The Traditional Latin Mass (FSSP)

What is the Traditional Latin Mass?

The Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) is the Mass celebrated with the Missale Romanum of 1962, the last edition before the liturgical reform that followed the Second Vatican Council. It goes by several names: the Tridentine Mass, after the Council of Trent; the usus antiquior ("more ancient use"); the Mass of St. Pius V; and, from 2007 to 2021, the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The Mass most Catholics attend today is celebrated with the Missal of St. Paul VI, first issued in 1969–70. It is often called the Novus Ordo ("new order") or the Ordinary Form. The Elements of the Mass page walks through it.

Two clarifications help:

Both are the Latin (Roman) Rite. The Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo are not two different rites the way the Byzantine liturgy is a different rite (see Eastern Catholic Churches). Both are forms of the Roman Rite of the Latin Church, one older and one reformed.
It is not just "the Mass in Latin." The Novus Ordo can also be celebrated entirely in Latin, and its official text is in Latin. What sets the Traditional Latin Mass apart is the 1962 Missal: its prayers, its rubrics, its readings, and its calendar.

Whichever form is used, every Mass is the same Sacrifice of Calvary made present, with the same Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist (CCC 1366–1367, 1374). Attending a Traditional Latin Mass fulfills the Sunday and holy day obligation, since canon 1248 §1 of the Code of Canon Law is satisfied by "assisting at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite."

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri, FSSP) is a society of priests in full communion with the Pope. It is dedicated to celebrating the sacraments and the Divine Office according to the liturgical books in force in 1962, and to serving the faithful attached to them.

Founding

The Fraternity was founded on July 18, 1988, at the Cistercian Abbey of Hauterive, Switzerland, by twelve priests and about twenty seminarians led by Fr. Josef Bisig. Two weeks earlier, on June 30, 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) had consecrated four bishops without a papal mandate. In Ecclesia Dei (July 2, 1988), Pope St. John Paul II declared that act schismatic. The FSSP's founders were SSPX members who refused to follow it. They chose to remain in full communion with Rome while keeping the traditional liturgy.

In the same document, John Paul II set up the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei and asked bishops to show "a wide and generous application" of permissions for the older Missal. The Holy See canonically erected the FSSP on October 18, 1988.

What kind of community it is

A society of apostolic life of pontifical right. Its members are secular priests living in community, who take no religious vows. They answer to the Holy See, and they work in a diocese only at the local bishop's invitation.
Its purpose, set out in its constitutions, is the sanctification of priests through the faithful exercise of the priesthood, above all the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the 1962 books. Its second purpose is pastoral work: parishes, chaplaincies, schools, retreats, and the sacraments for the faithful who come to it.
Headquarters and seminaries. The General House is in Fribourg, Switzerland. Priests are formed in two seminaries: the International Seminary of St. Peter in Wigratzbad, Bavaria (French and German speakers), and Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska (English speakers).
Its size. In 2024 the Fraternity reported more than 380 priests and about 200 seminarians, with an average age around 39. They serve in some 150 dioceses around the world. Its Superior General is Fr. John Berg, elected in July 2024 to a six-year term. He had also led the Fraternity from 2006 to 2018.
The Confraternity of St. Peter. Lay Catholics can join the Fraternity's Confraternity. Members pray daily for the Fraternity's priests and for vocations, and the priests in turn offer Masses for the members.

FSSP and SSPX: not the same thing

The two names are easy to confuse, but their canonical situations are very different.

FSSP: fully regular. It is erected by the Holy See, its priests have faculties from their bishops, and it serves only where the diocesan bishop invites it.
SSPX: no canonical status in the Church. In 2009 Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications of its four bishops, but he wrote that the Society "has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers… do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church." Pope Francis later granted SSPX priests faculties to hear confessions validly and, under conditions, to witness marriages. Even so, their situation remains irregular.

Other communities in full communion that use the 1962 books include the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and the Institute of the Good Shepherd.

