When the Mass is celebrated by the priest toward the apse, often called, ad orientem, or toward the liturgical or geographical east, the front of the altar is that which faces both the priest and the laity.
In this orientation, the front of the altar is the same for both the priest and the laity.
This is not so when the priest faces the nave. The front of the altar is always the side on which the priest is not the side of the congregation. Thus when the priest faces the nave, the front of the altar is in front of the priest but to the back of the laity.
Even in pre-Vatican II times in the major basilicas of Rome, like St. Peter's and St. John Latern, the celebrant always faced the altar's front although he was facing the nave because he was facing the true liturgical east (except for St. Paul's outside the wall, where the celebrant faces Peter or St. Peter's to the west).
Thus at St. Peter's the Gospel side of the altar is to the left of the pope and the Epistle side to the right. This is true no matter if the celebrant faces the apse or the nave, the correct orientation is from the priest's perspective.
Is this a form of clericalism? Yes, in a slight sense, but only when the celebrant is in a confrontational position to the laity at the altar, but not when he joins the laity in facing the same direction toward the altar.
I am sure the Holy Father and other progressives in the Church, now knowing the clericalism of what is the front of the altar, depending on the priest's position at it, will want to return to the non-clerical ad orientem position to crush this kind of clericalism and make the front of the altar common to both the celebrant of the Mass and the laity behind him in the nave.
Makes perfect sense to this progressive!
15 comments:
Do we need to identify the front and back of an altar? I don't think so.
In any case, the capitol building in Washington, DC, has no back. It has an East Front, which faces the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court, and a West Front which faces the National Mall, the Smithsonian Museums, and the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
Excellent observation, I am glad you agree that ad orientem is the east front of the altar and facing the east in prayer, even symbolically, is in the nature of prayer for Jews, Christians and Moslems. For Catholics, it is facing Golgotha (Jerusalem, both current and New) where the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus occurred and the direction from which our Risen Lord will return for the Final Judgement and consummation of the world. It won't be from the west front.
Fr. ALLAN McDonald,
You have a very active and, unfortunately, erroneous imagination...
Is this “Snark Sunday?” Really getting old Father K. Instead you should be focusing on why overwhelming numbers of Catholics believed in the Real Presence when Mass was celebrated to the Liturgical East and why so few do today after we abandoned that practice and maybe consider the hierarchy and you are wrong to not return to that practice
The front of the Holy Table should ideally face geographical east for everyone. In the Roman Church, liturgical east is established by the placement of the crucifix. In our modern Roman Church, you evidently can run in circles around the altar and make the front whatever you wish it to be.
Think about it. The front of the altar faces the nave; if you have an antependium or 'frontal' it can't face towards liturgical east since even if the altar is freestanding no-one will see it. Whether the priest stands in front or behind the altar is immaterial.
But, but, but, in the ancient Latin Roman Missal, the epistle side and Gospel side is according to the priest’s orientation. Thus if facing the nave, the Epistles side is to the right of the priest when at the center and the Gospel to his left. If he is behind the altar, the Epistle side is to the left of the congregation and the Gospel to the right. One would think this truth indicates what the front side of the altar is….
Fr McDonald
The terms 'epistle side' and 'gospel side' reflect the placement of the missal at Low Mass. They don't really apply in the Novus Ordo, especially where there is a fixed ambo. When the priest celebrates Mass the rules of left and right apply, irrespective of orientation. So if he chooses to face the people over the altar it will be back-to-front from the people's perspective.
Father McDonald and John Nolan,
The following is a highly entertaining article by Father Hunwicke on "Organic Developement" which tracks the parallel tracks to "reform" in the Roman Church and Anglican Church in the mid 1960s:
https://liturgicalnotes.blogspot.com/2022/04/organic.html
If directed toward me, I did think about it. I'm busy, as are many here, I erred and am so very deeply sorry - even sorrier to have fallen victim to pretentiousness on a significant scale. Maybe this was irony, or humor yet again lost on us here.
Correct, the altar faces the nave. True, an antependium/frontal faces west, not east and not liturgical east. Ideally, the altar should be placed such that the celebrant faces east after approaching. In the Roman tradition, liturgical east is possible through the addition of a crucifix. In the Byzantine Churches, concelebrants stand on the south side if just one, the north side if two and not blocking the deacon(s) on either pole and wherever there is room if they are numerous.
Like the Requiem, we all got it the first time. You must be a lot of fun at a party.
ByzRus
Were my comment directed to your good self I would have made it clear. You write a lot of sense but come across as being a bit touchy and (dare I say it?) po-faced. I hope you don't take lessons in humour from that well-known Byzantine Russian Vladimir Putin. I doubt that he's the life and soul of any party.
John Nolan,
I've found that one needs a thick skin to be part of this blog. You might recall that our very first interaction 5+ years ago, my very first post (what a total greenhorn I was), was a good dressing down from you regarding pseudonyms, and my lack of one. I had no idea those were the rubrics of this blog but, that's how I was welcomed, not by the priest moderator, but, by a layperson no less!
My web presence beyond this blog is somewhat extensive, and, you are correct, as the labor of love that it is, my disposition tends to be more positive as it's less of a nit-picky/snarky/one note comment environment.
Over the last, gosh, what 15 years that this blog has existed, I've watched the circle of commenters shrink. It's a shame as I think the content here is good though we do go in circles a bit with some discussions as none of us are empowered to effect positive change as we perceive it to be! I toyed with fasting from this blog during Lent and steered clear after making my confession right before Pascha (not that now makes it any better).
As I've said before, perhaps I'm at a cross roads here, the battles of the Romans are not mine, I'm at peace with my ancestral Church and maybe the time has come to take my leave. I've been holding out, however and, increasingly, I'm running out of things to contribute.
Thank you for your feedback. I'll endeavor to be more mindful of my disposition.
ByzRus,
One of our greatest losses was the lovely, Bee, from St. John Cantius in Chicago. She imparted a great deal of wisdom.
ByzRus said..."The front of the Holy Table should ideally face geographical east for everyone."
Our parish complies with this.
https://epiphanybyz.org
For those interested, if you want to hear something beautiful, go to the above link, scroll down to the section that has the YouTube connection, and go to Great and Holy Saturday.
Forward to approximately 1:41:00 for a rendition of "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent/Silence," which is sung only once a year in place of the Cherubikon.
DJR,
Very colorful sanctuary. My son-in-law lived in Roswell as a young boy until his family returned to France. He has fond memories of Roswell.
Before Latin Masses became available, we had friends who changed to a Byzantine Rite parish.
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