Is FSSP mass ok to go to?

[Nihil Obstat]

Low Mass will likely be closer to an hour (like 45-65 minutes). Much less is technically possible, but generally only for privately celebrated Masses, no congregation, no homily, etc.

[Amppax]

1 hour ago, havok579257 said:

we ended up going to a latin mass at an institue of christ the king parish.  The mass was definetly long.  Just short of two hours.  My son who wanted to go (he is 4) liked it.  I will say that two hours was hard with 4 kids and one being 1 year old.  Also it was definetly hard to follow.  We usually go to the Novus Ordo mass and I will admit it is a lot easier to follow and a lot easier to feel like you get something out of it than the latin mass.  Now don't get me wrong, I loved certain parts of the mass like the organ as opposed to the guitar, the incense, the priest going around with the holy water but it was really hard to feel like I got something out of the mass because I didn't understand latin obviously and I had no idea what was going on.  My wife and I were completely lost since we don't know any latin.

 

My son wants to go again to the latin mass so I think this weekend we will be going to the FSSP mass that is a low mass.  I was hesitant to go to the low mass at first because what I read elsewhere, people indicated that it could be as short as 20 minutes.  I definetly did not want my sons first experience at the latin mass to be a 20 minute mass.  Also to me, 20 minutes seems very short for a mass.  I know its valid but it just seems short.  Although trying to make it almost 2 hours with a one year old was a challenge since it definetly seemed like we were out of place since everyone else was dead silent during the mass and our one year old was great but was still acting and making noise like a typical 1 year old.  

 

So some positive and some not so positive things about my sons first latin mass (only my second ever).  Does anyone who goes to the latin mass a lot have any advice for the things I mentioned above? 

 

Some kind of missal is really helpful, though I'm sure it'll be hard to use with kids so young. Most parishes I've been to have the Ecclesia Dei Latin-English Booklet Missal available, did they have anything like that? If you're going to start going regularly, it may be a good idea to pick up a missal; I've obtained each of my missal's for free from relatives, but I've seen fairly inexpensive ones in various places. 

Also, from everything I've seen, the FSSP do a lot to help make the Latin Mass more accessible (Nihil or truthfinder can speak more to that, I don't have any direct experience with FSSP). If you have the time (from what I've seen, 20-30 minutes), I'd again recommend watching one of the various introduction to the Extraordinary Form that exist. There are quite a few on YouTube videos on the topic. @Nihil Obstat would you have any recommendations in this regard? 

However, what I'll say from my own experience is that you pick up on more and more as time goes on. Though I don't currently attend the EF all that often, when I attended more frequently it became more familiar and comfortable over time. Hope that helps! 

[Nihil Obstat]

I would have recommendations. I will make a better post this evening.

There are also good missals with pictures. The Edmund Campion missal in particular.

[KnightofChrist]

Check out these links for Latin Mass missals for children. The comic book themed one could be interesting to young boys.

http://www.ccwatershed.org/kids/

Angelus Press reprints the Marian Childrens Missal originally published in the 50's. It was made for 4-8 year olds. Now Angelus is the printing press of the SSPX but the missal is as i stated a copy of the orginal. Also it can be found elsewhere.

This may also be helpful. 

http://www.onepeterfive.com/helping-children-enter-traditional-latin-mass-part-2/

[Nihil Obstat]

2 hours ago, Nihil Obstat said:

I would have recommendations. I will make a better post this evening.

There are also good missals with pictures. The Edmund Campion missal in particular.

I will have to wait until tomorrow. Today is a day.  

[Nihil Obstat]

So yes, I agree that the FSSP work hard for their parishioners to understand the Mass. They have a great devotion to the Mass itself.

But at the end of the day, nothing will substitute for simply experiencing it. For me it took 4-6 times before I was fairly confident following... You will get lost in the meantime, that is fine. It happens. Very quickly you start seeing parts you are familiar with, and after a few months the structure of the Mass is very clear. In a couple years it is simply second nature.

