Dear Parishioners,

As some of you have noticed, on the three Fridays of Advent (December 8, 15 and 22) at 5:30 pm, I have scheduled some Traditional Latin Masses. I have a strong devotion toward the Latin Mass. I find the Latin Mass profoundly prayerful and reverent. So, I would like to share this form of the Mass with the people of the parish. Some parishioners have already given me positive feedback because they have memories of this Mass from their youth. But, from what I’ve seen of the Latin Mass in other parishes, I know that many young people today are attracted to the Latin Mass as well.

Not everyone will enjoy the Latin Mass at first. (I know that I didn’t.) Some people do not like that it is in Latin. Some people do not like that the priest faces away from the people the entire Mass. Other people do not like that one has to receive communion on the tongue. And many people cannot stand that the Traditional Latin Mass is so quiet. I can write whole articles on all of these topics and why they are actually strengths of the Traditional Latin Mass. But, I do not have the space to do it here. If one comes to this form of the mass with an open mind, it is easy to see how all these aspects are in service to the truth that our Lord truly comes to us in the form of bread and wine. It is something that would need to be experienced to be understood.

I do not believe that we can ever go backwards to capture an earlier period in the Church and there is much in the pre-Vatican II period I am very glad to leave behind. However, the Church allows us to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass today. It is not a relic of the past but a living aspect of our faith today that we can still learn from and be devoted to. I have no nostalgia for the good old days. I was not raised at all with the Traditional Latin Mass. But, from my own experience of it and how I have seen it enliven many parishes, I think I would be neglectful not to offer it here. If people do not want it, I’ll stop. But, if people do want it, I am willing and able to offer it. If you are dead set against this form of the Mass for any reason, please be assured that I am not forcing it on anyone.

If you have never attended a Latin Mass before, I invite you to give it a try. The first one is on a holy day of obligation. So, you’re obligated to go to Mass that day anyway. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always contact me via email toddcarterpriest@gmail.com or call me at the Office.

Peace,

Fr. Carter