DEAR EDITOR: Responding to some recent letters I would like to let the residents of Queens know that a beautiful Missa cantata is celebrated every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in St. Josaphat’s Church in Bayside, Queens, by Father Stephen Saffron. He also celebrates many Latin Masses for feast days and recently has offered daily Rorate Masses at 6:35 am during Advent.
The Masses are well attended and we have many altar boys willing to serve. It’s worth looking at the bulletin to see the many Latin Masses that are offered for special occasions. I am sure that many parishioners would appreciate becoming acquainted (or re-acquainted) with this beautiful, reverend, and oldest rite of Mass in the Catholic Church.
CAROLINE TUFFY
Via email
I am 60 years old and have absolutely no memory (& therefore no fondness or nostalgia) of the Latin Mass. I get annoyed when just the Kyrie and Gloria are sung in Latin in our parish. Are we encouraging rote memorization of words we don’t understand? …because it sounds ‘pretty’?
As I understand it, when the Latin Mass is celebrated, no female altar servers or lectors are permitted on the altar. Given dwindling attendancd everywhere…this exclusion makes absolutely no sense to me.