Rosary in Latin-Credo question

Started by jmjZelie, May 14, 2017, 12:46:48 PM

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jmjZelie

Hi all!

Quick question for everyone. My family has only been Catholic for about 7 years now, so we are still learning basic Catholic habits. We do a family Rosary together every evening. We have learned the prayers on the Rosary in Latin, including the Salve Regina (which we sing), but not the Apostles' Creed or the ending Oremus prayer. We are working to continue to learn them. However, spontaneously, last night, my husband started the Credo chant we sing in Mass, when we were beginning our Latin Rosary.  I don't think he even consciously meant to, but we all happily continued to sing the Credo (the Nicene Creed version) and it was so beautiful, because we began and ended our Rosary in Latin singing.

So it got me wondering...

Why can't we just sing the Credo we have learned in Mass on the nights we do our Rosary in Latin? I understand the importance of memorizing the Apostles' Creed, too, but is it strictly necessary to use only the Apostles' Creed, instead of the Nicene Creed, to begin the Rosary?  Is there any teaching on this, or is this in the realm of prudential judgement for each family?
Swam the Tiber 2010
Discovered traditional Catholicism 2014
Please forgive my ignorance or apparent impertinence.

Kaesekopf

It's permissible.  The beginning of the rosary varies, and the Creed is not an integral part of it.
Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Jayne

I never knew that.  Thanks for asking the question, Zelie.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.

MundaCorMeum

I love the idea of singing the Salve Regina after the Rosary!  Beautiful  :). I've been wanting to incorporate more hymns into our prayer life, and this just seems like such a natural fit.  Thank you for the idea.  Mother's Day being the perfect day to implement it  ;)

Kaesekopf

As a followup question, why pray private prayer in Latin regularly?

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Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Jayne

I do a lot of personal and family prayers in Latin.  I find it a good way to become more familiar and comfortable with the language of the Church.  With rote prayers, like those of the Rosary, it makes no difference to how well we understand it.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.

Heinrich

That is a great question. Glad you asked it. If I may, since this popped into me head today, ask: When is a Rosary officially complete? We pray the "Hail, Holy Queen," "O God, whose only begotten Son . . .     . , " "St. Michael Prayer, "Souls of the Faithful departed," and then the indulgence prayers for the Pope. Among these, which are necessary to confect a legitimate Rosary?

Also, to the OP, here is another variation you and your impressive family can pray as well:

Das Apostolische Glaubensbekenntnis

Ich glaube an Gott, den Vater, den Allmächtigen, den Schöpfer des Himmels und der Erde, / und an Jesus Christus, seinen eingeborenen Sohn, unsern Herrn, / empfangen durch den Heiligen Geist, geboren von der Jungfrau Maria, / gelitten unter Pontius Pilatus, gekreuzigt, gestorben und begraben, / hinabgestiegen in das Reich des Todes, am dritten Tage auferstanden von den Toten, / aufgefahren in den Himmel; er sitzt zur Rechten Gottes, des allmächtigen Vaters; / von dort wird er kommen, zu richten die Lebenden und die Toten. / Ich glaube an den Heiligen Geist, / die heilige katholische Kirche, Gemeinschaft der Heiligen, / Vergebung der Sünden, / Auferstehung der Toten / und das ewige Leben. / Amen.
Schaff Recht mir Gott und führe meine Sache gegen ein unheiliges Volk . . .   .                          
Lex Orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi.
"Die Welt sucht nach Ehre, Ansehen, Reichtum, Vergnügen; die Heiligen aber suchen Demütigung, Verachtung, Armut, Abtötung und Buße." --Ausschnitt von der Geschichte des Lebens St. Bennos.

MundaCorMeum

Most of our family's private prayer is in English - as is my own personal, private prayer, .  The Rosary we alternate....one decade in English, one in Latin.  It helps us learn the prayers in Latin.  The kids are in a homeschool choral group, and they learn both English and Latin hymns, so they practice both.  I like that, because then they are familiar with what the choir is singing at Mass, and it helps them want to pay attention more.  However, we don't do hymns specifically during our formal, scheduled M family prayer times.  I would like to start doing it, though.  I don't see why it would be wrong to incorporate Latin prayers in private prayer....maybe I'm missing something? 

Jayne

How could there be anything wrong with saying prayers in Latin?  It is the language of the Church.  It is not like one is learning prayers in random languages with no religious significance, as Heinrich suggests.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.

Kaesekopf

Quote from: Jayne on May 14, 2017, 03:22:23 PM
How could there be anything wrong with saying prayers in Latin?  It is the language of the Church.  It is not like one is learning prayers in random languages with no religious significance, as Heinrich suggests.

