Yes, YES!
You're right. Ask the quiet ones. The ones who spend Mass with their heads in their hands, praying, PRAYING for things to get better (or just to block out the sound of "On Eagle's Wings).
Ask the ones who leave the church quickly after Mass and don't congregate in the aisles -- not all of them are on their way to a Little League game. Some just HAVE to get out of there, hopefully without letting their kids see how upset they are.
I could go on, but I won't, except to say that lots of people are afraid to say what they really think. They're afraid to be thought of as "living in the past" for wishing to attend a more traditional service. They're afraid of being called "unkind" when they complain about Elvis the cantor, who gyrates around the altar strummin' his geeetar. They're afraid of having the priests tell them what fuddy-duddies they are for not "appreciating the gathering" when they object to the Parish Social Hour that preceeds Mass (and sometimes encroaches on the Mass itself!)
I'll tell you something: I hate being this upset. I loathe having to complain, and I detest having to fake enjoying Mass to my children (I don't think they buy it anyway).
There HAS to be some way to fix this. It gets worse and worse every year!
Regards,
I agree with Ultima Ratio. My situation in the Archdiocese of Baltimore is deplorable (to put it mildly). I sure don't want my 6 week old to be growing up in this environment. That's why we're moving to NJ to be in the TLM parish of Mater Ecclesiae.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore can be summed up as follows:
One stagnant TLM available. Low Mass mentality reigns supreme. Go to Fr. Jim Tucker's blog for a complete explanation of the Low Mass mentality and how it is not traditional.
One Novus Ordo in Latin. Pastor is a social justice nut, so the homily usually destroys any meaning derived from the Mass itself. Also, this is not a well attended Mass either.
Maybe a few more conservative inner city parishes.
A huge, wide swath of liberal, in every sense of the word, suburban parishes.