“Gregorian chant is the http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1245 of rap”
By Kristi Moore
Roman Catholic churches nationwide are rushing to accommodate a surge in demand for the traditional http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1066, which is drawing a surprising new crowd: young people.
Since July, when a decree from Pope Benedict XVI lifted decades-old restrictions on celebrating the Tridentine Mass, seven churches in the Washington metropolitan area have added the liturgy to their weekly Sunday schedules.
“I love the Latin Mass,” said Audrey Kunkel, 20, of Cincinnati. “It”s amazing to think that I’m attending the same Mass that has http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1080 throughout the centuries.”
In contrast to the New Order Mass, which has been in use since the Second Vatican Council in 1969 and is typically celebrated in vernacular languages such as English, the Tridentine Mass is “contemplative, mysterious, sacred, transcendent, and [younger people are drawn to it,” said the Rev. Franklyn McAfee, pastor of St. John the Beloved in McLean. “Gregorian chant is the opposite of rap, and I believe this is a refreshing change for them.”Susan Gibbs, the director of communications from the Archdiocese of Washington, said the attraction demonstrated by the young adults is “very interesting.”
Besides the liturgy”s rich historical content and spiritual significance, the younger generations show an interest in the old becoming new again, said Louis Tofari of the Society of St. Pius X, an order of clergy that opposed the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20071028/NATION/110280043/1001