The only weekly pre-Vatican II mass in Queens is coming to an end at the home it has had since 2004.
The old-rite mass conducted wholly in Latin has been held in a little-known chapel on the grounds of St. John’s Cemetery in Middle Village. Now the chapel is slated for demolition.
The mass draws 60-80 people each week, with some coming from as far as New Jersey and Long Island. It is a throwback to a time when female worshipers wore mantilla to mass and communion was given only by a priest’s hand.
“It’s not for everybody,” said Bishop James Massa, who oversees the unusual rite.
In October, the group will move to a diocesan church in Bayside, where it will share Sundays with the modern mass.
Here’s a glimpse inside the chapel on one of its final days in its original home.
