[sinkspur]

All this was fueled by an army of lay people saying their rosaries and attending Mass with far more frequency than anything known today

Lay people saying the Rosary DURING Mass.

A comparison would be the Apostles over in a corner, muttering Jewish prayers during the Last Supper.

You can't stand that some Catholics, indeed the vast majority of Catholics prefer the Novus Ordo. I'm all for the wider availability of the Tridentine Mass, and I've never derided it, except its exclusion of participation.

But, you and I have been around this tree before.

[ultima ratio]

This claim of yours--that the laity said the rosary during Mass in the old days--may have been true in some cases. But most people generally used missals and followed along. As for those who said their beads instead--ever hear of the Sorrowful Mysteries? See any connection to the Sacrifice of the Mass? If not, I suggest you reread Mediator Dei.

[ultima ratio]

The vast majority of Catholics also don't practice the faith. But getting back to saying the rosary during Mass--why shouldn't people be free to pray as they wish? Why do the liturgical fascists insist on a lot of verbal responses that are mindless and the purest rote? Why shouldn't a contemplative silence be preferred as one says one's beads? The Novus Ordo liturgists love regimentation--one size fits all. They relishe busy-ness and noise--it's what they're about. There's a very superficial understanding of the kind of contemplative prayer the rosary inspires.