¿Hablas español? NEW SPANISH/LATIN TLM Hand Missal! And Fr. Z rants.

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¿Hablas español?

A few days ago, I received a new 1962 hand Missal from Angelus Press to review.  It represents an extraordinary achievement. As far as I know, it is the only new 1962 Spanish/Latin Missal now in print.  More on this Missal later.

This Missal could not come at a more propitious time.

In just a few days, 14 September, Feast of Exaltation of the Cross, we will celebrate the 7th Anniversary of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.  Pope Benedict issued this “emancipation proclamation” on 7 July 2007 (07/07/07) and it went into force on 14 September.

This year, 14 September falls on a Sunday.  Make sure that your local celebration of the Feast is especially worthy of this 7th Anniversary.  If nothing else, consider having the Te Deum sung at the end of Mass with the Church bells pealing!

I once heard a friend observe, astutely, that the reason the liturgical life of the Catholic Church had become so barren after the Council and before Summorum Pontificum (despite what one must honestly describe as a near mania for any conceivable innovation) was that, until then, “the new Mass had no past and the old Mass had no future.”  Summorum Pontificum restored the possibility of organic development to the liturgical life of the Church by bringing the past and future together in a new present.

“But Father!  But Father!” some of you are asking, “What about St. John Paul’s Ecclesia Dei adflicta?  Didn’t it give the older form of Mass a future?”

At the time, it made a huge difference.  But there’s no denying that it also put the future of the old Mass nearly entirely into the hands of the very people who most opposed it.  In spite of the fact that the late saintly Pope commanded by his apostolic authority that bishops provide a generous application of his legislation…. they didn’t, in sheer defiance, fueled by ideological malice.

There are reasons why the older post-Ecclesia Dei communities can sometimes seem angrier than the newer post-Summorum Pontificum communities.  Those earlier communities were relentlessly persecuted for their love of the Church’s traditions in a way that the new communities have not been.  That takes a toll.

Wasn’t it in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles where, after Ecclesia Dei adflicta, Mass according to the 1962 Missal was grudgingly tolerated on Sundays but only — for pastoral reasons, of course! — at a different time and location every Sunday.  There wasn’t even a location for 5th Sundays so that no location was repeated.  Today, under Summorum Pontificum, the FSSP has been invited to establish a personal parish in LA.

In the Archdiocese of New York, after Ecclesia Dei adflicta, the first regular weekly Mass according to the 1962 Missal was only allowed on a Saturday afternoon, celebrated at a side altar.  If I recall correctly, the initial congregations at these Masses were screened to admit only those old enough to remember Mass before the changes.  No one under forty was admitted if not accompanied by a geriatric guardian.  Today, under Summorum Pontificum, the Archdiocese of New York has (at least for now) the Church of the Holy Innocents.  At Holy Innocents there are four sung Masses every week!  There are Solemn Vespers and Benediction every Sunday.  There are Solemn Masses every 1st and 2nd Class Feast.  This is a vibrant, active, and happy community with a good liturgical and social.

That is what Summorum Pontificum sparked in New York and at dozens of other places throughout these USA.

I hope we won’t see those darker days again, but we have to be realistic and smart and watch the signs of the times.

Therefore, I circle back to my opening question, ¿Hablas español?

Is your Extraordinary Form community doing anything to reach out to the growing number of Spanish-speaking Catholics in these USA? 

If yours is like most communities, I’ll bet you are doing nearly nothing.

I’ll also bet that you have been told, also as if through an organized propaganda campaign, that Spanish speaking immigrants don’t want any Latin, that it is too foreign to them, that they wouldn’t be interested, not to bother, etc.

It seems to me many these people come from places that are far more liturgically (and theologically) conservative than what they will find at any Spanish-speaking community here in these USA.

I don’t need to point out how deeply condescending so many Ordinary Form communities targeting Spanish speakers can be.  Every goofy liturgical innovation, most of them hooted out long ago from even the most liberal English speaking communities), is still foisted upon our Spanish speaking brethren with a shockingly grim tenacity.  They must still endure the worst music, the ugliest vestments, the most embarrassing improvisations.  It has never stopped being 1977 for them.  They are frozen in time.

