The Traditional Anglican Parishes of St
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
EMERALD ECHO Parish Newsletter St. Bride of Kildare, Pitt Meadows St. Columba of Iona, Halfmoon Bay The Traditional Anglican Church of Canada Vol. 3 No. 4: Whitsuntide 2012 This from ‘Wikipedia’: ‘Whitsuntide, the different tunes in competition); the banners and week following Whitsunday, was one of three flags flying and people along the sidewalks (mainly vacation weeks for the medieval villein; on mothers & some dads of the youngsters in the most manors he was free from service on the procession, I suppose), a welcome break from the lord's demesne this week, which marked a ration book days in which we were living: but, I pause in the agricultural year. Whit Monday, am sure, a far greater ‘break’ for those mediaeval the day after Whitsun, remained a holiday in ‘villeins’, the indentured labourers on the lord’s the UK until 1967 when the movable holiday lands and estates. was replaced with the fixed Spring Bank How did we get to the name Whitsunday, rather Holiday in late May. Whit was the occasion than Pentecost as used elsewhere for the feast? for varied forms of celebration. In the north Again, from Wikipedia: ‘Old English homilies west of England, church and chapel parades have the words: "The Holy-Ghost, which thou did called Whit Walks still take place at this time send on Whit-Sunday", but I rather like this other (sometimes on Whit Friday, the Friday after definition from Augustinian canon, John Mirk Whitsun). Typically, the parades include brass (c1382 - 1414), of Lilleshall Abbey, Shropshire: bands and choirs; girls attending are dressed ‘Good men and wimmen, this day (Dies in white. Traditionally, Whit Fairs (sometimes Penthecostes) is called Wytsonday by cause the called Whitsun Ales) took place. Other holy ghost bought wytte and wisdom into Crists customs such as Morris dancing and cheese dyscyples, and so by prechying after in all rolling are associated with Whit, although in Cristendom and fylled him full of holy Wytte’. many cases they have been transferred to the The other symbol of Pentecost is that of the Holy Spring Bank Holiday.’ Paraclete: I was never really sure of this word either, but when the Pilgrimage stayed at the House of the Paraclete, in Sleights, Yorkshire, the thing was made clear, in the sculpted design mounted on the outside wall of the chapel. The altar in the Anglican Catholic -OP Holy Paraclete Parish, Capetown South Africa, Bishop Alan Kenyon- Whit Walks in Manchester, England, 2010. Hoare, Rector. As a child, I was more excited about the big procession, the bands playing (often two THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS – ANGLICAN and not what he termed “manufactured” WORSHIP AND SACRAMENTAL THEOLOGY liturgies. He wrote that the Novus Ordo was the result of an aimless pursuit of novelty and the An Address by western position of the celebrant is based on a Canon Kenneth Gunn-Walberg misreading of history. While supporting the use Rector of St. Mary’s, Wilmington, Delaware of the vernacular, he was sharply critical of pastoral insensitivity in instituting reforms of After Morning Prayer, Friday in dubious merit. Ascensiontide, June 3, 2011 While reflecting the spirit of our times, church architecture reinforces such modernisms and Part 6 (final part) post-modernisms. One architect in the U.S. stood in resistance to the current trends in art and In terms of the altar, it is interesting that architecture and that was Ralph Adams Cram. Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, has written forwards in praise of two books that have many reservations as to the results of Vatican II especially as to the altar cum table. One is by Monsignor Klaus Gamber, a German Roman Catholic liturgist and is entitled The Reform of the Roman Liturgy: Its Problems and Background. The other is Turning Toward the Lord: Orientation in Liturgical Prayer by Uwe Michael Lang. Monsignor Gamber originally had been sympathetic to Vatican II but had second thoughts and subsequently urged broader use of (Princeton University Chapel, 1928: Ralph Adams Cram) traditional liturgies and argued that there Cram’s church designs sought to combine the should have been an organic development spirit of the Gothic while using modern technology and materials. In contrast to Cram who loved the medieval period and wrote nearly a dozen books about its art, buildings, cathedrals, and social order, most of today’s church architects serve the spirit of the age whether or not they fully understand their own aesthetic. Moyra Dooley in her book No Place for God: (ad orientem – above, or versus populum, below) The Denial of the Transcendent in Church Architecture argues that modern churches are designed “to…the celebration…of [the] worshipping community not the transcendent