The Extraordinary Form for Ordinary Catholics (1/3)

An Introduction to the Traditional Latin Mass (Part One)

What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.[1]

After Pope St. John Paul II gave permission for the celebration of the Mass using the missal of 1962 issued by Pope St. John XXIII prior to the reforms of Pope St. Paul VI in his 1970 missal, and especially after Pope Benedict XVI expanded these permissions in his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, Catholics began to rediscover the antiquity, beauty and reverence of what is now called the Traditional Latin Mass, Mass of the Ages or Extraordinary Form (EF). This liturgy is one of several uses of the Roman rite, distinct from the Mass of Paul VI, also called the Novus Ordo or Ordinary Form (OF), the use with which Catholics today are most familiar. For those who are only accustomed to the OF, the EF can at first seem strange and inaccessible; for many, however, especially the young, experiencing the EF has opened up a deeper appreciation for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and a greater connection with Catholic tradition. This essay, written for OF Catholics who are new to the EF, will explore and unveil some of the mysteries of the usus antiquior, the Mass of the saints throughout history, revealing its theological depth and spiritual power.  

When first approaching a parish dedicated to celebrating the EF, one will first encounter its architecture. The purpose of a church building is not to be a mere meeting-house or skin for the liturgy but a sanctification of time and space, like the liturgy itself. It is meant to be sacred, a holy place set apart, the fulfillment of the Tabernacle of Moses and Temple of Solomon, a sacramental meeting point between Heaven and Earth where God's presence and power dwell in a special way:

When the exercise of religious liberty is not thwarted, Christians construct buildings for divine worship. These visible churches are not simply gathering places but signify and make visible the Church living in this place, the dwelling of God with men reconciled and united in Christ… this house ought to be in good taste and a worthy place for prayer and sacred ceremonial.[2]

Almost any style of human architecture can be sanctified for use as a church, and churches throughout history have been designed in diverse ways, however the forms used in tradition deserve honor and are often imitated, especially at churches dedicated to the EF. The design should be distinct from ordinary architectural styles and should be beautiful, elevating the mind to God.

As with the exterior of the church building, the interior can be designed in various ways, reflecting the genius of the culture and artist that produces it, but it should use decoration, ornamentation and structure that is sacramental, oriented toward the liturgy and clarifying the mystery of the Mass,[3] with sacred art that is reverent and in continuity with tradition, following the iconographic principles of revelatory abstraction, catholic universality, recognizable naturalism and heavenly idealization.[4] The flooring, ceiling, lighting and art should all be solemn, with “noble beauty” as called for by Vatican II,[5] made of natural and permanent materials – most EF parishes will follow these principles.

The altar should be the central focus of the church and should thus be suitably adorned; many traditional churches use a reredos with a high altar attached to the wall, while others influenced by the Liturgical Movement have a detached altar that is solid, immovable and similar to those in ancient Roman basilicas, not a mere ordinary table, since “the Eucharist that Christians celebrate really cannot adequately be described by the term ‘meal.’”[6] The three cloths on the altar are made of white linen to symbolize the altar’s sacrificial character: Christ's body was wrapped in linen before burial.[7] The tabernacle, where the reserved Eucharist is kept, will be on the altar, as the beating heart of the church and the visible sign of God's enduring presence with His people, in fulfillment of the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies in the Temple and pointing forward to the New Jerusalem.[8] It is thus the focal point of liturgical adoration. (CCC 1183) Another important element of the altar is the fact that the Scripture readings during Mass will be said at the altar by the priest, rather than at the ambo as in the OF, and they will be read at different sides of the altar:

After the reading of the Gradual or Tract, the server carries the Missal to the left (or Gospel) side of the altar. According to an old custom, church and altar should be erected in such a manner that the priest faces the East (ad orientem) when offering Mass. If this custom is followed, the priest will face toward the North when reading the Gospel. As the South, with its luxuriant vegetation, was regarded as a type of the realm of grace, so the cold North, with its extensive wastes, came to be regarded as the realm of evil. Before the glad tidings were announced on that first Christmas night, this world was steeped in cold materialism. But when the Gospel of Christ was preached, the face of the earth was renewed, and love for God and for virtue was re-enkindled in the hearts of men.[9]

Before Mass, many parishioners will kneel and pray, and some parishes may recite the rosary. The kneeling posture, which will be more frequent in the EF, is, as Cardinal Ratzinger explained, a purely biblical approach of awe and humility before God, reminding Christians of their unworthiness and leading them to repent of their sins and focus their minds on His sacrifice. Some old churches thus had this inscription over the entrance: "Terribilis est locus iste: hic domus Dei est, et porta Caeli”, meaning, “This place is terrible, it is the house of God, and the gate of heaven.”[10] The Mass should arrest participants away from the mundane and commonplace and take them up into Heaven while also making them, by comparison, acutely aware of their sins and eager to repent. The newness of the EF, as well as its penitential and prayerful character, will facilitate this.