You know the scene: The Rev. Fr. Francis X. O’Blather, SJ, who studied Spanish for a month in the Dominican Republic in the 70’s and spent six years earning his PhD. in liturgical inculturation in the 80’s, still uses balloons, crayons and crepe paper every Sunday to reveal to his “native peoples” congregation the mysteries of the his version of the Faith.

They deserve more.  They deserve the patrimony which has been STOLEN from them.

Make sure that your Latin Mass community (Ordinary, Extraordinary, both) is open and welcoming to Spanish speakers.

I think that, once experienced, the Extraordinary Form will have a great appeal to them.  There should be also Spanish language materials.  Special attention should be given to feasts that are important in their cultures. Perhaps Father could also preach in Spanish?  Even if he is of a certain age, God wants him to be also an opsimath.  Omnibus omnia factus sum, right?

The new Angelus Press Spanish/Latin Missal will make it much easier for you to invite Spanish speaking Catholics to the Extraordinary Form of Mass.  Buy one for yourself to loan out at Mass.  If your Community cannot itself afford to buy enough copies to loan to people at Mass, you can at least buy some to sell.

Let’s now have a look at this fine new tool of the New Evangelization.

Let me try to post this as a gallery.

Some features: there are a good number of ribbons and the pages are gilt.  The binding is strong and the cover is very good imitation leather.  It is the same size at Latin/ English Angelus Press missal and slightly larger than Baronius.

There is good, traditional artwork.

The missal is a serious spiritual tool.  There are sections for catechetical instruction about the faith, necessary prayers, morning and evening prayer, explanations of all the elements of Mass.  In the back there is a Kyriale for singing the Mass and pages for you to write dates of baptisms, ordinations, religious professions, marriages, etc.  The Ordinary is well laid out and the Propers have slightly larger print for Spanish than for the Latin, which is not unusual in hand missals.

To buy click HERE! $38

 

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This entry was posted in ¡Hagan lío!, "How To..." - Practical Notes, Be The Maquis, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM, The future and our choices, Wherein Fr. Z Rants and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

33 Comments

  1. TWF says:

    This is great news!
    I spend a lot of time in the Dominican Republic – my wife is Dominican. The state of the liturgy is far from great. I’ve noticed, by the grace of God, that some of the younger priests are trying to introduce some traditional elements, such as a bit of chant…but it is far from the norm. In most of the parishes I’ve visited, the sign of peace is an over the top, drawn out “meet and greeting” with back clapping and people running between pews. Holy Communion is rushed by means of EMHCs to allow time for drawn out birthday wishes and the like during the tediously long announcement period. Loud clapping and drums accompany the Gloria which doesn’t follow the approved Spanish text. You’re lucky if half the congregation kneels for the consecration.

    I think the SSPX might be somewhere on the island, but there isn’t a single approved EF mass in the entire country to my knowledge. Certainly not in the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo. I might have to buy a couple of these missals…

  2. Mike says:

    Coalition Ecclesia Dei publishes a Latin-Spanish edition of its affordable booklet missal. I think it’s available at most or all of the TLMs I attend; there’s certainly no excuse for it not to be available at any.

    As for the theoretical objection that “Spanish speaking immigrants don’t want any Latin,” I suspect (on anecdotal evidence only, based on the use I’ve seen of Latin in the Novus Ordo) that there may be a good deal less overall antipathy to Latin than partisans of the bogus “Spirit of Vatican II,” whatever their native tongue, would like to have us think. Aside from that, this Anglo finds his Spanish improved by reading Latin, and vice versa — not to say that either is of a quality I’d want to trot out for company without being prepared to be highly mortified.

