Lost Heritage

In the last year or so we have been attending Latin Mass more frequently.  It's actually rather beautiful how Divine Providence works.  I'd joined the Schola in our parish and started chanting at the TLM every 3rd 1st Sunday.  Soon after that there was an advertisement in our parish bulletin searching for boys wanting to learn to serve the TLM and Ben happily volunteered.  He picked it up very quickly, even the Latin responses, and came to prefer serving the Latin over the Novus Ordo, although he serves both as needed.  He serves the Latin Mass every first Sunday of the month and as frequently as he can on the Wednesday evenings when the Latin Mass is offered in our home parish.

In December of 2017 we received a request for an altar boy able to serve Latin Mass from another priest in our diocese.  He was house sitting for his parents over his Christmas "vacation" and had a private chapel set up in their home.  Our family attended Latin Masses in his home for that entire week and Ben learned even more about serving in the Extraordinary Form.

This past summer our new priest friend was made pastor of the parish in Park City. He has been offering the TLM every Friday evening and as often as he is available during the week.  He has a lovely, historic chapel he uses (pictured above), and we drive the hour out to Park City almost every Friday and as often as we are able for the occasional Sunday afternoon Latin Masses he offers and Ben really enjoys serving for him.  It's been such a great experience for our family and most of us have grown to prefer the TLM over the Novus Ordo for many reasons.

In fact, the longer we attend the Latin the more I come to see how we have been robbed of our beautiful Catholic heritage.  It's not just the beauty of the vestments, the bells, the incense, or even the Latin that have been set aside in the Novus Ordo.  It's the rhythm of liturgical life, the awe, the authentic worship that we have lost.

The more I learn the more I see how we have trashed some of the best things about being Catholic.  Case in point, according to the old calendar, today we enter into a season referred to as Septuagesima or "pre-lent".  It is a season of preparation for lent which was cast aside in the name of simplicity.  How many of us feel like Ash Wednesday and lent sneak up on us and we are completely unprepared? Septuagesima was once there to help us keep a liturgical rhythm and get us in gear for the lenten season. It is so unfortunate we have lost this beautiful tradition.

For more on Septuagesima check out this great article and accompanying video.

One of the things I'm praying for in the aftermath of all the scandal and confusion of these times is a restoration of the rich traditions found in the Traditional Latin Mass. God's Will be done!