A short history

The Traditional Latin Mass was not invented at Trent. The Missal of 1570 standardized the Mass of the Roman Curia, whose Canon and core structure reach back more than a thousand years, to the time of St. Gregory the Great (d. 604) and earlier. Some milestones:

Year	Event
c. 600	The Roman Canon is substantially in its present form. St. Gregory the Great adds the phrase diesque nostros in tua pace disponas and moves the Pater Noster to just after the Canon.
1570	After the Council of Trent, Pope St. Pius V issues the Roman Missal with the bull Quo primum. Rites at least 200 years old, such as the Ambrosian and Dominican rites, may continue.
1604–1920	Revised editions under Clement VIII, Urban VIII, Leo XIII, and Benedict XV. Pope St. Pius X reforms the breviary and the rubrics in 1911.
1955	Pius XII restores the Easter Vigil to the night and reforms the rites of Holy Week.
1960–62	St. John XXIII issues a new Code of Rubrics (1960) and the 1962 typical edition of the Missal. In late 1962 St. Joseph's name is added to the Roman Canon. This edition is the one the FSSP uses.
1969–70	St. Paul VI promulgates the reformed Roman Missal (Missale Romanum, April 3, 1969).
1984	The indult Quattuor abhinc annos lets bishops permit the 1962 Missal under conditions.
1988	John Paul II issues Ecclesia Dei (July 2). The FSSP is founded (July 18) and erected (October 18).
2007	Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum calls the two Missals "two usages of the one Roman rite" and lets any priest of the Latin Church use the 1962 Missal.
2021	Pope Francis's Traditionis custodes (July 16) declares the post-conciliar books "the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite." It puts the older Missal under the diocesan bishop's authority, with new restrictions.
2022	A decree of Pope Francis (February 11) confirms that FSSP members may keep using the 1962 Missal, Ritual, Pontifical, and Breviary in their own churches and oratories, or elsewhere with the local bishop's consent.
2024–26	The Holy See opens an apostolic visitation of the FSSP in 2024. Officials described it as a way to understand the Fraternity, not a response to problems. Pope Leo XIV met with the Superior General in January 2026. Traditionis custodes remains in force, though in March 2026 Pope Leo asked the French bishops for a "generous inclusion" of the faithful attached to the older Mass.

The parts of the Mass

The traditional Mass falls into two great parts. The Mass of the Catechumens is the instructional part, which catechumens were historically allowed to attend. The Mass of the Faithful is the sacrifice itself. Open each part below for the prayers in order.

+IPrayers at the Foot of the Altar

Before going up to the altar, the priest stands at its foot and recites Psalm 42 (Judica me, Deus), alternating verses with the server. Its antiphon gives the whole Mass its opening note: Introibo ad altare Dei, "I will go in unto the altar of God."

Then comes a double Confiteor: first the priest confesses, then the server on behalf of the people, each asking the other's prayers. Only after this does the priest go up the steps, praying silently (Aufer a nobis), and kiss the altar, which contains relics of the saints. This psalm is omitted in Masses for the Dead and in Passiontide.

+IIIntroit, Kyrie, Gloria, Collect

The Introit is the proper entrance antiphon of the day, read at the Epistle side (the right side, facing the altar). It is followed by the ninefold Kyrie: three Kyrie eleison, three Christe eleison, and three Kyrie eleison, the only Greek in the Ordinary of the Mass. On feasts and most Sundays outside Advent and Lent, the Gloria in excelsis follows. The priest then turns to greet the people (Dominus vobiscum) and sings or reads the Collect, the day's opening prayer.

+IIIEpistle, Gradual, Gospel, Sermon, Creed

The Epistle is read on the Epistle side. It is followed by the chants between the readings: the Gradual and Alleluia, replaced in penitential seasons by the Tract. On a few great days a Sequence is added, such as the Victimae paschali laudes at Easter and the Dies irae at Requiems. The Missal is then carried to the Gospel side (the left), and the priest prays the Munda cor meum to purify his lips before reading the Gospel.

For the sermon, the priest often goes to the pulpit and first reads the Epistle and Gospel in the vernacular. On Sundays and major feasts, the Credo follows. Everyone genuflects, or kneels at a sung Mass, at Et incarnatus est, in honor of the Incarnation.

+IVThe Offertory

The Mass of the Faithful begins. After the Offertory antiphon, the priest offers the host: Suscipe, sancte Pater, "Accept, O holy Father, almighty and eternal God, this spotless host…" He offers it for his own sins and for "all here present, and for all faithful Christians living and dead." He mixes a drop of water into the wine and offers the chalice (Offerimus tibi, Domine). He then washes his fingers while reciting Psalm 25 (Lavabo).

He prays to the Holy Trinity (Suscipe, sancta Trinitas), then turns to ask the people's prayers with the Orate, fratres, and says the Secret silently. These Offertory prayers speak explicitly of the sacrifice to come. The Novus Ordo's "Preparation of the Gifts" uses different, shorter prayers.

+VPreface, Sanctus, and the Roman Canon

The Preface dialogue (Sursum corda) leads into the Sanctus. Then the priest enters the Canon, the Roman Canon, the only Eucharistic Prayer in the 1962 Missal. He prays it silently, a custom attested since at least the 8th century and understood as the priest entering, like the high priest of old, into the Holy of Holies.

