The Latin Mass Explained Paperback – November 1, 2007

Love this book. The cover is of the church I grew up in in St. Louis, MO.. St. Francis de Sales. The reading of this book is easy and very easy to understand. I learned about this book from a group called Mass of the Ages which is what this book is about. The Latin Mass and the reverency and the sacredness of the Traditional Latin Mass. It's a MUST read book for all Catholics and for the Traditional Catholics who seek to know more of an understanding of the Latin Mass which is all in this book The Latin Mass Explained.

This book gives an in-depth but easy-to-understand explanation of the Catholic Mass. Though the Tridentine Latin Mass is the only subject matter, by osmosis the reader will be enlightened on the Catholic Novus Ordo Mass as well as the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox Church since the three liturgies share a similar structure and history.Overall, the reader will develop a deep appreciation, reverence, and love for the sacred liturgy that is the Mass of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

First published in 1920, this 190-page book by Msgr. Moorman is an excellent study of the Latin Mass. Straight-forward and detailed, Msgr. Moorman covers such topics as the sacrificial nature of the mass, the language, the vestments, and the different parts of the mass. This is good Catholic teaching in general, and I think much of it applies to the current rite, not just to the extraordinary form.One of the great features of this book is that the origins and reasons for the tradition in the mass are described. Even the name "Mass" - from the Latin 'missio' - to send out, dismissal - has a story behind it. The explanation of the different pieces of the vestments and their colors, the construction of the altar, the different directions which the priest faces during different parts of the mass all show how each element is rooted in Tradition and Holy Writ.I think the core teaching and one of the pearls of this book is the explanation of what a sacrifice is, its importance in history, and how the Catholic Mass carries that forward.Written in non-technical language, this book reads quickly, but covers a lot of information. Anyone wanting to know about the meaning and origins of the Latin Mass - not just those who attend - will gain a lot from this book.

Excellent a thorough explanation of the mass by a humble yet passionately assertive Priest. By reading this you will gain the utmost insight on what the mass is truly about, and at the same time, in fortunately see how much was stripped away by Novus ordo. Written by a true hero, who was a World War 1 Chaplain that gave some 30+ years to his country, he saw the bitter ends of drag through the bloody sacrifices of human beings, however he never once mentions it. A man of Jesus' one and only royal priesthood who can put it all together to help you understand the most Holy sacrifice of all time. A man who also probably never even celebrated a novus ordo mass, therefore he does not even speak of another mass existing. If you only read one book in your life as a Catholic, it should be this one. The Mass, the greatest prayer, AND ACTION, EVER!!!

Things I never knew about. Such reverence! I wish I could attend Latin Mass.

I am a Catholic convert. It's been 25 years now, so I came to the Church long after Vatican II had, if not banished, at least forcefully discouraged, the Latin Rite, and after so many other things had been removed or changed. I was interested in where the Church had come from, in the pre-Vatican II Church about which I had heard so much. Fortunately, we have a church in Milwaukee, St Stanislaus, run by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, where they only perform the Latin Rite. Apparently there is something of a resurgence in the Tridentine Mass, as St Stanislaus now has an active following, with many young families seeking out something other than the Novus Ordo. Here in Sheboygan, the priests from St Stanislaus perform the Tridentine Mass twice monthly on Sunday afternoons, and I have begun to attend. All this is leading up to my review of THE LATIN MASS EXPLAINED.I was immediately impressed by the piety and reverence of the parishioners attending. None of the chit-chatting and fidgeting before and after Mass. Simply, quiet. The Mass itself is a bit disorienting at first for the novice, but the majesty and the mystery spoke to me on another level. It was powerful. Even though I had a Missal from 1962 with both Latin and English translations, I was occasionaly lost. What was happening? I was already beginning to understand, and to see some of the liturgical similarities between the Tridentine and Novus Ordo when I purchased THE LATIN MASS EXPLAINED.The book, however, brought everything into focus. It is a wonderful introduction, full of history and background, as well as a detailed description of the Mass itself. Why Latin? Why the symbols? Msgr. Moorman's explanations make perfect sense to me.But why Latin? It is a venerable language on account of its origin and its antiquity.... the same language with which it was offered [the Mass] in times long past in the obscurity of the Catacombs.It is a Mysterious Language. Because it is a dead language, not understood by the people, there is an element of mystery about the Latin tongue. The use of an unknown tongue conveys to the mind of the people that something is going on upon the altar which is beyond their comprehension.It Fosters Unity in the Church. The use of Latin is a means of maintaining unity in the Church, as well as uniformity in her services, the the use of one and the same language in Catholic churches all over the surface of the globe is a connecting link...It Safeguards Truth. A dead language is not subject to change. Languages in daily use undergo a continual process of change...But the meaning of the words in a dead language is fixed. [50-52]Overall, anyone interested in the Latin Mass is urged to pick up this book. It is the best resource I've found so far.

Had been wanting this book for awhile to continue my “restorationist”, pre-V2 studies and research, since I was born after V2 and into the N.O. It is both very informative and easy to read. Although the explanations are thorough, it is written conversationally so you don’t have to be in “study-mode” to read it.

I found this book very informing. It's for beginners though. Those who are trying to learn the Latin prayers may find it disappointing, but if you just want to learn the how and why of the Traditional Latin Mass, it's an excellent choice.