...it's round here somewhere.
Seriously, here's a disclaimer. On this blog, I draw my own interpretations, publish my own sermons, and ruminate on the state of the Church independently of any establishment to which I'm affiliated. There are statements contained herein which may be wrong. Please correct me so that I can learn from this.
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Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Is the English Rite Right?
A few thoughts on how ethnicity affects the Church and how we should seek unity rather than uniformity.
Your little talk is thought-provoking. I suppose that the most ecclesial "solution" to the question of Sarum is that those of us using it are doing so with the knowledge and blessing of Bishop Damien and Archbishop Haverland in my case, my being under his direct oversight.
Ironically, I live in France, and many people interested in Sarum live in America or other non-European countries. What is the deal?
Most of northern Europe and what is now the UK went through the chaos of the Reformation, like France had its Revolution, no longer in the name of a purified Christianity, but atheism. France too had local rite, or bits of them incorporated in the Roman rite. Sarum descends to a large extent from Rouen. The Dominican rite is essentially Parisian, and the similarities with Sarum are striking.
What of the pastoral aspect? With Christian culture just about gone, people are more likely to favour something "cool" like modern liturgies and Mass facing the people. Alternatively, they couldn't care less. If this is a criterion for liturgical use, we may have to follow it, just like what Pope Francis wants of the RC traditionalists.
We are in a big mess. I favour a "Benedict Option" rather than integralism or trying to pretend that we still have a Christian culture and political regime. Yes, it's a mess and I don't pretend that Sarum or anything else represents a solution. We need to keep thinking and teaching by our example and witness. Not easy.
Dear Fr Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteYour little talk is thought-provoking. I suppose that the most ecclesial "solution" to the question of Sarum is that those of us using it are doing so with the knowledge and blessing of Bishop Damien and Archbishop Haverland in my case, my being under his direct oversight.
Ironically, I live in France, and many people interested in Sarum live in America or other non-European countries. What is the deal?
Most of northern Europe and what is now the UK went through the chaos of the Reformation, like France had its Revolution, no longer in the name of a purified Christianity, but atheism. France too had local rite, or bits of them incorporated in the Roman rite. Sarum descends to a large extent from Rouen. The Dominican rite is essentially Parisian, and the similarities with Sarum are striking.
What of the pastoral aspect? With Christian culture just about gone, people are more likely to favour something "cool" like modern liturgies and Mass facing the people. Alternatively, they couldn't care less. If this is a criterion for liturgical use, we may have to follow it, just like what Pope Francis wants of the RC traditionalists.
We are in a big mess. I favour a "Benedict Option" rather than integralism or trying to pretend that we still have a Christian culture and political regime. Yes, it's a mess and I don't pretend that Sarum or anything else represents a solution. We need to keep thinking and teaching by our example and witness. Not easy.
Fr Anthony