TLM - notes for lay people
Increasingly, priests and others are looking for resources to help those who are unfamiliar with the older form of the Roman Rite. I produced a short leaflet for the people who come to my parish 10.30am Mass on a Saturday.
I have tried to emphasise that there are different ways of participating at Mass. Although it is praiseworthy to try to provide texts, I think that it is important not to give the idea that it is essential to follow every word. I also felt that it would be helpful to include the advice of St Francis de Sales on how to hear Mass
Here is a link to a printable version of TLM - notes for lay people. (pdf 23kb) It is accessible from my parish Free Downloads page which may have other things of use to you. (Help yourself!) Here is the text of the leaflet:
[Update - following comments, I have corrected "kneel from the orate fratres" to "kneel from the sanctus" both below and in the pdf.]
The Traditional Latin Mass - some notes for lay people
Postures
Stand as the priest and servers enter the Church.
Kneel when the priest makes the sign of the cross.
Stand for the Gospel
Kneel or sit for the Offertory (Kneel from the Sanctus)
Stand for the last gospel
If you are infirm, you may of course sit for any or all of the Mass as necessary.
Following the Mass
There are booklets with the “Ordinary” prayers of the Mass. The server alone makes the responses. You may join in quietly if you wish (in a whisper) or you may choose instead to say your own prayers as you meditate upon the mysteries of Christ that are made present in the Mass.
If you wish to follow all the texts, it is possible to purchase a hand missal such as the “St Andrews Daily Missal”. Alternatively, you may like to follow the advice given by St Francis de Sales to lay people. (overleaf)
Holy Communion
You may come up to the altar rails when the server rings the bell as the priest says his own “Domine non sum dignus”
Holy Communion is received kneeling and on the tongue. The communicant does not answer “Amen.”
St Francis de Sales on “How to hear Holy Mass”
With the older form of the Roman Rite, there are many possible ways to participate in the Mass. This is one possible way from a saint who wrote a book on the Devout Life especially for lay people.
1. From the beginning until the priest goes up to the altar, make the preparation with him, which consists in placing yourself in the presence of God, acknowledging your unworthiness and asking pardon for your faults,
2. From the time when the priest goes up to the altar to the Gospel, consider with a simple and general consideration the coming and the life of Our Lord in this world.
3. From the Gospel to the Credo, consider the preaching of our Saviour; protest that you wish to live and die in the faith and obedience of his holy word and in union with the holy Catholic Church.
4. From the Credo to the Pater noster apply your heart to the mysteries of the death and passion of our Redeemer, which are actually and essentially represented in this holy Sacrifice, which, together with the priest and the rest of the people, you will offer to God the Father for his honour and for your salvation.
5. From the Pater noster to the Communion strive to excite a thousand desires of your heart, ardently wishing to be for ever joined and united to your Saviour by everlasting love. From the Communion to the end, thank his divine Majesty for his Incarnation, for his life, for his death, for his passion, and for the love which he shows to us in the holy Sacrifice, conjuring him through it to be ever propitious to you, to your relations, to your friends, and to the whole Church; and humbling yourself with your whole heart, received devoutly the divine blessing which our Lord gives you by the ministry of his priest.
(St Francis de Sales Introduction to the Devout Life. Part 2. c14)
19 comments:
It goes without saying of course that those who can't kneel may receive Holy Communion standing.
Very helpful Father. Thanks. One question I've had for a while....and I'm aware there might be differing views on this....but why is it only the server(s) who repond and not the rest of the people? This might open a whole can of worms - but briefly what's the thinking behind it?
That's really helpful..i think my little servers might find the responses hard on their own..but you can feel the silence & prayerfulness from your description..
What about the dialogue Mass where servers and congregation made the responses? It was common before the disasters of the new order and was popularised by liturgiologists of impeccable orthodoxy who were aghast at changes in the 1970's.
This is exactly the kind of thing priests need to be doing. I have encountered some who grew up wih the TLM, but had it taken away when they were young. There are details they can't recall.
Then, there are those of us born after the TLM, which includes me - born in '62, with no recollection of anything but the N.O.
In the very short time that I have been exposed to the TLM at Grotto, I have been captivated by the beauty and depth of the prayers. I am intrigued by the action of the priest before he even ascends the steps to the altar. The humility is refreshing in an era where self-esteem has pushed any notion of humility by the way-side. The "Offering of the Host" is most profound when comparing to to that of the N.O. which I have captured in a previous post)
I suggested to Fr. Perrone - pastor of Assumption Grotto - that he consider a series of Sunday afternoon classes aimed at lifting the ignorance of the TLM. I specifically requested that he offer a catechesis on the structure of the Mass, how each type of Mass differs (low, high, solemn, pontifical), how to follow along in the missal (and what to bookmark), what clues to look for in terms of knowing where he is at (such as a signal he gives to the altar server when something is completed), and a few other things.
