Church’s position on Mass in Latin

Q. Could you explain what the church's official position is on the use of the Latin language in the Mass? (In one nearby parish, much of the Mass is celebrated in Latin most of the time.) (Atlanta)
A. Priests are permitted to celebrate Mass in the Latin language. In fact, the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy said: "The use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites. But since the use of the mother tongue, whether in the Mass, the administration of the sacraments or other parts of the liturgy, frequently may be of great advantage to the people, the limits of its employment may be extended" (No. 36).
In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued a "motu propio" letter, "Summorum Pontificum," which said that any priest of the Latin-rite church may, without any further permission from the Vatican or from his bishop, celebrate the extraordinary form of the Mass. The first missal containing the extraordinary form, which is also known as the Tridentine rite, was published by St. Pius V in 1570. The rite was revised occasionally, the final revised version being published in 1962. The extraordinary form was replaced by the Novus Ordo or New Order of Mass beginning in 1969.
Virtually every diocese in the United States now has at least one regularly scheduled Mass each Sunday in the extraordinary form; in addition, some dioceses also offer the ordinary form of Mass celebrated in Latin. Catholics desiring to participate in Latin Masses are best off contacting their local diocese to find out when those Masses are scheduled.
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Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at [email protected] and 30 Columbia Circle Dr., Albany, New York 12203.