The Anglican Use Mass

Held by His Pierced Hands ^ | 9/20/12 | Meg Hunter-Kilmer

[marshmallow]

**Note: this is a long one and probably only exciting if you’re kind of a nerd and want to know about rites and ordinariates and such. I find all this fascinating!**

My last post on the Church of England was, I know, not the usual for this blog. But the new ordinariates are just so complicated that I thought you’d want some background explaining the context from which this all arose. Now we all know that the Church of England came from the Catholic Church (didn’t they all?), that there is great beauty in their traditions and liturgies, that there have been divisions from the beginning, and that these divisions have recently become so significant that many members have been returning to Rome after nearly 500 years.

Because of the age and beauty of the CofE liturgy, because it is so similar to the Catholic liturgy, and because of pastoral sensitivity, the Church in her wisdom has determined that former Anglicans shouldn’t be expected just to dive in to the Catholic melting pot and lose their particularly Anglican culture. Instead, she’s established the option of entering via the ordinariate. Distinct ordinariates have been established in different countries; so far, there’s one in England, Scotland, and Wales, one in the US and Canada (although Canada will be establishing its own soon), and one in Australia. I’m going to go ahead and refer to all three as “the Ordinariate,” by which I’ll mean any one of the three–as far as I know, the only distinction is regional, each being headed by a different ordinary but without any other real differences.

For a little more background, let’s talk for a minute about different rites in the Church. The Catholic Church is divided into two arms, the Western and the Eastern.

[mosesdapoet]

Thanks for the posting . I rarely go into posted links unless a comment or the report rarely is up to question.

Comming from and schooled in the tridentine (latin) liturgy which means not only the rite (choice of music, supplication (prayer) phrasing and proscribed ritual) but also the liturgy including the observance of feast (holy) days are different from todays mass.

Attending todays Sunday mass to me is my weekly act of pennance. I hope to learn what these differences are between the Anglican rite which is what it should be called and if it differs which I believe it does with the mass and liturgy we have today .

[muawiyah]

Interesting article. The mechanics of inducting Anglican practices into the vast lexicon of Catholic practices could be expanded a bit. They haven't done much of that since encountering the Inca priests ~ where it was a tad more complicated, involved more use of missionaries, but adjustments were made to bring those folks all into Christianity with minimum disruption.

History buffs should take a look at this one because it probably won't happen again for hundreds of years.

Another piece (written by a Roman Catholic) covers the waterfront on similar situations with the Orthodox and refers to historic situations that explain why things are as they are. SEE: >http://theorthodoxchurch.info/main/church/non-canonical-orthodox-churches/

[MomofMarine]

Thank you so much for posting this. I’ll be moving to Texas next month and there are several parishes to choose from and one is a former Episcopal parish. I am looking for a more traditional, reverent parish without all the liberal leanings of my present parish (and priest). I had planned to attend each of them a few times before deciding, and now I will definitely take a good look at the former Episcopal parish. The liturgy sounds wonderful to me! Thanks again.

[marshmallow]

You’re more than welcome.

[Oratam]

" . . . there is great beauty in their traditions and liturgies . . . ."

It just dawned on me. I wonder how much of that "great beauty" is the product of the Oxford Movement, the work of Newman and Keble to (re)introduce "Roman" forms and practices to the Church of England in the first half of the nineteenth century.

I'm asking, "Was there much "beauty" present in 1750?"

Inigo Jones (a Catholic) was commissioned to build the first "purpose-built" Protestant church in England in 1630. The Earl of Bedford, who commissioned Jones, asked for a simple church "not much better than a barn." Jones replied, "Then you shall have the handsomest barn in England." Indeed, the proportions are magnificent. The interior, eh, not so much.