Ordinariate Unveils Mass that Draws on Cranmer

The Catholic Herald (UK) ^ | 10/11/13

[marshmallow]

A new text for the Catholic Mass which integrates centuries old Anglican prayers into the Roman Rite was officially introduced in a London church on Thursday.

The new liturgy, known as the Ordinariate Use, has been devised for the personal ordinariates – the structures set up by Benedict XVI to allow Anglicans to enter into full communion with the Pope, while preserving elements of their distinctive Anglican liturgical and pastoral traditions.

The Mass, at the church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street, was celebrated by the leader – or Ordinary – of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Monsignor Keith Newton. It was offered in honour of the patron of the Ordinariate, Blessed John Henry Newman, whose feast was on October 9.

It began with words from the Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer, first unveiled by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in 1549: “Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires are known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee and worthily magnify thy holy Name.”

Traditional elements of the Roman Rite, such as the Last Gospel and the preparatory Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, options within the Ordinariate Use, were also included.

The sermon was preached by Monsignor Andrew Burnham, Assistant to the Ordinary and a member of the special working party set up by Rome which devised the new Use.

In his sermon, Mgr Burnham said: “Have we, in the Ordinariate, dreamed up our very own ‘hermeneutic of rupture’? Certainly, we have broken away from the Church of England, in which most of us had spent most of our lives. We have broken away too from the trajectory.......

[Tax-chick]

I supposed you could say “morbidly ironic,” but if you can suggest a better term, I’m open to it. There’s a whole Unabridged Dictionary out there ...

[cothrige]

Beloved, yes, but not Catholic. Why does the Catholic Church despise its own beautiful history and heritage? Why is there no Catholic music in Catholic churches? It is, in my opinion, a sin that modern Catholics actually think they have to turn to Luther for traditional spiritual music. And it is not their sin, but the sin of those who abuse them this way by refusing to allow them to taste of their own spiritual heritage.

[Biggirl]

Problem is that some of the comtempary Catholic songs are not that great either. Bether to get a beloved Christian hymm than some of the much more contempary Catholic songs.

[cothrige]

Contemporary Catholic songs? No, they are crap. But there are numerous traditional Catholic hymns which are beautiful, and most churches never use them. When they want traditional hymns they go to Luther and other such people. It is silly. Catholics should be able to at least participate in their own patrimony.