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Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius and Timeliness of the Traditional Latin Mass
At the crest of volatile years of experimentation, a new rite of Mass was introduced in 1969—no mere cosmetic treatment but a radical reconstruction of the Church’s central act of worship. A minority of the faithful continued to hold fast to the traditional rite, which John Paul II and Benedict XVI gradually freed from restrictions. The steady growth of this “traditionalist” movement inevitably prompts questions in the minds of more and more people. What is it that Catholic laity, clergy, and religious are discovering and falling in love with? Could you—should you—be among them?
In this engaging book, Peter Kwasniewski draws on decades of experience and, presuming no specialized knowledge, explains why the traditional Mass operates the way it does, what its distinctive features and benefits are, and how it still captures hearts with a beauty deeply rooted and perennially green. Every reader—whether already a lover of the traditional Mass or a complete newbie, whether committed or curious, perplexed or skeptical, sitting on the fence or bouncing back and forth between old and new—will find life-changing insights in these pages.
“Dr. Kwasniewski’s comprehensive new book has something for just about everyone seeking an answer to the question why it is so urgent that we take refuge in our tradition and reclaim our birthright as Catholics. Parents and grandparents with an interest in passing on the Faith to the next generation will also find much food for thought.” —ARCHBISHOP THOMAS E. GULLICKSON
“Peter Kwasniewski is the theological master and propagator of the usus antiquior. But never does he lose the common touch that appeals to the non-scholar or the mere onlooker coming to the classical Mass for the first time. Of books defending the usus antiquior, Kwasniewski’s Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright should hold pride of place on your bookshelf.” —REV. JOHN A. PERRICONE
“If you’re looking for carefully crafted, incisive, logical arguments as well as Pascal’s ‘reasons of the heart’ for why the Traditional Latin Mass is a lighthouse both for the Church and for your own soul’s voyage amid stormy seas, this is a book for you.” —REV. WILLIAM J. SLATTERY
“This eloquent work even fulfilled the function of spiritual reading for me, as so many passages rise into prayerful appreciation for the treasures of tradition. And if you love a good donnybrook, you’ll find plenty of deft argumentative pugilism.” —MICHAEL P. FOLEY
“Having recently rediscovered the Traditional Latin Mass, my spirit has been soaring ever since. I found Peter Kwasniewski’s writings to be a wonderful resource, erudite without being academically forbidding. This book could change your spiritual life forever.” —JANET E. SMITH
“Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright has that rare combination of readability and intellectual depth needed for responding to our ecclesial crisis. If you are already convinced of the pressing need to return to the beauty of tradition, it will provide you with sound rhetoric; if you are not convinced, it will draw you toward the truth.” —LEILA MARIE LAWLER
“Dr. Kwasniewski leads those who are curious about the traditional Mass into a thorough understanding of its superiority in language, music, prayers, postures, reverence, and piety. Although written by a scholar, this book is for everyone.
In this engaging book, Peter Kwasniewski draws on decades of experience and, presuming no specialized knowledge, explains why the traditional Mass operates the way it does, what its distinctive features and benefits are, and how it still captures hearts with a beauty deeply rooted and perennially green. Every reader—whether already a lover of the traditional Mass or a complete newbie, whether committed or curious, perplexed or skeptical, sitting on the fence or bouncing back and forth between old and new—will find life-changing insights in these pages.
