Yesterday marked the eighth centenary of the approval of the rule of St Francis by Pope Innocent III in 1209. To Mark the occasion, Fr Stefano Manelli, founder and superior of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, celebrated a solemn High Mass in the usus antiquior at the papal altar of the Basilica of St John Lateran.The Franciscans of the Immaculate routinely celebrate Mass according to the newer form although I understand that many of the Sisters prefer to have the usus antiquior celebrated and the superiors are quite open to this. The FIs are therefore in the vanguard of the response to Pope Benedict's Summorum Pontificum, offering both forms of the Roman Rite with exemplary reverence.
Many thanks to NLM (Solemn Mass in the Usus Antiquior at the Lateran) for the heads-up.
Thanks also to Rinascimento Sacro: FFI: Padre Manelli per gli 800 anni della Regola celebra nella forma straordinaria in Laterano for their report and this slide show:
10 comments:
Looking at the wonderful basilica in the slide show, I was struck by the contrast with some of our more modern buildings.
Last week I attended the Chrism Mass at Clifton Cathedral - the first time I had ever been there, and probably the last. As our coach arrived I thought that the exterior of the Cathedral looked just like the outside of a multi-storey car park. I was therefore not entirely surprised to find that the interior was just like the inside of a multi-storey car park.
Stark, brutal concrete everywhere; not a crucifix behind the "sanctary", not a tapestry, not even a statue. It could have been the assembly hall of an inner-city comprehensive school; there was no sense whatever of the sacred.
The crowning horror was the so-called Stations of the Cross - a hideously ugly monstrosity of 14 totally unintelligible bas-reliefs.
It struck me then that after centuries during which pious men and women had always laboured to produce buildings and objects of beauty for the glory of God, we were now in an age in which people labour to produce ugliness - and to what end?
It was a thoroughly depressing experience, and your pictures here were a very welcome antidote, Father!
I have not been to Clifton Cathedral. But I would advise you to avoid Middlesbrough Cathedral...
"FI" is blogger shorthand for Franciscans of the Immaculate now? I was racking my brains to imagine for which rite "FI Mass" might serve as shorthand. Thanks for the heads up, Father.
http://www.cliftoncathedral.org.uk/about/interiorw.jpg
That's a link to the Cathedral in Clifton. It reminds me a bit of the underground basilica in Lourdes.
and by the looks of it Middlesbrough Cathedral looks a far sight better than Clifton's Cathedral
Rusticus, I hope to attend the Chrism Mass at Clifton Cathedral some day...
My take on the Cathedral when I last visited was that it provided a good venue for quiet prayer; I also came away with the impression that the acoustics of the building would lend to a truly impressive musical experience at a major celebration.
I have a great respect for the writings of the Bishop of Clifton, and would love to have heard him preach at the Chrism Mass.
Perhaps you would be kind enough to comment on these aspects of the Chrism Mass that you attended at Clifton Cathedral this year?
Rather amusingly, our last Dean at Clifton Cathedral occasionally celebrated the usus antiquior there.
Father, did you seee this?
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2009/03/franciscans-of-immaculate-predilect.html
They have now declared their predilection for the Extraordinary Form. BTW, beautiful congregation!
In Christ,
Patricia Medina
I think the FI have declared as a whole order their preference for the EF Mass and Sacraments.
Dolly,
To take you points in order:
Quiet prayer? - possibly, but not last week with a cathedral full of people jabbering away in their wretched little school hall chairs.
Acoustics and music? Well there was certaily plenty of that. Rather too loud and overwhelming - made the whole Mass seem more like a concert.
The Bishop's sermon? Rather bland, to be honest; some bits of Futurechurch nonsense but on the whole neither exceptional nor exceptionable.
However, judging by the look he gave me I don't think he approved of my wish to receive communion on the tongue!
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