Thursday 17 May 2007

Ascension

It's forty days after Easter, therefore it's the Ascension today. I'm so cross at having it moved to the Sunday against almost everyone's wishes, it appears. This morning I said a votive Mass of the Ascension, with text from the Missal for the feast and readings for Thursday of the Sixth week of Easter. Looking on the positive side, I heard about old Priscilla and Aquila in the first reading; they've always been missed out before, on account of the Ascension.
I'm going to cook myself a nice festal lunch.
What have others done today? Is anyone convinced by the move to Sunday?

17 comments:

Fr Ray Blake said...

We had a large number of people for Mass here this morning, more than twice our normal daily Mass congregation, with quite a few cental/easter Europeans who came to celebrate the Ascension.
I have to go out of town tonight, otherwise I would be tempted to become ecumenical and go to one of the High Anglican Churches around here to listen to some good music.

Anonymous said...

Happy to report that up here in Scotland, today is still the Feast of the Ascension!

Anonymous said...

I am shocked that you have cut peoples write to reply/respond on a previous post - why have you censured your blog?

Anonymous said...

Going up to a tridentine celebration of ascension in London with the family. I remember when I read about the move to the next Sunday for these holydays in my Parish, our parish priest sneered at the older types who would obviously object. He gave some fatuous excuse for the move as ensuring priests avoid being overburdened with masses on the Holydays.
Having said that he also sowed confusion over the Catholic adoption service position on homosexual practise. Does not think the church is "where it should be" in relation to adultery and likes to do little pantos in his sermon complete with farting noises and gay voiceovers.
Have to say, quite a few of us are feeling increasingly uncomfortable with what is going on in some of our churches.
We do try to remember that often we are catholics despite our clergy not because of them.

Pray for us.

Benfan

Fr Justin said...

To 'shocked' anonymous

I blocked further discussion, because
1) I have the right to: it's my blog.
2) I thought that futher discussion would add nothing to what had been said.
3) As I commented in the text of the post, things were getting too heated.
4) I have dear friends on both sides of the dispute and don't want to alienate any of them unnecessarily.

I reserve the right to do the same in future.

Fr Justin said...

p.s. I think you meant
1. 'right to respond' (which you don't have) and
2. 'censored': I rather like my blog and don't censure it.
An apostrophe in 'peoples' would have been nice, too.

Mulier Fortis said...

Anonymous the first, you appear to be a complete whingebag. If you want to say something, (1) have the courage to put your own name to it, (2) start up your own blog. This is an interesting blog belonging to Fr Justin, and he can do whatever he wants to.

Sorry about that, Father... I just had to get it off my chest. I would also recommend not allowing anonymous whingebags any more blogspace...

;-)

Anonymous said...

I'm pleased to see that my local Catholic Comprehensive school recognises that today is the Ascension. Their website - (www.cncs.co.uk - and follow the 'Newman News' link) has a very good piece on the feast and why it's celebrated and it stattes that the feast is celebrated TODAY, 17 May.

PS: Looking at your replies to 'Anonymous' I'd better make sure I dot the i's and cross the t's before posting a reply to your blog again!! I think that sometimes people get so caught up in the heat of the moment when replying to a post that grammar and punctuation go out of the window ..... still, that's no excuse for Anonymous' telling you what to do on your own blog!

Cathy said...

Yes, I'm convinced.
Convinced that it was done to accommodate those people who are too lazy to go to Mass twice (perish the thought!) in one week.
It was done to make them feel better about themselves. It certainly wasn't done to bring anybody closer to God, which is pretty much (or should be) the job of ANY new rule in the Church.

Anonymous said...

Roma,
Is the plural of i and t shown with an apostrophe?

Anonymous said...

Foregive me for getting back to the point of the post but I do resent moving this feast to a Sunday.
I was talking to my parish priest who seems to share my resentment. He said that it was one reason for him to learn to celebrate the Classical Roman Rite. I am willing to pay for him to learn it, do you know, Father, where he can go?

Fr Justin said...

The first problem is to learn at least sufficient Latin to recognize what one is saying. One can do this online these days at Rosetta Stone.
There is no substitute for learning the rubrics on one's own, really. Your parish priest needs to get a copy of Fortescue-O'Connell and a missal, and simply practise it over (sacristy vesting presses are usually about the right height) until the gestures &c become natural. The labour will not be in vain; one learns all sorts of things that make ones celebration even of the New Mass more dignified and reverent.
Once the rubrics are fairly well learnt, then I recommend saying a dry Mass in front of another priest who is accustomed to saying the Old Mass: The Latin Mass Society will provide the names of one of two in your area; he will help with observations.
The monks at Le Barroux (they have a website and several English-speaking priests) in Southern France are very willing to help. It's a lovely place to stay, too.

Anonymous said...

Served at a old rite missa cantata in the Oratory. Place was full - with youngsters I might add (in case the bishops are reading this!!!)

Anonymous said...

Your rights? I suppose you and susan believe you have the right to insult virtual and real parishioners alike.

Anonymous said...

p.s you are certainly not a priest I would trust - obviously you think i have no rights because I'm not very good at spelling or grammer and your blog is only for clever people. Is your church only for clever parishioners too? Oh by the way, you have just offended and been abusive to a parishioner - they were right.

DP said...

I went to visit my Benedictine friends at a nearby Abbey and joined in on the Liturgy of the Hours and stuck around to spend some time in prayer. Afterwards I joined up with some young adults from the area to pray a scriptural rosary (different verse related to the particular mystery inserted before each Hail Mary. . . it's a neat way of praying the rosary).

Anonymous said...

Priests who'd like to learn the Old Rite may find the Latin Mass Society's resources helpful:
http://www.latin-mass-society.org/resources.htm

They're also in the middle of raising (and setting aside) funds specifically for running courses for priests who wish to do do this. I'd suggest contacting them directly.

The more priests who are willing and able to celebrate the Old Rite, the better - I've just returned from the CIEL Solemn Mass, conference and Benediction at the London Oratory, and don't think I've ever seen or heard anything more beautiful.