Why I Choose the Tridentine Mass

I attended the Novus Ordo mass growing up. Some like to call this mass now the English mass. When I was a child I admittedly enjoyed this mass. As I grew older, something felt missing, not quite right. Nothing at that time I could put my finger on. Not until I was an adult and was invited to a Lutheran wedding.
I sat down in the pew and I saw the same missal that was used at my Catholic church. Same cover, everything! The wedding ceremony felt so similar that I found myself starting to get into the communion line when my husband put his hand on my back and reminded me that the service was not Catholic. It really bothered me that their church service was the same as our mass because they are Protestants, people who protest against our very faith. Then I started considering where the Lutheran faith stemmed from, an ex-catholic priest. So I let it slide.
I proceeded to start to notice other things as time had gone by, especially in the new churches. Where are the statues of the saints or of the Blessed Virgin Mary? Where is the crucifix to remind me how much Jesus was willing to suffer for me? The crucifix that separated us from the other protestant crosses. The stain glass windows with their beautiful symbols were replaced with just colors. The candles that raised smoke and prayer to the heavens were replaced by electric flickers or just disregarded altogether. Our traditional Catholic songs and organ music were replaced with hand clamping, foot stomping, rock bands. And holding hands while saying the "Our Father" is completely foreign to me not to mention uncomfortable. But it happened so slowly I almost missed it. The slow removal of all the Catholicism in the Catholic mass.
The absolute last straw for me was female alter girls. Not because I'm some kind of conservative activist but because I take my leader, the pope, very seriously. When Pope John Paul II came out and said publicly that there should be no female servers and bishops allowed and even encouraged it anyway the are not acting as true followers of the Catholic church.
When I was a young girl I wanted to be an alter girl so bad. I wanted to stand that close to the consecration of the Holy Eucharist and be a part of it. I wanted it so badly that when I was told I could not ever be a server I started to cry. A nun took me aside and explained why girls could not be alter girls. When a young man participates in the Holy Mass he receives graces from God that is supposed to help him to be a holy priest if that is God's calling for him. If I were to participate I would be taking those graces from a future priest that will be leading and transforming souls. At the time this made sense to me and I felt much better and no more jealousies toward the boys who would be servers for the priest.
Though it was an admittedly extreme decision, not to mention a wrong one, I quit attending mass altogether.
One particular Sunday, it really bothered me that I quit going to mass. I sat outside to pray. "Lord, I want to love you and worship you. I am just not smart enough to figure this out on my own Lord. You are going to have to show me and my family.
That same week my schedule changed at work that opened up a time frame for me to be able to attend mass at this really old Log Cabin. The oldest Catholic church east of the Mississippi River. I was always curious what it looked like in there. So I went. Standing outside before mass people were talking. Men were actually wearing ties and women were dressed very modestly and most of the women had a hat on or a mantilla. I felt like I stepped back in time. They made me feel very welcome. One kind lady suggested for me to sit in the very front. "Don't worry about participating. Don't worry about not knowing Latin. Just watch and observe the priest saying mass." I did as suggested and I have been hooked to the Extraordinary Mass since. Father didn't look like a priest just going through the motions. Even though his back was turned from us (to keep his mind from distraction and only focus on his love for Christ and actual consecration) i could see his reverence and humility. Some would likely think that lack of participation in the Extraordinary mass would be boring compared to the Novus Ordo mass but it wasn't for me, and it still isn't boring for me today. If anything, I come out of church feeling spiritually revived and alive!