Monday, 9 November 2009
Requiem at St Mary Magdalen's
This is a clip from the very beautiful Mass of Requiem on All Souls' Day at St Mary Magdalen's Church, Brighton. Do congratulate Fr Ray. I think Bishop Hilarion would understand this liturgy.
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This reminds me of French art films of the 1940s. But what has happened to the sanctuary? The steps look like a wedge of cheese. Shouldn't they extend right across? Instead they look like a stage set. Are they rubrically 'correct'?
I am not so sure what Archbishop Hilarion would think. Certainly in general terms I suspect he would agree. However, the Orthodox do not have 'ritual' Masses so, for example, an Orthodox funeral or liturgy for the departed, the Panikhida, does not involve the celebration of the Eucharist. Similarly there is no such thing as an Orthodox 'Nuptial Mass'.
Each celebration of the Eucharistic Liturgy has provision for the commemoration of both the living and the dead but the Liturgy is not applied in the way a Western Mass is, often, for a specific individual.
Peter Porter,
How ungracious, this is one of the poorest parishes in wealthy diocese, without much money or help we are trying to restore a building severely mucked about with in the 1970's. Rather than being rude and bitchy about our attempts why not contribute a donation?
As the music has improved vastly, so has the sanctuary.
SMM Parishioner
I am a bishop, and I certainly do not understand this liturgy.
Marionettes wearing birettas with grim looks on their faces is not what I understand by celebration. A soprano soloist who brings the opera house into church with her Bel canto is not an adornment to the sacred liturgy. A deacon who has never been taught how to hold a thurible correctly.... Shall I go on? The whole thing was infinitely depressing. If you are going to do these things, for heaven's sake do them properly.
Your Eminence - might I respectfully suggest that, if you are a bishop in communion with the See of Rome, then your liturgical formation is seriously flawed.
If you are not in communion with Rome, then your comments can perhaps be excused.
Dear 'The Cardinal.' Looking forward to seeing you at the next EF mass in Brighton. You can show everyone what to do, something l suspect you are very good at. By the way, did you spot the devotion on this video? It was hidden somewhere in the middle...
Mary George
Sorry if my comment offended you, but I know little about St Mary Magdalene, Brighton, its life or architecture. Occasionally I look at the blog. I assumed that it is as it was in the beginning but had had the sanctuary steps interfered with. I did not realize they were new but that does, on reflection, explain their odd, wedge-like character. I cannot help thinking that they look a little improvised but if money is a factor much is explained. However, I think a good architect would have done better, assuming that one was involved.
But I don't share the Cardinal's bile about the Mass. It seemed fine to me, even if the black and white film gave it an anachronistic look. I hope he is not an Episcopus Vagans.
I am shocked by the comments by 'The Cardinal.' This was a most beautiful Requiem Mass during which those of us present were able to pray for our lost loved ones in an atmosphere of deep reverence
What would he prefer - tambourines I suppose and liturgical dancers? He criticises 'grim faces' - did he expect the Priests to enter grinning at a Requiem Mass? Our Parish Priest was no doubt thinking about the death earlier this year of his own father. I'm sorry - it is too late to add more and I do not wish to be rude particularly as 'The Cardinal' states he is a bishop. He states that he does not understand this liturgy - should he not at least be attempting to understand it?
Personally I think that the Cardinal is neither a bishop nor a Cardinal. I think that he is a joker trying to wind people up. After all, why does he call himself the Cardinal rather than The Bishop?
I think that the video was very beautiful although I would have preferred it if it was less jerky.
Congratulations to all involved in the Mass.
I agree with the Layman- the Cardinal is probably not a bishop. Note his comments on the liberal blog http://sandalistaspeaks.blogspot.com/ Note too his arguments with John Kearney on http://catholicrights.blogspot.com/
My dear friends,
I merely commented as someone who was brought up well before Vatican II and who was responsible for training an entire generation of clerics and servers how to do the Mass of Pius V correctly.
The trouble we have now is that so many of the people who perform this Mass never lived through the era when it was current. (I wonder how many of those commenting on this blog come into that category.) They do not seem to have the kind of innate understanding that we had through living it and loving it. Please allow me the luxury of pointing out some of the shortcomings in their performance of what can be a supremely beautiful rite when done well, but which can also be supremely irritating when done badly.
We had Fortescue and O'Connell in our bones. These people do not. In fact, they seem to me to be simply play-acting. It's a performance, but it has little inner reality. I'm very glad if it helps some people to pray, but for those of us for whom this rite was a distinct aid to prayer in the past, today's manifestations are but a pale imitation of what we once had.
PS: I am in communion with Rome, I am not an Episcopus Vagans (though I have met one or two of those), and I do not like tambourines or liturgical dance. The two blogs referred to are now defunct, by the way. My mission there was as a corrector of errors.
I thought the Cardinal's comments sounded rather like those of the incredibly camp bloggers on a now defunct Anglo-Catholic blog, complaining about various incorrectnesss at that Mass offered by some cardinal in Westminster Cathedral a while back; the genuflections were uncoordinated, ekcetra.
A Bishop taking the identity of a Cardinal suggests embittered dissappointment, using the definite article suggests a man living in a fantasy world.
Such a person taking such a title then talking of "marionettes", "play-acting", "performanence", an interesting irony at the very least.
Dear 'The Cardinal', if a thing is worth doing, then it's worth doing badly.
Could the Cardinal be, I wonder, none other than Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, now retired with less to do than before?
PP:
I am not +Cormac, though I do know him well. He is scarcely going to have a restful retirement in the immediate future. Had you noticed that he has just been appointed to two Roman Congregations? In the case of the Congregation of Bishops, this means travelling to Rome every two weeks for meetings of the Congregation ─ hardly a rest cure!
berenike:
I am not incredibly camp ─ quite the reverse, in fact.
The evidence is too scanty for me to make any comments on your (un)campness :-) Your comment reminded me of comments by some folk who were indeed, at least on the evidence of their blog, as camp as a field of tents; which connection struck me as mildly amusing. That's all :-) I wondered if you were writing a spoof comment, in fact, though your last comment but one suggests you weren't.
About acting - one of the curates in my parish preaches all the prayers at the congregation as if reading to eight year olds, and does voices for the Eucharistic Prayer. *That* is a hindrance to prayer. At least to me. "Lift up your hearts!" said in a loud PE-teacher hearty patronising voice - a couple of days ago I muttered "P*ss off" before I could stop myself. I hope my neighbours didn't speak English ...
Oh, that "Cardinal".
"Burke is a berk", "you're a bigoted twerp", etc.
Now I remember!
Crikey, Berenike!
Your parish has a plurality of curates?
Does anybody remember the programme “What’s My Line?” (Incidentally you can find an interesting example of the American version in YouTube featuring Fulton J Sheen.) I wonder if “The Cardinal” would be willing to be the guest. It seems that some ‘commenters’ have already used up some of the questions: “Yes, I am in communion with the see of Rome; No, I am not Cormac Murphy O’Connor.
How about:
Is/was your diocese in any part of the United Kingdom?
as the next question?
I think that Father Sean (Do we or do we not use first names? I'm a bit knew to all this, having been in a deep sleep for many years and only just returned to the Church. I come back and find many things are very different to what they were before I left.)is very generous in his comments about The Cardinal and his piece "Liturgy and Communion" is something which shines out with warm, generosity and deep understanding. It was a joy to read.
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