Young Roman Catholics in the United States are turning to the Tridentine mass, the Latin ritual used by the church before Vatican II.

"I love the Latin mass," Audrey Kunkel, 20, of Cincinnati told The Washington Times. "It's amazing to think that I"m attending the same mass that has formed saints throughout the centuries."

Pope Benedict XVI recently adopted new rules making the use of the Tridentine mass easier. Since 1969, when the church adopted the New Order mass, usually celebrated in vernacular languages, getting permission for the Latin mass had been difficult.

Priests say that the mass is attracting Catholics who did not grow up with it. The Rev. Franklyn McAfee of St. John the Beloved in McLean, Va., said that they are attracted by something that is "contemplative, mysterious, sacred, transcendent."

"Gregorian chant is the opposite of rap, and I believe this is a refreshing change for them," he said.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International



Publication date: 29 October 2007   

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