I am tired of the fight, tired of the debates. I prefer the TLM, actually I would think the 65 missal with TLM rubrics would be ideal, even a reverent NO where there are no altar girls, no EMHCs and the altar rails are used retains(such as Assumtion Grotto in Detroit) a large amount of Catholics herritage.
But that said, at this point, I just want to retreat into a TLM or quasi tradional NO and try to work to sanctify my soul and help other Catholics see the beauty of traditional liturgy, but not by venom, but attracting though though the reverence and solid theology.
What is ironic is from what I understand, in 78, it still wasnt difficult then to find a parish that used altar rails, EMHCs still werent the norm, of course altar girls were still banned and there were few female lectors, its sad how far downhill its gone since then.
Here are my memories of 1978:
In 1978, the altar rails were mostly gone, but you're right on the other things. No EEMs, no altar girls, no female lectors, and at least a modicum of Catholic tradition still remained.
You saw a lot more hats on the ladies back then -- even a dozen or so chapel caps (I wore one then, too, and still do -- but in 1978 nobody ribbed me about it. Today I do get ribbed -- sometimes even by the PRIESTS!)
The music had taken a nosedive by then and we were suddenly singing "Blowin' In The Wind" and "Day By Day" in church instead of the traditional hymns.
Political Correctness hadn't QUITE taken hold yet -- they hadn't started screwing around with the words to songs and ALL the priests still said, "For us men and our salvation..." (Not all of them do these days.)
My brother made was Confirmed in 1978 (I had made mine a few years earlier). Everyone was still expected to kiss the Bishop's ring, and NOBODY called him Bishop Bob (or Tom or Joe).
We actually still learned ALL of the Ten Commandments. We were still expected to learn a proper Act of Contrition. We could tell you the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Heavenly Virtues and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost.
Even if you went to public school and CCD, if Sister didn't see you at Mass on Sunday, she made a phone call home to ask your mother when you might be needing Father so he could administer the Last Rites. (That was the ONLY excuse for missing Mass on Sunday.)
And speaking of Sunday...that was the day you satisfied your Sunday obligation. Not on Saturday.
Baptisms were generally performed on one baby at a time (multiple births, siblings or other infant cousins were the exceptions), in private, with a proper excorcism and a GREAT deal of dignity. Nobody but NOBODY suggested we sing "If You're Catholic And You Know It, Clap Your Hands."
The Holy Eucharist was received on the tongue, but as I said, most altar rails had been removed so we received it standing. (I was scandalized by that even then.)
Your mother, father, next door neighbor, one of the Sisters, and even a perfect stranger would admonish you to be quiet if you got chatty while inside the church. I don't even like to think what would have happened to us had we been so bold as to kick the pew in front of us or (Heaven forbid!) GET UP and run around while in church!
All in all, things WERE better in 1978.
But they were better still in 1968.
And better than that in 1964.
I know. I was there and saw it all happen right before my very eyes.
Regards,
Frankly I would be inclined to agree with you!!!!
As much as I personally prefer the TLM, I well remember the 1965 missal - which was really an excellant textbook trasnlation of the Tridentine Rite into English, with all of the rubrics preserved to the letter. When I was an altar boy I said the prayers at the foot of the altar in Enaglish, kneeling with the priest, as the Processional Hymn/INtroit was sung. All else was identical with the Tridentine.
You also have my total agreement that things were so mugh better in 1978 then now. Most churches still had altar rails, and looked like Catholic churches. There were stilla few place which actually had traditional devotions, public recitation of the rosary (led by a priest !!!), and Benediction. The decline since then has been logrithmic, and horrific.