JACKSON, Michigan (LifeSiteNews) — A local news station near Lansing, Michigan, gave Catholics who live in the area a nice Christmas present this year in the form of an unbiased report on the growth of the Latin Mass at St. Mary, Star of the Sea Church in Jackson.
On December 31, Darius Udrys of Fox 47 News released a report on what he called “a small but growing community of Catholics” who are “bringing back old-time religion.”
Udrys’ balanced coverage of the uptick in attendance at St Mary’s, as well as excellent explanation of the Latin Mass’ nuances, is rarely seen in today’s hyper-partisan news industry.
In his report – which has been viewed more than 47,000 times on YouYube – Udrys notes that the Latin Mass has “roots said to reach back to the Roman Empire” and that it “was supposed be phased out by Vatican reforms in the 1960s – to be replaced with a more contemporary liturgy in a local language everyone could understand.”
But, Udrys continues, the Latin Mass’ “retro elements” are “attracting tradition-minded believers from miles away.”
Jackson is located about 1.5 hours west of Detroit and 40 minutes south of Lansing, the state’s capital. The city is most well known for being the birthplace of the modern-day Republican Party. It is also the home of Hillsdale College, a well-known private Christian college known for its conservative and pro-Western Civilization curriculum.
Udrys informs his viewers that “even if you understand Latin, don’t expect to hear much of it spoken. Most of the liturgy is said by the priest inaudibly … he mostly stands with his back to the congregation.”
“The silence is a reminder that this prayer is to God,” Father Timothy Nelson, the priest at St Mary’s, then tells Udrys. “It’s not a prayer to the people. It’s a prayer to God.”
I reached out to a parishioner at St. Mary’s to get her take. Clarissa Lapinski sent me the following remarks via email:
The Traditional Latin Mass has changed my life and the life of my family. For almost two years my family prayed for a place where we could attend the TLM without making a long drive back and forth. It’s no coincidence we built our new home only 15 minutes from St. Mary’s!
Mary, Star of the Sea, our beloved Mother truly guided us here. St Mary’s has a wonderful TLM with upwards of 20 boys serving at Holy Mass some Sundays and Holy Days including one of our sons. The community is a wonderful mix of young and old and in between. It also draws young college students from Hillsdale college who love the TLM as much as we do.
We are so grateful to Fr Nelson for his long time commitment to providing such a wonderful liturgy for us. Not only is it beautiful but the church itself is stunning.
Another amazing thing specific to our church is the amazing choir of young, college-age men and women whose chanting is like hearing angles sing! Many times I’ve been lost in prayer just listening to them. Jackson truly has a treasure in St Mary’s and we are incredibly blessed to be a part of it.
Rarely do Catholics get to watch such well-produced reports on the Latin Mass that capture its appeal and richness, especially on secular news networks. I applaud Mr. Udrys and Fox 47 for highlighting what is going on at St. Mary’s. I pray that Catholics who watched his report when it aired live will pray about what they saw and start attending the Latin Mass in the new year.
St. Mary’s offers its Latin Mass at 1 p.m. on Sundays.