I also asked that he get into the spirituality of such things as the maniple, and the ever popular topic of posture. In a very short time I have come to the conclusion that every single thing and action has a spiritual purpose, even the kissing of the celebrant's biretta in a solemn high, as well as how the servers and priest bow slightly toward's each other at the beginning of the Mass. It's rich with spiritual symbolism that should be opened for all to see and understand.
I don't know how effective this would be at other parishes, but Grotto has a tendency to "pack the lounge" - capable of holding about 100 people whenever such Sunday afternoon classes are held. Father is going to do this most likely in November and I will announce it on my own blog for those in Southeast Michigan who may be interested.
Fr. Perrone has said this will just be an informal set of classes (and I know he will have great joy teaching it!)
This will be popular, as would Latin classes for laity. I hope other priests can squeeze in such things and pray that as the veil of ignorance is lifted, enthusiasm will be enhanced or replace apprehension.
Deo gratias!
I am a little surprised that you recommend kneeling from the 'Orate fratres'.
The practice always was, and I am old enough to have first hand experience, to kneel at the words 'Sanctus'.
For Low Mass, it is the custom in England to kneel from the Sanctus, not the Orate Fratres. It is interesting to note that there really are no formal guidelines for the laity at Mass - simply follow the custom.
Regarding anon's question of why just the server responds and not the people, it should be realised that the Low Mass is a rather minimised celebration of the TLM, and is not really appropriate for the main celebration of Mass on a Sunday when everyone should sing the responses. It is usually celebrated these days on such a widespread basis due to the lack of servers or singers. So when a Low Mass is celebrated, the server answer on behalf of the congregation. There always the "dialogue" Mass, but I find those somewhat chaotic!
Many thanks for your comments - in fact, of course, there are no fixed "directions" for lay people. That sort of thing came in with the liturgical movement. Before that, it was much as with the Eastern Rites, the laity are not cajoled into particular postures except by custom. But I take note that the custom was to kneel from the sanctus.
Dialogue Mass? Personally, I am not keen. This seems to me to be part of the problem. Once you have people worrying about how to get through Psalm 42 etc in Latin, you are one the road to "pastoral liturgy". The servers responding represent the clerics who would be responsible for the spoken or sung parts of the Mass. At a High Mass, it is not necessary for everyone to join in singing "Et cum spiritu tuo" etc. It is perfectly OK for people to participate in the Mass in other ways. This seems to me a very important point in promoting the older form of Mass.
I have two young servers who have learnt the responses and another just starting. Remember that boys of seven used to learn these responses perfectly. It's just a matter of practice. (Then they have a whole slew of texts from which they can begin learning Latin, of course.)
I can remember a very young acolyte who said "me a cowboy, me a cowboy, me a Mexican cowboy" for "mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa". Cereful instruction is necessary!
I still have my 1957 edition of the St Andrew Missal. Here are some things it says about participation at Mass: "the practice of 'Missa dialogata' or 'Missa recitata' is one of the best ways of fostering participation at congregational Masses that are not sung.' ..."parts of the Mass were originally, and still are, meant to be said by the people. They are of two kinds: those that are to be chanted by the congregation at High Mass, and those that are answered by the ministers, or by the server at Low Mass, on our behalf." .... "Since Pius XII in his Encyclical on the sacred liturgy (Mediator Dei, 1947)alludes to dialogue Mass as a usual and praiseworthy practice its lawfulness is now beyond any doubt."
While I am glad that the 'Old Mass' is being revived, I get impatient with the manner of its revival in England, which is a return to the practice of pre-1935, when the dialogue Mass was approved. This seems to me to be a denial that the liturgical developments between 1935 and 1962 were intended to help people to participate at Mass. Many of my contemporaries at school were not much enamoured of the silent Mass. It is all very well, at this distance, to stress interior participation, but most of us need some exterior participation to help achieve this. Could there not be an element of a priest's personal preferences taking over here, just as much as with the NO?
Father - yes, I agree, dialogue Masses are a bit of a compromise to say the least, and in practice, are rather messy.
Someone said to me yesterday something that really struck me: although in the new rite the "active participation" seems all important, the whole liturgical revolution has in fact turned the laity into a passive element in Holy Mass more than ever. It seems that unless the laity at Mass are being spoken to, engaged, and told what to do, they are somewhat lost. People, in a way, have forgotten how to pray to their Lord and God. The liturgy says to offer ones hearts and minds up to the Lord, but in reality, we have lost a couple of generations in doing just that. When the TLM is offered, these people are bewildered, left out and completely lost. Only once they can internally follow the rites of the Church can they truly participate. This will take time!