The Canon commemorates the Church, the Pope, the bishop, and the living. It then calls on Our Lady and the saints (Communicantes), offers the sacrifice (Hanc igitur, Quam oblationem), and comes to the Consecration. After each consecration the priest genuflects and elevates the Sacred Host and then the Chalice while bells ring, and the faithful look up in adoration. From the Consecration until the ablutions, he keeps his thumb and forefinger joined, so that no particle of the Host is lost.

The Canon continues with the Unde et memores, the commemoration of the dead, and the Nobis quoque peccatoribus, a prayer for "us sinners." It ends with the minor elevation (Per ipsum…), and only its last words are said aloud: Per omnia saecula saeculorum, to which the server answers Amen.

+VIPater Noster and Communion

The priest alone sings or says the Pater Noster, and the server or choir answers its final line, Sed libera nos a malo. The priest breaks the Host and drops a particle into the Chalice, then says the Agnus Dei and three private prayers before Communion. He strikes his breast three times at Domine, non sum dignus and receives Communion.

A Confiteor may then be said for the faithful's Communion. The 1960 rubrics dropped this "third Confiteor," but many communities keep it by long custom. The priest holds up the Host: Ecce Agnus Dei. The faithful say the Domine, non sum dignus three times and receive kneeling at the altar rail, on the tongue, while a server holds a paten beneath the chin. The priest says, "Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen." The communicant does not answer, because the priest himself says the Amen.

+VIIDismissal, Blessing, and Last Gospel

After the ablutions, the Communion antiphon, and the Postcommunion prayer, the deacon or priest sings Ite, missa est. On some days he sings Benedicamus Domino instead. Unlike in the Novus Ordo, the dismissal comes before the blessing. The priest bows and prays the Placeat tibi, then blesses the people.

He goes to the Gospel side and reads the Last Gospel, the prologue of St. John (John 1:1–14). All genuflect at Et Verbum caro factum est, "And the Word was made flesh." After a Low Mass, the Leonine Prayers are customarily said kneeling: three Hail Marys, the Hail Holy Queen, a prayer for the Church, and the Prayer to St. Michael. Pope Leo XIII introduced them in 1884–86, and Pius XI dedicated them to the conversion of Russia in 1930. They were formally dropped in 1964, but traditional communities keep them by custom.

Low, Sung, and Solemn High Mass

The same Mass can be celebrated with greater or lesser solemnity:

Missa lecta

Low Mass

One priest and one or two servers. Everything is spoken, mostly in a low voice, and there is no music, or at most quiet hymns or organ. It lasts about 30–45 minutes, is deeply contemplative, and is the usual weekday Mass.

Missa cantata

Sung (High) Mass

One priest, without a deacon or subdeacon, sings his parts. A choir or schola sings the Ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei) and the Gregorian propers. Incense is usually used. It is the usual main Sunday Mass at many FSSP apostolates.

Missa solemnis

Solemn High Mass

The fullest form: a priest celebrant with a deacon and subdeacon, a master of ceremonies, torchbearers, incense, and full chant or polyphony. The deacon sings the Gospel and the subdeacon chants the Epistle. The Kiss of Peace is passed among the clergy in the sanctuary.

A Pontifical Mass is celebrated by a bishop with additional ministers and ceremonies. A Requiem (Mass for the Dead) uses black vestments, the Dies irae sequence, and omits several prayers and blessings.

Compared with the Novus Ordo

Both forms offer the one Sacrifice and confect the same Eucharist. These are the differences you will notice:

	Traditional Latin Mass (1962)	Novus Ordo (Missal of Paul VI)
Language	Latin throughout. The readings are usually repeated in the vernacular before the sermon.	Usually the vernacular. Latin is permitted, and the Missal's official text is Latin.
Orientation	Priest and people face the same direction, toward the altar and liturgical East (ad orientem).	Either direction is permitted. Facing the people (versus populum) is most common.
Beginning	Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, with Psalm 42 and a double Confiteor.	Greeting and Penitential Act.
Readings	Epistle and Gospel on a one-year cycle.	Usually three readings plus a Psalm on Sundays, with a three-year Sunday cycle and a two-year weekday cycle.
Offertory	Ancient offertory prayers, explicitly sacrificial (Suscipe, sancte Pater).	Preparation of the Gifts ("Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation…").
Eucharistic Prayer	The Roman Canon only, prayed silently.	Four principal Eucharistic Prayers, one of them the Roman Canon, plus others, prayed aloud.
Sign of Peace	Exchanged only among the clergy at a Solemn High Mass.	An optional exchange among all present.
Holy Communion	Kneeling at the rail, on the tongue, under the form of bread only, distributed by the priest (or deacon).	Standing or kneeling, on the tongue or in the hand (where permitted). The chalice may be offered, and extraordinary ministers may assist.
Altar servers	Men and boys.	Men and women may serve (permitted since 1994).
Ending	Ite, missa est, then the blessing, the Last Gospel (John 1:1–14), and the Leonine Prayers after Low Mass.	Blessing, then dismissal.

