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Moore Latin
Novus Ordo: Rite of the Mass by Richard Moore, standing on a wooden table in a candlelit church, the Sacred Heart on its cover.

Lex orandi, lex credendi the law of prayer is the law of belief

Discover the beauty of the Mass through Latin

Richard Moore Novus Ordo: Rite of the Mass

A Naval Academy graduate who became a Latinist and a teacher of seminarians, Richard Moore writes practical guides to help you pronounce, understand, and pray the Latin of the Mass.

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Richard Moore, smiling, holding his book.
Richard MooreThe author

The Author

A Latin life, begun at the altar rail

Richard Moore first heard Latin as a Denver altar boy. Naval Academy graduate, twenty-year Navy veteran, and petroleum engineer, he came back to his first love to teach the Church’s sacred language — and he writes so that anyone, priest or layperson, might not merely translate the words of the Mass, but understand its ideas, and pray them.

In brief

  • U.S. Naval Academy graduate
  • Twenty years on active duty
  • Master’s in Latin, University of Florida
  • Studied under Rev. Reginald Foster at the Vatican
  • Taught seminarians, Saint Joseph Seminary College, 2004–2013
Read his story
An antique illuminated map of the Atlantic world, with seven red wax seals tracing Richard Moore's journey from Denver to Rome and home to Covington, Louisiana.

The Journey

An atlas of a Latin life

Seven waypoints, from a Denver altar rail to Rome, and home to Covington.

Open the atlas

The Book

Novus Ordo: Rite of the Mass

A practical, easy-to-use guide for Catholics who want a deeper understanding of the language, history, and beauty of the Holy Mass.

Prex Eucharistica I

Eucharistic Prayer I

Consecratio Panis

The Consecration of the Bread

Qui prídie quam paterétur,

Who the day before He suffered,

Accipit panem, eumque parum elevátum super altáre tenens, prosequitur:

He takes the bread, and holding it a little bit elevated over the altar, he continues:

accépit panem in sanctas ac venerábiles manus suas,

He took bread into His holy and venerable hands,

Elevat óculos.

He raises his eyes.

et elevátis óculis in caelum ad te Deum Patrem suum omnipoténtem, tibi grátias agens benedíxit, fregit,

and with His eyes having been raised to heaven towards You, God His Father almighty, giving thanks to You, He blessed (it), broke (it),

Parum se inclínat.

He bows slightly.

dedítque discípulis suis, dicens:

and gave (it) to His disciples, saying:

From the book: the opening of the Consecration, the Latin beside the English

  1. LearnThe Latin texts of the Mass, and an introduction to grammar.

  2. PronouncePronunciation guides, accent placement, and speaking tips.

  3. UnderstandHelpful Latin vocabulary references.

  4. PraySelections from the Psalms and the traditional hymns.

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Who it’s for

Written for all who pray the Mass

  • Priests Pronunciation and accent placement for the prayers spoken at the altar.
  • Seminarians Grammar and vocabulary from a teacher who spent nine years with second-year seminarians.
  • Choir members Pronunciation guides, with selections from the Psalms and the traditional hymns.
  • Latin students A straightforward introduction to grammar, built on the texts of the Mass.
  • The faithful For anyone who has ever wondered what the Latin prayers of the Mass mean.

Forthcoming

The Psalms

Painting of King David by Elizabeth Moore: crowned, with a gold-leaf halo, in a crimson robe and violet mantle, holding a harp against a soft blue background.
King David, the Psalmist Elizabeth Moore

Richard’s next book teaches Latin through the Psalter — a lifelong teacher’s conviction that one can learn the whole language by learning the Psalms.

On its cover: King David, the Psalmist, painted by Elizabeth Moore, Richard’s wife.

See the painting Ask to hear when it’s published

His credo

With Latin you do not merely translate words — you translate ideas. And to understand Latin is to better understand English.

Richard Moore