Many thanks to Mary Clark Rechtiene for these photos from last Sunday's EF Mass at the Cathedral for the Ascension:
My First Holy Communion for four children as the celebrant of an EF Mass!
The fourth child left early and miss the group photo:
16 comments:
As it should be. Contrast this with that Novus Ordo Mass with the children around the altar a few posts down. The only unfortunate thing is that Cranmer Table, beautiful though it is, is a barrier to the high altar which appears to have been repurposed as a plant stand/book of gospels holder.
Sadly, in my home parish, an extremely reliable source has informed me that our pastor wants all of the First Communicants to receive in the hand (we don't have a realistic recourse to the EF in our parish).
I have researched this by reading from the GIRM as well as the USCCB site and have found that the manner of reception of Communion (for the OF) is a choice "lying with the communicant".
In the OF, First Communicants should be taught that they have a choice on how to receive Communion (and how to properly exercise that choice). They should then be left in peace for their First Communion. My daughters were forced to receive on the hand at their First Communions. It is things like this that make me want to just give up on the OF and if there was a local EF, I would likely do just that!
The table altar does distract but does not overcome your reverence. Dignum et justum est, they always say.
The child kneeling for Holy Communion makes me tear up.
Bee here:
The photo of the little girl kneeling for Communion brings back memories.
I received my First Holy Communion in the old rite, a year or two before they changed the Mass. I can still remember the day. We had about 60 kids in our class at our parish school (Baby Boomers, you know). I think we filled up the first five pews on both sides. I can remember we sang "Oh Sacrament Most Holy" as we went up for Communion, and my dad took a picture of me and the Franciscan Sister who was my teacher (and I can't remember her name) in front of the church after the Mass.
God bless those lucky kids who received their First Holy Communion at a Latin EF Mass last Sunday, Fr. McD. That is indeed special and rare these days.
God bless.
Bee
Joseph Johnson, your “priest” is violating Church law. There are numerous articles about on this subject. Sounds like he is a rigid ideologue who needs ab education. I would approach him privately once you are armed with the facts . Good luck
What are all those framed pictures on the altar? Looks kind of cluttered.
clutter? You must be a coloring-book Catholic from the 1970's too young to know about your liturgical heritage. Sad.
Father McDonald,
Good one!!! The "Anonymous" comment sounds suspiciously like someone who posts here regularly under the cloak of darkness.
There is an unusual number of candles around the altar. To the extent it is cluttered, that is because it is not attached to the main altar reredos as it should be. If it was, the candles and relics would not be on the altar itself.
I have to agree that the altar is cluttered and unnecessarily so, but not because it is free standing, but because of the four floor candles which are for the OF Mass.
They made an "reredos" wooden structure for the free standing altar for the 6 candles but also a wooden tabernacle so they don't have to go to the tabernacle in the Sacred Heart Chapel and they always use Hosts that are reserved rather than simply consecrating what they need for the Sunday EF Mass.
Keep in mind for the Ancient Mass the free standing altar is the ancient form, the attached altar with elaborate reredos is much latter.
Think of all the ancient Basilicas in Rome and Italy. Think also of St. Patrick's in New York witch until the 1940's had a reredos attached altar replaced by a free standing altar under a baldechinno. (Which, thank God, Card. Dolan once again uses and got rid of the altar in front of it.
"A coloring-book Catholic from the 1970s?" Nope, I have never colored a book in church...and I have never backed a Democrat for president, nor do I support ordination of women or same-sex "marriage", nor do I object to some Latin in the OF, so if you think I am still a coloring book Catholic, I must be one of the most conservative ones you will encounter...in fairness, I should have zoomed in (which I failed to do in "round one") for better view, which I did not do at first...it does look a bit odd to see the gap between the main altar and where it was at the back decades ago, but I guess you do the best to make do with what you have got.
We could use more priests wearing the chasuble you wore for this Mass...I think current-day chasubles cover up too much of the alb (the alb, stole and chasuble being the 3 key items for vesting). and easier to move the hands as you are pictured.
When we are in St. Louis, we go to the SSPX chapel there, which has a freestanding altar under a baldachino. It still has an attached reredos because flowers and candles aren't supposed to touch the altar.
Correction: St. Mary's Assumption in St. Louis has a secondary stand behind the altar to allow for candles, etc. Here's a picture: http://sspx.org/en/st-marys-assumption-church-priory.
This is a former Ruthenian Church. One of my favorite churches architecturally, although it is in need of restoration.
It may be true of flowers not touching the altar (altar cloth and get them dirty?) but the long standing tradition at St. Peters in Rome is that the candles were on the altar cloth as they are today.
Don't include the period in Marc's link or it won't work: Try this:
http://sspx.org/en/st-marys-assumption-church-priory
You're right, Fr. McDonald. My statement was overly broad. Candles are placed on the altar with some frequency, including most notably the Sanctus candle during mass.
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