“Anyway.....the blessing of the throat....go to hell, whatâs that all about?”
Oh yes - I’ve had my throat blessed in numerous churches over many years.
More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blessing_of_the_Throats
BTW - does your church bless animals? My sister’s church does and they’ve always taken their dogs there (they do the blessing outside, not in the church). It’s for St. Francis of Assisi: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/francis/blessing.asp
OMG.....and to AB also.....wow....serious, I never heard of blessing of throats.
WE DO, ahem, bless animals. Now our former Pastor, Father Jim, had a dog, and maybe that’s why we did the animal thing, I dunno. I don’t know why we never blessed the throats but on some level I’m smiling in muse about it.
I man that whole thing threw me for a loop! First, we got two important people quit our choir and one of them was the really main singer of our males. So the males left were split between the sopranos and the altos and go to hell ain’t I sitting next to another very handsome man, which was okay with me. And we had to snuggle real close together cause the idea was that the women would carry the men because while these men sing quite well, they are very timid. And I’m giving DEnnis, that’s his name, a pep talk and we’re crouching together as I kind of sing in his ear....sheesh.....it was kind of cool.
And the choir conductor was the Cantor so she goes up to the altar to cantor and leaves the choir stand in the pew and the ushers had to move it so I could get communion, me and Dennis.
I’d heard about this blessing of the throat thing....my choir director told me about it before mass as we waited for the earlier mass to let out.
But my goodness they had a priest and a deacon...maybe another priest it was so damn confusing....and people were trying to get out to go home but everybody was in line for blessing of the throat.
Father Tom had on a really pretty vestment today...a dark, forest green with what was a golden bell embroidered on it with the bell’s “clapper” being what looked like human hands folded in prayer.
He’s too much, huh?
So there I am standing in some line or another, I have no idea, but Diane Feinstein comes rushing over and moves me bodily into another line, in which I get my throat blessed and still never done such a thing ever before.
“It will not do for Father Tom to kiss you while blessing your throat,” she whispered as we finally got out of there, somehow managing to get four bulletins and three Dioscan newsletters between us.
Which is not to say Father Tom would have done such a thing but....well I’m glad the deacon blessed my throat and even at that I was a very confused mess.
Anyway....thanks for indulging me. It’s been just fifteen minutes since Diane Feinstein left as we had to stop at the WAWA and the Walmart, as is her wont.
I’m trying to unwind and my mind still spins.