For today’s Liturgy Corner, allow me to introduce Sabrina Mari Uriegas, our own Director of Music Ministries, to enlighten us about the use of Latin, the sacred language of the universal Church!
- Fr. Kyle
Why Latin in the Mass?
Latin is the official language of the Church.
Latin unites us with the universal Church & the tradition of the Church (the saints):
It is a means of maintaining unity in the Catholic Church, for the use of one and the same language in Latin Rite churches all over the world is a connecting link to Rome, as well as between nations separated by their cultures and native tongues.
It dates back to the earliest centuries of the Church and to the very Masses offered in the obscurity of the Catacombs.
Latin elevates the liturgies during this time of the liturgical year.
There is an element of mystery about Latin. It is often called a “dead language”, that is, not spoken by the faithful. The use of Latin conveys to the mind of the people that something is going on upon the Altar which is beyond their comprehension; that a mystery is being enacted.
Another reason why the whole of the Mass was historically offered in Latin is because it is a sacrifice, not an instruction for the people. The celebration of Mass consists more in action than in words. The Catholic Mass is a holy sacrifice offered to God the Father by an ordained priest, in persona Christi. The action of the Mass, and the mystery of it, is reinforced by the use of Latin.
In the Vatican II guidelines for the Liturgy, Latin (the language of the Church) is to be preserved in the Mass within the Latin rites and the parts of the Mass that are the same every Mass, the “Holy Holy, Mystery of Faith, Lamb of God, Our Father”, are to be learned in Latin:
Art. 36 of Sacrosanctum Concilium
“…the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.”
Art. 54 of Sacrosanctum Concilium
“…steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass (the text that remain the same for each Mass) which pertain to them
We invite the Saint William community to pray and sing the Latin Mass parts with your family this Lent and Easter! Click on the links below to familiarize yourself with the music you hear during Mass: