''The most beautiful thing this side of heaven?'' Boob. The Roman Rite is far too commonplace to be considered beautiful, especially that celebrated by the Sackville-Bagginses. Maybe Pontifical Mattins of the Resurrection done ''Tridentine'' fashion could be considered beautiful on account of the singular rarity of such liturgy, but high Mass with all the lace, with all the bibs, up, down, up, down with the Sacrament, same old routine etc, especially to mark a significant anniversary...well, to me it just inspires wrath and indignation, not piety. Do these people have no idea how to make a conscious effort? It reminds me of Fr Ted, and I mean that disparagingly of course. Hmmm, 150 years here in the gay capital of England (I'm saying nothing about the reverend father); let's have a Mass. Death of the pope; let's have a Mass (against the enemies of the Church?); I can't find the remote control, better celebrate three Masses.
So I congratulate the Italian Mission in Brighton on being around for these 150 years, 1862 being a time immeasurably remote in the history of the Church of England. I wonder if the original parish priest was as literate and genuine as his successor?
Not that I care one bit about issues of copyright, but I decided to exclude photos. You can view those here.
Thank you for your roaring endorsement.
ReplyDeleteI must have missed the episode of Fr Ted when they did Schubert Mass in G and Bruckner Te Deum. Shame.
Catholics and Masses, who'd have thought that was going to happen?
Happy Lent.
I'm afraid I cordially dislike Bruckner, but that is simply a matter of taste.
ReplyDelete''up, down, up, down with the Sacrament''. I hope that you do not mean to be disrespectful of the Roman Rite and its most sacred ceremony, the Consecration of the Host and of the Chalice. We Catholics who still witness the Consecration of the Mass in this way are truly blest, compared with so many Novus Ordo Cahtolics whose priests dare to leave out even this most holy of ceremonies, being that they, like the protestants whom they imitate, no longer believe in the Sacrifice of the Mass and in the Real Presence. Those of us who still lift up the Host and Chalice are ever mindful of the words : ''He who will receive this Sacrament, must first adore It''; and ''When I shall be lifted up, all shall know that I AM''.
ReplyDeletePatricius, I'm so sorry that you were not sufficiently entertained. Perhaps you can can find more diverting shows in the West End? Please don't mind the rest of us worshiping God.
ReplyDeleteIt would be decent enough for a Sunday Mass, but I too am left wondering why they couldn't put in a bit more effort for a big event. Where's the bishop, for instance?
ReplyDeleteSurely, for great feasts of the Church, we should aspire to something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKQjPDfSf88
In other words, I agree with Patricius.
150 years and they couldn't even get a bishop? Poor showing.
ReplyDeleteFor big do, something like this is surely in order:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKQjPDfSf88
Trust the Roman Catholics not to get it right.
Patrick Cook, well quite, an average Sunday at St Magnus the Martyr. I guess the Traddies would retort that their bishops are so inept that they don't warrant an invitation to significant parish events such as these. When was the last time anybody saw the bishop? In my old Roman parish the bishop came only for Confirmations, an evening Mass in the Novus Ordo for fair weather Romans, scroungers who wanted the parish priest's signature for their passport, etc, and never to be seen again. Users, I daresay.
ReplyDeleteSadly they will never learn, which changes the raison d'etre of this 'blog somewhat. So long as the sacristy cupboards are well stocked with wafers and there is a rancid old queen in Rome, the attitude of the Traddie to the Sacred Liturgy will never change.
Pontifical liturgies are not the only option of course. Something like a Procession, when organised well, is a very effective means of evangelisation with the Church, literally, going out into the world. Chapter XIII of the Rituale, Tit. IX, would have been ideal for the occasion: Mattins, Procession and Liturgy could have been most effective.
ReplyDeletePity you'll never see something like that at Clem's again...
ReplyDelete