More than 50 percent of that decision, Wilson says, was based on the fact that there is an East Dayton parish totally devoted to the Traditional Latin Mass.
Holy Family Catholic Church, at the corner of Findlay and Third streets, is the first diocesan-approved parish in Southwest Ohio to offer the Traditional Latin Mass exclusively seven days a week. The church, built between 1905 and 1910, was entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter — an order of priests that exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass — on July 1, 2010.
Since 1970 and the Second Vatican Council, most Catholic churches have Mass in the vernacular, translating the Latin into all of the languages around in the world in which the Mass is offered. Today’s Mass is commonly known as the Novus Ordo (New Order).
“Until recently, they had to have permission from the bishop (or archbishop) to offer the Traditional Latin Mass that existed before the Council,” said Dan Andriacco, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The requirement —to obtain permission from the diocesan bishop — was eliminated by Pope Benedict in 2007.
“The Traditional Latin Mass remains deeply meaningful for some Catholics,” Andriacco adds. “Archbishop Schnurr was happy to honor a request that Holy Family Parish in Dayton be dedicated to the liturgy in this form.”
About 350 parishioners now attend Mass at Holy Family on Sunday mornings. Some congregants come from as far away as Indiana. The men are dressed in suits and ties, and the women wear dresses or long skirts and lace chapel veils.
“We tolerate pants (for women),” says parishioner Mary Popp of Englewood, who believes there have been many abuses in the modern Mass and that Holy Family is dedicated to “what is right.” There is no whispering or talking during Mass.
Though you might expect an aging congregation drawn by nostalgia for the good old days, the hundreds that gather at Holy Family include young families like the Wilsons. Their children, and many others in the parish, are being home-schooled.
“People who go here really care about what and how their kids are being taught,” said Angie Schwand, of Waynesville, who is home-schooling her four sons. ”If you’re doing that yourself, you’re making sure they are learning what they should and the reasons for it, especially in the religious area.”
Holy Family’s pastor, the Rev. Mark Wojdelski, said his church is committed to preserving traditions, and that’s what draws people.
“We get a lot of people who realize they were sort of robbed as children from some of the traditions that their parents took for granted,” said Wojdelski, whose history with the Dayton Latin Mass group dates back to 2006 when he began commuting from Indiana on Sundays to say Mass. He was appointed chaplain in 2008, and when the Traditional Latin Mass parish was established in 2010, he became pastor.
“I couldn’t see myself celebrating liturgy as it was done by most priests that I saw — facing the congregation,” said Wojdelski, 34. “That was almost like a conversation between the priest and the people rather than the priest and God. There is supposed to be a clear distinction between ordained ministers and the laity. The priest stands in front of the people to take their prayers to God.”
Those experiencing the Traditional Latin Mass for the first time, he said, can sometimes feel bewildered and get scared off.
“They can’t understand the Latin, and they can’t hear half of the stuff because the priest says half silently,” he said. “Different things are going on at the same time depending who you are: I may be doing one thing, the choir doing something else. They don’t have to do exactly what the priest is doing at every moment.”
“I tell them to come twice,” he said.
Though a Latin-English Booklet Missal offers both the Latin and English translations, Wojdelski said it’s not about following in the booklet line-by-line. No one is expected to speak or understand Latin.
“They are meant to offer the sacrifice in their own way and to unite their intentions to the priest,” he said. “It’s best for them to be there and watch, like someone standing at the foot of the cross.”
Scott Wilson, who lives in Beavercreek, said those who attend Holy Family are in search of a spiritual experience that is meaningful, serious and reverent.
“They are tired of mediocrity. They want authenticity,” he said.
“We are surrounded by a materialistic culture, a fake world. They want truth and want to take their lives seriously. This Mass is focused on God, not on man,” Wilson said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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