Traditional Mass Jottings: Mass Comparison

Above: The Roman Missal of 1962

If you would like to see at a glance the differences between the two forms of the Mass that are currently allowed in the Roman rite, the words and actions that make up both forms are given side by side on this page from The Latin Mass society of England and Wales.

Every time I think I am getting a grasp of the nuances of the recent history and usage of the Roman Missal and the Breviary (Liturgy of the Hours) in the Roman Catholic Church, I delve a little deeper and find everything is a lot more complex than I could have imagined. I was given more food for though today about the 1962 Missal (which is the only Missal that is allowed to be used by those who love the traditional Latin Mass and are in communion with the Pope*). What I just realized is that the 1962 Missal was itself only the latest in a long series of revised missals released during various pontificates. The 1962 Missal was released during the reign of Pope John XXIII, but it was the fruit of a commission to revise the liturgy that started under the direction of Pope Pius the XII. So the Extraordinary Form, which is commonly called the Traditional Mass, is a recent invention. And it isn't Tridentine. From what I can tell, those that are unhappy with the Mass said according to the Missal of 1962, use the Missal released during the Pontificate of Pope St. Pius X. The TraditionalMass.org site casts the 1962 Mass in a truly negative light. For example, here is a quote:

Missal of Pius X
1.Promulgated by a canonized saint who condemned Modernism, and composed with the collaboration of absolutely orthodox priests both learned and pious.

Missal of John XXIII
1. Promulgated by a pope who admitted that he was suspect of Modernism, the same pope who called Vatican II to "consecrate ecumenism" and open up the windows of the Church to "renewal". Composed under the direction of Ferdinando Antonelli, who signed the document promulgating the New Mass, and under the direction of Annibale Bugnini, the "Great Architect" of the New Mass, notorious modernist and suspected Freemason.

The fact is that the Missal of John XXIII was the result of the work of Piux XII, as another site mentioned, could not be accused of Modernism.

Remember the name Bugnini. Most of those who understand these issues far better than I do and prefer the traditional Mass have a strong dislike for Father Bugnini and the changes he succeeded in implementing in the liturgy.

* The Novus Ordo Mass can be said and sung in Latin, also. Some report that it rivals in beauty the Mass of the 1962 Roman Missal when it is done reverently, in Latin. St. John Cantius Church in Chicago performs both forms regularly. The Novus Ordo Mass is said there in Latin and English. Some people raised in the traditional form think they've seen the Mass of their childhood when they see the NO Mass said in Latin. I just received a great calendar from them that indicates the liturgical status for each day for both forms (NEW) and (TRAD).

Below: The Roman Missal of 2002