Wednesday 27 February 2008

Sarum Candlemas 11 - Secret & Preface

The Preface: there isn’t very much to note, except that the chant differs from the Roman a little, and that it is the Acolyte rather than the Subdeacon who takes the paten in the humeral veil.
The couple who left in the middle of the preface weren’t actually leaving; the young man told me afterwards that they were sitting beside someone who really stank, and they couldn’t bear it any more. So, they simply went to the back to sit in the narthex for the rest of the Mass. No doubt the person concerned was simply trying to give the occasion a truly mediæval savour.

3 comments:

Augustine said...

Father, do you know if there is anywhere one can see this celebrated today? Are there rules against parish priests celebrating it? Does anyone feel that in light of the recent Motu Proprio its about time this very English and ancient rite was restored to a more common use?

Pastor in Monte said...

My instinct would be to say; let's allow the MP to bed in first. I love the Sarum (as you can probably tell), but we have a whole lot of work to do about the Extraordinary Form.

Joshua said...

I was wondering if the Deacon and Subdeacon would stand at the altar corners during the Preface, as they do in the Dominican Rite. But I suppose as you note that the rubrics were very clear on this point.