Sunday 20 May 2007

Ascension Thursday Sunday

Today, according to the bidding prayers, was
1) World Communications Sunday
2) Not-for-Sale Sunday (something about sex trafficking)
3) Christian Aid Sunday

Somehow the feast of our Lord's glorious ascension got rather lost. It just felt like another Sunday with all the bolt-ons that we are supposed to have.

I had several complaints about it not being on Thursday.

It was fun announcing it as Ascension Thursday Sunday, though……

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

40 days after the Resurrection takes us to a Thursday, not a Sunday. I am quite open in admitting that I went to Mass for Ascension Thursday on Thursday last. I enjoyed singing the whole of the Mass from my Liber Usualis. No, it was not a Novus Ordo Mass but one sung by a priest of the SSPX. I swing around from place to place and more often than not it is not in my own parish which has just too many liturgical innovations for my liking.
JARay

Anonymous said...

Dear Father,
Just curious.... Don't you have a say in the composition of the bidding prayers? I write ours and the Ascension was central. By the way, we have Ascension Thursday Sunday here too. Ugh! God bless.

Anonymous said...

"Give us back the Seventh Sunday of Easter".
I might walk up and down outside the Cardinal's house with this on a placard.

Mater mari said...

I also enjoyed asking my choir leader if the psalm 'God goes up with shouts of joy' should have been 'God went up with shouts of joy'. She reached for her missal, at which point I had to confess I was making a point ...

Anonymous said...

Well, you were lucky to get any Ascension stuff at all. I didn't go on Thursday as I had to be travelling at the time of daily Mass - no extra ones, of course, so I was looking forward to celebrating the Feast on Sunday - though I WISH they hadn't moved it for so many reasons.

However, it was a Mass for the first communion children - not the actual first communion mass - just one with them all there. [Where are they usually??]

So we didn't have the readings for Ascension Day at all at the main parish in Eastbourne. We had something from St Paul, I think, for the first reading. Maybe ICor? Children were reading, it was very altered and I couldn't hear anyway. Then someone sang 'On Eagles Wings' instead of the psalm, then there was a paraphrase of part of John's Gospel - In my Father's house are many rooms. We did have the prayers and blessing for Ascension Day though - I'm sure prayers and readings are not supposed to be mixed up like this. Then after the homily there was a mime on the sanctuary while a tape of an awful American song was played - can't remember what it was called. Nothing to do with the Ascension. Much applause.

I am torn between wanting to belong to a parish plus helping my daughter there with her young family - and yearning for a faithful and dignified Mass. Ho hum.. Thank you for reading this - I feel better for writing it.

Fr Michael Brown said...

I also celebrated Ascension Thursday Sunday on Saturday night!

Anonymous said...

Eastbourne Aonymous,
It sounds dire, my sympathies.
If only you could've got to Birmingham Oratory, if only everyone could.

Anonymous said...

If only, Emma.

Anonymous said...

Did'nt think we could change the Sunday readings and why change them and why mime and 'entertain'.....it's AWFUL and getting worse.

Anonymous said...

Nothing new - changing the Sunday readings here at Eastbourne. Happens several times a year - whenever the First Holy Communion children have a special Mass. I've known them omit the creed too - though not recently - perhaps I wasn't the only one who complained....
Sorry to stay anonymous on this one - I don't want to make my daughter's young family unpopular in the parish.

Anonymous said...

Last anonymous - you can change anything you like in England and Wales (as long as it's an innovation) because the liturgical norms don't apply here and so we don't have any abuses.

We know that's the case because Bishop Lindsay (early-retired bishop emeritus (primo) of Hexham and Newcastle) has said so in the 'Catholic' press on many occasions.

What does it matter if the Ascension is ignored? the bishops don't seem to to mind or care - and they're always right.

Rant over. I was in Austria on Thursday, which was a holiday of obligation and attended a Mass of the Ascension, complete with Missa de Angelis and relevant hymns.