Sunday, March 21, 2010
Mass at Stella
Thanks to Frank Erskine for sending these pictures of yesterday`s High Mass for the feast of St Cuthbert. There was a good turn out for the Mass and the it was good to have the choir of St George`s, Cullercoats, to sing for us. The choir enjoyed singing this music in the context for which it was written and we look forward to hearing them sing again at a future Mass. Fr Swales was the celebrant, I was the deacon and Fr Phillips, the parish priest, was the sub-deacon. Seasoned viewers of pictures from the world of the Extraordinary Form may recognise the MC: Leo Darroch, the president of Una Voce International.
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13 comments:
Leo Darroch should know better than to pretend to be an Assistant Priest at the elevations. The MC (even a cleric) should not be kneeling behind the celebrant, but on the Epistle side. Over-clericalised laity ride again!
I can assure 'Anonymous' [why hide behind anonymity if you feel you have a valid point to make?] that I have no pretentions whatsoever to be a priest - assistant or otherwise. The rubrics for a Solemn High Mass are very precise, as they are for all forms of the traditional liturgy, and as there are always anonymous 'experts' waiting to pounce on the slightest sneeze at the wrong moment, I feel it is best to be guided by the bible of Fortescue - O'Connell. The instruction (page 112) for the MC states: "...or he may kneel at the Gospel side, or on the footpace at the left of the deacon (holding the chasuble with him)."
As 'Anonymous' is obviously an expert in these matters I will bow to his greater knowledge and desist in the future. I am grateful for this fraternal correction.
I think it is worth mentioning that Leo was given the task of being MC only shortly befopre Mass began. I hadn`t studied what the Mc is supposed to do but only the deacon. In the event Leo has shown that he was acting in accordance with Fortescue, You can`t ask much more of an MC than that!
I hope "anonymous" feels proud of himself. What sort of anorak is he? It is just this sort of pathetic carping criticism that gives us traditionalists a bad name. I am delighted that Leo is able to quote chapter and verse on the subject.
Actually, as one who was present on the occasion at Stella, can I offer my heartiest congratulations to all concerned, clergy, servers, (including the MC!), choir (really accomplished), caterers, in fact everyone. Thank you for a great spiritual uplift.
(Terry Middleton)
The snide - and incorrect, as Mr. Darroch has pointed out – comment of Anonymous is an unfortunate example of a post-Vat II phenomenon: the proliferation of so-called liturgical experts. With the lack of attention to the rubrics in Novus Ordo Masses these past forty years, it has been easy to be critical. But even in pre-Vat II days while we strove to be faithful to the rubrics, we did not make a fetish of it. An unintentional slip here or there was not judged to be disastrous. With few people being aware of Fortescue/O’Connell, it would be unnoticed by most.
The intention of the celebrant to celebrate Mass “iuxta ritum Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae” sufficed to assure that Mass would be celebrated as faithfully as humanly possible. The same was true of all participants at the altar in a Solemn High Mass. If our attention at Mass is directed to looking for rubrical missteps, we have missed the point of participation.
“The Law was made for man – not man for the Law”. Keep up the good work Fathers and MCs!
As the one originally nominated as MC (I asked Leo if he wanted to be as I needed more time as Thurifer) I can heartily concur with his situation as I too had read up on Fortescue.
Wasn't it sad to see so many tonsured(???) among the serving team. Just shows we need more younger servers.
I'm sure that all will keep up the good work - even the unmentioned Thurifers
My Fortescue (p.104) says "Then he [the MC] kneels with the thurifer at that [Epistle] side." There is even an illustration 'Fig. 13 - The Elevation.'
O'Connell says the same in his volume on High Mass. Neither mentions the MC assisting the deacon with the celebrant's chasuble.
Anonymous 2 could you say which edition you have? I have two. My earliest is that of 1930. It says on page 110 that the MC "kneels with the thurifer at that side, or he may kneel at the Gospel side, or on the foot-pace to the left of the deacon ( holding the chasuble with him)".
My other is from 2003. It has exactly the same wording. I cannot see how you can attribute any fault to an MC holding the chasuble at the consecration. I shall be insisting that all MCs do the same at any other High Mass I`m part of where I have a say in such things.
The edition of Fortescue I quoted from is dated 1918; the O'Connell ('The Celebration of Mass') 1957.
I wasn't attributing fault to anyone merely suggesting by inference, and suspecting, that different editions of Fortescue say different things.
Dear, Fr Michael,
Why do you allow such comments on your blog? Surely, these sentiments are doing a dis-service to both Catholic tradition, and Our Mother Church!
Hope you are wall,
Greetings,
Michael,
Jarra Lad
What a lovely church and what glorious vestments. You must have been in your element.
I see comments such as those of Anonymous as simply the reverse of the friendly, fun blogging coin.
Thanks Michael.I`m in favour of free speech but I don`t publish every comment, especially if I think they are just out to cause trouble. That one shouldn`t have got through on reflection.
Theatre-goer, thanks for your supportive comments.
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