Thanatos's Theological Treatise #5
Welcome, one and all, to Thanatos's Theological Treatise #5! For those of you who were even around long enough to have seen TTT episodes #1-4, you’ll know that it’s been a VERY long time between #4 and #5. I was unable to find anything for a bit (almost a year), but at long last, here it is!
For those who haven’t seen the TTTs before, you can see episodes #1-4 by clicking on the appropriate link in my signature.
So, let’s get right to the good stuff! Huzzah!
Which religious item are you reviewing today?
Today, I’m covering a handy little booklet that covers the procedures in the Traditional, or Tridentine mass. Some of you may also know it as the Latin mass.
For those who don’t know that much of Church history, the Tridentine mass was officially codified circa the 300s AD, and was the ONLY thing to be said in the entire Christian world, until the arrival of the Protestant Reformation.
Even then, the Catholic Tridentine mass continued on unabated, until the arrival of the second Vatican Council during the 1960s, in which the mass was changed into the mass you see today in the Catholic churches all around the world.
What’s the point of learning about the Tridentine mass if it was changed into the Vatican II mass?
Good question. There are actually several reasons to study the Tridentine mass.
- Regardless if you are Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, of another religion, or are just plain atheistic, the Tridentine mass is a treasure trove of historical insight into the way Catholic masses were said for nearly 1600 years! It has little, if at all, changed since that time, and you can see firsthand how people worshipped at mass.
- The Tridentine mass was said throughout the world in Latin. A pilgrim could go to Rome and hear the same mass he was hearing in France. Everything, except the priest’s homily, was entirely in Latin. This brought an excellent uniformity to the entire Catholic church. It also gives you a chance to practice your Latin, for those so inclined.
- The Tridentine mass is still said to this day! The Vatican II mass is certainly dominant by a large margin, but there are still churches around the world that practice the Tridentine mass. This little booklet helps those who are curious about the Tridentine mass and are curious to attend one, but are afraid of the unfamiliar proceedings, to feel more comfortable and to follow along.
- If you attend a Catholic church that practices the Tridentine mass in a country that predominantly speaks English, you will probably find this little red booklet. It is published by a group called Coalition in Support of Ecclesia Dei, which sends these books to Tridentine mass churches.
The Coalition in Support of Ecclesia Dei can be contacted at PO Box 2071, Glenview, Illionis, zip code 60025-6071. Their phone number is (847) 724-7158. You can visit them at their website www.ecclesiadei.org.
Enough! Get on with the pics!
Yes, yes, here we go. Here’s the cover of the booklet:
And here’s the back of the booklet, which describes the difference between the three types of masses one encounters during the Church Liturgical year, based on the religious day involved:
As you go through the mass, you follow along and turn the pages in time with the Priest’s statements, as well as that of the altar boys/the laity (which is you and me sitting there in the pew).
The left side is what is actually being said, that is, the Latin:
And on the right side is the English translation, for those who don’t know any Spanish/Italian (and thus can make out the gist of the sentences):
Here’s another part of the mass, when the Priest is offering up the Eucharist. Again, the left side is in Latin, the right side in English:
At the back of the booklet, you have some a few songs that the choir sings during the course of the Mass, if there is any at all, as well as some supplementary information. Here is one such page:
And that’s the instructional booklet for the classical Tridentine Mass, performed for approximately 1600 years, published by Ecclesia Dei!
As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did making it for you all, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Just keep in mind that this is mostly an educational thread, not so much one for debate.
Your humble theologian,
Thanatos
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! In my city there's a splendid church that still pratices the Tridentine mass. Though I never remember seeing those handy booklets. I have a few questions I hope you can answer
Originally Posted by finsternis
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