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Hi, Bernadette —
You said:
With this new
entry into my faith, I have found
out I am a traditional or authentic
Catholic. I didn't know there was
such a distinction before today.
First, let's clear up one misconception before answering your question.
Used in the correct sense, all faithful Catholics are traditional
Catholics, in that we hold fast to
the teachings (both in oral and written
form) that have come from Christ
through His Church since
33 A.D. We refer to these forms of
teaching as Tradition, with an uppercase T, to be distinguished
from our (customs or traditions), with
a lowercase t, also known
as disciplines or practices.
That said, the
Church has two liturgical rites for
celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of
the Mass:
- the Ordo, or Novus Ordo
Mass, and
- the Tridentine, or Latin
Mass.
Some, incorrectly, say they
are traditional Catholics because
they attend only the Tridentine Mass.
Seeing that, in America, most people
attend the Novus Ordo, or Ordo Mass, this gives the impression that other
Catholics are not traditional Catholic.
The point I'm trying to make is:
- the word, traditional,
can be misunderstood, and
- the Tridentine Mass or (Mass in
the Extraordinary form) is just
as valid is the Novus Ordo Mass.
To say otherwise, would be to
claim the Holy Father is not protected
against teaching on the primary
issue of faith and morals: the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Thanks for e-mailing and come back
often.
Mike
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