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My mother who will be 91 in October is from Livorno, Italy (AKA,Leghorn). Above her city is a shrine to Our Lady of Montenero. Many miracles have taken place here and the faithful have left mementos in thanksgiving for the various cures. Recently there was a pilgrimage to this shrine's very Baroque chapel. The Extraordinary Form of the High Mass was celebrated at the ornate altar. I've been there several times. In the 1980's even the Ordinary Form Mass was celebrated ad orientem at the majestic altar. But the last time I was there in 2003 I believe, they had put up a "faux" altar in front of it to celebrate the Mass facing the people. The pictures below will show both altars. You make the comparisons!
MY MOM'S HOMETOWN SHRINE, MAMA MIA!
1 comment:
One altar draws the gaze upwards, towards Our Lord, and is magnificently beautiful, crafted by men who knew who they were crafting it for.
The other looks like a crate has been left somewhere it shouldn't have been, and rather than remove it they draped a green cloth draped over it. is the other green draped monstrosity supposed to be the Ambo? It's one thing to build ugly Churches from the ground up, it's quite another to ruin a work of art by adding things which are clearly not intended to be there.
Oh by the way...an altar rail, and receiving Communion kneeling, it brings tears to my eyes. Have I mentioned to you my theory that if kneelers would be made available at St Joseph I think a healthy majority would avail themselves of them? ;)
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