The 1962 Missal also has many more ritual gestures, such as signs of the cross over the offerings, genuflections, and kisses of the altar. Its prayers often voice sacrifice, sin, and propitiation in strong, explicit terms. Many who attend say they are drawn by its silence, its Gregorian chant, and the sense that priest and people are turned together toward God.

On participation: the Church's call for participatio actuosa ("active participation") applies to every Mass. In the Traditional Latin Mass it is lived mostly through interior union with the prayers, following them in a hand missal, singing the chants, and making the responses where the "dialogue Mass" is customary. A congregation that is mostly silent is not therefore passive.

The traditional calendar

The 1962 Missal has its own calendar and cycle of feasts. Notable features:

Septuagesima. Three "pre-Lent" Sundays, Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima, begin about nine weeks before Easter. The priest wears violet, and the Alleluia and Gloria fall silent ahead of Ash Wednesday.
Passiontide. The last two weeks of Lent, from Passion Sunday onward. Crucifixes and images are veiled in purple.
Ember Days. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday in each of the four seasons, kept as days of prayer and penance, and traditionally days for ordinations.
Rogation Days. April 25 and the three days before Ascension, with the Litany of the Saints and prayers for the harvest.
Octaves. Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost each keep a full octave. Ascension is always on Thursday.
"Time after Epiphany" and "Time after Pentecost" take the place of Ordinary Time, and Sundays are numbered after those feasts.
Christ the King falls on the last Sunday of October, as Pius XI instituted it in 1925. In the reformed calendar it moved to the last Sunday of the liturgical year.
Feasts are ranked as I, II, III, or IV class, instead of Solemnity, Feast, and Memorial. Many saints' days fall on different dates from the reformed calendar.

Most FSSP apostolates publish a yearly Ordo, the liturgical calendar, so you can see which Mass will be offered each day. See also the site's Liturgical Year page for the reformed calendar.

Learn the Latin responses

At a Low Mass the server makes the responses for the people. At a sung Mass the choir and congregation sing them. Practicing them helps a great deal. Turn on Practice mode to hide the answers and test yourself, then reveal each one. The English is the traditional translation found in most hand missals.

When	Priest	Response
Beginning	In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.	Amen.Amen.
Foot of the altar	Introibo ad altare Dei.I will go in unto the altar of God.	Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam.To God, who giveth joy to my youth.
After the psalm	Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.Our help is in the name of the Lord.	Qui fecit caelum et terram.Who made heaven and earth.
Greeting	Dominus vobiscum.The Lord be with you.	Et cum spiritu tuo.And with thy spirit.
After the Epistle	(end of the Epistle)(end of the Epistle)	Deo gratias.Thanks be to God.
Gospel	Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum N.The continuation of the holy Gospel according to N.	Gloria tibi, Domine.Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
After the Gospel	(end of the Gospel)(end of the Gospel)	Laus tibi, Christe.Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
Orate, fratres	Orate, fratres: ut meum ac vestrum sacrificium acceptabile fiat apud Deum Patrem omnipotentem.Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father almighty.	Suscipiat Dominus sacrificium de manibus tuis, ad laudem et gloriam nominis sui, ad utilitatem quoque nostram, totiusque Ecclesiae suae sanctae.May the Lord receive the sacrifice from thy hands, to the praise and glory of His name, for our benefit and that of all His holy Church.
Preface	Per omnia saecula saeculorum.World without end.	Amen.Amen.
Preface	Sursum corda.Lift up your hearts.	Habemus ad Dominum.We have lifted them up unto the Lord.
Preface	Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.	Dignum et justum est.It is meet and just.
Pater Noster	…Et ne nos inducas in tentationem.…And lead us not into temptation.	Sed libera nos a malo.But deliver us from evil.
Pax	Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.May the peace of the Lord be always with you.	Et cum spiritu tuo.And with thy spirit.
Before Communion (three times)	Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi.Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who taketh away the sins of the world.	Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum: sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea.Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof: say but the word, and my soul shall be healed.
Dismissal	Ite, missa est.Go, the Mass is ended.	Deo gratias.Thanks be to God.
Blessing	Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus.May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.	Amen.Amen.
Last Gospel	Initium sancti Evangelii secundum Joannem.The beginning of the holy Gospel according to John.	Gloria tibi, Domine.Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
After the Last Gospel	…plenum gratiae et veritatis.…full of grace and truth.	Deo gratias.Thanks be to God.

