By Kathi Stearns

Staff Writer

ATLANTA-Catholics are firmly committed to keeping the ageless beauty of the Latin Mass alive in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Every Sunday approximately 300 people attend a Mass celebrated in the traditional Latin Rite at St. Joseph's Maronite Church, 502 Seminole Ave. in Atlanta.

"For those who come and have never seen such ceremonies before, there is much that might be new, but yet is ancient in our Church," said Father Mark Fischer, FSSP, chaplain of the St. Francis de Sales Latin Mass community. "Here we see the priest as intermediary between God and man. In the Mass the people follow the priest, ordained to be another Christ, who takes the prayers and petitions of the people as well as his own and brings them before God within the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass."

The first part of the Mass can be described as an introductory service, made up of chants, prayers and lessons (i.e. readings from Holy Scripture)--namely, the Introit, the Kyrie, the Collect, the Epistle or Lesson, and the Gospel. On certain days the Gloria and the Nicene Creed are added.

This first part of the Mass is called the Mass of the Catechumens, while the remaining portion is called the Mass of the Faithful. These distinctions have their origin in the discipline of the early Church. In the first ages of Christianity, persons desiring to become Christians were obliged to undergo a course of instruction preparatory to Baptism. They were called "catechumens," a Greek word meaning "one who is is being instructed." Such persons, being not yet fully initiated in the teachings and practices of Christianity, were dismissed before the sacrificial part of the Mass commenced. Likewise, those who were undergoing a course of penance and had not yet been readmitted to Communion were ordered to leave the church at this part of the Mass.

The reasoning behind this was that Communion was too holy for the presence of notorious sinners, and too mysterious to permit those to attend or participate who were not yet fully instructed. Only those who were baptized, -- "the faithful," -- could take part in the actual Eucharistic Sacrifice.

The Mass is one continuous action, reproducing in a mysterious yet meaningful way the life, passion and death of Jesus Christ.

"There is much of our faith that is beyond our understanding," Father Fischer said. "This liturgy recognizes this, and instead of trying to explain the unexplainable, heightens and emphasizes these great mysteries, allowing the heart to leave the confines of this profane world and soar in the world of the sacred, even if only for the short time we are in true presence of Our Lord."

The division of the parts of the Mass is simply intended to be an aid in studying the Mass. The Mass consists of:

The Preparation -- which includes the prayers at the foot of the altar, the Introit, Kyrie and Gloria.

The Instruction -- which includes the Collect, the Epistle, Gradual, Alleluia or Tract, (and on certain feasts the Sequence), the Gospel (usually followed by a sermon), and the Credo.

The Oblation -- which includes the Offertory antiphon, the offering of bread, the pouring of water and wine into the chalice, the offering of the chalice, the washing of the hands, the prayer to the Blessed Trinity, the Orate Fratres and the Secret.

The Consecration -- which includes the Preface and the Canon of the Mass, embracing the prayer Te igitur, the memento of the living, the Communicantes and two other prayers before the Consecration and elevation, three prayers after the Consecration, the Commemoration for the Dead, the Nobis Quoque Peccatoribus and the minor elevation.

The Communion -- which includes the Pater Noster, the Libera, the Agnus Dei, the three prayers before the Communion, the Domine Non Sum Dignus, and the Communion of the Priest and the Faithful.

The Thanksgiving -- which includes the Communion antiphon, the post-communion prayer, the Ite Missa Est, and the last Gospel.

The Mass consists of a fixed framework called the ordinary or common of the Mass, into which, at certain points, the variable prayers, lessons and chants are fitted. The variable or proper part of the Mass includes the Introit, Collect, Epistle, Gospel, Gradual, Alleluia, the Offertory, secret Communion and post-communion.

All other parts remain the same in each Mass except the preface, which occupies an intermediate place between the changeable and unchangeable parts. Certain feasts and seasons have their own proper preface, which changes after the introductory sentence. A common preface is arranged for all days which do not have a proper preface of their own. Similarly, a special clause is inserted into the prayer of the Canon called the Communicantes on certain of the principal feasts.

In order to follow the changeable parts of the Mass, it is necessary to have a Missal, within which the proper parts of the Mass for each day and feast are given.

"When presented with a choice of worship, my preference would be to worship in the traditional Latin Rite," said Frank Petraglia. "For myself, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the traditional Latin Rite is deeply spiritual, devotional and reverent. From genuflecting before the tabernacle upon entering the church to the Asperges sung before High Mass, the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Credo, through the Consecration and reception of Communion to the final Deo Gratias and benediction, one becomes completely enveloped in the mystery of the birth, death and glorious resurrection of our Lord on the altar."

