Campus Catholics argue Latin Mass is worth the drive
Michael Mayday
Issue date: 1/29/09 Section: Focus
Every Sunday, thousands of Catholics celebrate Mass. Most celebrate the Novus Ordo, or the New Order Mass, established in 1969. But a growing number of Catholics are attending the traditional Mass in Latin, called the Tridentine.
Junior Raymond Spiotta and sophomore Eric Jensen attend the Tridentine on a regular basis.
Although Jensen hasn't taken Latin, he understands the Mass due to gestures made by the priest and missals with English translations. But both Jensen and Spiotta attend the Tridentine Mass so often that they've committed the hymns to memory.
"Sometimes we go to Detroit," Spiotta said. "We also go to the Eastern Rite Catholic Church in Lansing and in Detroit."
Spiotta and his friends seek out these churches looking for something deeper. They said they attend the Tridentine Mass not because of the novelty but to save their immortal souls. They consider the modern Mass a fabrication made up by Protestant influence.
Jensen, scratching his thick five o'clock shadow, said the Novus Ordo seems like a submission by the church to man, something that should never happen.
"The traditional Mass was to show that man's purpose was not to make authority, but to submit to it," Jensen said.
Spiotta agreed and explained how the church's faith and liturgy are intertwined. Changing one damages the other. To protect the purity of their own faith, he and his friends sought pure liturgy.
"We believe that we should pass on what was given to us," Spiotta said.
Sophomore Evan Williams said that the Tridentine Mass was passed down from St. Peter, who was inspired by the Holy Ghost.
They said the crux of the argument against the Novus Ordo is its attempt to democratize Mass.
For example, in Tridentine Mass, the priest faces the altar with the rest of the congregation. In Novus Ordo, he faces the congregation and preaches to them.
In Tridentine Mass, Catholics kneel to receive the Eucharist on their tongue, and in Novus Ordo, they handle the body of Christ in their hands.
Junior Raymond Spiotta and sophomore Eric Jensen attend the Tridentine on a regular basis.
Although Jensen hasn't taken Latin, he understands the Mass due to gestures made by the priest and missals with English translations. But both Jensen and Spiotta attend the Tridentine Mass so often that they've committed the hymns to memory.
"Sometimes we go to Detroit," Spiotta said. "We also go to the Eastern Rite Catholic Church in Lansing and in Detroit."
Spiotta and his friends seek out these churches looking for something deeper. They said they attend the Tridentine Mass not because of the novelty but to save their immortal souls. They consider the modern Mass a fabrication made up by Protestant influence.
Jensen, scratching his thick five o'clock shadow, said the Novus Ordo seems like a submission by the church to man, something that should never happen.
"The traditional Mass was to show that man's purpose was not to make authority, but to submit to it," Jensen said.
Spiotta agreed and explained how the church's faith and liturgy are intertwined. Changing one damages the other. To protect the purity of their own faith, he and his friends sought pure liturgy.
"We believe that we should pass on what was given to us," Spiotta said.
Sophomore Evan Williams said that the Tridentine Mass was passed down from St. Peter, who was inspired by the Holy Ghost.
They said the crux of the argument against the Novus Ordo is its attempt to democratize Mass.
For example, in Tridentine Mass, the priest faces the altar with the rest of the congregation. In Novus Ordo, he faces the congregation and preaches to them.
In Tridentine Mass, Catholics kneel to receive the Eucharist on their tongue, and in Novus Ordo, they handle the body of Christ in their hands.
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Catholic on campus
posted 2/07/09 @ 8:54 PM EST
It's sad how confused these guys are about Mass. It seems that to them the most important part of the Mass is the form, and while the form of the Mass is certainly important, it is not the most important aspect of the Mass. (Continued…)
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