Introduction to the Latin Mass

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated in the Extraordinary Form (in Latin) for over 400 years. With the advent of the Second Vatican Council, not only did the words and the language of the Mass change, but so did the structure. As part of our Catholic heritage, this form of the Mass has played a large part in the development of our Catholic identity and is the basis of the Ordinary Form of the Mass that most of us are familiar with today.

These three introductory sessions will explore the basics of the Latin Mass in order to give a better understanding of the words, language, and structure of this most holy prayer.

Whether the Latin Mass was the Mass you grew up with, only heard stories about, is the Mass you currently attend, or is simply something you want to learn more about, please join us as we explore an introductory overview of this form of the Holy Sacrifice.

The Introduction is divided into three separate Sunday sessions, with different information presented at each session.  For those who cannot attend the afternoon sessions on Sunday, the same information will be presented in the Saturday morning sessions.  That is, for a given weekend, you can attend either the Saturday or Sunday sessions as the information on a particular weekend will be the same.  However, each consecutive weekend session will build on the previous weekend session's information; therefore, we encourage you to try to attend all three.

We will wrap it all up by having a celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (a Latin Mass) on Sunday, May 6th, beginning at 4:00pm at Incarnation Catholic Church.

We hope this experience will assist you in gaining a respect and appretiation for the Extraordinary Form of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that is such a rich part of our Catholic heritage. We also hope this experience will assist you in gaining a better appreciation and a deeper love for the Ordinary Form of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that we have all become so familiar with over the last 40 years.

May God continue to bless you and draw you into a deeper love for His Son Jesus in and through the most perfect prayer of the Holy Mass.