Ethnography of a Traditional Catholic Community

Introduction and Research Context

In a nearby part of town there is a small Traditional Catholic community — a group of individuals and families who describe themselves as Traditional Catholics. By this they mean that they do not participate in the Mass services or worship ceremonies of the other Catholic churches in the area. Those churches, according to them, follow a post-Vatican II rubric in which changes to the rite of the Mass have made the service more Protestant and less Catholic. By Vatican II, they are referring to the Second Vatican Council that took place in Rome from 1962 to 1965. All the world's bishops in the Catholic Church attended, and it was a major media event of its time, with many commentators, journalists, and even non-Catholics present to cover and participate in discussions among Church leaders about how the Church might "reform" itself and become more appealing to modern man.

It is precisely this "reform" that the Traditional Catholics of this community reject. They participate in a rite of Mass that is still celebrated in Latin, while most Catholic churches say Mass in the language of the local community — in this case, English. They worship in churches where the altar is erected in the pre-Vatican II manner, meaning the priest faces the altar rather than the congregation. This stands in contrast to what Traditional Catholics call "the New Mass," or the novus ordo missae — Latin for "new order of the Mass." The new order of the Mass is a major sticking point with Traditional Catholics and defines a significant portion of their rejection of the post-Vatican II Church, which they refer to simply as "the Novus Ordo."

This paper discusses observations made from attending services in this Traditional Catholic community and relates the experiences and conversations had during dialogue with its members. The aim is to explain the fieldwork, the setting, and the cultural description of this ethnographic group, and to show how they differ from neighboring Catholic communities in nearly every observable way. This minority group is also strikingly different from the surrounding community as a whole. In some respects, they are more akin to Mormons — their manner of dress is markedly out of step with contemporary norms. The women of this community wear button-up blouses almost uniformly, exposing very little skin, with sleeves covering most of the arms and shirts buttoned to the neckline. The men dress far more formally than men in other local communities, typically wearing long pants, blazers, and ties. By contrast, attendees at more modern Catholic churches dress much more casually.

This community was selected as the subject of study precisely because of this discernible difference in dress, appearance, and manner. Driving past their church, one can observe a noticeably more staid appearance among the members, which raised the question: if this group is "Catholic," why do they appear so different from other "Catholic" communities in the area? Data were collected by attending the church at the scheduled time for Mass and then speaking with attendees in the basement, where coffee and donuts were served following the service. People there were friendly and welcoming, asking if this was a "first time" visit, and the purpose of the visit was explained openly. Several individuals were eager to discuss their religion and culture, and there was no hostility conveyed toward the observer's curiosity.

On the contrary, many persons appeared interested in converting the researcher and having them join the parish as an actual member — a response that felt genuinely friendly, even if some came across as forthright in suggesting that the present path would lead to Hell. This was accepted as part of their culture and belief system, and it seemed to stem more from concern for another's well-being than from animosity. The main informants were numerous and diverse, ranging from older men and women to younger adults. Most were older than the researcher; teenage attendees, while mainly polite, were the most reticent to engage in conversation.

References

Schensul, S., & Schensul, J. (2013). Initiating Ethnographic Research: A Mixed Methods Approach. UK: AltaMira Press.