Back(s) to the future

It is announced that the Oratory in Vienna St. Rochus ONLINE is from the first Sunday of Advent to abandon in accorandance with Cardinal Schonborn's wishes the temporary Altar, and replace it with a permanent Altar, as the linked translation using babelfish makes clear:
kreuz.net – people altar ade (here's a link for German readers, which is in some respects in clearer English than babelfish - kreuz.net – Ein Mißverständnis)

What a co-incidence that the temporary Altar was "forward facing" and its permanent replacement has been attached to the back wall of the sanctuary for some centuries.

Playing at Churches

This is what the name of the techical liturgical term is called for what Lord Dr Williams is doing in these photos of him in S Sabina, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams attends a mass celebrating the feast of Christ the King and marking the Fortieth Anni...

The A of C at the VEC

Carrying the rank style and title of an archbishop without actually being one is a small difficulty for a man of the standing of Lord Dr Williams the Archmister of Canterbury and to some extent that difficulty can only have been assuaged by a so far unreported event last week at Rome's Venerable English College wherein the cream of seminarians from England and Wales hearts beat high with joy whene're they heard those glorious words that they were to polish up the College's best relics of the College Martyrs New Page 1 so that Lord Dr Williams might read the anglican service of communion in front of them and surge illuminare: Tarmac our Bishop.

Oh, the irony of humility (or should that have been humiliation?)



In fact, two steps closer to the actuality,the Devout life
(http://anglocath.blogspot.com/2006/11/st-edmund-campion.html) reports -
The Archiepiscopal consort is also in residence. This morning (22nd), whilst the seminarians of the college were at morning prayer in the church, Rowan did a bread service at the main altar of the chapel; the relics of the English Martyrs had been specially taken out and polished and placed in the chapel for him. Cardinal Cormac was reportedly with in attendance.

How those Saints must be pleased that according to a certain reading of things they shed their blood for nothing.

Though the English College Seminarians wince at the whole horrible thing, at least they don't have to suffer the indignity of 1966 when...

"...we all gathered in the English College courtyard to bid farewell to the archbishop (Ramsay) and his colleagues. The Senior Student asked the archbishop to give us his blessing. We all knelt down to receive it. As you read this you are probably thinking this was no big deal. But this was 1966 and here were 90 Catholic seminarians in Rome, all in their cassocks, kneeling down to receive the blessing from the Archbishop of Canterbury."

Well, how we have moved on. Doubts are expressed that 90 Catholic seminarians could now be mustered in the courtyard of the VEC, and in any case would the rectory allow them to muster in crypto-papalist cassocks?

Great Glee

Great Glee is expressed at Abp Marini's commentary on the Byzantine liturgy - "The priest and all the faithful look to the East, whence Christ will come again in glory. The priest intercedes before the Lord for his people; he walks at the head of the people towards the encounter with the Lord. At different moments the priest turns to the people: for the proclamation of the Gospel, for the dialogue preceding the [Canon of the Mass], for the communion with the holy gifts, and for all the blessings. These symbolize moments in which the Lord himself comes forth to meet his people."Apostolic Journey to Turkey: Presentation

Why, it's almost as if he has both read and understood "Turning Towards the Lord" from Ignatius Press - 2004 - Fall

Head-garment tip to L'espresso Settimo Cielo di Sandro Magister

An unfounded and unsubstantiatable rumour

It is put forward in some quarters that the imbroglio over our Holy Father's address to the Swiss bishops has a different explanation to that given by the Vatican Press office, namely that the Swiss Bishops got to know of the contents of the address beforehand, and said they would walk out on the Holy Father were it to be delivered. A rapid rethink at GHQ led to the Holy Father giving an extemporaneous speech, and the thinly credible explanation from the Press Office that they themselves had goofed up.

It is further noted that our Holy Father specially mentioned (Mit diesen Gedanken begrüße ich die Pilger und Besucher deutscher Sprache, ganz besonders die Wallfahrer aus dem Fürstentum Liechtenstein mit Erzbischof Wolfgang Haas) only Archbishop Haas at the following General Audience, http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/19246.php?index=19246&po_date=15.11.2006&lang=en who alone amongst the Swiss Bishops' Conference is in a Hermeneutic of Continuity with the Apostolic See, now gloriously reigning. Perhaps the others had gone home.