeculi” in the Credo, and at “Benedictus qui venit…” before the consecration. It’s a similar situation with the striking of the breast: three times at “mea culpa…” during the Confiteor, and some people do it whenever they hear “miserere nobis.”
We do this in the “regular” Mass as well, but when I read your post, the image of “Marky Mark” Wahlberg beating his chest ridiculously hard in that movie, “Father Stu” : )