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Story time, inspired by Br Martin @BVMConsolatrix
I grew up going to the Tridentine Mass.
We went to a medium size mission chapel built in an old formerly protestant church which had been converted for the purpose of offering the TLM exclusively. I grew up w/dialogue school 1/
I grew up going to the Tridentine Mass.
We went to a medium size mission chapel built in an old formerly protestant church which had been converted for the purpose of offering the TLM exclusively. I grew up w/dialogue school 1/
masses & going to High Mass w/my fam every Sunday morning where I happily learned to sing the “Kyrie A-Lady-Song.” (I also sang a lot of unapproved songs at the top of my small lungs & caused Mom no end of trouble.) I grew up loving the mass, praying the rosary, & immersed in 2/
the smells & bells of the traditional liturgy. I had no real knowledge the Novus Ordo existed until I was 8 or 9.
I’ll never forget it. We went to the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in OH & just happened to catch the end of their Sunday evening mass. I was so excited 3/
I’ll never forget it. We went to the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in OH & just happened to catch the end of their Sunday evening mass. I was so excited 3/
seeing the outside of the church & was so happy to see the shrine to Our Lady. I remember skipping up the steps. I walked in wearing my veil & genuflected to the altar to the great consternation of the congregation who looked at me like I had just stepped off another planet. I 4/
went up quietly to pray in front of the statue of Our Lady at her side altar & a cacophony of musical instruments I’d never heard in a church before erupted somewhere off to the side. I was confused, & upset, & when I saw a man & a woman serving at the altar in blue jeans & 5/
t-shirts putting the host into ppl’s hands I remember bursting into tears & crying to the statue of Our Lady. I couldn’t understand why no one was respecting Our Lord, why all the women were dressed immodestly, why no one would kneel, & why would they dare to touch Our Lord? 6/
It was terribly disturbing to me. I remember turning to my mom saying “can we please leave now,” walking out feeling nauseous & vomiting in the bushes to the side of the front door. I felt sick & was in tears. I cried in the car for an hour on trip home & my parents couldn’t 7/
understand why I was so completely inconsolable. It was traumatic to me.
2nd time I went to a NO mass was at Notre Dame University. I was 10. Again I was excited to see their church. I loved the statue of Our Lady on the top I had seen thru the trees walking up & was excited. 8/
2nd time I went to a NO mass was at Notre Dame University. I was 10. Again I was excited to see their church. I loved the statue of Our Lady on the top I had seen thru the trees walking up & was excited. 8/
I marvelled at the paintings on the ceiling & had utter confusion looking at where the main altar should be. There was a strange table & I remember thinking it couldn’t be the altar bc there was already a real altar & why would you put an altar in front of another altar? A 9/
pamphlet I picked up walking in explained the newer one was built out of old church pews & showed a picture of the sanctuary before. I couldn’t understand why they would put in a second altar until the priest started the Offertory facing the wrong way. My sister grabbed my 10/
asked to go, & we walked out crying & agreeing it felt very wrong.
3rd time I was in London. Having just been to an Anglican service, (my gran is Anglican we had taken her earlier to her church) I turned to my mom & whispered “Are you sure this is the catholic church?!” She 11/
3rd time I was in London. Having just been to an Anglican service, (my gran is Anglican we had taken her earlier to her church) I turned to my mom & whispered “Are you sure this is the catholic church?!” She 11/
assured me it was. It was the 1st NO I had attended all the way thru & I remember trying to follow in my missal & couldn’t figure out what the priest was doing. None of the prayers he said aside from the consecration & Our Father appeared anywhere in my missal. It felt like 12/
being sucked into an alt universe.
For the longest time I couldn’t tell you quite why I felt something was wrong but I think I can put my finger on it: the lack of reverence is jarring & offensive to pious persons. It can easily scandalise young children. Esp in parishes w/ 13/
For the longest time I couldn’t tell you quite why I felt something was wrong but I think I can put my finger on it: the lack of reverence is jarring & offensive to pious persons. It can easily scandalise young children. Esp in parishes w/ 13/
irreverence & bad sermons the danger posed to the faith can be grave. I’ve been a nanny & seen otherwise very calm & pious children suddenly become distressed & throw fits or cry or refuse to go in, 1 4yo protesting & crying “I can’t! IT’S TOO CREEPY!” It mirrors my childhood 14/
reaction. The lack of reverence was traumatic to me as a child & I do not wish to expose any kids I may have to that if possible.
I will say, that despite my dislike for the Novus Ordo, (esp given what I know now,) this does not extend to a judgement on ppl who go to it. I 15/
I will say, that despite my dislike for the Novus Ordo, (esp given what I know now,) this does not extend to a judgement on ppl who go to it. I 15/
have seen good in parishes & ppl. In college I couldn’t make it to a TLM & went to the most reverent parish I could find. I know the consecration was absolutely valid bc I watched a person possessed react violently to the consecration of the Precious Blood & flee the church 16/
shaking. Many ppl, esp a women’s study grp, helped me grow in the Faith w/study of the Church Fathers esp Augustine & Jerome. A young priest from drove 1hr 1 way to come help me in hospital. There’s a grp that prays the rosary every Wed evening which I found solace in. But I 17/
found myself longing for the silence of the low mass, for any silence in church. I‘d come at odd times trying to show up w/o ppl so I could get the opportunity for contemplative prayer.
I loved many aspects of the parish my small mission chapel didn’t have. In particularly I 18/
I loved many aspects of the parish my small mission chapel didn’t have. In particularly I 18/
loved the Society of St Vincent de Paul, but unfortunately being both the youngest potential member (by 40 yrs) & the most traditional, I was refused entry, bullied & after I qu’d the ethics of 1 practice, was told I couldn’t come again. Some of the members of grp set out to 19/
make my life at the parish hellish. I was also scandalised by the many ppl I met who were openly living in mortal sin & going to communion. I loved the priest, who was holy & trying his best to encourage the growth of reverence in the parish, but the many probs outweighed 20/
this for me, & once I had the opportunity I returned to going mostly to the Tridentine (though I also love Eastern Rites esp Byzantine & will often attend liturgy there too.) I am determined to go ONLY to reverent masses in so much as I am able for the rest of my life. I find 21/
reverence to be 1 of the most important aspects of the liturgy & most edifying. I grow in humility, peace of soul & contemplation w/it. W/o it my prayer is disturbed so immensely, I fall more easily in the spiritual life. The fruits of reverence make the sacrifices to get to 22/
masses w/it absolutely worth it for me. I long for the day when it won’t be necessary to search for a parish w/a reverent liturgy, but rather one may be assured of it in every catholic church. May God hasten that day. 23/23