Clare - no certainly not the "priest's personal preference". Most of the laity in the LMS I know are not in favour of the dialogue Mass.
There is a real issue for debate here, though. The question is one of how far the "active participation" thrust of the liturgical movement led inexorably to the didactic liturgy that we have seen post Vatican II. It does seem to me that if you emphasise everybody joining in the responses, this inevitably leads to a push for vernacular liturgy and pastoral adaptations.
I say the Novus Ordo most days and experience the logical conclusion of pastoral liturgy with passages of the Old Testament read out solemnly by the laity. It does not necessarily help people to understand anything.
That is why I sense some truth in the desire of the LMS and others to preserve the Roman Liturgy and to be suspicious of 20th century accommodations.
Of course, there was much that was very good in the Liturgical Movement's provision of hand missals etc. The St Andrews Daily Missal is a fine example of good catechetical material for the laity. But it was certainly part of the push for modernisation of the liturgy that found its natural conclusion in the Novus Ordo.
This is an important discussion and thank you for raising it.
Is there not a question of obedience to Pius XII or one's own personal preference? Is "a usual and praiseworthy practice" in the eyes of a Pope to be dismissed as the thin end of a wedge? One could argue that the failure to live up the Pope's ideals led to the idiocies of the last 40 years. Mediator Dei is a splendid document.
I can remember the old Mass being said and sung, with members of the laity(often far superior readers to the clergy) reading epistle and gospel in English after they had been said or sung in Latin. I can also remember lustily singing the Gloria etc to the Missa de Angelis setting. I can remember doing this in France, in Germany, in Spain.Nowadays the English is dreadful and in other countries one is cut off by language. The Old Mass is a wonderful opportunity for participation in one language for all nations. As the present Pope hints the two uses can learn from one another, the old rite was not static otherwise Pius XII would not have reformed the rubrics of the Breviary and Missal in 1956. Those suspicious of all 20th century changes should ask themselves whether they would still celebrate the First Mass of Easter on Holy Saturday morning ,as it was, complete with the Vigil rites , in place until the 1950's. Reformers then were among the most strident opponents of the Revolutionaries of the 1970's, eg. Fr Bouyer, who lamented in "The Peasants of the Garonne" the destruction of the traditional mass. There was nothing inevitable in the history of those days.
I learnt the latin responses in 1958 as a boy of seven in preparation for my role as an altar server, before progressing in time to the choir. A new PP introduced the dialogue Mass in 1963 - it was not popular with anyone. In 1964 all began to change and we are where we are now.
I am a member of the LMS but the opportunbity to attend Old Rite Masses locally is rare. Nevertheless, that is where my heart lies.
On 14 September, a visiting priest celebrated the Old Mass: I served that Mass - my first experience of so doing for over 40 years. The responses and the rubrics I was taught meticulously as a child came flooding back. As far as I am aware, there were no mistakes.
I have to say that was one of the most moving Masses I have ever attended. I thank God for my old PP, long since gone to his eternal reward, for teaching me (and others like me still practising the faith) to serve. And I thank God for our present Holy Father who has had the courage to state clearly that the Old Mass was never abrogated and is to be celebrated alongside the Novus Ordo. I pray for that day when all bishops and priests will catch up with the Holy Father in his fidelity to the liturgy.
A problem with a dialogue Mass is that many in the congregation cannot pronounce the Latin well enough, if at all, and hence some strange responses are made which do not mean what the prayer is supposed to mean.
Furthermore, everyone seems to go at their own pace so the response turns into a cacophany of uninteligible sound.
When a properly trained server makes the responses all can hear and follow exactly what is being said and the prayers are precisely in accordance with the Missal.
St Francis de Sales on “How to hear Holy Mass” Thank you for this- I love it!
Father,
as several have observed here, all postures of the laity are custom rather than being rubrically prescribed.
However, as regards custom and kneeling for the offertory, I believe in Germany it was the custom to kneel for the whole of it. In any case, most people I know do so, and some of us (including myself) even in the ordinary form of the Mass. After all, it is one of the moments of most intense prayer, when we offer up ourselves together with Christ's sacrifice.
Thank you for reminding us of the "advice of St. Francis de Sales on how to hear Mass." I realized that the attitudes which he recommends are not only approporiate, they come naturally to anyone who is adequately instructed about and is properly disposed to the Mass. In a word, his wise, timeless advice fits any rite one is comfortable with.
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