At the eastern end of the north aisle is a small chapel dedicated to St Philip Neri which recalls the chapel in the Chiesa Nuova in Rome where the Father's body is enshrined:
Last night and today the relics of St Philip were solemnly honoured:
Around the Church are a number of painted canvas hangings with scenes from the life of St Philip. They are now quite faded but the lighting in the Church has been arranged so that they can still be seen. One favourite for any alumnus of the English College in Rome is the scene of St Philip meeting the students. He used to say to them Salvete flores martyrum! ("Hail, flowers of the martyrs!")
The students would go to see St Philip to obtain his blessing before their return to England and, for many of them, death for the faith.My visit to Birmingham was at the request of the Fathers who had kindly invited me to preach for the feast day. Here is the rather terrifying pulpit from which I spoke:
A couple of views from the sacristy; first the press where vestments were laid out for the priests who came to concelebrate:
And here is the press with the vestments laid out for the Celebrant, Deacon and Subdeacon.
Mass was celebrated according to the Novus Ordo. It represented a real example of the "hermeneutic of continuity" whereby the celebration of Mass with the scripture readings in the vernacular was visibly in continuity with the ancient Roman Rite. The music was absolutely glorious and at the end of Mass, a popular hymn to St Philip was sung with gusto.
8 comments:
What exactly does "solemnly honoured" entail? I can see the reliquary and candles; is there a liturgical form for honouring relics?
The relics were incensed during the Magnificat at Solemn Vespers. The small reliquary was also taken out so that people could kiss it and be blessed with the relics.
The liturgies at Birmingham are stupendous but I would have thought that the Oratory fathes aren't keen on concelebration?
I have never seen the point of it to be honest but enough of me whining!
From what I see, the Birmingham Oratory is genuinely open both to the traditional rite and to the Novus Ordo celebrated with proper reverence according to the current liturgical norms.
Of the community and visiting priests, some concelebrated, some assisted in choir (and of course, two assisted as deacon and subdeacon.) There was no pressure to do one or the other. This is s true reflection of the provisions of Redemptionis Sacramentum and I think is a very sensible arrangement in the current circumstances in the Church.
I have to admit that I am less and less keen on concelebrating. If there is a solemn Mass, I much prefer to say a private Mass and then to participate devotionally in choir at the solemn Mass.
I din't think you had Deacon and Subdeacomn at Novis Ordo?
Well, deacon you certainly can have (Pope Paul VI restored the permanent diaconate as well.)
In Ministeria quaedam, Pope Paul VI said that the functions of the subdeacon were shared between the Deacon and Acolyte. So it is quite proper for an acolyte in tunicle to carry out the functions of the subdeacon at Mass.
I used to be "acolyte" when serving novus ordo latin "high" masses, it meant I got to hold the candle by the pulpit during the gospel, but I'm not sure that that counts :-)
However given that extraordinary monsters, sorry ministers are, I believe, instituted as acolytes, does that mean that they can perform this role of subdeacon in novus ordo or for that matter in the classical rite?
I'll get my coat.....
Extraordinary ministers are not instituted as acolytes - those "lay ministries" are not take up by the Bishops in England (except for seminarians) because they are reserved to men.
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