As one joins the congregation, it may be noticed that, in general, parishioners attending the EF tend to be dressed modestly and reverently, with many women wearing veils. This is not the expression of a “holier than thou” superiority or the “patriarchal oppression” of women but the embodiment of proper solemnity and humility in the presence of God, just as God commanded Moses to remove his sandals before walking on the “holy ground” of the burning bush (Ex 3:5) and the apostles did the same at the Transfiguration. Women veil as a sign of their sacred femininity, in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to avoid distraction for men and to focus entirely on God, while laymen do not cover their heads, according to St. Paul's directives. Like the veiling and unveiling of icons, the altar and the Chalice, all of this is meant to inspire and express adoration for God, whose glory is our sanctification. As St. Thomas More wrote,

Good folk find this indeed, that when they be at the divine service in the church, the more devoutly that they see such godly ceremonies observed, and the more solemnity that they see therein, the more devotion feel they themselves therewith in their own souls.[11]

For this essay, the hypothetical newcomer to the EF is attending a Solemn High Mass, the conventual Mass for Sunday, but there are multiple forms of the EF, including a Papal High Mass (celebrated by the pope), Pontifical High Mass (with a bishop presiding), Missa Cantata (a Low Mass with some singing and incense) and Low Mass (where there is no deacon or subdeacon and little to no music or chant).[12] While the OF is divided into the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist, the EF, following ancient terminology, begins with the Mass of the Catechumens (from the beginning of Mass to the Creed), which is intended to be penitential and catechetical in nature and open to both the baptized and unbaptized. After this, in the early Church the catechumens were dismissed, as only the baptized may participate in the sacred mystery of the Mass of the Faithful (from the Offertory to the end of Mass) in which Christ's sacrifice is made present and communicated.[13] The Mass is further divided into the Proper, which includes the parts that change on a daily basis, and the Ordinary which is unchanging.

Most of the Mass is in Latin, aside from the Kyrie in Greek and some parts, such as the readings and homily, in the vernacular. The purpose of using Latin is for universality, so that no matter one's native language, one can participate in the Mass, even if visiting another country; for sacredness, since Latin is especially terse, clear and unfamiliar; for tradition, connecting modern Catholics with the Latin Church Fathers and all the saints of Christendom and the West until 1970, who used Latin and composed the prayers of the Mass; and for precision, since Latin is a dead language and can thus be preserved from doctrinal confusions of language.[14] It is meant to be simple Latin easily learned with a little study, but Latin-English missals are also provided at most parishes so that one may participate even with the private prayers of the priest.

One of the most common questions about the EF, which may occur to a Catholic experiencing it for the first time, has to do with the nature of “actual participation (actuosa participatio),” as called for by Vatican II.[15] Many claim that the EF, through its use of Latin and quiet prayers by the priest, does not facilitate participation. However, this is a confusion of the true meaning of active participation, which is first of all, and as intended by Vatican II, not mere external busyness, making gestures, singing and reciting words, but interior prayer and contemplation.[16] A Catholic may be externally active, but this is often done by rote, without true interior participation. The EF, on the other hand, provides ample periods of silence and parallel liturgy,[17] during which the choir sings, the priest prays and the faithful are able to pray along with him and to privately adore the Lord whom they will receive in the Eucharist. It is important to remember this when attending the EF for the first time. As Cardinal Robert Sarah explains,

[T]his is the real meaning of active participation of the faithful. It is not about exclusively external activity, the distribution of roles or of functions in the liturgy, but rather about an intensely active receptivity: this reception is, in Christ and with Christ, the humble offering of oneself in silent prayer and a thoroughly contemplative attitude.[18]

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[1] Pope Benedict XVI, Letter accompanying Motu Proprio On the Use of the Roman Liturgy Prior to the Reform of 1970 Summorum Pontificum (7 July 2007).

[2] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2^nd ed. (Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 2020), 1180-1181. Kindle; Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum ordinis (21 November 1965), §5.

[3] Denis R. McNamara, Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit of the Liturgy (Chicago: Hillenbrand, 2009), 188.

[4] McNamara, Catholic Church Architecture, 148.

[5] Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum concilium (4 December 1963), §122.

[6] Joseph Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy (San Francisco: Ignatius, 2018), loc 927. Kindle.

[7] George Moorman, The Latin Mass Explained (Rockford, IL: TAN, 2007), 57.

[8] Ratzinger, Spirit of the Liturgy, loc 1058-1064.

[9] Moorman, Latin Mass, 109-110.

[10] Sam Guzman, “Lift Up Your Hearts: 10 Tips for Newcomers to the Latin Mass,” at The Catholic Gentleman (10 June 2016), at https://catholicgentleman.com.

[11] James Monti, A Sense of the Sacred (San Francisco: Ignatius, 2012), 11.

[12] Adrian Fortescue, “The Liturgy of the Mass,” in Catholic Encyclopedia, ed. Kevin Knight, vol. 9 (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910), at New Advent, www.newadvent.org.

[13] Moorman, Latin Mass, 46-47.

[14] Moorman, Latin Mass, 50-52.

[15] Sacrosanctum concilium, §14.

[16] Pope Benedict XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission Sacramentum caritatis (22 February 2007), §64.

[17] Peter Kwasniewski, The Once and Future Roman Rite (Gastonia, NC: TAN, 2022), 388. Kindle.

[18] Robert Sarah, “Cardinal Sarah’s address on the 10th Anniversary of ‘Summorum Pontificum,’” at Catholic World Report (31 March 2017), at www.catholicworldreport.com.