This past Sunday, I missed church in the morning. I don't go every week - but I try to. I find that the period surrounding Communion to be one of the most peaceful times during the week as it is really the only time that I have a good heart-to-God prayer during the week.Let me also say that I am not Catholic. I attend an evangelical, Protestant Church, but I find myself more of an ecunmenist, i.e., all churches and denominations are equal despite some doctrinal disagreements. I greatly enjoy the liturgy found in the Catholic Mass; the uniformity of it I find to be very calming. I also find the traditional to be very reverent.
And so I attended Lexington's Latin Mass, which is performed each Sunday at 4 p.m. at St. Peter's Catholic Church on Barr Street. The Sancta Missa (Holy Mass in Latin) comes from the 1962 Missale Romanum and was the form of Mass performed in the universal Catholic Church until Vatican II and the introduction of local languages into the worship. Only the homily (sermon) was in English.
During much of the service, the priest is facing the altar (with his back toward the congregation) because the entire Mass is a form of worship to God. The purpose is not for our own pleasure. From this, I tend to make two observations: (1) The traditional, IMHO, is more reverent and makes for better 'worship' but also (2) that I need to make a concerted effort to 'worship' when forced into a more contemporary service.
It was a beautiful, peaceful service. The chants of the priests and congregants were perfectly toned, the choir (in the loft behind and above the congregants) was amazing. The homily was inspirational (essentially the information in the preceding paragraph). All in all, I walked out very peaceful and awestruck by the service.
Plus, the church was magnificent. I would highly recommend that you try and find a Latin Mass in your community; it is well-worth it.
Photo: St. Peter's Catholic Church, Lexington KY
