Skip to content
LocalMass

A guide to Mass terms

The words LocalMass uses to describe how Mass is celebrated, in plain language.

Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo)
The Mass according to the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope St. Paul VI in 1969–1970, now in its third edition. It is the usual form of the Roman Rite and is normally celebrated in the local language, although Latin and chant are permitted and encouraged by the Second Vatican Council.Find near me →
Traditional Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form)
The Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962, also called the Tridentine Mass or Usus Antiquior. It is celebrated entirely in Latin, ad orientem, with many silent prayers. It can be a Low Mass, a sung Mass (Missa Cantata), or a Solemn High Mass.Find near me →
Low Mass
A Traditional Latin Mass that is spoken, not sung. It is often quiet and contemplative, and usually lasts 30 to 45 minutes.Find near me →
Missa Cantata (Sung Mass)
A Traditional Latin Mass in which the priest and choir sing the parts of the Mass, without a deacon and subdeacon. Incense is often used.Find near me →
Solemn High Mass
The fullest form of the Traditional Latin Mass, with a priest, deacon, and subdeacon, choir, and incense.Find near me →
Ad orientem
Latin for “toward the east”. The priest and people face the same direction — toward the altar and the crucifix — during the Eucharistic Prayer. It is the norm in the Traditional Latin Mass and permitted in the Ordinary Form.Find near me →
Versus populum
Latin for “toward the people”. The priest faces the congregation across the altar. This is the most common posture in the Ordinary Form in the United States.
Communion rail
A low railing, often of marble or wood, at which the faithful kneel to receive Holy Communion. Some parishes without a rail provide kneelers (prie-dieux) for those who wish to kneel.Find near me →
Communion on the tongue
The traditional manner of receiving the Host directly on the tongue from the priest. It is the universal norm in the Church; reception in the hand is permitted in the United States.Find near me →
EMHC (Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion)
A lay person who helps distribute Holy Communion when there are not enough ordinary ministers (bishops, priests, and deacons). LocalMass tracks whether Masses use them.Find near me →
Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I)
The ancient Eucharistic Prayer of the Roman Rite, used exclusively in the Traditional Latin Mass and as Eucharistic Prayer I in the Ordinary Form.Find near me →
Gregorian chant and polyphony
Gregorian chant is the Church’s own music for the Roman liturgy and, per Vatican II, should have “pride of place”. Sacred polyphony (such as Palestrina or Victoria) sets the texts of the Mass for several voices.Find near me →
Schola
A small choir that sings chant and often polyphony at Mass.
Vigil Mass
A Mass on Saturday evening (or the evening before a holy day) that fulfills the Sunday or holy day obligation.
Holy Day of Obligation
Days other than Sundays on which Catholics are obliged to attend Mass. In the United States: Mary, Mother of God (Jan 1), Ascension, Assumption (Aug 15), All Saints (Nov 1), Immaculate Conception (Dec 8), and Christmas. Some are not obligatory when they fall on a Saturday or Monday.
Eastern Catholic Churches
Churches in full communion with the Pope that keep their own liturgical traditions, such as the Byzantine (Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Melkite), Maronite, Chaldean, and Syro-Malabar Churches. Catholics of any rite may attend and fulfill their obligation at their liturgies.Find near me →
Ordinariate (Divine Worship)
The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter serves former Anglicans and others in North America. Its Mass, Divine Worship: The Missal, keeps Anglican liturgical patrimony in a fully Catholic form.Find near me →
FSSP and ICKSP
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) and the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP) are societies of apostolic life in full communion with Rome that celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass.
SSPX
The Society of St. Pius X celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass but is in an irregular canonical situation with the Holy See. Its priests lack canonical faculties for most sacraments, although Pope Francis granted them faculties for confession and, under conditions, marriage. LocalMass labels SSPX chapels clearly and lets you hide them.