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By Kathi Stearns
Staff Writer
ATLANTA-Catholics are
firmly committed to keeping the ageless beauty of the Latin Mass alive in
the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
"For those who come
and have never seen such ceremonies before, there is much that might be
new, but yet is ancient in our Church," said Father Mark Fischer,
FSSP, chaplain of the St. Francis de Sales Latin Mass community. "Here
we see the priest as intermediary between God and man. In the Mass the
people follow the priest, ordained to be another Christ, who takes the
prayers and petitions of the people as well as his own and brings them
before God within the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass."
The first part of the
Mass can be described as an introductory service, made up of chants,
prayers and lessons (i.e. readings from Holy Scripture)--namely, the
Introit, the Kyrie, the Collect, the Epistle or Lesson, and the
Gospel. On certain days the Gloria and the Nicene Creed are added.
This first part of the
Mass is called the Mass of the Catechumens, while the remaining portion is
called the Mass of the Faithful. These distinctions have their origin in
the discipline of the early Church. In the first ages of Christianity,
persons desiring to become Christians were obliged to undergo a course of
instruction preparatory to Baptism. They were called
"catechumens," a Greek word meaning "one who is is being
instructed." Such persons, being not yet fully initiated in the
teachings and practices of Christianity, were dismissed before the
sacrificial part of the Mass commenced. Likewise, those who were undergoing
a course of penance and had not yet been readmitted to Communion were
ordered to leave the church at this part of the Mass.
The reasoning behind
this was that Communion was too holy for the presence of notorious sinners,
and too mysterious to permit those to attend or participate who were not
yet fully instructed. Only those who were baptized, -- "the
faithful," -- could take part in the actual Eucharistic Sacrifice.
The Mass is one
continuous action, reproducing in a mysterious yet meaningful way the life,
passion and death of Jesus Christ.
"There is much of
our faith that is beyond our understanding," Father Fischer said.
"This liturgy recognizes this, and instead of trying to explain the
unexplainable, heightens and emphasizes these great mysteries, allowing the
heart to leave the confines of this profane world and soar in the world of
the sacred, even if only for the short time we are in true presence of Our
Lord."
The division of the
parts of the Mass is simply intended to be an aid in studying the Mass. The Mass consists of:
The Preparation -- which includes the prayers
at the foot of the altar, the Introit, Kyrie and Gloria.
The Instruction -- which includes the Collect,
the Epistle, Gradual, Alleluia or Tract, (and on certain feasts the
Sequence), the Gospel (usually followed by a sermon), and the Credo.
The Oblation -- which includes the
Offertory antiphon, the offering of bread, the pouring of water and wine
into the chalice, the offering of the chalice, the washing of the hands,
the prayer to the Blessed Trinity, the Orate Fratres and the Secret.
The Consecration -- which includes the Preface
and the Canon of the Mass, embracing the prayer Te igitur, the
memento of the living, the Communicantes and two other prayers before the
Consecration and elevation, three prayers after the Consecration, the
Commemoration for the Dead, the Nobis Quoque Peccatoribus and the
minor elevation.
The Communion -- which includes the Pater
Noster, the Libera, the Agnus Dei, the three prayers
before the Communion, the Domine Non Sum Dignus, and the Communion
of the Priest and the Faithful.
The Thanksgiving -- which includes the Communion
antiphon, the post-communion prayer, the Ite Missa Est, and the last
Gospel.
The Mass consists of a
fixed framework called the ordinary or common of the Mass, into which, at
certain points, the variable prayers, lessons and chants are fitted. The
variable or proper part of the Mass includes the Introit, Collect, Epistle,
Gospel, Gradual, Alleluia, the Offertory, secret Communion and
post-communion.
All other parts remain
the same in each Mass except the preface, which occupies an intermediate
place between the changeable and unchangeable parts. Certain feasts and
seasons have their own proper preface, which changes after the introductory
sentence. A common preface is arranged for all days which do not have a
proper preface of their own. Similarly, a special clause is inserted into
the prayer of the Canon called the Communicantes on certain of the
principal feasts.
In order to follow the
changeable parts of the Mass, it is necessary to have a Missal, within
which the proper parts of the Mass for each day and feast are given.
"When presented
with a choice of worship, my preference would be to worship in the
traditional Latin Rite," said Frank Petraglia. "For myself, the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the traditional Latin Rite is deeply
spiritual, devotional and reverent. From genuflecting before the tabernacle
upon entering the church to the Asperges sung before High Mass, the Kyrie,
the Gloria, the Credo, through the Consecration and reception
of Communion to the final Deo Gratias and benediction, one becomes
completely enveloped in the mystery of the birth, death and glorious
resurrection of our Lord on the altar."
