[murphE]

The majority of the parishioners at St. Stephen are middleclass families in their 30s and 40s, dispelling the myth that only the elderly nostalgic for their past would be interested in attending such a Mass. The typical family has five or six children, according to Berg. Most of those kids are home-schooled by their mothers.

BTTT

[Pyro7480]

Traditional Catholic ping!

[Salvation]

But we live in the present -- not the past!

[AlbionGirl]

The Parish where Latin Mass can be heard here, is in the lower middle class section of town. And there are young and old, and middle aged like myself. Although, the Mass attracts nowhere near the number of people that the closest NO Mass does.

The younger families do seem to have several children, and there's nothing more beautiful than seeing a woman with all of her jewels in tow, it never ceases to touch me. Also, I've always loved hearing the cooing of a baby at Mass. It comforts me and puts a great smile on my face. The chant of a baby; precious!

The Latin Mass Community is like that voice crying in the wilderness, but I don't think it will survive. It's a voice that many of those in power consider a throwback that must be tolerated until it withers on the vine.

The powers that be will remain the powers that be, and that bodes well for the 'progressives', but bodes ill for the Traditionalists, IMO.

[Cato1]

Thanks - great article will add it to my website

SF Latin Mass - Just had to get a plug in.

[siunevada]

"I think the original intention of allowing the Tridentine Mass was to satisfy the needs of the people who had grown up with it and were attached to it," Reese says. "The thought was that the next generation would grow up attending English Mass, and the Latin Mass would fade away. I don't think anyone foresaw young families being attracted to it."

I guess Father means the vernacular language Mass, since English is the native language for a small minority of Catholics. I was in the pews a few months back with a man from Mexico and English didn't mean a thing to him.

Too bad we didn't apply Vatican II in a different manner:

36. 1. Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.

If we could have said some of the prayers in Latin, we would have both known what we were saying.

[Alma Marie]

"The priest faces the altar (away from parishioners) for part of the service and speaks a language that few understand."

OK, here is what consistently irks me - whenever I see an article mention the use of latin and how few understand it, they never mention that everyone has access to translations of every word.

Back in my Novus Ordo days I noticed early on that many of the prayers the priest said were not printed in my weekly missalette. Anyone else notice this? I feel I have much better access to ALL the prayers through a Latin/English missal than I ever did when I attended "mass" in the vernacular.

But here traditionalists are, portrayed once again like nostalgic bumpkins who have a gullible faith in a religious service they are too ignorant to understand. What a shame!

[VermiciousKnid]

If this kind of parish was available to me, I don't think I'd make it through the opening strains of the processional hymn without breaking down in tears of joy.

Regards,