Last evening at Blackfen, we celebrated High Mass for the feast of Corpus Christi. Many thanks to Deacon John Harrison (Deacon) and Fr Charles Briggs (Subdeacon) of St Mary's Chislehurst for assisting, as well as the Latin Mass Society regulars for providing the chant. Thanks also to Mulier Fortis for the photos above and below.After Mass, we had a procession of the Blessed Sacrament within the Church grounds, singing the Pange Lingua and Sacris Solemniis etc.
Now, you might quite rightly say "But Father! Why did you have an Ombrellino for the outside procession instead of a canopy?" The answer is that we do not have a canopy - any more. There was one in the parish at one time as the following picture testifies; it shows a Blessed Sacrament Procession from, I think, the late 1950s, leaving the Church entrance and proceeding down the street:
So if anyone has a spare canopy, I'd be grateful to give it a good home. Otherwise, we're just going to have to get one made.This photo from about the same time in Rome is perhaps what we should be aiming for:
Meanwhile, have a look also at Jackie's pictures of The Oratory, Birmingham. Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Rite for Corpus Christi
Click on the photos - you get them in absolutely massive resolution ;-)
6 comments:
Canopies are pretty easy to make. You need a double bedspread-sized piece of good cloth (if you've a branch of Dunelm Mills near you, as we have, you can get a nice [not real] cloth of gold very reasonably). Square is a good shape, as it makes it much easier to process around corners if the bearers can simply turn themselves without turning the canopy. You need to line it heavily, make four holes about 9 inches in from the corners, and reinforce them. Now go to B&Q and get four 3 metre lengths of shiny imitation-brass pipe and four of the sort of knobs one shoves into the end of curtain rails. All you need now is to find a way to prevent the canopy slipping down the poles. I have not yet worked out a permanent solution, but several rubber bands wound round near the tops of the poles seems to work fine.
And all of this should take one or two people very little time to do.
Wonderful! My son drove me to Oxford for the lunchtime Sung TLM at the Oratory. A good congregation, all ages, including children. Beautiful chant. Very happy to have been able to take part in the traditional feast-day. Many thanks to all concerned.
Mine are NOT in absolutely massive resolution!!! I converted them to special web=page size especially!
;-D
Portsmouth Cathedral had a couple of nice canopies ten years ago (when I had a nosey). If they've not gone in the bin, why not ask for one of theirs. There were some nice banners, too. ;-)
How good to see traditional celebrations continue in some places in England on the Feast of Corpus Christi, in common with the Holy Father's celebration in Rome. (Now, there was a Corpus Christi procession on a rather grand scale !)
It is time now for the Bishops of England & Wales to admit their experiment was a failure, and restore the Holy Days to their proper place in the calendar.
I would say : very well done to everyone who celebrated this great Feast on its proper day.
It all looks so lovely! We had a wonderful procession in Arundel with the Papal Nuncio on Thursday -the Papal Nuncio and the Bishop walked over the carpet of flowers in the Cathedral with the Blessed Sacrament and processed down the street, with the First Holy Communion children strewing rose petals before the Blessed Sacrament, the Knights of Malta following close behind the town resounding with hymns; the procession went through the castle gates and wound through the castle grounds where there was Benediction with the Duke of Norfolk and his family in the courtyard. It is a wonderful event each year in Arundel to honour Our Lord.
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