I usually recommend not to get preoccupied about knowing exactly what is going on. It comes with time, and just knowing what is going on is not what gains you the real graces from worshiping at holy Mass. 

This video is a good one, from what I recall. I cannot embed it properly, so just follow the link. If you are so inclined, you could also read The Holy Mass by Dom Prosper Gueranger, or The Mass in Slow Motion (intended for children) by Ronald Knox.

[Nihil Obstat]

That post was not as in-depth as I had intended it to be. The two book suggestions are solid though.
I was up until 6am working on my paper, and had to wake up by 10.  It was a long day.

[havok579257]

So what do people do who have to travel a distance for the Latin mass.  Do you guys join that parish or are you still members of the nearby parish?  Do you just go to the Latin mass but still work and volunteer through your nearby parish? Or do you belong to that parish and just not be as involved since 30 minutes one way a day for daily mass or adoration or volunteering is not possible for most people.

[Nihil Obstat]

57 minutes ago, havok579257 said:

So what do people do who have to travel a distance for the Latin mass.  Do you guys join that parish or are you still members of the nearby parish?  Do you just go to the Latin mass but still work and volunteer through your nearby parish? Or do you belong to that parish and just not be as involved since 30 minutes one way a day for daily mass or adoration or volunteering is not possible for most people.

I am roughly a 25 minute drive from mine, more like 35-40 around rush hour, and I registered as a member of that parish. I never go to my previous parish, so there was no reason to remain a member there, although of course canonical parish territory rules still apply.

It is a bit of a drive and it would be nice if it were closer, but I live in a big and very sprawling city so it comes with the territory. We are quite involved, and we know people who are even more involved and have an even farther way to go. Some families live outside the city and drive more like an hour one way.

[havok579257]

21 minutes ago, Nihil Obstat said:

I am roughly a 25 minute drive from mine, more like 35-40 around rush hour, and I registered as a member of that parish. I never go to my previous parish, so there was no reason to remain a member there, although of course canonical parish territory rules still apply.

It is a bit of a drive and it would be nice if it were closer, but I live in a big and very sprawling city so it comes with the territory. We are quite involved, and we know people who are even more involved and have an even farther way to go. Some families live outside the city and drive more like an hour one way.

Do you have children? I am wondering how it's possible to be heavily involved in the church and the surrounding community when it's 30 minutes one way with 4 small children. I mean to do mass 1 to 2 times a week, kids catechism class, be involved in 1 hour of adoration if the church has it and be involved in 1 to 2 ministry's your talking 5 to 6 days a week driving at least an hour with 4 young kids. One my son's loves adoration and going to chruch regularly but to add in possibly more than 5 hours of driving per week might change that.  I know would for me.  I mean with jobs, school, homework, sports, school activities  there is not a lot of extra time to spend at least an hour of drive time a day.  

 

I guess that's what's hard for me to grasp. I want to be involved in the chruch community but am not seeing how it's feasible with the chruch being over an hour drive there and back. Obviously being involved when a parish is 5 minutes away makes it easier.  So if you have kids, how do you manage it?

[truthfinder]

Basically what Nihil said. I live in a city with extensive public transportation. Using that, and baring any major transit hold-ups, it takes me about 30 mins to get to church. I am registered there and that's where my donations go. It's also where I go for confession (because there have been some slightly odd confessions in other places - not invalid just with penances that left doubt). Granted, I'm very fortunate that my church has confessions before every Mass for about 15 mins. I don't know what they do, but it seems like between the two priests, they can get through everyone who wants to go in that time. The EF mass is sandwiched in-between OF Masses.

