About two months ago, I heard that the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, a stunning Gothic church hidden in the middle of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, was going to begin offering the Traditional Dominican Rite of Mass on Saturday mornings. Upon doing basic research on the rite, and given the fact that the Church is incredibly close to where I live, over Spring Break I made plans to attend.
The Church of St. Vincent Ferrer is interestingly (at least to myself) the very first Church I had ever attended Mass at. They always celebrate the Novus Ordo and I was excited that the beautifully constructed high altar, built Ad Orientem, was finally going to be used. Upon entering, I soon realized that the Traditional Rite Mass that they were celebrating was going to be at the side altar, which was still incredibly ornate and beautiful. What was, however, even more wonderful to see was that while the pews in front of the side altar numbered only seven or eight, the congregation in attendance spilled out into the main body of the church.
The liturgy was incredibly beautiful and intimate, a quality I always enjoy. The Dominican Rite functions very similarly to the Roman Rite except for a few small differences. Firstly, the Priest entered and approached the altar with an acolyte while still wearing his amice over his head. For those who don’t know, the Amice is a traditional vestment, used in the Old Roman Rite of the Mass which is worn around the collar of the Priest. When vesting, a priest will kiss his amice, cover it around his forehead, and then tuck it in around his collar. A Dominican priest, however, will wear it around his head up until the very start of the Mass.
At the beginning of Mass, the Dominican Rite has a slightly different rule for the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar. Instead of the Priest’s usual “Introibo ad altáre Dei” (I will go unto the altar of God), and the server’s, “Ad Deum qui lætificat juventútam meam” (To the God who giveth joy to my youth), the opening Dominican antiphon is taken from Psalm 136/137 “Confitémini Dómino quóniam bonus” (Let us give thanks to the Lord for He is Good), and the server responds, “Quóniam in sáeculum misericórdia ejus” (For His mercy endureth forever). The Confiteor, both of the Priest and the servers are shortened, including only the intercession of The Virgin Mary and “beáto Domínico Patri nostro” (our blessed Father Dominic).
Dissimilar to the Roman Rite, at the Offertory, the oblations of both the bread and the wine are offered simultaneously together with the prayer, “Suscipe sancta Trínitas.” Immediately after the consecration of the chalice, the priest extends his hands in a cruciform position, symbolizing Christ crucified, saying the prayer “Unde et mémores.” The priest then receives communion with his left hand as opposed to his right.
One interesting feature of this particular liturgy was that the readings were done in English. While still at the altar, still facing Ad Orientem, the Priest broke from Latin to read the Epistle and Gospel in the vernacular. It is important to note that this is not in the actual rubrics of the Dominican Rite but simply was this particular church’s adaptation. I had both a positive and negative reaction to this. While on the one hand, it was pleasant to comprehend the readings, although I could have just as easily read them from my Missal, it was also quite abrupt and felt like the liturgy was paused as the flow of the Latin was interrupted.
The last interesting thing of note was the retained use of the Sanctus Candle. The Sanctus Candle was an element of the Roman Rite that was removed by Pope Pius XII and subsequently Pope John XXIII in the reformation of the liturgy in 1955 and the publication of the Missal of 1962. It consisted of a candle being lit on the Epistle side of the altar at the beginning of the Canon of the Mass and extinguished after the Priest consumed the last of the Ablutions. I was delightfully surprised to see this element still in use as I find it to be an incredibly rich devotion and expression of the Mass.
My experience at the Traditional Dominican Rite was altogether wonderful; I greatly enjoyed many of the elements that were foreign to me as someone who most regularly attends the Roman Rite, and I will make it a habit to continue to attend in the future. The Traditional Dominican Rite is one of the many beautiful rites of the Church, and we as Catholics would do well to remember that liturgical uniformity can often be harmful and that we ought to celebrate all of the traditional and authentic rites that the Church has to offer.
Born and Raised to Jewish parents in New York City, Kai Breskin is a recent convert to the Catholic Faith. A member of the Boston College class of 2026, he is studying Political Science, Philosophy, and History. His intellectual passions include Christian theology, history, and liturgical study. His hobbies include sailing, playing the piano, and singing, with a specific focus in Gregorian Chant.
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