It is always encouraging to see mainstream media observe the beauty and vibrancy of the traditional Latin Mass and its communities. The New York Times, which has previously cited the strength of the traditional Latin Mass in France, has done so again, this time within an observation that churches there are the only places to hear live music during coronavirus shutdowns:
Every Sunday, St.-Roch, known as the “church of artists,” celebrates a Tridentine Mass, the traditional Latin Mass that was standard until the introduction of services in vernacular languages in the late 1960s. The Tridentine Mass isn’t exactly audience friendly: For starters, the priests perform most of it while turned toward the altar, with their backs to the congregation.
Still, it has its aficionados. The crowd on the first Sunday of December was among the largest I’ve seen indoors since the start of the pandemic. At least 400 people filled St.-Roch, with limited social distancing and no enforcement of mask rules.
The full piece (complete with its jabs) may be read here.
