ACC Pontifical High Mass & Ordination to Diaconate 9th April 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHLyJ3jMNjc

I am watching this on Youtube. This kind of church service makes me nostalgic. It seems like a memory in a dream, a memory of the church of my childhood. The music, the chants, the litany; all these things used to be part of church services when I was growing up. I am realizing now that I no longer attend the Anglican Church that my ancestors attended, and it pains me.

#EmotionalRants

Does anyone know which prayer book is this service from?

 

I feel you Z. I spent yesterday watching videos from St Clement Church (Philadelphia) doing much the same thing.

http://www.saintclementsphiladelphia.org

 

Zim and LL, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only nostalgic one here, because although I grew up in broad church Anglican, the majesty of the language and the beauty and transcendence of the service were there. And we had not only Holy Eucharist, but Morning Prayer and Compline services. In my mind I can still hear some of the glorious rolling phrases of the BCP, and they are like a balm to my soul. On my smartphone, at night when I wake, or during my morning commute, I read the services, hearing them in my mind.

After a service, I recently got into a discussion with a lady from the Bahamas who had the same lament, and we reminisced about everything we miss and still love. I am so saddened by what my beloved Anglican church has become. I'm glad that we remember. And this ties in with the thread about young evangelicals turning to the traditional church. There's something that speaks to our hearts and draws us in.

 

When I was a seminarian in St Patrick's College Maynooth, the national seminary of Ireland, I felt that High Mass every Sunday with all of us in clerical garb was a small glimpse of heaven

 

World without end, amen.

 

Thank for sharing that website my brother. Their homepage image alone speaks volumes.

 

I know what you mean brother Aidan. When my parents moved away from the church to the pen.movement, Jesus became distant and vague for me, more like a fairy tale that I had to try hard to make real.

 

I'm always accused of being an old soul. I thought once again, that it was just me being me.

 

Dear sister, what's pen movement?

 

Pentecostal movement

 

The liturgy should be glorious. Even at its most simple, in a plain wooden building without choir and organ it should be glorious. It is our opportunity to stand together as brothers and sisters, frail children of dust, and offer our all to God the almighty Father, proclaimed the Lord's death and resurrection, in the power of the spirit.

The saying 'mass and tatt is where its at' is of course a ridiculous poke at liturgical worship, and fails to appreciate the importance of the igniting of the great vision of glory. Much of my concern with much of contemporary liturgical expressions is that we loose the glory of worship for the politeness of non-offensive social aggregation.

Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18). I know that in the sea of blrghh that seems to be much of the contemporary expression one Church near me (OK two and half hours away) is Christ Church St Laurence, and the link is provided here.

http://www.ccsl.org.au/

 

Well said, Philip, and may I add that I'd rather have the liturgy than choir and organ. I love to let the holy words soak in, and not have to pay attention to finding the next hymn in the hymnal, or too many other distractions. I like "Be still and know that I am God."

And sorry to sidetrack, but I'd just like to add that I feel very uncomfortable during the Peace, where we are supposed to get up and shake hands and hug. I don't mind doing that after the service, but I'm at the point of thinking of trying to find another church because I dislike the meet & greet during the middle of the service so much.

 

Hi Madeline, I recall in a small country church where the greeting of peace was being exchanged, and one of the ladies turned to another (considered the village matriarch) and said 'Peace be with you Josie' who replied 'my friends call me Mrs Hogg'. I think that one of the things I find hard about the contemporary expression of the Greeting of Peace is that it seems to have become 'intermission'. It is not required that I shake hands with every person in the congregation, though it can be very meaningful to exchange the greeting of peace with someone who has caused you grief. Sometimes I stay put, and sometimes I exchange it in Latin, though normally I am a bit better behaved. In our liturgy it comes after we have prayed for the Church and all sorts and conditions of folk, so it would be nice if it retained a prayerful solemnity, but alas.

 

I cannot agree with you more brother Phillip. The village parish of my childhood had no choir or organs - but an enthusiastic congregation that loved the Mass. I am yet to attend an Anglican church with the same level of enthusiasm and reverence here in the city.

 

I also find the Peace a little uncomfortable. I attend a shirt mass on a Thursday morning and it seems to be a requirement to exchange the peace with everyone in the congregation - it feels a bit strange.

 

There is a gent who is indulging in physicality during the Peace that I am not comfortable with. That this happens right before Eucharist really appalls me. I have stopped going to the main Sunday service.

 

What's a "shirt Mass"? Before coming to this forum, I never realised that Anglicans referred to Mass, I thought only Roman Catholics did

 

Hi Madeline,

I also feel the same, although we don't have much hugging going on at my church. I don't think it is at all necessary.

Thankfully, both churches that I have attended have a "Said" service. I have been going to those for as long as I've been attending an Anglican church. No music, no singing, no sharing the peace, just the liturgy. I sometimes go to the regular service afterwards as I do enjoy the organ and choir. As for the sharing of the peace at those services, I'm told I can intimidate people by my presence, so not many try to hug me LOL! That said, I have known some nice little elderly women who are apparently braver than they look. LOL!

 

I guess it depends upon your level of comfort, but I would bring my concerns to the priest, or one of the deacons. If you feel this way, I'm sure others feel the same and that sort of behavior should not be tolerated at all. This man needs to be spoken to. Gently at first, but more bluntly, if necessary.

 

That's really weird. As @Andy mentioned please report this to the clergy and also don't forget to mention that the whole Peace moment isn't traditional Anglican liturgy anyway but was taken over from liberal Roman Catholics (in other words it isn't traditional even for them). No one in centuries past had done it and you shouldn't have to suffer discomfort from it.