Anglican Use: 2.

Midnight Mass at Arlington

A visit by Fr Allan's Bishop
the Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, of the Diocese of Fort Worth

Fr Allan Hawkins has now sent some more pictures; and, since they are worth 1000 words, here they are. The Roman Mass according to the Anglican Use, as celebrated in St Mary the Virgin, Arlington, Texas. He reminisces about changes in liturgy.



"You and I have lived through an age of liturgical fidgets -- we have used 1662, 1928, Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, the English Missal, the Interim Rite; but, unlike you, I have been spared the Alternative Service Book and its current successor. When I was at St Mark's, Swindon, I found myself in agreement with the general push towards modern liturgy -- and so we used sometime the Novus Ordo, but mostly Series 3 adapted so as to coincide with the modern western rite. The reason for this was -- so I believed -- that the priority there, in the town of God's Wonderful Railway, and where the letters G O D meant the Good Old Days, there was an urgent need to bring everything in modern times and to find ways, if possible, to speak to modern hearts and souls and to try to call a halt to a habitual living in the past (not just ecclesiologically, but in every aspect of the life of that community). The need here, of course, is quite different: there is a constant need to connect with roots and the heritage. In other words, I am saying that these decisions and choices are going to be essentially pastoral and evangelistic. Bottom line: we need to have both forms available to us -- hopefully along the lines I suggested in my previous message".


So Anglican Use Catholics have available to them the Roman Missal, and also a rite which takes a good deal from Anglican formularies. Were this Provision to be extended to this country, it would be interesting to see just where our priests would pitch it: I hope we can get Fr Allan to expound further on his experience as a former Anglican, not processed through an ultra-montane sausage machine.

Reserving the Sacrament

God’s Gifts for God’s People is a small book with a great punch. In it the author, Fr Robert Beaken, gives a history of Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament, and in a gentle and compelling manner commends it to all Anglicans. He uses no technical words without explaining them simply, and his perspective is thoroughly that of middle England. Having spent some of his time as a theological student at the English College in Rome, he manages to translate catholic belief and practice into words which will not frighten any Englishman (or woman). In so many churches Reservation continues as a hangover from a forgotten past. This book will bring new understanding and devotion to many who have occasionally wondered what was behind the little curtains near the altar. It would be a great gift for the newly confirmed, and a happy discovery on any church bookstall. It is beautifully illustrated, and at £5 (plus £1 postage) it is not overpriced; and there are generous discounts for parishes wise enough to stock a good number of copies.
The publishers, Fitzwalter Press (The Old Barn, Gt Hockham near Thetford IP24 1PF), can be reached by email: Jeremy@theoldbarn.org.uk.

Anglican Use

If there is to be any corporate future for catholic Anglicans, there will need to be a precedent. There are many misunderstandings about the Provision made by the Holy See for former Anglicans which began in the USA. So it might be good to get to know a little more about the Anglican Use from within. Their website is at http://www.anglicanuse.org/ . Besides this, here is the account of a celebration of the Anglican Use liturgy:- http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=33840id=33840id=33840

In case the very idea of using yet another version of the Book of Common Prayer horrifies you, you might be reassured by Fr Allan Hawkins . Although an Anglican to his fingertips, the liturgy which he celebrates is sometimesthat from the Anglican Use Book of Divine Worship and sometimes from the Roman Missal.

[see below: *]

The two photos in this blog are courtesy of Fr Allan at St Mary's Church in Arlington, Texas.

*Fr Allan has seen a draft of this blog, and hopes to send more photographs and to comment more fully later; meanwhile, this is what he says about his present liturgical use: sounds good to me!

We use Rite One (the traditional, Cranmerian style) at the early Mass on Sundays, and for the daily Office. For the other Sunday Masses, including the Solemn Mass, and for all weekday Masses, we use Rite Two. We use -- and cherish (whether in 16th century or modern English) the Collects of the Book of Divine Worship, which are those of the BCP. Notwithstanding the fact that we use Rite Two for the Solemn Mass, we do use traditional Anglican music -- which means that Gloria, Sanctus/Benedictus and Agnus are most often in the traditional language of the BCP. We sing the credo and the Pater Noster in Latin -- in large part because we were encouraged by Cardinal Law, the former Ecclesiastical Delegate, to do so, in order to help our folk to feel more integrally part of the Latin Church. I celebrate all Masses ad orientem. We use Rite Two, wherever its rubrics allow, in a way that is consistent with the Novus Ordo -- and I imagine that we will use the new translation of the Roman Missal, when it arrives, in the same way.