God” and “are temples to the spirit of the age.” Modernism she argues has been a destructive force. As an architect herself, she has rendered the verdict that “the ugliest churches in history have been the result.” Sacredness and the beauty of holiness have been replaced with the comfort and complacency of the community. In off the previous day, but he had yet to catalogue obliterating the sacred, the result has been it and put it in the library. replacing it with the boring and the banal. On this side of the Atlantic the Anglican Use To examine “The Beauty of Holiness”— folk have the Book of Divine Worship. The Anglican worship and sacramental theology Catholic Knight web-site and blog promotes the “in the light of contemporary liturgies, the use of the Anglican Breviary and our various Roman Rite and the proposed revision of Missals, but the enthusiasm of the site for things the BCP to bring it in line with Roman Anglo-Catholic and its optimism for the future views” presents several challenges. Firstly seems a trifle overwrought given the recent there is a profound asymmetry between actions of Archbishop Collins and the virtual Rome and Anglo-papists in number and collapse of the pretensions of the supporters of hence influence both in Britain and within the Ordinariate in the U.S.A. and Canada the Traditional Anglican Communion. In probably indicates that The Book of Divine Britain the lamb of Anglo-Papalism laid Worship will remain for some time the only down with the Romano-Papalists and now book in play. there is no more lamb left as they were The Affirmation of St. Louis recognized the already “Roman Rite Anglicans” and easily crises that modernity posed and deserves to be devoured. When the downwardly mobile re-visited as a basis for Anglican unity. Its Bishop John Broadhurst—now Monsignor “Principles of Doctrine”, “Principles of Broadhurst—visited my parish for an FCC Morality”, “Constitutional Principles”, [Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen] “Principles of Worship”, and “Principles of meeting several years ago I extended the Action” remain quite pertinent today as the crisis courtesy to him of celebrating from one of of Anglicanism continues domestically and our three missals. He made his choice and it abroad. Since the Fellowship of Concerned became obvious that it was a book long Churchmen sponsored the St. Louis Congress in foreign to him. It may have been the September 1977 which adopted the Affirmation, Monsignor whom Aidan Nichols stated said the Fellowship has continued to promote to him when he was asked if The Book of harmony and communication between various Divine Worship produced for the Anglican jurisdictions by meetings, conferences, and its Use Parishes in the U.S.A. might be publications: The Certain Trumpet and The commended to Forward in Faith, UK the Directory of Traditional Anglican and Episcopal reply received was that anything connected Parishes. Since the Affirmation which was the with the Prayer Books tends to be, “We impetus for a formal church structure many can’t go back to that.” peculiar groups have been established using This was underlined when I visited Forward elements of Anglican liturgy and governance, in Faith, UK headquarters in London at the but seem to have little regard for the principles former Catholic Apostolic Church of the of the Affirmation and to the validity of Orders. Irvingites for a noon Mass. There were no The Statement on Church Unity published by the service book, missalettes, or whatever in the Anglican Parishes Association for the Anglican pews so I picked up a copy of the only book Catholic Church is an excellent work on in sight and it was the 1928 Grey Book. In problems and challenges inherent in the seeking was delighted, but when the Mass began, it and realization of unity. was tawdry, incomprehensible, but Two components of Anglican Worship and the mercifully brief. Afterwards I dined with Beauty of Holiness that deserve a modicum of the FiF Secretary and asked about the Grey our attention are music and Scripture itself. The Book. He told me someone had dropped it use of the Hymnal of 1940 is normative in or abroad, who therefore will malign us, the A.C.C. The Hymnal was supplemented because we are poor instruments to make by additional material in 1960 and in 1976 God's holy Truth to be yet more and and contains over 620 hymns, 8 settings for more known unto the people, whom they the Eucharist, 2 settings of the Versicles desire still to keep in ignorance and and Responses of Matins and Evensong, darkness; or if, on the other side, we shall with one for choral use and one for be maligned by self-conceited Brethren, congregational use, and a variety of who run their own ways, and give liking Anglican Chant settings of Canticles and as unto nothing, but what is framed by well as the Psalms.