Youth behind resurgence of ancient Catholic ritual

Thanks to Marc P. who forwarded this article:

With the aroma of incense hovering, the Rev. Eduardo Garcia lifts the communion wafer toward heaven, reciting, "Hoc est enim corpus meum."

As the prayer echoes through St. Peter's Catholic Church in Volo, 15-year-old Beth Gammel says this is the moment she feels closest to God.

She doesn't understand Latin, but the book she holds translates Garcia's prayer: "For this is my body."

For Gammel and a growing number of young people, the once traditional Latin Mass provides a connection to the divine unmatched by any contemporary service.

The Catholic rite dating from the 5th century had almost faded into oblivion after Vatican reforms in the 1960s, which included an official ban on its use. But since Pope John Paul lifted the ban in 1984, it's thriving in Volo and being revived across the country, with young families leading the way.

Many are discovering the beauty, the mystery and the reverence of worshipping God in the Holy Mass in the manner of our ancestors.

"The Mass is like a rock, a source of stability in a noisy world."

The entire article is well worth the read, and the faithful of the St. Louis Archdiocese should express their gratitude to Archbishop Burke for expanding the Indult here.