Traditional Latin Mass Returns to Queens, NY: Catholics Rejoice

The traditional Latin Mass is the liturgy that was celebrated in the Catholic Church prior to the 1960s. The prayers and gestures associated with this rite date back to the 500s A.D. This Mass is still celebrated in the Catholic Church and will now be offered in Queens, NY.

(PRWEB) August 27, 2005 -- Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, Diocese of Brooklyn, NY has recently authorized the regular celebration of the traditional Latin Mass in a new location in the diocese: Middle Village, Queens. This is an occasion of much joy to those Catholics who are devoted to this liturgy, which was the primary liturgy celebrated in the Catholic Church throughout the world until the 1960s. The traditional Latin Mass is conducted entirely in Latin and the priest and the congregation face in the same direction, towards the altar of the church.

Joe Klonowski, a resident of Middle Village, is overjoyed at the news. "I have been devoted to the old Mass my whole life," Mr. Klonowski said. "It is the Mass that inspired the saints of the Church throughout history. The prayers are beautiful. Im not a Latin expert, but I bring my missal and follow along, praying the Mass with the priest."

There are now two approved locations in the diocese of Brooklyn for the traditional Latin Mass: Our Lady of Peace in Park Slope, Brooklyn and now the Chapel of St. Johns Cemetery in Queens. The new coordinator of the Latin Mass for the diocese of Brooklyn, Fr. James Massa, is excited about the new developments in the diocese. "Its my conviction that our worthy celebration of this Mass, in accord with the norms of the Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia Dei, offers an invaluable witness to the wider Church." Ecclesia Dei is a document issued by Pope John Paul II in 1988 in which the Pope reaffirmed that all Catholics are free to attend the traditional Latin Mass and urged all bishops to give generous access to this liturgy in their dioceses. Since the issuing of this document, religious orders devoted to the liturgical books of 1962 have been founded and over half the dioceses in the United States have a traditional Latin Mass location, or even a whole parish devoted to the celebration of the sacraments in the "old rite." At World Youth Day 2005, a contingent of young people devoted to the Latin Mass went to Cologne, calling itself "Juventutem," which is Latin for "Youth."

The new Mass in Middle Village will begin on September 11, 2005 and will be celebrated on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month thereafter, at 9 am in the Chapel at St. Johns Cemetery. The Mass on Sept 11th will be offered in remembrance of the heroes of 9-11, the firefighters and police officers who gave their lives in the WTC that day.

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