  3. TWF says:

    As an addendum to my post above – I wonder if its possible to get propers for the feasts particular to the Dominican Republic…that is, the EF propers that would have existed prior to 1970. For example, January 21, the feast of Our Lady of Altagracia, is celebrated as a solemn feast and is both a secular stat holiday and a holy day of obligation under particular law…

  4. benedetta says:

    I actually quite identify with the older pre motu proprio communities, even though I did not find the TLM until years later. In some places, orthodoxy, without the TLM’s availability, has been persecuted in precisely the same way. My sense after all these years at it is that the Church desperately needs the leaven of EF worshipping Catholics, and, by the same token, EF Catholics and orthodox Catholics need to support one another. The times cry out for it, for one. For two, I believe that the offering of EF Masses, with a scheduled reverent Ordinary Form as well, will be for the ultimate good of our Church going forward out of the crisis she now experiences, in some areas, worse than crisis even.

  5. J_Cathelineau says:

    ¡Muchas gracias, Padre Z!

  6. benedetta says:

    Meant to add: in general, at most parishes, in most dioceses — in order to care for all souls, EF and OF, together in parishes, with the sacraments properly celebrated and solid catechesis with works of mercy and outreach to those in need.

  7. Gregorius says:

    I had noticed, during the years I went to seminary liturgies, that although in English Masses there was a huge variety of music (including Gregorian Chant and polyphony!), the Spanish Mass pretty much always featured some type of guitar-y/mariachi style music. My spanish is too rusty to comment on the theological side of those hymns, but musically they left much to be desired.

  8. majuscule says:

    We don’t yet have a regularly scheduled TLM–our priest offers these Masses on his own time–several times a week during the day. We always have the English/Latin as well as the Spanish/Latin Ecclesia Dei booklet missals available for these Masses. Unfortunately, we do not have any Spanish speakers who use them regularly.

    Our parish has a large Spanish speaking population–we have had native Spanish speaking priests so they have been able to celebrate their liturgies in the manner they were used to in their country of origin. I’ve given out a few of the Spanish/Latin booklet missals to people who have happened in to our TLM and stayed for Mass. But not having a regular schedule makes it difficult to get the word out. We have an email list but the older Spanish speakers (who seem open to the Mass in Latin) I’ve talked to do not do email. And of course, my Spanish is not so great.

    But I say, have the Spanish missals available and they will come!

  9. ncstevem says:

    Thank you Fr. Zuhlsdorf for this post. I searched far and wide for a missal like this years ago and came up empty. My wife is from Nicaragua and was raised in Brazil so English is her third and least proficient language. I plan on getting this Missal as a gift for her.

    Bought several hardback copies of the Imitation of Christ in Spanish for her and family from Angelus Press (I think) which her father and brother use daily.

  10. Priam1184 says:

    It is amusing that some people trot out the “Spanish speakers don’t want any Latin” excuse considering the languages are so similar. I would make an educated guess that most native Spanish speakers would understand considerably more of the Extraordinary Form Mass without any additional linguistic training than any of us Anglos.

  11. melanie says:

    Just as an aside, my parish in the UK now has a monthly Mass in the EF, celebrated by a visiting priest. Because we have a number of Polish parishioners, our server purchased some Polish/Latin missiles for the people to use. Unfortunately for us, the same server is about to return to Poland to enter seminary. Our loss is their gain!

  12. Traductora says:

    If you want to know why we’re losing Spanish speakers to the Baptists, there’s two words: Novus Ordo. Well, actually that and all it brings with it – changes to the calendar, removal of or neglect of saints, no devotions, etc.

    If the liturgy, practice and environment are identical, and the doctrine of the Church has pretty much disappeared, why not be a Baptist? They have better youth activities and prayer groups and their clergy actually visit the sick and don’t send little old ladies out to do their jobs. So why not?

  13. HighMass says:

    The Most Beautiful Mass this side of Heaven! Sorry N.O. Fans, we know that the N.O. is the Mass in the Ordinary Form, but it just doesn’t compare…..how sad what we have lost these past 45 yrs!

    Again all Praise to Benedict the Great for the restoration of the Latin Mass!.

    Still a lot of Opposition in our area the pastor will not allow the Mass in the E.F. Pray for him that God May soften his heart……

  14. j says:

    1) To Fr’s first point, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston, a SOLEMN Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be Celebrated by Fr David Taurasi, at 11:00am in the Lady Chapel. There will be Exposition, Benediction, Veneration of the relic of the True Cross, and yes, a Te Deum and “Long Live the Pope” will be sung. The latter in English AND Spanish.

