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Wednesday, January 1, 2014

THIS NO LONGER OCCURS AT PAPAL MASSES WITH POPE FRANCIS AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT PAPAL VESTMENTS!

The Swiss Guard, though, who are really, really, really cool, continue to process and recess ahead of the papal procession in this wonderful manner, but please note how raucous the Faithful are and this occurred during the time of all the recent previous popes, including Pope Pius XII at the beginning and ending of their Masses but has come to an end with Pope Francis. How odd is that, since Pope Francis has become the world celebrity that he has become, is extroverted, supposedly and Pope Benedict was, well, so disliked because of his formality in dress and introversion! Is this ironic or not?

13 comments:

Henry said...

"Pope Benedict was, well, so disliked because of his formality in dress and introversion! Is this ironic or not?"

To the contrary, the reception always accorded Pope Benedict in St. Peter's surely expressed the people's affection and respect for him.

Henry said...

While maybe not strictly pertinent to this post, why not a positive note to begin the new year . . . Since I attend an EF Mass on Sundays and OF Mass normally only on early weekday mornings, I rarely experience a typical parish OF Sunday or holy day Mass. But today I attended one of the three scheduled morning Masses at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville. It began with one Marian hymn for the processional and ended with another for the recessional. Otherwise, there was no singing, except that the whole vernacular Mass was chanted except for the Confiteor, the readings, the Credo, and the Roman canon, which was recited reverently (rather than loudly proclaimed) in a dignified voice, and with none of the dozen saints, the dozen martyrs, or the half-dozen Through Christ Our Lord. Amen's omitted. The Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei were chanted in unison, well and seemingly by the whole congregation of several hundred using the vernacular chant tones given in the Roman Missal 3/e. The proper prayers and antiphons and the preface were especially beautifully chanted by the celebrant, Fr. John Orr, who wore a beautiful old satin Gothic chasuble with blue Marian orphrey in the traditional style; his solid Marian sermon was based largely on today's second reading. There were bells and smells with plenty of incense at the beginning, Gospel, and offertory. The altar boys and a seminarian who assisted en choir wore surplices and cassocks and held patens for communion; since only one kind is offered at this church, the assistance of only a single EMHC was required for the whole congregation to receive in only ten minutes or so of silence. No hand-holding was observed during the Our Father, and limited quiet exchanges at the sign of peace, which was cut quite short by the Agnus Dei. With the whole congregation joining in chanting reverently correctly all the dialogues, acclamations, and ordinary, and the entire Mass celebrated reverently precisely by the book (both the red and the black), there was little that anyone might complain about--though it was versus populum at a nice elevated free-standing altar in front of the old high altar and veiled central tabernacle, a large missal stand on the altar almost served as a virtual iconostasis. Indeed, it seemed a fine example of both congregational and clerical participation, both vocally active and otherwise quietly reverent as Vatican II may (in its most positive construction) have called for.

Rood Screen said...

"Pope Benedict was, well, so disliked because of his formality in dress and introversion!"

I see Henry has already commented on this, but I would just add that I never saw any indications that faithful Catholics disliked Pope Benedict.

Anonymous said...

This blog is to Pope Francis what MSNBC is to Obama.

Anonymous 2 said...


Are we to assume you would prefer it to be more like Fox News then?

Rood Screen said...

It's noteworthy that what Henry describes requires no change of rubrics or special permissions to implement.

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

My comment about Pope Benedict was irony because he wasn't disliked but admired as the raucousness of the video shows. It was post Catholics and the MSM who disliked his academic orthodoxy.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 2, you are forever reacting. Please come up with an original thought that others might find interesting. It is too easy to provoke a reaction from you. Originality for 2014. Come up with your own thoughts and ideas.

Henry said...

I might add that FrJBS himself celebrates the OF in an truly exemplary and reverent fashion. And his daily Mass is distinguished by the fact that his congregation recites the full Simple English Propers--not only the introit, offertory, and communion antiphons, but the complete responsorial psalms for which they are the antiphonal responses:

http://musicasacra.com/additional-publications/sep/

Actually, each of the several priests whose OF Masses I regularly or occasionally attend does precisely the red and says the black with never a word added or omitted, so I never see nowadays any of the aberrations that are so often mentioned in blog comments. (Though I've certainly seen my share in the past--and could easily relive them now if I were not selective in the Masses I choose to attend).

Anonymous 2 said...

Anonymous at 7:13 p.m.:

I thought it was quite an original reaction, actually. =)

Anyway, since you evidently do not care for bathos, perhaps you would prefer sarcasm. So, here is an alternative:

I wonder if that is because it is a_Catholic_blog. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Pope has some kind of standing in the Catholic Church. Of course, certain comments on the blog have led me to question whether I got that bit right.

Anonymous 2 said...

By the way, Anonymous at 7:13 p.m.:

If you are, as I suspect, the same Anonymous who sometimes identifies himself (I am pretty sure you are male) as Anonymous 1, would you perhaps consider keeping that or another consistent identifier? It makes it easier to get to know the blogger’s “personality” and consistent themes he or she may develop in comments posted. I did this after a few postings as an Anonymous a couple of years ago, and if I recall correctly it was in response to a similar request.

ytc/Cameron said...

Henry, that OF Mass sounds sublime.

Православный физик said...

Henry, sounds like my nigerean priest friend's OF, sounds absolutely glorious...

the people I really do believe loved Pope Benedict XVI, the substance of what he was saying. the MSM and academia couldn't stand him.