On the the Feast of Saints Anne and Joachim at my former parish of Saint Anne in Richmond Hill, Georgia, their now pastor celebrates the Modern Vernacular Mass, with a Polish accent, every Sunday and every day ad orientem. Savannah’s bishop has approved of ad orientem at the Sunday Mass as long as one of the three Sunday Masses is facing the nave. It is wonderful to have episcopal participation and approval for this kind of thing.
Of course, yours truly softened the ground for this by celebrating the daily Mass there ad orientem and a few special Masses for Solemnities ad orientem.
The lay faithful receive Holy Communion at the new altar railing in the new church, either kneeling or standing. Savannah’s bishop has distributed Holy Communion to kneeling parishioners at parishes in the diocese that use the altar railing and all of those parishes I had an influence upon, Most Holy Trinity in Augusta, St. Jospeh in Macon and Saint Anne in Richmond Hill. How odd.
Of course my own ethos for ad orientem comes from the ancient tradition of the Catholic Church, with a blip of facing the nave from about 1967 to 2005 when Pope Benedict XVI encouraged ad orientem for the Modern Mass in word and example.
Pope Leo, although in his infancy papacy, seems to appreciate the Pope Benedict effect as it regards ad orientem for the modern Mass.
1 comment:
Congrats, Father McDonald. Dum spiro, spero
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