As far as I can tell, the parish I attend does not have a special designation or 'cultural' parish status that some other Latin Mass communities do. Vancouver, BC springs to mind - if you attend there, that's your parish. I think I'm 'culturally' linked with the church on campus - which I do sometimes attend Masses at, especially when it's a feast day and I can't attend the EF. I also like that this church has public hours, so visits to the Blessed Sacrament are easier on campus. (Also, it's not like I have any doubts in the priest there - he's not consecrating as "this is the body of the redeemer" or any such nonsense. Actually the sermons there are usually very good - it's just the "liturgy coordination" which drives me round the bend and keeps me away more often.)

 

In all, it's a bit of a sacrifice - there are plenty in my (registered) parish that drive in probably an hour. I know at least one who doesn't own a car, but regularly uses a car-share program. As to your latest question - this depends on the family. In some of these EF communities, there are not those programs, because parents want to be more hands-on in their teaching, or they're very good about lumping all the programs (particularly like first communion catechism) on Sundays - so you make a day of it. 

You build what's most important into your schedule, and realize you have to give up parts elsewhere. I would love to be at my parish more frequently, but some of the Mass times conflict with my work and on others are just not feasible. 

[Nihil Obstat]

29 minutes ago, havok579257 said:

Do you have children? I am wondering how it's possible to be heavily involved in the church and the surrounding community when it's 30 minutes one way with 4 small children. I mean to do mass 1 to 2 times a week, kids catechism class, be involved in 1 hour of adoration if the church has it and be involved in 1 to 2 ministry's your talking 5 to 6 days a week driving at least an hour with 4 young kids. One my son's loves adoration and going to chruch regularly but to add in possibly more than 5 hours of driving per week might change that.  I know would for me.  I mean with jobs, school, homework, sports, school activities  there is not a lot of extra time to spend at least an hour of drive time a day.  

 

I guess that's what's hard for me to grasp. I want to be involved in the chruch community but am not seeing how it's feasible with the chruch being over an hour drive there and back. Obviously being involved when a parish is 5 minutes away makes it easier.  So if you have kids, how do you manage it?

I do not yet, but some of the families who are more involved than we are do have young kids. They make it work. I guess I will find out how it is done when it is my turn. Some of those families are homeschooled, but certainly not all of them.

I mean, it is a Catholic church. We are used to kids, we know that families get busy, we accommodate them. People volunteer to the extent that they feel able, and they step back or take a more involved role as their circumstances allow. I have seen this particularly in the choir. Not everyone can make weekday practices, mothers with young kids sometimes step back for a few months, the world keeps turning.

For the activities with which I am familiar... sacramental prep classes happen after the midday Mass on Sundays. children's choir practices at the same time. Adult choir and schola practices on Wednesday evenings, before Mass on Sundays, and sometimes after Mass on Sunday or Saturday afternoons before bigger feast days. There is 24 hour adoration which is pretty well covered, I do not think we have any gaps at the moment. Patrician's Society and Legion of Mary meet on weekday evenings. Families trade off running the coffee/donuts/luncheon after Mass. Altar boys have practices every few months, but generally they are pretty self-sustaining. We have an incredibly strong group of boys for that. Obviously we do not do readers and extraordinary ministers, so that is not a concern.

I am not aware of anyone who is involved in all of those things. But in general the larger families tend to be some of the more involved. There are always tradeoffs.

[havok579257]

17 minutes ago, Nihil Obstat said:

I do not yet, but some of the families who are more involved than we are do have young kids. They make it work. I guess I will find out how it is done when it is my turn. Some of those families are homeschooled, but certainly not all of them.

I mean, it is a Catholic church. We are used to kids, we know that families get busy, we accommodate them. People volunteer to the extent that they feel able, and they step back or take a more involved role as their circumstances allow. I have seen this particularly in the choir. Not everyone can make weekday practices, mothers with young kids sometimes step back for a few months, the world keeps turning.

