Wednesday, October 23, 2024

“The Latin Mass and Youth: Young Catholics Speak About the Mass of the Ages” - A New Collection of Essays

Back in April, we published notice of a book project about young people and their love for the traditional Latin Mass, put together by Mr Phillip Campbell, the author of the blog Unam Sanctam Catholicam, and of a lot of books. We are pleased to announce that the result of this project, a book titled “The Latin Mass and Youth: Young Catholics Speak About the Mass of the Ages”, is now available for pre-order from Cruachan Hill Press, and expected to ship in the first or second week of November. A pre-order discounted price of $16.95 is offered through the end of the month.

The book contains 42 essays written by young people ages 12-25 from all over the world, including the USA and Europe, Philippines and Nigeria, Southeast Asia and Central America. The authors come from all backgrounds and walks of life; some are diocesan Latin Mass goers, others Institute/Fraternity, and some SSPX. I make bold to suggest that this collection might make a useful Christmas gift to priests and bishops who are curious to know why the traditional rite is so attractive to so many young people. These essays will certainly open their eyes to an important pastoral reality in the Church today, one which is not going to become any less real, or less fruitful, for recent acts of official disapproval.

“The venerable Roman liturgy as well as the desire of the people to worship God through it are both from the Holy Spirit. In that sense, traditionalism is the new ‘charismatic movement’ in the Church. Our shepherds will gain or lose much from how they react to this unexpected renewal, which, as this book potently demonstrates, is especially prevalent among Catholic youth.” – Dr. Peter A. Kwasniewski, author of Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright
“This book shatters the stereotype—sadly still common among some—of cold, harsh, ‘rigid’ traditionalists. On the contrary, the warmth, vitality and joy of the Catholic faith shine brightly through the eloquent testimonies of these young people from across the world. Each, in their own way, bear witness to the priceless treasure of beauty, reverence and truth that, by the grace of God, they have discovered in the traditional Latin Mass, the ‘strong meat’ (Hebrews 5, 14) that gives them peace and strength to withstand the pressures of the modern world. The Latin Mass and the Youth offers a deeply hopeful and encouraging glimpse into the future of the Church, especially for those who may be curious about why more and more young Catholics are drawn to and fall in love with the Mass of the Ages.” – Matthew P. Hazell, author of Index Lectionum: A Comparative Table of Readings for the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Rite
“In his Confessions, the great St. Augustine exclaims, ‘Late have I loved Thee, o Beauty ever ancient, ever new!’ The famous convert was addressing God Himself, of course, but his words can be applied in an analogous way to the Church’s liturgy and faith, both of which are ‘ever ancient’ in their sources (Scripture and Tradition) and ‘ever new’ in their ability to convey the truth, beauty, goodness, and majesty of God to all men of all time. The essays in this book are a testimony to the power of the Traditional Latin Mass to attract and transform souls in our time by immersing them in divine truth, beauty, goodness, and majesty – all of which have been obscured in recent decades by various ‘profane novelties’ (1 Tim. 6, 20). Thanks be to God for raising up a multitude of ‘little ones’ (Matt. 11, 25) in our time and revealing to them the precious treasures hidden in the Traditional Latin Mass. – Matt Gaspers, Inside the Vatican

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