A message to the Youth of Swansea – and beyond
Firstly, you are invited to a form of Mass that you have
probably not experienced before – Mass
in the Extraordinary Form, a Latin Tridentine Mass as it is sometimes called.
On the actual Feast of Corpus Christi (Thursday 30th
May) there will be an EF Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Morriston,
near Swansea at 7pm – there will also be
a procession in honour of the Blessed Sacrament and it would be so very good to
have a presence from the Catholic young adults of Swansea.
You may not know very much about the Latin Mass, that
doesn’t matter, this is a chance for you to watch, pray and meditate during
what has been described as: “The most beautiful thing this side of Heaven”.
Here are a few reasons why the EF Mass is so important:-
- Latin
is still the universal language of the Church and wherever in the world
you attend a Latin Mass it will be exactly the same as the one in your own
parish.
- Why
Latin?
Well, in the early years of Holy Mother Church, Latin became the ‘common’
tongue, more widely used than the Aramaic that Our Lord would have used.
- But
wasn’t it banned?
Never. In fact, Pope Benedict, in
2007 established that this Mass could be celebrated by a priest anywhere at any
time. He also stated, in his Motu Proprio (Google it) that he felt that the
Latin Mass would have special appeal to young people and he gave it “Extraordinary”
status – here is what the Holy Father said in the document:
…… "in the meantime it has clearly
been demonstrated that young persons too have discovered this liturgical form (the
Latin Mass), felt its attraction and found in it a form of encounter with the
Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, particularly suited to them."
- But
why go back to the past?
For the very good reason that it
links us to the time of Christ and, in a very real sense, to Christ Himself.
But, more than that, this Mass is not just a piece of Church history, it is
also part of the Church’s future as more and more parishes begin offering it as
part of their liturgical programme.
- I’ve
been told that it’s so quiet
That is true. The Latin Mass
allows time for us individually to worship Almighty God, either by joining in
silently (Latin Mass booklets are available), or by silent meditation or,
indeed, by saying prayers that we know by heart.
- Who
are we?
We are a group of Catholics of
Menevia of all ages, children, young adults, adults and the elderly. We formed
ourselves as a confraternity (Confraternity of the Holy Cross) under the
leadership of Father Jason Jones whom many of you will know from the Lourdes
Annual Pilgrimage.
The Confraternity exists to
provide support and information on Latin Masses celebrated throughout South and
West Wales.
- How
to receive Holy Communion
At EF Masses it is essential to
observe the special rules that apply; reception of the Host is by kneeling (if
you are able) and by mouth.
Please join us at 7pm on Thursday 30th May
– you will be very welcome!
