A Moving Encounter with The Traditional Mass

Tom Piatak  of Chronicles Magazine (which everyone should read) writes this account of his recent encounter with the  Traditional mass at a parish in Cleveland  on the occasion of a Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Cardinal Burke:

Faith of Our Fathers, Living Still

“What first stood out was the sheer size of the congregation. The church was packed, with every seat in every pew taken and some people standing in the back of the Church throughout the Mass. A friend who works at NASA did the math: there were roughly 750 people sitting in the pews.”

“What next stood out was the fervor and attentiveness of the congregation. The Mass was followed by Benediction and a Eucharistic procession within the church. All told, the service lasted for roughly two and a quarter hours. Throughout, the congregation was silent when it should have been and vocal when it should have been, with the Latin responses given with sincerity and force and the congregation singing loudly and well when they were asked to…”

“What stood out throughout was beauty. Students from the Lyceum, a classical Catholic high school on the east side of Cleveland, sang exquisitely from the entrance procession until the recessional, accompanied by an organist described by my friend who prepared the program as one of the finest in the Diocese of Cleveland. The combination of music, incense, beautiful vestments, and the Gothic architecture and religious art of the church made a powerful aesthetic impression.”

“Hand in hand with beauty went reverence. Although the presence of Cardinal Burke undoubtedly contributed to the size of the congregation, the focus throughout was on the reverence due to God, not on Cardinal Burke. There was nothing Cardinal Burke did to draw attention to himself, and his homily was a wonderful  explication of Marian doctrine, with the only mention of contemporary concerns a brief reference to problems well known to any American Catholic…”

“What also stood out throughout was the great effort it took to create such a memorable religious experience. … The Knights  of Columbus provided a wonderful honor guard, the people of the parish provided a warm reception after the Mass, and all the acolytes and priests gave of their time to give us such a splendid example of Catholic worship. Many of these people bring the same amount of effort every week, for Masses that are far less well attended, including my friend who provides programs with translations of the propers for the Latin Mass throughout the liturgical year. There are far more people than one might at first suspect dedicated to the survival of Christianity throughout the civilization that would not exist apart from Christianity.”