Latin has been the official language of the Church since the third or fourth century. The Mass is offered in Latin because it is a "dead" language, that is, it is no longer spoken as the vernacular language in any country today. Moreover, Latin words do not change in meaning. As Pope Pius XII explained, "The use of the Latin language... is a manifest and beautiful sign of unity, as well as an effective antidote for any corruption of doctrinal truth."

"When you consider that you can attend Mass in many different languages, our gracious archbishop has also given the Catholic community the opportunity to worship in the traditional Latin Rite," Petraglia said. "It has been truly a blessing for all who treasure it and for those who seek the roots of the Church."

"One must remember that great operas do not fall out of favor simply because they are written and sung in different languages. One reads the libretto and listens to the music to enjoy a great performance. So it is with the traditional Latin Rite Mass. Its beauty and mystery cross all language barriers," Petraglia added.

"If we ever lost the Latin Mass we would lose a link in the chain that connects us directly to Jesus Christ," said Lloyd Bird. "People of all races and nationalities gather together to attend the celebration of Mass in Latin, which is the holy language of the Catholic Church. This represents the kind of unity we should have in the Catholic Church. It is such a beautiful thing to see."

Bird says that in addition to the universal language of the Church he enjoys the Gregorian Chant. "This was something that was pushed aside by many church musicians after the introduction of the vernacular into the liturgy," he said. "But the chant is alive and well here."

Nora Sullivan, a member of the St. Francis de Sales Latin Mass community and a parishioner at the Cathedral of Christ the King, says that every Catholic should experience the celebration of the Latin Mass.

"Catholics need to know that this is the way the Mass was celebrated for 1500 years," she said. "This celebration is part of the faith heritage; without it, one's understanding of his faith and its origin is incomplete."

For Brian and Doris Rachiele, parents of a 16-month-old child who was baptized in the Latin Rite and awaiting the birth of their second child in May, the true meaning of the Mass is found in the Latin Mass.

"The Latin Mass reflects more deeply what the Mass really is," said Mr. Rachiele. "The Mass is a sacrifice, and I want my children to know this without a doubt. Anybody who says that the Mass is a celebration of community is, in my opinion, dead wrong and missing the whole point of what Christ did for us on that cross."

The St. Francis de Sales Latin Mass community originated in 1995 when a group led by Joe Fradet asked Archbishop John F. Donoghue to consider the regular celebration of the traditional Latin Mass in the archdiocese.

"We met with the archbishop who gave the Mass and the community his blessing," said Fradet. "We are so fortunate to have an archbishop who has been a devoted guardain of the Latin Mass."

The priestly fraternity supplied a priest to celebrate the Mass once a month at Sacred Heart Church. In 1996 the community began to worship at St. Joseph's Maronite Church every Sunday.

In July, 1997 Archbishop Donoghue celebrated a Pontifical High Mass in the Tridentine rite at Sacred Heart Church, Atlanta. This was the first such Mass to be celebrated in the South since the close of the Second Vatican Council. During his remarks Archbishop Donoghue thanked the members of the community for keeping the "Old Mass" alive and for their concern for the liturgy.

"The highest form and standard is the Pontifical Mass," said Father Fischer. "In this celebration we see a miniature model of the Church with the bishop as high priest and shepherd to all his flock. In this the bishop sits on a throne on the Gospel side of the altar, emphasizing the great dignity of his office."

Father Fischer grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa. and earned his bachelor of arts degree in 1982 from the University of Cincinnati. In 1989 he entered the Seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in Wigratzbad, Germany, where he completed six years of study in philosophy, theology and spirituality. In 1995 he was ordained a priest in Germany by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb. Before coming to Atlanta in December, 1995, Father Fischer served at Holy Rosary Parish in Youngstown, Ohio.

The Fraternity of St. Peter was founded in 1988 by Pope John Paul II for the purpose of continuing and fostering the traditional Latin Rite of the Church. The fraternity provides priests to bishops and dioceses who request them to provide for the continuing presence of this form of spirituality and worship.

"This form of the Mass is not merely for the elderly or nostaglic... it corresponds to a true form of spirituality and joy of prayer in both old and young as can be seen by the many young families present," Father Fischer said. "In the words of St. Bernard of Clairvaux--- 'Come and See.'"

Daily Mass is celebrated at the rectory located at 3400 Old Alabama Road in Alpharetta. Sunday Mass is said at the rectory chapel at 9 a.m. and at St. Joseph's at 1:30 p.m. Confession is available at the rectory on Fridays from 6-6:50 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:45-10:30 a.m. Confession is also available 30 minutes before the celebration of Mass. School of religion is held Sunday at 10 a.m. at the rectory. In addition, Father Fischer teaches art and Latin classes for home-schoolers on Wednesdays. He is assisted by Father Stephan M. Zeis, FSSP. For further information call (770) 442-2511.