“Dr. Kwasniewski’s comprehensive new book has something for just about everyone seeking an answer to the question why it is so urgent that we take refuge in our tradition and reclaim our birthright as Catholics. Parents and grandparents with an interest in passing on the Faith to the next generation will also find much food for thought.” —ARCHBISHOP THOMAS E. GULLICKSON
“Peter Kwasniewski is the theological master and propagator of the usus antiquior. But never does he lose the common touch that appeals to the non-scholar or the mere onlooker coming to the classical Mass for the first time. Of books defending the usus antiquior, Kwasniewski’s Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright should hold pride of place on your bookshelf.” —REV. JOHN A. PERRICONE
“If you’re looking for carefully crafted, incisive, logical arguments as well as Pascal’s ‘reasons of the heart’ for why the Traditional Latin Mass is a lighthouse both for the Church and for your own soul’s voyage amid stormy seas, this is a book for you.” —REV. WILLIAM J. SLATTERY
“This eloquent work even fulfilled the function of spiritual reading for me, as so many passages rise into prayerful appreciation for the treasures of tradition. And if you love a good donnybrook, you’ll find plenty of deft argumentative pugilism.” —MICHAEL P. FOLEY
“Having recently rediscovered the Traditional Latin Mass, my spirit has been soaring ever since. I found Peter Kwasniewski’s writings to be a wonderful resource, erudite without being academically forbidding. This book could change your spiritual life forever.” —JANET E. SMITH
“Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright has that rare combination of readability and intellectual depth needed for responding to our ecclesial crisis. If you are already convinced of the pressing need to return to the beauty of tradition, it will provide you with sound rhetoric; if you are not convinced, it will draw you toward the truth.” —LEILA MARIE LAWLER
“Dr. Kwasniewski leads those who are curious about the traditional Mass into a thorough understanding of its superiority in language, music, prayers, postures, reverence, and piety. Although written by a scholar, this book is for everyone.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2020
115 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Peter Kwasniewski
54 books78 followersDr. Peter A. Kwasniewski holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California and an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
After teaching at the International Theological Institute in Austria and for the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austrian Program, he joined the founding team of Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyoming, where he currently serves as Professor of Theology and Choirmaster. He is a board member and scholar of The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, and a tutor for the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies.
Kwasniewski has taught and written extensively on a wide variety of subjects, especially Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. He has published two books with The Catholic University of America Press and a volume of music for liturgical use, Sacred Choral Works (Corpus Christi Watershed, 2014). His latest book, Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis: Sacred Liturgy, the Traditional Latin Mass, and Renewal in the Church (Angelico Press, 2014), is being translated into eight languages.
Dr. Kwasniewski writes for several major weblogs, including New Liturgical Movement and Rorate Caeli.
After teaching at the International Theological Institute in Austria and for the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austrian Program, he joined the founding team of Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyoming, where he currently serves as Professor of Theology and Choirmaster. He is a board member and scholar of The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, and a tutor for the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies.
Kwasniewski has taught and written extensively on a wide variety of subjects, especially Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. He has published two books with The Catholic University of America Press and a volume of music for liturgical use, Sacred Choral Works (Corpus Christi Watershed, 2014). His latest book, Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis: Sacred Liturgy, the Traditional Latin Mass, and Renewal in the Church (Angelico Press, 2014), is being translated into eight languages.
Dr. Kwasniewski writes for several major weblogs, including New Liturgical Movement and Rorate Caeli.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 19, 2020
If you've ever wondered what the attraction for the Latin Mass was all about and why so many orthodox, traditionally minded Catholics are drawn more and more to the "Liturgy of the Ages" this is the one book you need to read. I've been a Catholic for 25 years and have slowly drifted to the Latin Mass--attracted first by the simplicity and beauty of Gregorian Chant and then ever more by the reverence, masculinity, and obvious rightly ordered worship of the Almighty. Dr. Kwasniewski's book puts into words exactly what has drawn my family to the TLM and why we can never look back.
November 23, 2020
Dr Kwasniewski is a very eloquent writer. The English was very pleasant to read.
I enjoyed a lot of the background (historical) information provided by this book and appreciated the fact that the book is particularly aimed towards parents of young families (four chapters are dedicated to raising children in the EF and the book cover features a father holding a preschool-aged son turned towards the Holy Sacrifice together). I appreciated the references to the wisdom of Dr Montessori, whom I greatly respect, and tying in her theories and observations with their applications to the particular forms of the Roman rite.
However, I have to say that, while I recognize its vast inferiority to the Extraordinary Form, the way Dr Kwasniewski comes down so strong and heavy against the Ordinary Form, multiple times referring to its harmfulness and stopping just short of calling it evil, does leave me somewhat uncomfortable.
