I have a request. Let’s have some first Mass tales.
This is the season for ordinations to the priesthood in many places.
I would appreciate notes especially from new priests about their choices for their first Masses.
I am especially interested in your use of
- Latin
- Ordinary Form
- Extraordinary Form
You might include what you would like to have done but – because of circumstances beyond your control – you were not able to do.
This is for my opportune knowledge. If I talk to people about this (I get called and get email from reporters once in a while), I want to be able to give my sense of what is shifting and changing. And as we know, the plural of “anecdote” is “data”.
I will not put anything on the blog (unless you say I can) and I will anonymize everything if you wish (even though most of your Masses are public).
I will keep the combox open here, but I am turning on moderation so that all comments go into a queue (i.e., they can’t be public unless I release them). And you can send email using the CONTACT option on the very top menu.
Thanks, brethren, in advance.
BTW… for your own opportune knowledge, brethren…
I had faculties to say the older form of Mass from the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” from the instant I was ordained, on 26 May 1991. Since I worked in that office, I wrote my own “celebret” and His Eminence happily signed it with the knowledge of my bishop who was pleased that I had it.
After my ordination by Pope John Paul my first Mass was on 27 May 1991 in the little chapel immediately under the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica up against the wall where the tomb of Peter is located. The Mass was in the Novus Ordo, booklets provided the translations. The entire Mass was sung (no deacons, etc) in Latin. The Gregorian chant choir I directed at San Nicola in Carcere – entirely of women – sang the whole Proper and Ordinary. After that I had a Novus Ordo “solemn Mass” (deacons) at Santa Cecilia, again with my choir and the cloistered Benedictine Sisters. I had served Mass there, in the cloister, for the late-rector of the basilica and, therefore, had ties there. My third Mass was with the 1962 Missal in what is now the Extraordinary Form parish in Rome, Santissima Trinita dei Pelegrini. When I got back to the USA, my first solemn Mass was at my home parish St. Agnes, in St. Paul, MN. It was with the Novus Ordo, in the presence of two bishops (and with a future bishop in choro and another future bishop as my archpriest). The entire Mass was sung in Latin except for English readings. The Ordinary was in Gregorian chant by the excellent scholar of which I had been a member, and the 80 voice Twin Cities Catholic Chorale of which I had been a member. We used Mozart’s Coronation Mass, with a full orchestra. Since it was Corpus Christi, we had the Eucharistic procession around the grounds with altars set up for Benediction.
So… that was me and that was then.
What about you?
You older priests can chime in too! And let me know if I can post it.
Please put in the subject line of the email:
FIRST MASS
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I have a pre first mass story.
About 25 years ago I met a young priest from the St Louis archdiocese when I was visiting the Trappist monastery in southern Missouri. He told me that after ordination in StL he was headed back to Springfield, Mo, and was pulled over for speeding. After he mentioned that he was a newly ordained priest, the officer asked whether he knew Father So and So. He said, “Sure, in fact we just ordained together today. How do you know him?”
The officer replied, “I gave him a speeding ticket too–about an hour ago.”
FROM A DEACON SOON TO BE ORDAINED with my emphases:
I am sure that all the readers here will stop and say a pray for you.
I will be interested to hear what my 2012 classmates from around the world do. :)
I was ordained on Friday, June 7, 1985. My “first” Mass was a Dominican Rite Low Mass on the day following in one of the small private Mass chapels of our House of Studies. (I had received permission to use the Dominican Rite from my provincial under the 1969 Rescript before my ordination.)
My first public Mass of Thanksgiving was the next day, that year Corpus Christi Sunday, in the main chapel of the House of Studies. That Mass was in the new rite using the Gregorian Ordinary (including Credo) and Propers. The rest of the Mass was sung in English, including the collects, readings, intercessions, and Eucharistic Prayer. The four principle concelebrants each sang his part of the Roman Canon. The identical printed program was also used for my 25th Anniversary Mass on Corpus Christi in 2010.
P.S., yes you can post it. And I don’t think I need to be anonymous.
From a priest with my emphases:
[And yet we know that sometimes they do get upset.]
From a priest, Fr. John M. Vega: