How to follow the Latin Mass if you don't speak Latin
Interested in the Latin Mass, but don't speak Latin?
I have a confession to make: neither do we.
Most people who attend the traditional Latin Mass have only a rudimentary knowledge of Latin. Some study it for fun; others are old enough to have studied it in grammar school. But knowledge of Latin is by no means a prerequisite for attending the Latin Mass.
In fact, we provide red booklet missals at the door at no cost. You're welcome to borrow one to follow along at Mass. These little booklets contain most of the text of the Mass, with Latin on one side of the page and English on the other.
The booklet missals also describe what the priest and altar servers are doing at key points of the Mass, so that even if you lose your place in the text, you'll be able to say, "Ah....Father just lifted his hands, so we must be here."
Each time you attend a Latin Mass and follow along with the booklet, you'll get to know the Mass a little bit better. You'll begin to meditate on its words and to truly pray along with the priest (though you won't be speaking his words out loud).
And who knows? Maybe you'll even learn some Latin. Be sure to take a red booklet missal on your way into Mass, and simply return it to an usher on your way out.