What actually is the Tridentine Mass?
It’s the “Mass of the Ages”, the Mass that was universally celebrated in Latin prior to Vatican II. Click here for a brief explanation. What are the differences between the old Mass and the New Mass? A full answer would be too long for inclusion here, but click here for a listing of corresponding parts of the old and new Masses. What is an “indult Mass”? An indult Mass is a “traditional Latin Mass” that is offered with the approval of the local bishop. Although Pope Paul VI in 1969 declared the post Vatican II Novus Ordo (“New Order”) to be the normative Mass of the Western Church, Pope John Paul II has asked bishops to give generous approval (an “indult”) for the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass to be offered in their dioceses. The old Mass is now available in about two-thirds of U.S. dioceses. Is an indult Mass the same as a Novus Ordo Mass, but celebrated in Latin rather than English? No. The Novus Ordo (new Mass) can certainly be celebrated in Latin — as frequently observed in papal Mass