    2) While most of the Cathedral Masses are secondarily (after Latin) Celebrated in English, confessions are heard in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, and Propers have always been available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian – we actually have most demand for Portuguese, as we have a large Brazilian component.

    3) First Fridays, EF Mass Celebrated at 7:30pm in the Lower Church by Fr Agustin Anda is secondarily bilingual English/Spanish as the congregation calls for. Fr Anda is due, in October, to begin Celebrating weekly Saturday evening (6:00pm) EF Masses with Spanish/English in Waltham, at St Charles Borromeo Church, for the Boston Metrowest population, and for the Catholic students of Brandeis and Bentley Universities, and Lassell College. The EF has proven to be a Mass people of a variety of native languages can attend without feeling it isn’t “their” Mass.

  15. Bea says:

    Our Parish bookstore ordered 3.
    We already sold 2.
    I think I already have the 3rd one lined up for sale.
    It is a much needed item in this growing Spanish speaking nation.
    We don’t have the TLM Mass, but some people want to follow NO with the TLM prayers.
    I don’t know why our pastor is afraid to get it started.
    He said it once privately and said it well with only one minor error.
    A couple of our parishioners sometimes drive out of town for the TLM.
    I hope this inspires our pastor.

  16. tgarcia2 says:

    @HighMass, those comments are what prevents us from making “in-roads” with those who do attend the NO. Almost as bad as some where I live (narrow-minded) saying that Jesus is NOT made in the NO. That’s a HUGE no-no.

    Anyway, awesome that this is published. Passed along to those who are in seminary in Juarez as well as some who are attending the FSSP parish here in town. Awesome to see it affordably priced as well!

  17. Elizium23 says:

    Yes! A thousand times yes!

    My coworker is Latino and his family attends the TLM at a diocesan parish, Saint Catherine of Sienna. Fr. Alonso Saenz is a charismatic, dynamic individual who reaches out to local Latinos and gives them exactly what they need.

    You may have heard of St. Catherine as it was one of the sites of a Solemn Requiem Mass for Rev. Kenneth Walker, FSSP.

  18. Emilio says:

    “They must still endure the worst music, the ugliest vestments, the most embarrassing improvisations. It has never stopped being 1977 for them. They are frozen in time.”

    Thank you, spot on! I endured this while growing up in my Spanish-language community within a larger English speaking parish in Washington DC. Guitar and “mariachi” Masses were a very foreign experience to Spanish speaking Catholics to the USA. In our countries and in Spain, the organ is still commonplace, and so is the singing of very old and traditional hymns. So are processions, pilgrimages and devotions. Only recently unfortunately, the so-called folk style of guitars and more banal singing is being exported to Latin American parishes. Polyphonic Mass settings and other works were being composed by musical prodigies for the great cathedrals of Mexico City, Havana, Guatemala City, Quito and Lima etc., as their contemporaries did the same in Europe. I NEVER let anyone tell me that my Hispanic-Catholic heritage is comprised of cheap guitar tunes dictated by over-inflated “liturgical resource” corporations based in Oregon or Illinois (the nerve). As you say Father, one day I too hope to see that caricature of our cultures vanish for good. The reform of the reform and the EF would fall on very fertile soil among Spanish-speaking communities in North America, but they could not be more neglected in this regard.

    After an encouraging review of this Angelus Press Missal on the Spanish liturgy blog “Acción Litúrgica,” I bought it and received it a few weeks ago. I could not be happier with it and I also recommend it wholeheartedly. If you happen to be learning Spanish or want to, or know someone else who is/does, an excellent way to learn any new language is to try to plug it into your spiritual life, and this is a perfect tool for that. The Spanish translation of the Ordinary of the Mass and Propers uses more contemporary language so they are easy to read, but they are still faithful and beautiful translations (I am a professional court interpreter/translator). Also, there are devotional sections with VERY beautiful and traditional Spanish-language prayers (which I grew up hearing my mother and grandmothers pray) which preserve our equivalent of “thee/thou” (“Vos,” capital “v”). I regularly attend the EF Mass at my parish, and I’m delighted that I can now practice my Spanish (with the beautiful, more elevated liturgical language) as I attend Mass. The beautiful Kyriale was such a nice surprise to me, like a baker’s dozen.

