I am a person who "endured" the NO. Mass, for 40 LONG YEARS, because I had no choice. I was raised in the pre-Vatican II Latin Catholic Church. We did not have an indult Mass within 100 mis., so we just sat through abuse after abuse. I found myself missing Mass for things that I see now were just excuses. My husband, also a Cradle Cath raised in the Church before the council, no longer attends Mass at all.
As soon as the Mass of '62 was offered near here, I started attending that parish & he comes on Christmas & Easter.....but I KNOW he'll come back in time.
My question concerns what upset me the most (if I can pick between CITH, the loss of our nuns, the wreckovation of our Churches, etc. ) I think that it would be the endless "Lay Ministries". I sense such vilification of the Latin Mass & those who attend it, that I wonder if many of our "Lay Ministers" have built their self-image around the fact that they can "play priests" with their "service" as Lectors, Readers, RICA leaders, Liturgists, etc., etc.
At my old NO. parish I worked in the food kitchen dishing up plates for the poor, the ill, the drug addicts, alcoholics & homeless, people who really needed us. One of our main goals was to make each person we served realize that he/she MATTERED. Getting ANYONE to help was like pulling teeth. HOWEVER, we had, at least 6 EEM.s on the altar whether we needed them or not. They were SCHEDULED, for heaven sakes & our usual Mass attendance was around 300. We didn't need 6 EEM's at all & if the Blood of Christ was not served, we needed them even less.
I think that many (not all) NO. people just don't want to give up their IMPORTANT POSITIONS.....espcially those that are "Up Front". I also believe that this "LAY AMCHURCH" has hurt the priesthood terribly.
What are your thoughts?