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Fort Myers, 3rd May 2005 (CNA)
- Latin is the language of choice for some
churches in southwest Florida, and elsewhere
across the country, when it comes to celebrating
mass.
A recent report in The News-Press reveals
that Ave Maria University, northeast of Naples,
and St. Martha Parish in Sarasota regularly
celebrate mass in Latin. St. Leo Parish in Bonita
Springs has a Latin choir.
While these parishioners appreciate the
“beauty and majesty” and mystery that the ancient
and little-known language adds to the mass, it
also heralds to a time before the Second Vatican
Council.
Fr. Christian Beretta, principal of Bishop
Verot High School in Fort Myers, told The
News-Press that most priests ordained since the
late 1970s have little experience with
Latin.
"Personally, for me to have [Mass] in a
language I have been speaking my entire life is
the way I prefer to do it, both as a worshipper
and a presider," he told the newspaper.
However, Fr. Michael Beers, a Latin
professor at Ave Maria, said seminarians are
increasingly required to learn Latin. He said he
has always seen an interest in the Latin mass,
even after Vatican II. |
