ABOUT THIS SITE
BACKGROUND
For decades after the liturgical reform following the Second Vatican Council, views on the continuing place of the Latin language came to stand for broader positions in the 'liturgy wars'.If you considered yourself a 'progressive' Catholic, it went without saying that you had no time for Latin, especially given its (often unfair) association with extreme forms of traditionalism.
Despite its name, the Latin Mass Society, which incidentally always argued its case for continued access to the 'old' mass from within the church, came to see itself as a vehicle for traditional Catholicism in general, rather than confining itself to the liturgy, so alienating many potential supporters, or at least making members who did not share that broader approach feel marginal.
CONTENT
- Examples are taken from those parts of the text common to both forms of the mass. Contrary to what most will probably expect, this means almost all of it. The only substantial deletion from the body of the mass was that of the Offertory Prayers, otherwise they are confined to the opening (in particular Psalm 42) and closing (most notably the Last Gospel) rites, and a few of the priest's prayers after Communion.
- The Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and Pater Noster are recited or sung by priest and people and the Constittiution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council explicitly states that the faithful are to be capable of singing or saying in Latin the parts of the mass appropriate to them. They are therefore given special attention.