About
This site is a means for the Lake Charles Latin Mass Society and others to find out updates concerning the Gregorian Rite in the Diocese of Lake Charles. Be sure to check out the page “Latin Masses in the Diocese” as it lists the times and locations of Latin Masses in the diocese.
Email: LakeCharlesLatinMass(at)yahoo(dot)com
Mailing Address: Lake Charles Latin Mass Society, P.O. Box 141; 602 West Prien Lake Rd. Lake Charles, LA 70601
The Lake Charles Latin Mass Society professes filial devotion and loyalty to Pope Benedict XVI, the Successor of St. Peter and the Vicar of Christ. The Society is in full communion with the Catholic Church, Her Supreme Pontiff, all her bishops and clergy, and is in full communion with the Diocese of Lake Charles and Bishop Glen John Provost.
About the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (the Traditional Latin Mass:
If you are interested in the Traditional Latin Mass, or if you have never attended one before, we’d like to answer some questions you may have.
- Why is the Mass said in Latin?
Latin is the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and has been used as the liturgical language in the West since at least the third century. The unchanging nature of the Latin language has preserved the orthodox doctrine of the Mass handed down from the Apostles and the early Church Fathers. Modern languages like English are in a constant flux, with the meaning and understanding of words always changing. Because the Mass is said or sung in Latin, most of the faithful use prayer books, which have the Latin text accompanied by its vernacular translation. Latin-English Booklet Missals are available for your use during the Mass and can be purchased at Crossroads Bookstore.
- Why doesn’t the priest face us?
The priest does face the congregation when he is speaking to us; for example, when instructing us in the Epistle, Gospel, and sermon, when presenting us with the Holy Eucharist at the Ecce Agnus Dei (”Behold the Lamb of God…”), and when blessing us at the end of Mass. For most of the Mass, the priest is not speaking to us, but is addressing God.
The Mass is the Sacrifice of the New Law in which Christ, the victim, through the ministry of the priest, offers Himself to God the Father on the altar in an unbloody manner. The priest is joined by the faithful, approach the altar and cross together, and pray together to the Heavenly Father. Finally, according to ancient tradition, the priest faced East when performing the Sacrifice of the Mass, as he does at the High Altar in the church.
- What about Holy Communion?
At the Traditional Latin Mass, the faithful receive Communion while kneeling at the altar rail, and only on the tongue (the communicant does not say “Amen”). Two reasons: first, Pope Benedict XVI instructed that the Traditional Mass be celebrated according to the instructions of the 1962 Roman Missal, when Communion was always received in this manner. Second, more important, is that the physical attitudes and behaviors have a direct impact on our emotional and spiritual deportment. St. Thomas Aquinas expresses it in this way: “Out of reverence towards this Sacrament, nothing touches it but what is consecrated.”
We must also note that only Catholics in a state of grace (that is, not consciously in a state of mortal sin) may receive Communion, and only if they have observed a fast of at least one hour. Many of us observe a three or four hour fast. The fast from midnight was the earliest standard. Those who are not permitted to receive Communion may make a Spiritual Communion, with this prayer:
“My Jesus, I believe that You are in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I long for you in my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though you have already come, I embrace you and unite myself entirely to You; never permit me to be separated from you.”
- Was the Latin Mass prohibited by Vatican II? Isn’t it just being nostalgic to adhere to the Traditional Latin Mass?
Although the Latin Mass virtually disappeared with the reforms following Vatican II, it was neither prohibited nor abrogated, as Pope Benedict XVI has pointed out in his motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum. Pope John Paul II said the faithful have the right to love and revere the Traditional Mass, and he gave permission in 1988 for the Traditional Mass to be publicly celebrated. This was not widely understood. Many were denied their rightful aspirations, and so Pope Benedict in his generosity saw the necessity to be more forceful in his statement pointing out that all priests already had the permission to offer this venerable Roman Rite. As to nostalgia, Dr. Alice von Hildebrand stated it well:
“We are so attached to the Tridentine Mass because our faith is weak, and the face that by this liturgy, which goes back to nearly the beginning of the Church, we are linked to our Catholic past by the golden cord of tradition; that we hear the very same words that the saints throughout the ages have heard, offers us a welcome support and a joyful strengthening of our faith.”