What compels a growing number of Catholics to drive from all over Rhode Island (and many from Massachusetts and Connecticut) every Sunday and holy day in order to attend the traditional Mass?  Why do young people - born after long after the new Mass was introduced - seek out the Mass at which their parents and grandparents worshipped?  What attracts converts to the Faith as of old, and inspires apostate Catholics to return to Mass and the Sacraments?  Why is this phenomenon being repeated all across the U.S.A, and in other countries as well?

• The traditional Roman Rite of Mass was the primary liturgical rite of the (Western) Church for over 1,500 years.  The Ordinary of the Mass changed very little during that time, and thus we have a true sense of continuity with multitudes of saints and martyrs.  The Mass they attended would be familiar to us and vice-versa.
• It's unambiguously Catholic in all aspects.  The orientation of the priest and altar are indicative of a sacrifice rather than a commemorative meal!  The boys and men who serve at the altar as the priest's auxiliaries are extensions of the celibate, male priesthood.  The respect and reverence shown to the Most Blessed Sacrament are fitting manifestations of the Church's belief about the Holy Eucharist.
• A "sense of the sacred" is imparted by the reverence and ritual of the Sacred Liturgy.  The use of an unchanging, sacral language - Latin - serves to further safeguard the mysteries from profane intrusiuons, much as the Iconostasis does in the Eastern Rites.  The Mass is God-centered rather than being a celebration of the woshipping community.
• The attraction is reinforced by the "good fruit" produced by the traditional Mass - vocations, large families, conversions, and "reversions" to the Faith which are characteristic of parishes which offer the traditional Mass.

Pope Benedict XVI has written extensively about the rationale for the traditional Mass, particularly in his book "The Spirit of the Liturgy".  In his personal letter to the bishops which accompanied Summorum Pontificum he cited the wide appeal of the traditional Mass, first remarking that "a good number of people remained strongly attached to this usage of the Roman Rite, which had been familiar to them from childhood... Many people who clearly accepted the binding character of the Second Vatican Council, and were faithful to the Pope and the Bishops, nonetheless also desired to recover the form of the sacred liturgy that was dear to them."  He went on to note that "it has clearly been demonstrated that young persons too have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction and found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, particularly suited to them."

Read more - the links below will help you understand a few of the compelling reasons that we make great sacrifices to attend Mass in the classical Roman rite, and why we freely give of our time and energies to educate our fellow Catholics about the "old Latin Mass" and work to make it more widely available for all:

• The Case for the Latin Mass - by Dietrich von Hildebrand
• The Beauty and Spirituality of the Traditional Latin Mass
• We'll Take the 'Quiet' Mass (as opposed to the 'fun' Mass...)
• Can the Tridentine Mass Change Your Life?
• The Emasculation of the Priesthood - by Fr. James McLucas
• The Attractiveness of the Tridentine Mass - by Alfons Cardinal Stickler  (+ 13 Dec 2007 - R.I.P.)
• Why the Old Mass is Beautiful (PDF)

 A.M.D.G.