Transfiguration…
The moving of the altar forward (not mandated by the GIRM, which refers to new altars, not existing ones) is preferable to putting a new fixed altar in front of an existing one. Here they have left a sufficient footpace in front of the altar so ad orientem is possible.Great to see the altar rails. Why were they not being used? Also, at the risk of sounding pedantic, a Requiem Mass requires the Introit 'Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine'. Otherwise it is a Funeral Mass.Are you sure your homily didn't breach GIRM 382? It sounded like a eulogy to me.The most disturbing aspect to me was the absence of the body. Cremation is a substitute for burial, and the Mass and Commendation precede the burial. The practice of having the cremated remains present is quite bizarre, and although it does sometimes happen in Continental Europe, it needs to be stamped out without delay. What on earth is the reason for it?
Of course I've been away from this parish now for over 8 years and they've had four pastors since my departure. I was there for almost 14 years. So the funeral was as they do funerals and the railing is not used for Holy Communion nor is the EF Mass offered there though the requests for it in Augusta would assure a full Church from the metro area if offered, but that is another story and a bit of clericalism involved. In the USA, the norms for cremation have been adjusted over the years. At first, cremation was by way of exception but the body had to be present and cremated afterward. But this was changed about 20 years ago or so allowing for the cremains to be present during the Mass and treated as the "remains" of the person. Church law also required these be give a proper Christian burial or internment. But often family member refuse to do so and take the ashes with them and scatter them or share them with others or keep them in the hope or make jewelry out of them, all pagan practices. So I agree that cremation should be banned because of these factors except if we can assure Christian burial or entombment. My homily was a homily focusing on the Paschal Mystery but incorporating various aspects of Cheti's life to make my points, so a blend if you will, between eulogy and homily but mostly homily. When I was pastor there, for very extraordinary Events, I would celebrate the Mass ad orientem, but very rarely but it is easily done at this altar and from the congregation, you can't even tell that the altar table is forward of the reredos. I did celebrate there the first Saturday of each month at our normal anticipated Mass the Ordinary Form of the Mass in Latin except for the Liturgy of the Word and we had a men's schola that sang the propers and other parts of the Mass and magnificently. this was around 2001 and the first time in my priesthood that I was exposed to what the Mass should be and what Vatican II really envisioned. But I did not celebrate it ad orientem because I didn't think I should push the envelope with the bishop as eye brows were already being raised by the Latin Mass as odd as that is.
The antipathy of the Irish to the French surprises me. I would have thought the French collaboration with the Confederacy as well as the affection Celts have for anything Not British would have made them rather fond. Go figure.
@rcgCelts are British by definition. When the Romans invaded in AD 43 they called the island 'Pretania', later corrupted to 'Britannia'. The tribes they encountered were Celtic, who had invaded from central Europe several centuries earlier. The aboriginal inhabitants of the British Isles were a small dark people whose descendants can still be found in north Wales. Go figure.
John and rcg, Perhaps the Irish just had it in for the Anglo-Saxons and/or the Normans (and thus the French or, even worse, the Vikings) =). Or perhaps there were some local animosities that might help to explain the episode. It would be interesting to know more.
P.S. You do know that when Julius Caesar first landed on the shores of Britain in 55 B.C. he said “Veni, Vidi, Vici,” which translates as “I came, I saw, I conquered.” However, since the small, dark-complected British did not understand Latin, they heard “Weeny, Weedy, and Weeaky.” This so demoralized them that when the Emperor Claudius re-invaded Britain in 43 A.D. he was able to take over the whole country very easily (except for the northern bits, of course).
The problem between the old time French and the new comers is that the Irish soon outnumbered the French and let their majority status be known not unlike Mexican immigrants in rural Georgia today who by far out number the Anglos in their parishes and take over.
Post a Comment
7 comments:
The moving of the altar forward (not mandated by the GIRM, which refers to new altars, not existing ones) is preferable to putting a new fixed altar in front of an existing one. Here they have left a sufficient footpace in front of the altar so ad orientem is possible.
Great to see the altar rails. Why were they not being used? Also, at the risk of sounding pedantic, a Requiem Mass requires the Introit 'Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine'. Otherwise it is a Funeral Mass.
Are you sure your homily didn't breach GIRM 382? It sounded like a eulogy to me.
The most disturbing aspect to me was the absence of the body. Cremation is a substitute for burial, and the Mass and Commendation precede the burial. The practice of having the cremated remains present is quite bizarre, and although it does sometimes happen in Continental Europe, it needs to be stamped out without delay. What on earth is the reason for it?
Of course I've been away from this parish now for over 8 years and they've had four pastors since my departure. I was there for almost 14 years. So the funeral was as they do funerals and the railing is not used for Holy Communion nor is the EF Mass offered there though the requests for it in Augusta would assure a full Church from the metro area if offered, but that is another story and a bit of clericalism involved.
In the USA, the norms for cremation have been adjusted over the years. At first, cremation was by way of exception but the body had to be present and cremated afterward. But this was changed about 20 years ago or so allowing for the cremains to be present during the Mass and treated as the "remains" of the person. Church law also required these be give a proper Christian burial or internment. But often family member refuse to do so and take the ashes with them and scatter them or share them with others or keep them in the hope or make jewelry out of them, all pagan practices. So I agree that cremation should be banned because of these factors except if we can assure Christian burial or entombment.
My homily was a homily focusing on the Paschal Mystery but incorporating various aspects of Cheti's life to make my points, so a blend if you will, between eulogy and homily but mostly homily.
When I was pastor there, for very extraordinary Events, I would celebrate the Mass ad orientem, but very rarely but it is easily done at this altar and from the congregation, you can't even tell that the altar table is forward of the reredos.
I did celebrate there the first Saturday of each month at our normal anticipated Mass the Ordinary Form of the Mass in Latin except for the Liturgy of the Word and we had a men's schola that sang the propers and other parts of the Mass and magnificently. this was around 2001 and the first time in my priesthood that I was exposed to what the Mass should be and what Vatican II really envisioned. But I did not celebrate it ad orientem because I didn't think I should push the envelope with the bishop as eye brows were already being raised by the Latin Mass as odd as that is.
The antipathy of the Irish to the French surprises me. I would have thought the French collaboration with the Confederacy as well as the affection Celts have for anything Not British would have made them rather fond. Go figure.
@rcg
Celts are British by definition. When the Romans invaded in AD 43 they called the island 'Pretania', later corrupted to 'Britannia'. The tribes they encountered were Celtic, who had invaded from central Europe several centuries earlier. The aboriginal inhabitants of the British Isles were a small dark people whose descendants can still be found in north Wales. Go figure.
John and rcg, Perhaps the Irish just had it in for the Anglo-Saxons and/or the Normans (and thus the French or, even worse, the Vikings) =). Or perhaps there were some local animosities that might help to explain the episode. It would be interesting to know more.
P.S. You do know that when Julius Caesar first landed on the shores of Britain in 55 B.C. he said “Veni, Vidi, Vici,” which translates as “I came, I saw, I conquered.” However, since the small, dark-complected British did not understand Latin, they heard “Weeny, Weedy, and Weeaky.” This so demoralized them that when the Emperor Claudius re-invaded Britain in 43 A.D. he was able to take over the whole country very easily (except for the northern bits, of course).
The problem between the old time French and the new comers is that the Irish soon outnumbered the French and let their majority status be known not unlike Mexican immigrants in rural Georgia today who by far out number the Anglos in their parishes and take over.
Post a Comment