Latin has been the
official language of the Church since the third or fourth century. The Mass
is offered in Latin because it is a "dead" language, that is, it is
no longer spoken as the vernacular language in any country today. Moreover,
Latin words do not change in meaning. As Pope Pius XII explained, "The
use of the Latin language... is a manifest and beautiful sign of unity, as
well as an effective antidote for any corruption of doctrinal truth."
"When you
consider that you can attend Mass in many different languages, our gracious
archbishop has also given the Catholic community the opportunity to worship
in the traditional Latin Rite," Petraglia said. "It has been
truly a blessing for all who treasure it and for those who seek the roots
of the Church."
"One must
remember that great operas do not fall out of favor simply because they are
written and sung in different languages. One reads the libretto and listens
to the music to enjoy a great performance. So it is with the traditional
Latin Rite Mass. Its beauty and mystery cross all language barriers,"
Petraglia added.
"If we ever lost
the Latin Mass we would lose a link in the chain that connects us directly
to Jesus Christ," said Lloyd Bird. "People of all races and
nationalities gather together to attend the celebration of Mass in Latin,
which is the holy language of the Catholic Church. This represents the kind
of unity we should have in the Catholic Church. It is such a beautiful
thing to see."
Bird says that in
addition to the universal language of the Church he enjoys the Gregorian
Chant. "This was something that was pushed aside by many church
musicians after the introduction of the vernacular into the liturgy,"
he said. "But the chant is alive and well here."
Nora Sullivan, a
member of the St. Francis de Sales Latin Mass community and a parishioner
at the Cathedral of Christ the King, says that every Catholic should
experience the celebration of the Latin Mass.
"Catholics need
to know that this is the way the Mass was celebrated for 1500 years,"
she said. "This celebration is part of the faith heritage; without it,
one's understanding of his faith and its origin is incomplete."
For Brian and Doris
Rachiele, parents of a 16-month-old child who was baptized in the Latin
Rite and awaiting the birth of their second child in May, the true meaning
of the Mass is found in the Latin Mass.
"The Latin Mass
reflects more deeply what the Mass really is," said Mr. Rachiele.
"The Mass is a sacrifice, and I want my children to know this without
a doubt. Anybody who says that the Mass is a celebration of community is,
in my opinion, dead wrong and missing the whole point of what Christ did
for us on that cross."
The St. Francis de
Sales Latin Mass community originated in 1995 when a group led by Joe
Fradet asked Archbishop John F. Donoghue to consider the regular
celebration of the traditional Latin Mass in the archdiocese.
"We met with the
archbishop who gave the Mass and the community his blessing," said
Fradet. "We are so fortunate to have an archbishop who has been a
devoted guardain of the Latin Mass."
The priestly
fraternity supplied a priest to celebrate the Mass once a month at Sacred Heart Church. In 1996 the community began
to worship at St. Joseph's Maronite Church every Sunday.
In July, 1997
Archbishop Donoghue celebrated a Pontifical High Mass in the Tridentine rite at Sacred Heart Church, Atlanta. This was the first such Mass
to be celebrated in the South since the close of the Second Vatican
Council. During his remarks Archbishop Donoghue thanked the members of the
community for keeping the "Old Mass" alive and for their concern
for the liturgy.
"The highest form
and standard is the Pontifical Mass," said Father Fischer. "In
this celebration we see a miniature model of the Church with the bishop as
high priest and shepherd to all his flock. In this the bishop sits on a
throne on the Gospel side of the altar, emphasizing the great dignity of
his office."
Father Fischer grew up
in Pittsburgh, Pa. and earned his bachelor of
arts degree in 1982 from the University of Cincinnati. In 1989 he entered the
Seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in Wigratzbad, Germany, where he completed six years
of study in philosophy, theology and spirituality. In 1995 he was ordained
a priest in Germany by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of
Lincoln, Neb. Before coming to Atlanta in December, 1995, Father
Fischer served at Holy Rosary Parish in Youngstown, Ohio.
The Fraternity of St.
Peter was founded in 1988 by Pope John Paul II for the purpose of
continuing and fostering the traditional Latin Rite of the Church. The
fraternity provides priests to bishops and dioceses who request them to
provide for the continuing presence of this form of spirituality and
worship.
"This form of the Mass is not merely for the
elderly or nostaglic... it corresponds to a true form of spirituality and
joy of prayer in both old and young as can be seen by the many young
families present," Father Fischer said. "In the words of St.
Bernard of Clairvaux--- 'Come and See.'"
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