Testimony from German Diocesan website in 2022 "Old Mass, Young People" Solemn and mysterious - what fascinates teenagers about the Mass according to the 1962 liturgy?

Solemn and mysterious - what fascinates teenagers about the Mass according to the 1962 liturgy? We asked them

A Catholic service begins with the sign of the cross: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. When Theresia Maria Gabriel and Dominik Lepich go to church, they also begin with the sign of the cross, but then it says: In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. That's Latin. Theresia Maria Gabriel and Dominik Lepich attend mass in the form that was customary before the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council.

Theresia Maria is 14 years old, Dominik is 16, and they know the Rite that was used over 50 years ago because Pope Benedict XVI equated it with the rite that had been in use since the liturgical reform in 2007 with the letter "Summorum Pontificum". The new one was the "ordinary" and the old one the "extraordinary form" of the Roman Rite. This meant that priests could celebrate masses according to the form of the liturgy used before the 1962 reform.

Extraordinary, old or from 1962?

Since 2007, the term "Extraordinary form of the Roman rite" has been used for the Mass celebrated according to the rite in force before the liturgical reform. With his letter "Traditionis custodes" published in 2021, Pope Francis restricted the freedoms granted by his predecessor with regard to the old liturgy and abolished the terms "ordinary" and "extraordinary".

Since then, there has only been one Roman rite - i.e. the liturgy in the form introduced by the Second Vatican Council and in force since 1969. There is no official designation for the liturgy from the time before that. This text therefore makes do with the designation "Liturgy of 1962", because it was last changed in that year by Pope John XXIII, before a comprehensive reform of the liturgy was initiated at the Second Vatican Council.

Especially solemn

hat is so special about this form? Theresia Maria and Dominik agree: "It's so solemn." What does that mean in concrete terms? "At the beginning of every mass, we are sprinkled with holy water and incense is always used," says Theresia Maria. The altar is specially prepared and the priest wears special vestments. "And the Gregorian chants are very beautiful." People who are not yet familiar with this form of liturgy will be surprised by two aspects in particular: The priest stands in front of the altar, with his back to the congregation. And all the prayers are in Latin.

That takes some getting used to, says Theresia Maria. She knows what she's talking about because she grew up with the "normal" mass. For five years now, she and her family have mainly attended mass according to the 1962 liturgy. "It was difficult for me at first because I didn't understand the Latin," she says. But she liked the sound of the language. And fortunately, there are books in which the Latin texts can be found alongside the German translations.

Mysterious and devout

Dominik, on the other hand, knows nothing other than mass in Latin. His family has been going to mass in the Busdorf church for 15 years. "Even as a child, I was supposedly fascinated by sitting in the pews," he says. He grew up with it, but "I never understood much". That didn't stop him from becoming an altar boy - something only boys could do in the 1962 liturgy. The priests who preside over the mass in the old form teach him individual prayers or explain important passages in the liturgy to him. However, he has only been learning to really understand the foreign language for six months - since then he has been taking Latin lessons at school. "Until now, I knew roughly what the words of the gradual prayer meant, for example. Now, when I've learnt a new word, I can understand part of the rite again. That's a great feeling."

Understanding little or nothing - that may seem daunting to some, but for Maria Theresa and Dominik that is precisely what makes it so appealing. It contributes to a special atmosphere. "The Latin and the special form have something mysterious about them. In the new rite, you understand everything and that gets lost," says Dominik. Theresia Maria has a similar view: the Latin texts and the many kneelings offer her an opportunity for devotion. Moments when she doesn't need to do anything else as a believer help her to focus completely on the mystery at the altar.

All kneel, all await the Lord

And here, too, they both agree: "The most beautiful thing about the mass in the old form is the consecration. Everyone kneels, everyone is reverent, everyone is expecting something," says Dominik. "It's a special moment when the priest reverently lifts the host over his head," says Theresia Maria. Because the priest stands between the congregation and the altar, this moment is the first time the faithful can see the host - the body of Christ. "You can really see that this is the climax of the mass. And because the old Mass is already much more solemn in itself, its climax is even more solemn," says Dominik.

Theresia Maria and Dominik experience these moments of devotion and solemnity in Paderborn's Busdorf Church. Together with the cathedral, it is one of the two places in Paderborn where mass is offered weekly according to the 1962 liturgy. It is also held once a month in Minden.

Enabling diverse religious homes

In relation to the approximately 60,000 Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese of Paderborn who currently attend Sunday services, those attending the 1962 liturgy represent only a small proportion. Nevertheless, the diocesan leadership makes pastoral care in this form possible for them. Because in the 15 years since Summorum Pontificum, it has not only become a home of faith for Theresa Maria and Dominic. In comparison with the normal Mass, it is noticeable that many young families and individuals attend the liturgy of 1962.

"Ultimately, it's not about playing one liturgy off against another," says Monsignor Gregor Tuszynski, Head of the Liturgy Department, "but about enabling diversity in which people can find their spiritual home." And that can be in Latin, German or Polish, in the form of the 1962 liturgy, the normal Sunday mass or as a worship festival. After they have made the sign of the cross, they all say the same thing: Amen.

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