For all the Saints
Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints in grand High Church fashion. We had uncovered all our household saints on All Souls day after a few weeks enshrouded in plastic during the restoration, so it was great to see them all again. One of the sacristy rats was heard to wonder, somewhat shockingly, why on earth anyone would pray to or for a dead person. If they are with God, how could any of our prayers possibly matter to them, and if they're not with God, how could our prayers possibly save them, he asked. And furthermore, here he began quoting from one of the 39 Articles and I realized it was time to light the office lights, so I said it was a good question, but I'd have to get back to him.
We had a Sung Mass on All Saints Day proper (last Tuesday) but had a very sparse crowd, since we did the Solemnity on Sunday and most of our parish is loath to come to church three times in a week. I had my favorite job as thurifer and it felt like all the saints were there with us anyway. I especially felt the presence of our second rector, Fr. Arthur Ritchie, to whom St. Ignatius is dedicated for his work in having the present church built. He and the Zabriskies were all there. (What did I put in that incense?)
Yesterday I was subdeacon at the Solemn Mass. I was scheduled to be a torch but the subdeacon overslept so I had to fill in for him. The Rev. Park Bodie was the celebrant and the rector was deacon. We only processed halfway around the church since the scaffolding is still up, and we had the station at the Rood Beam. Sr. T wanted to start the procession after we came in the door, instead of going to the altar first, but we managed to flag her down by the time she had gotten to the St. Ignatius shrine. Having a verger for such a small procession is rather silly anyway and her verger robe just clashes with that veil, even worse than the cotta. But let me stop.
After that it was calmer sailing. We had the des Prez Missa Gaudeamus done marvelously by our choir. And I forgot to mention we are now using birettas on the high feasts. This was only the second time I'd ever worn one and I kept having trouble getting it on correctly with the blades at the right angle. But I must say I can understand why they stopped using them. It's like a comedy routine, taking them off, putting them on, doffing them here, passing them to the MC there. I almost started giggling.
We are now also using a patena during communions, so I had to hold that under everybody's chin, trying to avoid slicing their throat in the process and trying to hold back the chasuble at the same time. I tell you, this High Church stuff is alot of work! Of course I also wore the humeral veil (we call these high feasts HVBP masses for short: humeral veil, biretta, patena). I'm glad we don't do it every week though, even if it would be less confusing for MCs and subdeacons.
We sang my favorite hymn,
St. Catherine's Court, at the ablutions and I hope my friend understood what it is saying, better than I could express it:
In our day of thanksgiving one psalm let us offer, for the saints who before us have found their reward; when the shadow of death fell upon them we sorrowed, but now we rejoice that they rest in the Lord.
We had a Sung Mass on All Saints Day proper (last Tuesday) but had a very sparse crowd, since we did the Solemnity on Sunday and most of our parish is loath to come to church three times in a week. I had my favorite job as thurifer and it felt like all the saints were there with us anyway. I especially felt the presence of our second rector, Fr. Arthur Ritchie, to whom St. Ignatius is dedicated for his work in having the present church built. He and the Zabriskies were all there. (What did I put in that incense?)
Yesterday I was subdeacon at the Solemn Mass. I was scheduled to be a torch but the subdeacon overslept so I had to fill in for him. The Rev. Park Bodie was the celebrant and the rector was deacon. We only processed halfway around the church since the scaffolding is still up, and we had the station at the Rood Beam. Sr. T wanted to start the procession after we came in the door, instead of going to the altar first, but we managed to flag her down by the time she had gotten to the St. Ignatius shrine. Having a verger for such a small procession is rather silly anyway and her verger robe just clashes with that veil, even worse than the cotta. But let me stop.
After that it was calmer sailing. We had the des Prez Missa Gaudeamus done marvelously by our choir. And I forgot to mention we are now using birettas on the high feasts. This was only the second time I'd ever worn one and I kept having trouble getting it on correctly with the blades at the right angle. But I must say I can understand why they stopped using them. It's like a comedy routine, taking them off, putting them on, doffing them here, passing them to the MC there. I almost started giggling.
We are now also using a patena during communions, so I had to hold that under everybody's chin, trying to avoid slicing their throat in the process and trying to hold back the chasuble at the same time. I tell you, this High Church stuff is alot of work! Of course I also wore the humeral veil (we call these high feasts HVBP masses for short: humeral veil, biretta, patena). I'm glad we don't do it every week though, even if it would be less confusing for MCs and subdeacons.
We sang my favorite hymn,
St. Catherine's Court, at the ablutions and I hope my friend understood what it is saying, better than I could express it:
In our day of thanksgiving one psalm let us offer, for the saints who before us have found their reward; when the shadow of death fell upon them we sorrowed, but now we rejoice that they rest in the Lord.
posted by Piscina at 8:54 PM
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