"They just want to dumb down the liturgy. If you can get them, archlutenists and sackbutt players, to say nothing of soloists, are on double pay, it is impossible on a Sunday."
So said a priest of a certain London parish to me recently. He was moaning about, yes, I am sorry to go on about it again, the movement of Holy Days to Sundays.
We could never afford to put on a Baroque Mass, with original instruments but moving Corpus Christi to Sundays mean that it becomes impossible to have continuous Exposition, which was something I had been building up over the years, having a procession on after our main Sunday Mass is impossible unless we cancel the Polish Mass, and they wouldn't like that.
The problem in practice is that moving these great feasts to Sunday, is far from, "giving them a greater prominence" is that they just get lost, different vestments, different hymns, maybe. Partying is a bit difficult too.
At our cathedral in Arundel, the Apostolic Nuncio and our bishop will celebrate a votive Mass of the Holy Eucharist followed by a procession. The pictures are of last years.
7 comments:
I'm sure our Bishops will have a change of heart and put them back when they see that the move to the Sunday weakens Catholic identity and seperates us from liturgical time. I just wonder which Bishop will be brave enough to raise the banner. I wish it could be my own Bishop Conry. He celebrates "Corpus Christi" very well as you've shown.
Either way, we can be confident they will return to their proper days eventually. We just have to be patient while the machine culture grinds itself to death and the heresy of dumbed down ugliness passes.
What about combining with the Polish community for one big Mass and procession together?
I don't really understand the particulars of how ethnic groups are dealt with in your diocese. But I know here in the US major feasts are often used as an opportunity to join different groups (Polish, Spanish, English...) into a shared event building a shared community.
A Corpus Christi procession ? And Corpus Christi devotions ? But not on the Feast of Corpus Christi ? Oh, next Sunday will do. Well, it won't do. We know that. Parishes are too busy on Sundays to cope with extra devotions.
So, unless the Feasts are restored to their rightful place in the calendar, more Catholic devotions will be lost, perhaps for ever.
To what purpose, I wonder ?
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So, let the Feast of Corpus Christi be celebrated on the following Sunday.
On Sunday ! When very few parishes with an already busy schedule can cope with processions, extra devotions, etc.
Therefore, away with yet more traditional Catholic devotions, in honour of Our Eucharistic Lord, no less.
I can't see traditional catholics putting up with it.
Shame on the Bishop! Shame on the Nuncio! People might think they are celebrating Corpus Cristi today instead of on Sunday!
I have just returned from the Mass and procession in Arundel. The cathedral was packed with people standing on either side as in former years. Even though it is no longer a Holyday of Obligation.
The music was superb with Kyrie and Gloria by Gounod and the Pange Lingua and Tantum Ergo were also sung in Latin. The Creed was in English however but to my surprise and delight the final blessing from the Papal Nuncio was in Latin and followed by Faith of our Fathers.
The weather was perfect for the procession and outdoor Benediction in the castle grounds and there were the usual contingent of bemused locals looking on.
I have one question - how to you explain to a non catholic that the feast has actually been moved to Sunday but in Arundel it still appears to be on Thursday. I noticed on checking the list of the Bishop's engagements in the Catholic press that today's celebrations were not even mentioned!
I would like to believe in ma tucker's confidence that these important feasts will return to their proper days. If the obligation were removed those attending would be there because they really wanted to be there and those who could not attend because of work would not feel obliged. This is surely what should have been done in the first place?
One other anomily I noticed - on the cathedral web site it described today's Mass as a votive Mass whereas on the Mass sheet it actually says the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Yet the feast is on Sunday! Confusion all round!
I forgot to mention the flowers which were of course magnificent. The carpet this year celebrated the 150 years since Our Lady appeared in Lourdes and featured a huge rosary with flowers down the aisle. Unfortunately I did not take a camera with me this year!
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