I'm not saying it's wrong.  I'm asking why one would do it. 

To my mind, personal/private prayer is best done in the vernacular/mother tongue.  Hence, I'm asking why others would use non-native tongues.
Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Heinrich

Quote from: Kaesekopf on May 14, 2017, 03:28:38 PM
Quote from: Jayne on May 14, 2017, 03:22:23 PM
How could there be anything wrong with saying prayers in Latin?  It is the language of the Church.  It is not like one is learning prayers in random languages with no religious significance, as Heinrich suggests.

I'm not saying it's wrong.  I'm asking why one would do it. 

To my mind, personal/private prayer is best done in the vernacular/mother tongue.  Hence, I'm asking why others would use non-native tongues.

Would you not pray the Rosary in German here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Frauenkirche?

ETA: For those who don't know, that is the Cathedral of our Lady in Munich, Germany. The Seat of the Archdiocese of Munich.
Schaff Recht mir Gott und führe meine Sache gegen ein unheiliges Volk . . .   .                          
Lex Orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi.
"Die Welt sucht nach Ehre, Ansehen, Reichtum, Vergnügen; die Heiligen aber suchen Demütigung, Verachtung, Armut, Abtötung und Buße." --Ausschnitt von der Geschichte des Lebens St. Bennos.

Lynne

Quote from: Jayne on May 14, 2017, 03:22:23 PM
How could there be anything wrong with saying prayers in Latin?  It is the language of the Church.  It is not like one is learning prayers in random languages with no religious significance, as Heinrich suggests.

One time I went to an early morning SSPX Low Mass. At the end of the Mass, the priest began praying the 3 Hail Marys but they were in Latin! Fortunately, we all caught on pretty quickly and prayed our responses in Latin too.  ::)
In conclusion, I can leave you with no better advice than that given after every sermon by Msgr Vincent Giammarino, who was pastor of St Michael's Church in Atlantic City in the 1950s:

    "My dear good people: Do what you have to do, When you're supposed to do it, The best way you can do it,   For the Love of God. Amen"

Jayne

Quote from: Kaesekopf on May 14, 2017, 03:28:38 PM
To my mind, personal/private prayer is best done in the vernacular/mother tongue.  Hence, I'm asking why others would use non-native tongues.

I have the impression that it is fairly common among Catholic homeschoolers (especially those learning Latin) to do at least some of the family prayers in Latin.  Such families tend to be very conscious of helping their children to learn.  Using the Latin in prayers gives a focus to their Latin studies and reinforces what they have learned.

Latin is not, however, just any non-native tongue. It is one with special significance for all Catholics.  It is not at all like Heinrich's example of praying in German.

I very well might pray in German if I were a visiting a German church, but there is no good reason for me to use it when praying by myself.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.

MundaCorMeum

#13
Quote from: Kaesekopf on May 14, 2017, 03:28:38 PM
Quote from: Jayne on May 14, 2017, 03:22:23 PM
How could there be anything wrong with saying prayers in Latin?  It is the language of the Church.  It is not like one is learning prayers in random languages with no religious significance, as Heinrich suggests.

I'm not saying it's wrong.  I'm asking why one would do it. 

To my mind, personal/private prayer is best done in the vernacular/mother tongue.  Hence, I'm asking why others would use non-native tongues.

Being a Catholic, Latin should be (to me, at least) somewhat of a "native tongue".  Atleast in a certain sense, since it is the official language of Holy Mother Church.  It's important to me that my children, as well as myself, be familiar with Latin, even though we will likely never be fluent or expert.  My husband studied it in high school, and is still fairly good at it, so it's fun to discuss it with him as we learn.  Studying Latin also helps in other areas of academics, so that's another reason to learn it; prayers are good practice.

Random, completely unnecessary side note: my oldest will be studying French this summer, because it's a large part of my husband's and my cultural heritage.  I hope we learn the basic prayers in French, too  :)

jmjZelie

Quote from: Kaesekopf on May 14, 2017, 02:23:20 PM
As a followup question, why pray private prayer in Latin regularly?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Because it is the language of the Catholic Church?

In my studies, I have come across suggestions to regularly pray prayers at home in Latin, and to learn the Latin in the missal, and to teach one's children if one is a parent.

Also, as a homeschool family we are required to teach foreign language. French and Spanish and English all have roots in Latin. So we are learning liturgical and Classical Latin and we are planning to also learn Spanish. All together as a family.

Plus understanding Latin helps to understand English better
Swam the Tiber 2010
Discovered traditional Catholicism 2014
Please forgive my ignorance or apparent impertinence.