I thought it might be interesting to look at what the Ship of Fools, a liturgical discussion list, has to say about the recent stand-off at Cardiff cathedral where the LMS felt compelled to cancel a pontifical high Mass it had arranged because of the issue of whether a female altar server be included. Ship of Fools is not exclusively Anglican but mostly so.
Also the excellent blog of Fr Hunwicke has an interesting reflection on the recent decision to move many Holy Days to the nearest Sunday and how this relates to the feast of Corpus Christi.
Fr Hunwicke observes:
Since Vatican II a certain type of Roman Catholic has continually argued for a certain line of liturgical 'reform' on the grounds that it would bring Catholic and Anglican Worship into line. We have been led to believe that ecumenically minded Roman Catholics liked having festivals on the same day, as well as having a common eucharistic lectionary and common translations of liturgical texts. Now, when the poor old C of E comes into line and actually makes (Common Worship) Corpus Christi - on Thursday - a Festival, the Westminster hierarchy promptly does the dirty on us. What are Anglicans supposed to think?
3 comments:
One cannot but think the Cardiff fiasco rather an own goal. The LMS cannot seriously claim laws in force in 1962 regarding female servers are still pertinent. On the LMS website the section advertising the visit of Cardinal Dario Castrillon-Hoyos mentions that the LMS Committee will be giving HE lunch before the 2.00 Mass at Westminster Cathedral. In 1962 the Eucharistic fast was three hours so either the Cardinal is going to his lunch at 11.00am or is going to be following the rules currently in force.
The LMS cannot pick 'n' mix, such an inconsistent approach will be counterproductive to the liturgical cause.
A little common sense and diplomacy could surely have been employed. By what I have read it does not seem to me that the Cathedral Dean is entirely to blame.
Though it is rather like the kettle calling the pot black: the C of E hardly gave consideration to ecumenical considerations when it decided to ordain women.
The Church of England is not alone in ordaining women. The Church of Greece (i.e. the Greek dioceses under the Archbishop of Athens) two or three years ago revived the liturgical ministery of the Deaconess and so ordained some women candidates.
I understand that the deaconesses wear their stoles hanging straight down like priests. This strike me as very similar to the moving ceremony of the Coronation. In the colour version of the 1953 Coronation DVD (A Queen is Crowned)the late Laurence Olivier waxes lyrical about various vestments that the Queen dons but makes no comment at all when our most gracious Sovereign Lady has a stole imposed on her and wears it straight as I believe the deaconesses do. My suspicion would be that there is a common origin to the ceremonial of ordinations and coronations.
Post a Comment