More on the Latin mass, this time in Florida (St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church on the Treasure Coast)

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Ad celebrationes sanctae Missae de quibus supra in art. 2 admitti possunt, servatis de iure servandis, etiam christifideles qui sua sponte id petunt.


Here's the article, a bit more interesting than most because of the numbers and some details it provides:

The large church can seat up to 1,200, and the Latin Mass can bring in an average weekly crowd of 50 to 60. Many women and young girls wear lace veils, which is a tradition and symbol of reverence.

St. Martin offers a booklet with the English translation and illustrations along the margins to help guide people through the Mass.

and:

One of the reasons many bishops find it difficult to offer the Latin Mass is because few priests know Latin or enough of it to conduct the service, Hoyos said.

The Rev. Marco De Leon, a 53-year-old native of Guatemala, took over saying the Latin Mass at St. Martin eight months ago. But even he didn't know the language himself.

It was offered at Seminary, but he didn't take the classes because it was not a requirement. Instead, he attended a five-day workshop for priests who wish to learn the Latin Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Denton, Neb.

and:

•In June 2007, there were 210 parishes in the U.S. offering a Latin Mass. In September 2008, this number grew to 300.

•Attendance for St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church's English Mass can bring in as many as 5,000 a week combined at five different Masses where the Latin Mass might only bring in 150 during peak season, from November though April.

I would question this statement though:

Still, the Latin Mass isn't for everyone. Christine Akin, 79, of Port St Lucie said Latin is more spiritual and holy, but it might not be received by the younger generation.

"Mass is Mass and it's not necessary to go back to the way things were. We're going to lose the kids," she said.

I don't agree with that, as part of the reason Latin is experiencing a revival is because of its popularity among young people, and in articles on the Latin mass with comments below (like this one with the "it's not rap or rock and roll or some idiot priest with a guitar" quote I love) you can almost always find a few people that say they don't like the English mass at all, and prefer something a bit more surreal.

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