Latin mass is ‘extraordinary’
Robert Wilson/Record...
KITCHENER — Each Sunday afternoon at St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Church, parishioners gather for a special kind of mass.
It’s the only mass of its type in Waterloo Region.
You will see about 40 people in pews, women with their hair covered by lace kerchiefs and most congregants praying quietly, with no talking between parishioners awaiting the region’s only Latin mass.
Bells ring and the priest walks in. He stands in front of the altar with his back to the congregation.
The only English spoken is during the homily when the priest addresses the worshippers, facing them. And receiving communion, parishioners kneel at a bench in front of the priest and take the host directly on the tongue.
“This form of the mass has been used for centuries. It connects us to the tradition of the church. It has historical value,’’ said 29-year-old John Cannon, who attends Latin mass at St. Anne’s. High mass is held at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month.
For many attending the extraordinary form, as the Latin mass is called by the church, it’s a solemn tradition that was practised in the Roman Catholic Church for 1,500 years. It was the standard celebration until the Second Vatican Council — held from 1962 to 1965 — which instituted a more simplified mass around the world.
Afterwards, permission was needed from the diocesan bishop to say the Latin mass. But in 2007 Pope Benedict XVI announced that the high mass could be said for those congregants looking for the extraordinary form.
Dave DeSouza of Kitchener prefers the solemnity of the Latin mass.
“When I walk into the Latin mass, it’s silent. I know what to expect. Silence allows me to contemplate rather then chit-chat with my neighbour,’’ said DeSouza.
DeSouza, who’s been attending Latin mass for 15 years, doesn’t know Latin but knows enough that he can follow the mass as it’s being said.
Rev. Wayne Lobsinger, pastor at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Kitchener and a priest who occasionally celebrates the Latin mass, said people who attend Latin mass are committed to this form of high mass.
“They see it as essential,’’ he said. “It restores a sense of devotion and sacredness.’’
“I enjoy the ritual part of it,’’ said Lobsinger.
Greg Maskerine, president of Una Voce Hamilton, a group that supports the restoration of the liturgy in the mass while conforming to the Latin tradition, said during the Latin mass, the priest faces God and the tabernacle.
“He is before God on your behalf,’’ he said.
Maskerine said the Latin mass reminds parishioners that they are entering God’s house and brings a level of respect to the mass.
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