which was first assembled by Pope St. Gregory the Great in the 6th century based on the traditions he received. Then, prayers and gestures grew in use and were codified and formalized for the universal church by Pope St. Pius V in 1570. The 1962 Missal, known today as the ‘Traditional Latin Mass’ or ‘Extraordinary Form’, retains these traditions.
After the release of the New Mass, Pope St. Paul VI allowed priests in England and Wales to use the 1962 Missal. Pope St. John Paul II expanded these permissions so that any bishop could approve it. He also established priestly societies who exist to celebrate the Latin Mass, like the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) and the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP). Pope Benedict XVI expanded these permissions to any priest anywhere in the world.
While these universal permissions for diocesan priests were removed by Pope Francis, the priestly societies still continue to grow. 2/3 of Bishops worldwide haven't restricted any Latin Masses in their dioceses.
All three episodes are available for free here.
This is a common misconception. Vatican II wrote the guidelines for how the new Mass was to be created in a document called 'Sacrosanctum Concilium.' Then a commission called 'the Consilium' created the new Mass.
No. Episode 2, A Perfect Storm, explores what happened after Vatican II. It shows how the creation of the new Mass went far beyond the prescriptions of Vatican II. We are critical of those who pushed through their own radical agenda to destroy the silence, mystery, and transcendence of the Mass.
We don't believe that going to TLM automatically makes you a better Catholic. Both forms of the Mass are valid and approved by the Church.
But we believe that the TLM is a better setting for the mystery taking place. The same diamond in different settings will have different effects. Some rings will allow the light to shine through more clearly. We believe the Catholic faith (the diamond) is more clearly expressed in a Traditional Latin Mass.
Our Holy Father, Pope Francis certainly seems to want to end the use of the 1962 missal. We are NOT advising anyone to disobey their bishop or the Holy Father.
But we are striving to produce educational courses and online resources to preserve Traditional Latin Masses in the minds and hearts of priests and faithful.
We believe that a priest’s prayer life will be richly blessed by learning this form of prayer. So we will continue to train priests even if they aren’t able to say this Mass in public. So that when these restrictions are lifted (in 5, 10, or more years) we will see a new renaissance of Latin Mass growth and attendance.
Our plan to train priests, educate the faithful, and DOUBLE Latin Masses is something that will continue, but the timeline is in God’s hands.
Yes! Mass of the Ages Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.
The data suggests that Pope Francis might have been misinformed about this. After giving the bishops the tools to restrict Latin Masses in their dioceses about 70% of bishops have NOT restricted ANY celebrations. Only 10% of bishops have banned the Latin Mass. Read the bishop's responses HERE.
Mass of the Ages: Guardians of Tradition will unpack the data and show how the future of the Latin Mass is filled with hope.
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