The only controversial element to this includes the preludal Rite of Sprinkling Holy Water (Asperges) from the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. But keep in mind, this is not considered a part of the Mass in the EF. And because I was wearing a cope for it prior to the Ordinary Form's official Introit, it is not a part of the Ordinary Form Mass in this instance. It would have been illicit for me to use this form of sprinkling Holy Water if I had replaced the Penitential Act with it during the Mass's Introductory Rite. I didn't. We used Form A, the Confiteor, for the Penitential Act and in its proper place after the Introit, Sign of the Cross and Greeting, followed by the Kyrie, Gloria and Collect.
Father Vernon Knight, Parochial Vicar, acted as deacon and chants the Christmas Proclamation also as a prelude and prior to the Procession and Asperges. Deacon Donald Coates acts as "subdeacon."
Thanks once again to Lovel Miguel for digitizing and enhancing this video for us. He is our former parishioner now living in Houston, Texas!
If only, if only, if only, this was the norm for the Ordinary Form of the Mass since 1970, I truly believe we would not have the liturgical bitterness and antipathy we have today. But God always has a plan to bring good out of chaos. Please note how reverent the Holy Communion Procession is with the communicants kneeling before the altar to receive our Lord's Precious Body and Blood and how the altar railing acts as an extension of the altar itself. Please note too, that the actual Holy Communion Procession is that of our Lord assisted by his clergy processing to each communicant! It is a two way procession with our Lord's Eucharistic Procession the most vital:
18 comments:
Why are there altar cards on the altar and why is the missal moved from the epistle to gospel side of the altar for the Mass of Paul VI?
Why not? No liturgical law against it just as there is no liturgical law preventing a completely ad orientem Mass.
There is no Asperges at the traditional Mass of Christmas at midnight. The Asperges only takes places before the high Mass on Sundays.
Not true, there was an "EF" Asperges as a prelude to our Ordinary Form Traditional Midnight Mass and we used it as a prelude and also blessed the Creche with Holy Water, but outside the view of the camera.
So you added something to your Novus Ordo midnight service that doesn't happen in the traditional Mass. Seems strange to me to have the Asperges before the service when it wouldn't traditionally have happened at that Mass. Why add it in when the Mass you're trying to copy doesn't have it?
It is allowed to have the rite of blessing and sprinkling of Holy Water in the Ordinary Form at any Mass, but the penitential act is to be omitted (although technically not the Kyrie because of ambiguity in the GIRM and/or rubrics). I did not want to eliminate the Penitential Act of this Ordinary Form Traditional Mass and thus I added a Rite of Sprinkling Holy Water as a form of blessing and purification prior to the Mass and for the Creche and people, not to mention altar.
It was a part of the Choral Prelude to Mass and a separate rite entirely from the OF Mass itself and thus allowed as any prelude can be allowed.
Many thanks, good Father, for using the Roman Canon.
The main point here is to commend Father McDonald on what his parish is accomplishing. Detractors, however, rightly point out that the Asperges, whether in the OF or the EF, is only permitted on Sundays. If it is simply called a "Rite of Blessing the Nativity Creche", there will be no problem.
Benedict Xvi said somewhere that the rituals of the Mass have as one purpose which is to prepare the faithful for their heavily home. Father, you are trying to do that I think.
Father, do you always do the pre-elevation genuflection in the NO?
Nice gold cape....cope...
No, I never do it but did for the Midnight Mass. The Ordinariate's missal prescribes it though and certainly it could be interpreted as extending to the OF Missal too as it is what the EF Missal prescribes. I also kissed the altar each time I turned from it as the Ordinariate's Missal directs as well as the EF's.
Excellent, Father, just excellent! And thank you for posting the video for us to see.
Mallen
It is wonderful that you are trying to make the OF Mass a most sacred event as possible. I too, however, found some perplexities.
1. The "Asperges" did seem out of place outside a Sunday morning. You are very enamoured with the Ordinariate Missal, and that is understandable. But one of the liturgical niceties of the Anglo-catholics is great processions with prayers before the Mass on feasts. In this case it would have been a procession to lay the baby Jesus in the crib using holy water for blessings. The procession goes around the church quite a ways and gives plenty of time for hymns to be sung. Is there an English Processionale that you could use? Or are processions extra-liturgical as such so you could even use translated Sarum ones?
2. The so-called pre-elevation genuflection is wonderful. I believe it was eliminated in the NO to reduce the idea of the real presence in favour of mealtime. After all, why do you sing "...until You come again" at the Misterium Fidei when Jesus is present on the altar hic et nunc?
3. Was there a practical reason why only the cantor sang the Latin propers and Asperges? The choir could have joined in. He has a nice voice, but, since I am not Italian, an operatic voice with a lot of vibrato during a liturgy is not my cup of tea.
4. Keep up the good work!
Girls at the altar again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALTAR GIRL ALERT, GET EM OUTTA THERE......................................
Given today's acceptance of perversions and various weirdness, we maybe should call them "alter" girls.
The Introit 'Dominus dixit ad me' is the shortest and easiest of all the Introits; it is also very ancient and very beautiful. Whose idea was it to substitute a bombastic piece sung by a would-be Pavarotti? (not so much 'bel canto' as 'can belto').
Also, why not use the proper Alleluia? It's quite a simple one and can be learned in minutes. One might be forgiven for thinking that the Novus Ordo has only one chant for the Alleluia (it's the final antiphon of the Easter Vigil, GR p.195) since it is used with monotonous regularity.
Yes, the Asperges is a liturgical solecism and shouldn't have been added. Regarding the added rubrics they can be justified on the grounds that they are traditional to the Roman Rite. SP and the Ordinariate Missal between them have buried the notion that the Missal of Paul VI is the only way of legitimately celebrating the Roman liturgy, and mixing of 'forms' is not the same as mixing of 'rites'.
Reciting the prophecy and epistle from the ambo, but not the gospel, gives the impression that the first two readings are more important.
The congregation need to get used to receiving at the rail. Those waiting to receive should fan out right and left, ready to occupy a space at the rail as soon as the previous communicant vacates it.
However, the whole celebration showed how 'ad orientem' and the priest and deacon singing their parts gives solemnity and objectivity even to a primarily vernacular Mass.
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