What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

Welcome to What Does the (Latin) Prayer Really Sound Like? 

In this audio project I will simply read, or maybe sometimes sing, the Latin prayers from the Ordinary of Mass or from the Proper of the upcoming Sunday or feast from the 1962 Missale Romanum. 

024 803-18 Stations of the Cross – Joseph Ratzinger (Good Friday – 2005)
023 08-03-18 Passion of St. John (Good Friday – 1962 Missale Romanum)
022 08-03-14 Stations of the Cross – St. Alphonsus Liguori
021 08-03-11 Palm Sunday – Passion of St. Matthew (sung)
020 08-03-04 1st Passion Sunday
019 08-02-28 4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare)
018 08-02-23 3rd Sunday of Lent (with Preface of Lent)
017 08-01-23 LEARN THE ORDINARY: 02 The Last Gospel
016 08-01-05 Epiphany
015 07-12-24 3 Masses of Christmas
014 07-12-22 4th Sunday of Advent
013 07-12-12 “Gaudete” Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Advent
012 07-12-04 2nd Sunday of Advent
011 07-12-03 Feast of the Immaculate Conception
010 07-11-26 1st Sunday of Advent
009 07-11-19 LEARN THE ORDINARY: 01 The Prayers at the Foot of the Altar
008 07-11-18 24th & Last Sunday after Pentecost
007 07-11-12 25th Sunday after Pentecost (6th Sunday after Epiphany)
006 07-11-08 24th Sunday after Pentecost (5th Sunday after Epiphany)
005 07-11-01 23rd Sunday after Pentecost
004 07-10-25 Feast of Christ the King (1962MR)
003 07-10-18 21st Sunday after Pentecost
002 07-10-15 PREFACE: Most Holy Trinity
001 07-10-13 20th Sunday after Pentecost

This is a service especially for priests who want to use the 1962 Missale Romanum.

But it is also a service for lay people who attend the other form of Mass. If people hear these prayers ahead of time, and get them in their ears and hearts, their active participation at Mass is made that much more profound.  Active participation, as the Church desires, is first and foremost active receptivity.

Since Pope Benedict’s Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum is now in force, there is some consideration being given to what qualifications a priest must have to be able to celebrate the older form of Mass. 

Aside from knowledge of the rubrics, he must at least, according to commonsense, be able to pronounce the Latin prayers properly. 

In my experience, however, not all priests who know how to celebrate the older form of Mass always have the best pronunciation. 

Here’s where I can help a little.  If you priests out there can get the prayers into your ears before you have to sing or say them, you might be a little more comfortable and confident as you are celebrating Holy Mass and the people will be all the more edified.

My pronunciation of Latin is going to betray something of my nationality, of course. Men who have as their mother tongue something other than English will sound a little different.  However, we are told that the standard for the pronunciation of Latin in church is the way it is spoken in Rome.  Since I have spent a lot of time in Rome, you can be pretty sure my accent will not be too far off the mark.

I will simply read the prayers as they are on the page.

I read them more slowly than we would ordinarily read them during Mass.  But hopefully the pace helped you hear the words a little more clearly.  

If this was useful to you, let your priest friends know this resource is available.  And feel free to make a little donation using the donation button on the left side bar of the blog or or by clicking here.  This is a labor of love, but those donations really help.

Pray for me, listen carefully, and practice practice practice.