Latin Mass At Holy Trinity
Beginning on October 29th, 2017, The Extraordinary Form Mass of the Roman Rite, commonly known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Tridentine Mass will be celebrated EVERY Sunday at Holy Trinity at 12:30pm. This page was created to answer some common questions that you may have about the Extraordinary Form Mass.
Q: Will this change the schedule of the other weekend Masses at Holy Trinity?
A: No, the 4pm Saturday evening Mass and Sunday 9am Mass will continue as usual.
Q: Will this be a separate community from Holy Trinity parish?
A: No, this is simply another Mass being said at Holy Trinity church. Those attending the Extraordinary Form Mass will be encouraged to take part in all the various community activities and groups at Holy Trinity in the same way as every other parishioner. This also means that collection taken at the Extraordinary Form Mass is not treated differently; it will be deposited into the save accounts and used for the same purposes as any other regular collection at Holy Trinity.
Q: What is the Extraordinary Form Mass?
A: The Extraordinary Form Mass, commonly called the Traditional Latin Mass is the Mass as it was said prior to the Second Vatican Council. The missal that is used is the missal put fourth by Pope Saint John XXIII in 1962. It is called the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite to distinguish it from the Ordinary form of the Roman Rite, which is the Mass promulgated by Pope Blessed Paul VI following the Second Vatican Council which is the Mass ordinarily celebrated in the grand majority of Catholic Churches today. The Extraordinary Form Mass is sometimes also called the Tridentine Mass because it was at the Council of Trent in 1545 that this was was made “normative” ie: the normal way of celebrating the Mass for all the Western church.
Q: Is the Extraordinary Form Mass completely in Latin?
A: Most of the Mass is indeed in Latin, however the readings are read to the congregation in English immediately before the homily or sermon and the homily/sermon is certainly in English.
Q: Do I need to know Latin to go to the Extraordinary Form Mass?
A: Not at all! Remember this was the Mass that all Catholics attended in the Western world for centuries; they certainly didn’t all know Latin. When you come, simply pray during the Mass, thanking God for the sacrament which is taking place upon the altar. If you wish to follow along and pray with some of the prayers of the Mass, booklets will be provided to help you.
Q: Is the music in Latin as well?
A: Some hymns will be in Latin, but others will be in English. The Mass that will be celebrated at Holy Trinity is called a Low Mass, which means it is a Mass where the priest does not sing and no incense is used. At a Low Mass, frequently, some hymns will be in whatever language is common, in our case English.
Q: What about receiving Holy Communion at the Extraordinary Form Mass?
A: Reception of Holy Communion is a bit different in the Extraordinary Form Mass. Communion is received exclusively on the tongue and while kneeling usually at an altar rail. At Holy Trinity, the first row of pews on either side of the center aisle will serve as our altar rail. If you have severe arthritis or some other condition which prevents you from knelling on a pew kneeler, then you may sit in the pew and lean forward. If this seems unclear to you, don’t worry, there will be ushers present to help you. The Holy Eucharist is only distributed under the species of bread at the Extraordinary Form Mass, if you have Celiac disease and cannot receive a normal host please contact Father Melanson, and accommodations will be made for you.
Q: Is there anything I should study or read up on before going to the Extraordinary Form Mass?
A: While the Extraordinary Form Mass can seem daunting, you do not need any special knowledge or expertise to appreciate and pray with the Holy Mass. Simply prepare yourself in the same way you would any Mass by being mindful of the presence of God and giving thanks to Him for the gift of the Mass and of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have any other questions, please email them to Fr. Peter Melanson or contact our office.
All questions are encouraged, and this page may be updated with new answers as questions come forward.