The traditional Confiteor (Latin and English)

Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistae, sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et tibi, pater: quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes Sanctos, et te, pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.

I confess to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to you, Father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Saints, and you, Father, to pray to the Lord our God for me.

The server says tibi, pater / te, pater ("you, Father"), addressing the priest. In the priest's own Confiteor these become vobis, fratres / vos, fratres ("you, brethren").

Your first FSSP Mass

Many Catholics find their first Traditional Latin Mass disorienting, and that is normal. A few tips:

Pick up a booklet or a missal. Most FSSP churches have red booklets in the pews with the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin and English, and often a sheet with the day's propers. A full hand missal, such as the St. Andrew Daily Missal or the Baronius Press 1962 Missal, has everything. Don't worry about following every word the first time. Watch, listen, and pray.
Postures. Customs vary from place to place, so follow the people around you. As a rule of thumb: kneel for most of a Low Mass. Stand for the Gospel, the Creed, and the Last Gospel. Sit for the Epistle and the sermon. At a sung Mass there is more standing and sitting, for example sitting when the priest sits during a long Gloria or Credo. Everyone kneels from the Sanctus through the Communion.
Silence. The quiet of the Canon is deliberate. Use it to pray, uniting your own sacrifices to the offering on the altar.
Holy Communion. As at every Mass, only Catholics in a state of grace who have kept the Eucharistic fast should receive. The fast is one hour (canon 919), and some people voluntarily keep the older three-hour fast. Kneel at the altar rail, tilt your head back slightly, and receive on the tongue. Don't say "Amen," because the priest says it. If you aren't receiving, simply stay in the pew. Non-Catholics are warmly welcome to attend.
Head coverings and dress. Many women wear a chapel veil (mantilla). This is a beautiful custom but not required: the 1917 Code of Canon Law required women to cover their heads in church, but the 1983 Code does not. Modest, "Sunday best" dress is the norm, and no one should stay away for lack of a veil or a suit.
Children are welcome. FSSP parishes are often full of young families. Crying rooms and the back of the church are there to be used.
Stay afterward. Many apostolates offer coffee hours, catechism classes, and a chance to meet the priests. Ask about Confession times too. Many FSSP churches hear confessions before Mass.

Key terms

Ad orientem: "Toward the East." Priest and people face the same direction at the altar.
Asperges: The sprinkling of holy water before the main Sunday Mass, sung with Asperges me (Psalm 50), or Vidi aquam in Eastertide.
Biretta: The square, three-ridged cap worn by clergy in choir and in processions.
Canon: The Roman Canon, the unchanging Eucharistic Prayer of the 1962 Missal, prayed silently.
Epistle and Gospel sides: The right and left ends of the altar (as seen from the nave), where the Epistle and Gospel are read.
Maniple: A strip of cloth worn on the priest's left forearm at Mass. It became optional after the reform but is always worn with the 1962 Missal. See Vestments & Sacred Vessels.
Ordinary and Propers: The Ordinary is the unchanging part of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei). The Propers change with the day: Introit, Collect, Epistle, Gradual, Gospel, Offertory, Secret, Communion, and Postcommunion.
Schola: The choir that sings the Gregorian chant propers.
Subdeacon: A minister at a Solemn High Mass who chants the Epistle and assists the deacon. In the FSSP, seminarians still receive tonsure, the minor orders, and the subdiaconate under the 1962 Pontifical. Under current canon law, a man becomes a cleric only at the diaconate.
Usus antiquior: "The more ancient use." A neutral name for the liturgy of the 1962 books.

Finding an FSSP Mass

The Fraternity keeps up-to-date lists of its apostolates and Mass times. The FSSP serves only where the local bishop has invited it, so these are all Masses in full communion with the Church.

FSSP locations: North America ↗ Worldwide ↗

Also from the Fraternity: the Confraternity of St. Peter and the 2022 decree of Pope Francis. Catholic Academy is not affiliated with the FSSP. For Mass times and sacramental questions, contact the local apostolate or your diocese.

The Traditional Latin Mass