As I continue to read through our Holy Father's recent Apostolic Exhortation "Sacramentum Caritatis", I finally read the entirety of the section in Part II - "The Latin Language".This is the part I found interesting:
"...I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant;"
It will be interesting to see which seminaries respond to Pope Benedict's request, and when.
On the note of the use of Latin, there is a decent "top story" piece done by a Boston TV station about a return to the use of the Traditional Latin Mass. Watch the video here.
-
Hat tip to Catholic Church Conservation for the video.
i think its good that it is encouraged. there is really a different feel if the mass is in latin.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. There is an intrinsic beauty to the Mass in Latin.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a good day when all seminarians, the world over, learn and understand Latin in the Mass. How sad would it be, to be a seminarian or priest visiting in Rome, attending a Mass at the Vatican, and not know the prayers of the Mass being said in the language of the Universal Church?
While not seminarians or priests, I can attest to taking American students to Rome, attending Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's square and realizing that our kids were the only ones around us that did not know the prayers in Latin. It was indeed a sad moment. It felt like we were outsiders, tourists in our own faith.
Any seminarians out there who want to jump start or improve their spoken Latin, might find the Latinum Podcast to be of use.
ReplyDeleteThe pronunciation used in the resources is Restored Classical, but that is a small matter for a seminarian to deal with and change if needed. The site is the only one online that offers lessons in spoken Latin, using as its base G.J.Adlers textbook from 1856, for learning spoken Latin. Latin is taught as a modern language might be taught, and as a result, progress is rapid.
http://latinum.mypodcast.com