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Thursday, March 17, 2016

WHAT I DID TODAY AT MASS WOULD BE CONSIDERED ANATHEMA IN SAVANNAH ON SAINT PATRICK'S DAY AND OH, BY THE WAY, HAPPY IT TO YOU!

This morning, Saint Patrick's Day, our Cathedral is filled with a sea of green as the Church in Savannah's city's limits puts aside the Lenten season (and for most of Lent) and especially nixes Passiontide to celebrate the great saint of Ireland, Patrick, not only with Mass but drunken debauchery before and after which in fact has been  going on for a good bit of Lent and will continue through Palm Sunday in that fair city, our See City!

The Mass for Saint Patrick is celebrated as a Feast at our Cathedral, thus the Gloria is chanted too and the celebrant wears white.

When I was the MC at the Cathedral from 86 to 91, my liberal leanings allowed me to convince Bishop Lessard to use a plain white chasuble with an outside stole that had a great deal of green in it. It was from the Holy Rood and quite attractive to say the least and expensive too. 

At Saint Joseph in Macon, happily about 200 kilometers northwest of Savannah, I celebrated our 8 AM Mass wearing the color of Passiontide, violet, and using the propers for Thursday in Passiontide.  However, I did speak of Saint Patrick as one who vanquished the devil in Ireland as symbolized by getting rid of Ireland's snakes. I also used his collect for the conclusion of the Universal Prayer.

Unfortunately, I forgot to have his statue in our church uncovered since all our statues are covered for Passiontide. I didn't intend to insult Saint Patrick on his day, but.....he was veiled in purple from head to toe!

Saint Patrick is to the far right!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

First, from your church to the Savannah Cathedral is 166 miles, nowhere near the "about 200 miles" you think.

Second, you might be considered ANATHAMA, but, more likely, they'd spell it ANATHEMA.

TJM said...

An outside stole? Horrors. You have grown up! Erin Go Bragh!

Anonymous said...

Father said 200 kilometers, not 200 miles. But in kilometers, the 165 or so bleak miles between Macon and Savannah come out to about 265 kilometers. Guess we'll never adopt the metric system when it comes to our roads---guess that would make it seem a lot longer between places, especially in spread-out south Georgia.

Just a coincidence the Georgia Legislature is not meeting today---some event going on in Savannah, I hear.

Anonymous said...

In my Diocese, Patrick is the local patron so a Feast here all white, Gloria, etc.