What liturgy used to be like



Fascinating footage from the restoration of Pluscarden Abbey to Catholic worship in 1948. The crowds are impressive, with people sitting precariously on various bits of stonework.

The liturgy looks rather haphazard by today's standards, reminding me of some of the footage of papal liturgies under Blessed John XXIII on YouTube. I suppose that television has had an influence in making MCs faff around less obviously.

It may be that there is also some "mutual enrichment" in that priests who say the usus antiquior Mass do not rush through it in 15 minutes, and High Masses, even with sacred ministers who are not too familiar with the rites, tend to be less obviously shambolic.

It could also be suggested that back in the 1940s people had a greater sense of the objective value of the Liturgy and did not worry so much about what it looked like. I don't think I buy that.

H/T New Liturgical Movement. The video was posted to YouTube by A Wandering Oblate.

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