The Traditional Latin Mass, or Mass in the extraordinary form, traces its roots to 1570 following the Council of Trent, and was the main form of the celebrated Mass in the world until to 1962. However, changes in the liturgy were brought about as a result of the Second Vatican Council, including use of the vernacular language in the liturgy rather than Latin. 

Though the Roman Missal that was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 is the Mass that is currently in use, the extraordinary form, however, wasn’t done away with completely after Novus Ordo was implemented. In 1984, Pope John Paul II gave permission for the extraordinary form of the Mass to be used, however, a priest had to have the permission of his diocesan bishop to offer the Mass in his parish and have enough interested Catholics to attend the Mass. 

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI said the Traditional Latin Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal should be made available in every parish where parishioners desire it. The Holy Father emphasized that the Traditional Latin Mass would not replace the new Mass as the main form of worship. The new Roman Missal, published in 1970, will remain the “ordinary form” of the Mass, while the 1962 missal will be the “extraordinary form.” These two versions are not two separate rites. “It is a matter of a twofold use of the one and same rite,” Pope Benedict wrote.

According to the Holy Father, the ordinary form of the Mass that is celebrated in churches throughout the world, and the extraordinary form are both expressions of the same Roman rite, so both should be available to the faithful, especially those who desire it. The two are not in competition with each other; instead, they each express true worship of God through Christ’s sacrifice. 

Among the more obvious elements of the Traditional Latin Mass that someone who is attending for the first time would notice would be the direction the priest is facing, the use of Latin and the long periods of silence that occur during the Mass. 

The Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated in Latin with the priest facing towards “liturgical east.”  This is typically where the high altar, tabernacle and crucifix are situated. Being that it’s a solemn, serious and reverent service, the Traditional Latin Mass is punctuated by moments of silence in which the congregation quietly follows along in private prayer. Sometimes the celebrant at the altar doesn’t address the assembly, but whispers prayers, inaudible to the people in the pews.  This is not to exclude people but to add to the reverence of those special moments of prayer.

Other differences between the extraordinary and ordinary forms of Mass include the role of altar servers, the liturgical calendar, which Scriptures are proclaimed and possibly the vestments worn by the priests. Often, the priests’ vestments are much more elaborate in the extraordinary form in that the various layers include the amice, cassock, alb, stole, maniple and chasuble. The maniple is a horizontal fabric strip worn on the priest’s left arm while the chasuble is the embroidered outer layer of the vestment.

While the new rite has three liturgical cycles and some readings are heard only once every three years, the Traditional Latin Mass has just one, so worshipers hear the same readings each year. The priest reads them in Latin from the altar, then goes to the pulpit where he reads them again in English along with a homily.

In the extraordinary form, Holy Communion is distributed only under the species of the consecrated bread. When receiving Holy Communion, the congregation usually kneels at a communion rail. Also, the priest says “May the Body of Christ preserve your soul unto life everlasting” to each communicant, rather than the simpler, “Body of Christ.”

This information was compiled from several sources including Father Brian Woodrow, diocesan liaison to the extraordinary form as well as an article that appeared in the May 14, 2011 edition of the Arkansas Catholic, and fredericknnewspost.com