I also am perplexed about moving forward in terms of practical issues to consider for my individual situation: I would prefer consistent (daily) attendance at the Extraordinary Form, but living as I do a 40-minute drive away from our family's Oratorian parish, it is simply not possible... Do I abandon reception of Holy Communion and attendance at Holy Mass altogether due to lack of accessibility?! These issues aren't really directly addressed in the book.
I enjoyed a lot of the background (historical) information provided by this book and appreciated the fact that the book is particularly aimed towards parents of young families (four chapters are dedicated to raising children in the EF and the book cover features a father holding a preschool-aged son turned towards the Holy Sacrifice together). I appreciated the references to the wisdom of Dr Montessori, whom I greatly respect, and tying in her theories and observations with their applications to the particular forms of the Roman rite.
However, I have to say that, while I recognize its vast inferiority to the Extraordinary Form, the way Dr Kwasniewski comes down so strong and heavy against the Ordinary Form, multiple times referring to its harmfulness and stopping just short of calling it evil, does leave me somewhat uncomfortable.
I also am perplexed about moving forward in terms of practical issues to consider for my individual situation: I would prefer consistent (daily) attendance at the Extraordinary Form, but living as I do a 40-minute drive away from our family's Oratorian parish, it is simply not possible... Do I abandon reception of Holy Communion and attendance at Holy Mass altogether due to lack of accessibility?! These issues aren't really directly addressed in the book.
July 30, 2020
An engaging discussion and defence of the TLM that I found intellectually thorough and beautifully written. Many insights resonated deeply with my personal experience coming to traditional Catholicism. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on children and parenting. The author writes with charity and sincerity, from time to time drawing in his own experiences moving from the Novus Ordo to TLM, so I hope anyone who reads the book who is ambiguous or hostile to the TLM can look past any prejudices and be touched by the truth found in these pages.
July 25, 2021
A wonderful explanation of the patrimony that Roman Catholics have been deprived of for the past fifty or so years, and a great apologetic for why we should embrace and grow to love that very same patrimony.
September 5, 2022
In this great collection of essays geared to a "lay-level" reader, new to the topic, Kwasniewski delivers with a combination of sensitivity and vigor (sometimes polemical but not over-aggressive) to address many problems in current post-conciliar worship (as of 2020-21) and light the way toward traditional worship. Particularly welcome in many of the essays are "sed contra" style elements, addressing counter-arguments to his own opinions. Particularly welcome is the excellent glossary and discussion of the Divine Office in addition to Holy Mass--liturgy doesn't begin and end with Mass, after all (even when that is the experience of most contemporary Catholics).
August 20, 2020
I can't praise Kwasniewski enough. He covers everything from every angle and with passion and honesty. I wish this treasure had existed and had been given to me a decade ago. The chapters pertaining to children, the youth and culture are particularly noteworthy The book is also worth having for the bibliography and glossary alone. Great book. Amen.
January 14, 2023
What this book is about has been stated already. This is well written, and points of discussion are carefully laid out. These points are presented clearly and convincingly, with ample documentation to substantiate the conclusions provided. Fundamental reading for anyone new to the TLM.
December 22, 2021
I was recommended this book by a fellow Catholic. This book is such a good read, as a Catholic who has fought with Novus Ordo for a long time it is very impowering. It is such a sad truth how the church has changed since Vatican 2. Definitely will recommend to Catholics in there faith journeys. Loved how he also pointed out other Catholic rites. Byzantine Mass I have frequented for about a year and love to read more about it all. Thanks to Peter for such a great read!! It was so hard to put down!
August 9, 2025
**Note** I browse through this book again and read some more of Dr. K’s writings on OnePeterFive, New Liturgical Movement, and his Substack to the point that I will offer a new and revised review of this book. “Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright” is a more practical defence of the Tridentine Mass. If you are just starting to get into Traditional Catholicism, this book should be your first stop. It focuses mostly on the æsthetics of the Tridentine Mass like Ad Orientum, use of Latin, and communion on the tongue. I overall highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in why people will defend the Tridentine Mass.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews