Reconciling A Dogmatic Council with a Pastoral Council

Not that I know of, but this book is excellent and written with clarity and fairness. It DOES go into history as far back as the French Resolution.
www.amazon.com/What-Happened-at-Vatican-II/dp/0674047494/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Vatican II opened the door of contemplation to all Catholics, not just those clergy living in Monasteries.

It brought Catholics into the Mass as participants in active service, rather than making them sit quietly in
the pews while the priest and altar boys mumbled the Mass in a language few understood.

The abuses that came after Vatican II, were already in the process before Vatican II.

I grew up before Vatican II, during Vatican II and after 69 years as a Catholic, I never want to go back.


Don't get me wrong, there is beauty in the Mass regardless of the format, but making prayer easier for the heart is definitely what God had
in mind when he inspired Pope John XXIII to call for the counsel.

My wife and myself watched the Vigil Mass for the Blessed Mother, last evening, from St Paul's Parish in Florida.

They generally do a pretty good job.


However, last evening the opening hymn was all in Latin. Although they put the words to the hymn on the screen, it
was not understandable for us and difficult to follow. As it was being played I recalled the TLM before Vatican II. I
was in a Catholic School and Friday after school, we were marched down to the church to practice the hymns for Mass, in
Latin for Sunday's Mass. As per usual, we had the hymnals, but no translation. So, we learned to memorize the Latin words
as best we could and merely mimicked the words as the nun taught us. There is no doubt about how disconnected we were.

It wasn't any different for my parents, who spoke fluent French and English, but were not intellectual enough to learn what the Latin words at Mass were. They had some idea, but that was about it. My grandparents, aunts and uncles were no different. It even got worse at the parish as the members were mostly Irish and Finish.

Yes, I saw people praying the Rosary during Mass. Some followed the missaletts, but most just did who knows what in their minds, except that
they stood, knelt and sat as the congregation did.

I also remember when the Mass changed to the Novus Ordo using the format of St Paul VI. The older generation were confused and some bothered as they were use to letting the priest and altar boys do it all. Others were relieved that they could understand the words. Mostly, most had a difficult time adjusting to signing the hymns and saying the responses out loud. Worse was when lay people began serving as Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist EMHCs. Some including my mother, would walk around to the line where they would receive from the priest. Eventually the pastor caught on and put in the bulletin that they were NOT to do this.

In time it improved and things got much better.

Many young people try and compare what they experience at a TLM with the Mass they experience at their home parish.

It's like comparing Mass at a Benedictine Monastery to their home parish. There is no comparison as the level of
spiritual maturity is far different than that at an average Catholic Parish.

People who attend the TLM, is usually outside of their home parish and many travel a good distance to attend such Masses.
In other words, the people who attend take their faith more seriously than the average Catholic at a parish.

Should we go back ?

No, and the Catholic Church is doing all she can just to survive as most young people want nothing to do with institutional religion.

[deleted]