In one other notable difference, Father Fisette will be
assisted by altar boys - no girls allowed. While this
hasn't met with any resistance from parishioners,
he did admit that one of his female altar servers,
perhaps only half jokingly, responded with "Hey,
that's not fair!" when told of the Latin Mass rules.

St. Leo's, at 697 Central Ave., is the second church
in Rhode Island to offer the Tridentine Mass. The
other is Holy Name of Jesus Church in Providence,
which has been offering the Mass for almost a
decade by special permission from church authorities.
Earlier this year, Pope Benedict XVI lifted Vatican
restrictions on the celebration of the Latin Mass,
paving the way for more parishes to offer the traditional
rite. However, as Father Fisette pointed out, there are
many specific rules and regulations associated with
it, which have been outlined by the Most Rev.
Thomas Tobin, Bishop of Providence. "Bishop
Tobin made it clear we can not mix rites, do a little of
the old Mass and a little of the new," said Father Fisette.
"Everything will be just as it was in 1962." He added that
Bishop Tobin has been "extremely supportive" of his
plan. Father Fisette said he is excited about offering
the Latin Mass and hopes that it will generate
enthusiasm among his own parishioners, and perhaps
attract some that are new. Noting that weekly Mass
attendance among Catholics has dropped about
40 percent in the last 40 years, Father Fisette
said, "We have to do whatever we can to bring people
back."

Father Fisette, who has been a priest for 26 years,
said he realizes there are some who consider the
practice a sign of the church going backwards.
He and other supporters of the Tridentine Mass
view it as a return to a time of more sacred, traditional
church values that were in place prior to the Second
Vatican Council. "Sometimes, I think we have lost a
sense of the sacred. It's all become very familiar," he
said. "We would like to bring back the sense of
mystery, if you will - back when people were more
in awe of the Mass." He added that the Latin Mass
celebration offers more in the way of "spiritual drama."
Commenting on the longtime practice of the priest turning
his back to the congregation, Father Fisette said that
traditional thinking held that the old Mass was, essentially,
the "priest's prayer on behalf of the people who were
gathered." In contrast, the new Mass is centered around
the idea that all of the people celebrate the Mass with the
priest.

Father Fisette said he sees the Latin Mass as
providing parishioners with another option of a traditional
Catholic Mass. "The Church is certainly big enough for
different types of Masses. It is big enough for everybody's
spirituality," he said. "We have guitar Masses and
Gregorian chants, why not the Latin Mass?" Before
arriving at St. Leo's, Father Fisette was pastor of Holy
Name Church, where he celebrated the weekly
Tridentine Mass for seven years. He said that at
Holy Name, there was a great deal of interest in the
Latin Mass, even attracting a younger segment
of the parishioners.

Father Fisette admits he is no Latin scholar, having only
taken a couple of years of the ancient language in high
school. However, when he was assigned to Holy Name in
1997, he decided to learn it himself. He said he used his
mother's old missal and watched a videotape as a
guide. "I was tongue-tied at first, but I found that it was
fairly easy to learn," he said.

He said he still intends to deliver his homily in English,
however. Because of all the different rules and practices
involving the Latin Mass, Fisette said he plans to hold an
instructional session for parishioners on Wednesday,
Oct. 17, at 6:30 p.m. in St. Leo's Church. Following the
inaugural Mass on Oct. 21, Father Fisette plans to
celebrate a 5 p.m. Latin Mass on the third Sunday of
each month for one year, to see if it catches on with
parishioners. "I feel optimistic that it will," he stated.

By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN
The Pawtucket Times