Loving Latin.

When I was new in Canada I got to hear mass one Sunday in an old Catholic Church in the west side of Toronto, where the priest celebrated mass facing the altar, not the congregation. And then during communion the parishioners knelt in front of the altar to receive the Eucharist.

This also happened at a special mass which was celebrated for our group of pilgrims in the chapel underneath the Basilica of the Poor Clares of  Perpetual Adoration- the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, a mass in pre- Vatican II style.

Latin Mass

As kids, we used to attend Catholic mass at the Sta. Ana Church near Panaderos. The mass was still in Latin and women wore veils and had missalettes. From time to time, the parish priest scaled the steps leading to the pulpit from where he gave his Sunday homily.

Sta. Ana Church is an old church having been established in 1578 and its architecture and history added magnificence to the masses celebrated there. But today, all masses are celebrated facing the parishioners.

As a converted Catholic, I thought that the mass orientation of today has something to do with Vatican II and that all masses should be celebrated facing the congregation. But further research told otherwise.

Priest celebrates mass "ad orientem," facing the altar

A mass celebrated facing the altar is called "ad orientem," or facing east, and a mass celebrated facing the congregation is called "versus populum" orientation.

The present-day Roman Missal does not forbid the ad orientem position for the priest when saying Mass and only requires that in new or renovated churches the facing-the-people orientation be made possible: "The altar should be built apart from the wall, in such a way that it is possible to walk around it easily and that Mass can be celebrated at it facing the people, which is desirable wherever possible."

I find the "versus populum" orientation very welcoming and inclusive but I also remember the Latin masses of my childhood very appealing and holier.

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass "ad orientem" at the Sistine Chapel

At the Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, the priest celebrates mass at the centre of the church, so he faces basically everyone in the church, in a circular way.

St. James Cathedral in Seattle, Washington.

 At the end of the day, whether "ad orientem or versus populum" orientation, the appeal of going to mass rests heavily on the priest celebrating it and the one giving the homily.

While Jesus Christ is the Host of the Mass, the priest is the celebrant whose great task is to make the people feel the love of Christ through him.

The Charismatics.

I used to attend Sunday masses at the Holy Rosary Parish in Steubenville, Ohio. The parish priest then was Monsignor Marshall, an Irish.

My nephews attended the parochial school adjunct to the church, while an older sister went to the University of Steubenville for her master's in business administration. I used to tag along with my sister and was able to use the university library from time to time.

Years later, the charismatic movement at the University became stronger, and foreign students from the Philippines started enrolling at the University.

On a visit to University of Steubenville

In the Philippines, the El Shaddai is the biggest Catholic Charismatic Renewal group. It was founded in 1982 and today has a membership of some 8 million worldwide.  At Goodwill Industries of Toronto where I used to work, I met a Caucasian guy who was boyfriends with a Filipina, who was a member of El Shaddai.

El Shaddai (Hebrew for God Almighty, which is one of the names of God),  is currently headed by Brother Mike Velarde, its Servant Leader and founder. Manila Auxiliary Bishop Teodoro Bacani of the Roman Catholic Church serves as its Spiritual Director.

On a recent visit to the Philippines, my sister and her husband stayed in a friend's condominium unit at the 10-hectare Amvel City in Paranaque, where the El Shaddai is now headquartered. You'd know the residents are members of El Shaddai because the community's logo is prominently displayed in their apartment doors.

Many years ago, I attended a charismatic renewal activity at the Varsity Stadium of U of T. That was my first, and there, I listened to a sharing by a woman named Lola Falana. Garbed in a dull dress, she said she was a former Las Vegas showgirl who got tired of the glitzy life and wished that she wouldn't dance again. The next day, she couldn't walk.

She got cured and was able to walk again because she devoted much of her time to praying and became a believer of the Lady of Medjugorje. On this event, I also witnessed "slayings" by the Holy Spirit and was even asked to catch the fall of some.

Ms. Lola Falana

For Ms. Falana's complete story, go here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_Falana or independently search Lola Falana in your browser.

Then, whenever I'd visit Manila, our family attended the 9 a.m. Sunday mass at the Megamall Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord, a charismatic healing mass regularly officiated by Fr. Mario Sobrejuanite of the Order of St. Paul. 

In our parish, there's a worship group of El Shaddai and another charismatic renewal community in the offing.

The call "Jesus, Jesus," resounds at the Eucharistic Chapel on Sunday mornings, and "Come, Holy Spirit," in our prayer group meetings on Fridays.

What a lovely way to proclaim one's faith. 
 

El Shaddai Prayer Rally