For the activities with which I am familiar... sacramental prep classes happen after the midday Mass on Sundays. children's choir practices at the same time. Adult choir and schola practices on Wednesday evenings, before Mass on Sundays, and sometimes after Mass on Sunday or Saturday afternoons before bigger feast days. There is 24 hour adoration which is pretty well covered, I do not think we have any gaps at the moment. Patrician's Society and Legion of Mary meet on weekday evenings. Families trade off running the coffee/donuts/luncheon after Mass. Altar boys have practices every few months, but generally they are pretty self-sustaining. We have an incredibly strong group of boys for that. Obviously we do not do readers and extraordinary ministers, so that is not a concern.

I am not aware of anyone who is involved in all of those things. But in general the larger families tend to be some of the more involved. There are always tradeoffs.

Any advice on the low mass.  I want to go to one because the Latin mass we went to last week was nearly 2 hours.  Which is hard with a one year old.  I know the low mass is shorter but I have read online that it might be 20 minutes.  It's a low mass that is not sung.  I know it qualifies as a mass but to me, I am not wanting to go to a mass which is 20 minutes long.  I want to experience more. Do you know, is 20 minutes the norm for the low mass that is not sung ?

[truthfinder]

12 minutes ago, havok579257 said:

Any advice on the low mass.  I want to go to one because the Latin mass we went to last week was nearly 2 hours.  Which is hard with a one year old.  I know the low mass is shorter but I have read online that it might be 20 minutes.  It's a low mass that is not sung.  I know it qualifies as a mass but to me, I am not wanting to go to a mass which is 20 minutes long.  I want to experience more. Do you know, is 20 minutes the norm for the low mass that is not sung ?

On Sundays, you'd be hard pressed to find a low Mass at 20 mins. They're all going to have a sermon and your mileage varies there. 20-30 min sermons are not unheard of, although my current parish runs typically 7-10 mins. Honestly, Lent is a bad time to start attending because the Masses tend to be longer, especially as we move increasingly closer to Easter. The average low Mass without a sermon will be about 30 mins (but that's outside of Lent, and on days that don't need extra orations).

That being said, and not having kids myself: I find Latin parishes much more forgiving if you need to get of your seat with your child and stand at the back and bounce or rock them around or let them crawl around. As long as they're not actively screaming, it's fine. Even then, parents here will often just step outside and if they don't come back for a while, the other parent might go and switch off, especially around communion time. 

[Nihil Obstat]

39 minutes ago, havok579257 said:

Any advice on the low mass.  I want to go to one because the Latin mass we went to last week was nearly 2 hours.  Which is hard with a one year old.  I know the low mass is shorter but I have read online that it might be 20 minutes.  It's a low mass that is not sung.  I know it qualifies as a mass but to me, I am not wanting to go to a mass which is 20 minutes long.  I want to experience more. Do you know, is 20 minutes the norm for the low mass that is not sung ?

 

21 minutes ago, truthfinder said:

On Sundays, you'd be hard pressed to find a low Mass at 20 mins. They're all going to have a sermon and your mileage varies there. 20-30 min sermons are not unheard of, although my current parish runs typically 7-10 mins. Honestly, Lent is a bad time to start attending because the Masses tend to be longer, especially as we move increasingly closer to Easter. The average low Mass without a sermon will be about 30 mins (but that's outside of Lent, and on days that don't need extra orations).

That being said, and not having kids myself: I find Latin parishes much more forgiving if you need to get of your seat with your child and stand at the back and bounce or rock them around or let them crawl around. As long as they're not actively screaming, it's fine. Even then, parents here will often just step outside and if they don't come back for a while, the other parent might go and switch off, especially around communion time. 

What she said. Especially for a Sunday Mass, you will not find such incredibly short Masses. I would imagine that you will never see a 20 minute Mass outside of some strange emergency situation. That will mainly be limited to a priest's private Masses.

My current priest says a low Mass with no sermon on most weekdays, and in my experience these are around 40 minutes. For your average Sunday Mass with a sermon you will be approaching an hour, though perhaps not quite hitting it.

Two hours is rather long for an average High Mass though. Did anything out of the ordinary happen that day? Or was there an exceptionally long homily or something?