Latin Mass

A new app designed to help Catholics navigate the Traditional Latin Mass has been downloaded thousands of times within days of launch. Built by convert Holden Cole, Introíbo includes the full 1962 Missal, Divine Office, rosary, traditional calendar and more, all completely free and available offline In recent years there has been a sustained and growing interest in the Traditional Latin Mass. Cradle Catholics and converts alike have found a depth and beauty in the older form of the liturgy that stands in contrast to the perhaps well-intentioned, if misguided, reforms erroneously inspired by the Second Vatican Council which have, in some places, turned liturgy into entertainment. This transformation of the liturgy into entertainment is an attempt to be “relevant” in the modern world. However, relevance, meaning to be closely connected or associated with modernity, is precisely what many people crossing the threshold of a church seek to avoid. There is little attraction in getting up on a Sunday morning to hear more of the contemporary culture that is corrosive to the human heart. If schools, media and workplaces already provide a steady diet of “progressiveness”, why would people want to go to church for more of the same? For many, the Latin Mass is the antithesis of this progressiveness. However, those who begin attending the Latin Mass often find themselves plunged into something radically different. The ancient, yet new, liturgy can be difficult to follow, conducted in another language and according to a different calendar. While the mystery and subtlety entice the would-be Mass attender, the sound catechesis that once helped the faithful enter into these mysteries has been lost through generational neglect. Fortunately, the new generation of converts to the ancient liturgy has brought with it a healthy dose of convert’s zeal, inspiring new ways of introducing the Traditional Latin Mass to the next generation. One such example is the app Introíbo , which offers users the complete 1962 Missal, the Divine Office, the rosary in Latin, the Stations of the Cross and the traditional calendar all in one place. Designed for practical use, the app automatically opens each day to the liturgical feast and its rank, the season, the properly observed traditional calendar, the day’s penitential observance and a psalm verse in both Latin and English. From there, users can access the Mass, including the full Ordinary of the 1962 Roman Missal with the proper texts for every day of the liturgical year, alongside the Roman Canon in parallel Latin and English text. The app also includes an examination of conscience and a library of traditional prayers. There is even a small school for learning ecclesiastical Latin through the prayers themselves, as well as spiritual practices drawn from the saints. Holden Cole, the app’s creator, is himself a convert, having recently celebrated three years since his reception into the Church. Initially attending a Novus Ordo Mass, he was first introduced to the older form of the liturgy by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in Florida. “I completely fell in love with the Latin Mass,” Cole explains. “Since then I’ve gone every Sunday, sometimes several times a week if I can. It is the thing that has most deepened my Catholic faith.” His motivation for building the app was born primarily out of necessity. “I was looking for something useful, something that had the Mass prayers on a phone and could help me appreciate the Latin more deeply.” Despite having no publicity team behind him, Cole’s app has been an immediate success, having been downloaded 3,500 times in its first week. He remains ambitious about its future and is keen to continue devoting his time to the project. “It doesn’t feel like work when I’m doing it. It’s more a labour of love.” There is still more he hopes to add, explaining: “The app is still a work in progress. I still have a roadmap I’m working through with ideas for future features.” Perhaps most remarkably, Cole has kept the app free, with no adverts or tracking, and has made it fully available offline. His hope is simply that others might have their faith enriched by the ancient liturgy that has so enriched his own. Readers who wish to find out more or download the app themselves should visit: introiboapp.com