[West Ender]

I was brought up Catholic and used to attend St Mary's church where I was baptised and married. The 11 o clock mass was always sung, in Latin (apart from the Kyrie which is Greek), and I always went to that because the male voice choir was so fantastic. Also the congregation joined in hymns (in English) at the end which I enjoyed as I was a singer in those days. Mind you, there was a youngish Irish priest there (can't remember his name) who was tone deaf and couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. It rather took the shine off things when he took the sung mass and I always wondered how the choir members managed not to laugh.

I too learned Latin at school so I didn't need the missal's translation of the Latin mass as a teenager (church Latin is pretty basic and easily understood at O level). Even though I wasn't the most ardent believer I found the ritual and the solemnity a spiritual experience.

The only full mass I've been to since Latin was formally dropped was a requiem mass at the funeral of one of my aunts so I can't say what it's like these days. I've seen a few masses for staff and guests in hotels in Malta, on Sunday mornings, and they've usually had guitar accompaniment but weren't "happy-clappy".