    How I wish the Spanish Novus Ordo would immediately employ these Spanish translations of the EF. It is better than the old ICEL English was by far, but mistranslations exist and liberties were taken, some here and there in the Ordinary, and many, many more in the Propers. Sadly the Vatican never cracked down on the Spanish-speaking episcopal conferences and their Missal translations as it did with ICEL.

  19. St. Epaphras says:

    I too recently bought this Missal, love it, and see it as a very positive move toward genuine Catholicism. I’ve seen on livemass.net devotions from the FSSP parish in Mexico and was very impressed by the seriousness and evident spirituality (Catholic spirituality) of those in attendance. You can hear sermons from that parish at http://www.fsspmexico.mx/. No reason at all people whose first language is Spanish should not be given every opportunity to be involved with the EF Mass and with all that goes along with it, and by that I mean Tradition. I had thought about suggesting this Misal to those in charge of the Latin Mass community nearby, but Father Z has done it better.

  20. Raymond says:

    @Emilio:

    You are spot on regarding Spanish-language Masses here in the U.S. So far, the only “decent” Spanish Mass that I’ve been to is the one at the crypt church of the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, D.C, where they actually use the organ, instead of mariachi guitars.

    During summer, I’m often conflicted: should I attend English-language OF Masses (with organ music) in the nearby parishes and be confronted by massive eye-sores of teens and adults wearing shorts and t-shirts; or should I go to the mariachi-playing Spanish Mass where hardly anyone wears shorts?

    Another point of contention with States-side Spanish Masses–I’m not at all amused that I’m seeing more priests replace “vosotros” with “Ustedes” in the liturgical language.

  21. Gratias says:

    Muchas, muchas gracias Padre Zeta.

    If English is your mother tongue you should purchase a Latin-English Angelus Press 1962 Missal.

    If Spanish is your mother tongue you must purchase the Latin-Spanish Angelus Press 1962 Missal.

    We found a 1965 missal in a flea market in Chile but it was literally falling apart. We tried to purchase another one but they cost U$S 250 via Internet from Argentina. We of course have the Angelus Press Latin-English missal.

    A wonderful thing about the EF mass is that you can read the Readings the day before. This gives one so much more understanding at Mass. Each year has its own cycle that repeats every year defining our passage through life.

    So get a Missal and do the Readings every week. In Spanish I understand their deeper meaning much better.

    Being too enthusiastic I purchased six. Three for priests that offer the EF mass, one for my lovely wife and one for me. Having one too many, last Sunday I gave one to an elderly Colombian lady who was following with great attention the yellow small Una Voce misal. I had not met her nor had she ever owned a full missal before. She almost cried for joy. It will be in good hands.

  22. Gratias says:

    At our EF masses at the Los Angeles Archdiocese there are many Hispanics. It is not true that we do not understand Latin.

    If one takes some time to compare the Apostles’ Creed in Spanish and Latin one will appreciate that the entire Spanish language developed around the preservation of our ancient prayers.

    Thank you Father Z for mentioning the persecutions of the TLM under Cardinal Mahony in Los Angeles. Fortunately since 07/07/07 the situation is steadily improving though the extraordinary efforts of Una Voce Ventura and Los Angeles. Two local priests, Fathers Bishop and Carcerano toiled indefatigably. We now have Fr. Fryar who is one of the best FSSP can offer. Thanks are due to Archbishop Jose Gomez.

  23. Tamquam says:

    Having grown up in Mexico when the EF was the OF, the music as most Spanish Masses is revolting. Adequate catechesis is even more lacking than among English speakers. But there is yet great fervor, especially in regards to BVM. Latin is not much of an obstacle, because it is just old fashioned Spanish, and the connections are easy to make for the most part. This new missal is great.

  24. Latinmass1983 says:

    At the Church of the Holy Innocents, where (as you mentioned), we have the daily traditional Mass and where we have 4 days on which we have Sung Masses, some people are already buying this Spanish-Latin hand missal.

    Given that 20 out of the 40 Altar servers at the Church of the Holy Innocents (NYC) are Hispanic, the very active and vibrant traditional community realized very early that it needed to do something to bring Spanish-speakers to the traditional Mass. Because of this, for about 3 years we have made available Spanish materials for the people to follow the Mass in Spanish: first, the Ecclesia Dei missals, then programs in Spanish with most of the Proper prayers needed for the Mass on Sundays, and once in a while, we ask some of the Priests (who are able to) to preach in Spanish.

    When promoting events, we also have flyers in Spanish (in addition to having them in English) in order to reach a wider population, especially when there are Feasts that are very popular in Latin America. All this has helped a lot because there are now more Spanish-speakers who stay for the coffee hour after the Sunday Mass at Holy Innocents (and also because there are more Spanish-speakers who attend Mass as a whole).

    When we have the annual Corpus Christi outdoor procession at Holy Innocents, we also include a couple of very traditional and very beautiful Spanish hymns, so that the Spanish-speakers may participate in the singing as well.

    I do not know of any other parish in NYC that has the traditional Mass that does this.

  25. alanphipps says:

    “Wasn’t it in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles where, after Ecclesia Dei adflicta, Mass according to the 1962 Missal was grudgingly tolerated on Sundays but only — for pastoral reasons, of course! — at a different time and location every Sunday. There wasn’t even a location for 5th Sundays so that no location was repeated.”

    Well, not quite true. The TLM was offered every Sunday at the San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura, CA, at 1:30pm; I attended it several times when I lived in Santa Barbara. Nevertheless, it’s a tough drive for those at the far ends of the Archdiocese. Within the last couple of years, it has been moved to a new regular location in either Oxnard or Camarillo, I don’t recall which.

  26. gloriainexcelsis says:

    Wonderful news. Our tiny FSSP parish in Tyler, TX, (about 35-40 families) has at least three families that are hispanic. They are all English speakers, but family members who visit, often are not. There has been, for a long time, a little red, paperback Sunday missal in Latin and English that people can borrow from a table in the vestibule. Some parishioners have their own and use it only. Father always has a sheet on the table with the propers of the day (every day) to use with the paperbacks. There is a Spanish/Latin version which is also available for those who need it. I’ll pass the word about the new full missal. Oh, the TLM is now in Camarillo, in the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene Parish.

  27. KateD says:

    Awsome! Thank you for posting this!

  28. KateD says:

    *Awesome

  29. majuscule says:

    I don’t know the percentage of native Spanish speakers in my parish but I know it’s a lot. We have three weekend Masses in Spanish.

    One of our priests, though a native English speaker, has enough Spanish to hear confessions and offer Mass in Spanish. (Besides being a supporter of the Extraordinary Form!) For some of the Spanish Masses he is having them use Gregorian Chant in place of some of the music.

    At a recent bilingual Mass (mostly Spanish with a bit of English) I was pleased to hear the Roman Canon in Spanish!

  30. Moro says:

    And from what I understand, the current Spanish translation still has errors in it and is nowhere near the quality of the OF English that was recently retranslated a few years ago. I’m not sure about the translation in the US and Latin America but that is definitely the case in Spain.

    I find it interesting that while the TLM is generally not promoted amongst Hispanic Catholics, this is one of the demographics in the Church most in danger of being lost to various strains of Protestantism.

    The Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston has missals and propers available for some regular Hispanic attendees at the TLM and the regular celebrant can hear confessions in Spanish as well.

  31. Bea says:

    Moro
    We have a large Spanish speaking community (Mexico) and I have found the Spanish translation of the NO superior to the English ICEL version. I understand the USCCB is working to change that. They want to make the Spanish closer to the English translation. If they do it will be a great spiritual loss.
    The OF English that was recently retranslated a few years ago is better than the previous one but still the version used in our Spanish version is better. Of course, nothing beats the TLM Missal.

  32. adamrgh says:

    Is there a good (recent) publication of a daily missal in Spanish for the Ordinary Form, as there are in English?

  33. Pingback: Good news on the Spanish Front! | Fr. Z's BlogFr. Z's Blog

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