Choosing Between New and Old, by Sheryl Collmer

The Latin Mass is an adventure. That’s not what makes it sacred, but it does make it compelling. It’s a secret language waiting to be unlocked.

If I could only pick one or the other, I’d have to say I’m a Novus Ordo Catholic. It’s the Mass I’ve attended for most of my 65 years. My early childhood preceded the Novus Ordo, so I had nine years in the Latin Mass, but it was mostly prior to the age of reason.My family moved from a small town to the big city at the precise moment the new Mass was rolled out in the Dallas diocese. Unconsciously, I suppose I’ve associated the Latin Mass with my innocent, protected, stained-glass childhood, a time of wonder and safety and predictability. I had my own virginal white leatherette missal with Latin on the left and English on the right, and I loved following the prayers from the moment I learned to read. Being bilingual at the age of 6 made me proud, and I felt sorry for my Protestant friends who could only worship in one language. ….