When Canon McCarthy and his parishioners were
celebrating Mass in the Barn this was how things were done as some of you will
remember. Others may have similar
memories from other parishes. Canon
McCarthy had quite an input into how our present church was designed in the
immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council. One of the documents that resulted from the
Council was called ‘Inter Oecumenici’ and it gave guidelines about how new
church buildings should be constructed.
This reflected the Council’s thinking on the Mass which in turn
reflected how the Eucharist had been celebrated in the earlier centuries of the
Church. Canon McCarthy was inspired by
this document. It said in part: ‘The
main altar should preferably be freestanding to permit walking around it and
celebrating facing the people. Its
location in the place of worship should be truly central so that the attention of
the whole congregation naturally focuses there’.
This text forms the basis for the current General
Instruction of the Roman Missal that clearly favours the altar that is visible
to all, central and allows for celebrations facing the people. Our church beautifully measures up to this
vision. It was one of the first churches
to be built in the newly formed Diocese of Arundel and Brighton and must have
set a standard for other new churches to follow. Churches built earlier were re-ordered to aid
the participation of the worshipping community.
Recently the current Prefect of the Congregation
for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Robert Sarah has
been expressing views that are at variance with the documents and practice of
the post-conciliar Church. He told a
gathering of liturgists in London in mid-July that priests should face the east
when celebrating Mass and he would like this to start from the first Sunday of
Advent, 27th November – in three months time.
A few days later the Latin Mass Society held its Annual General Meeting
in Westminster Cathedral Hall where the main speaker was Archbishop Thomas
Gullickson, the Papal Nuncio to Switzerland and he also thought that this was a
great idea.
This is, in part, what Cardinal Sarah said: ‘I
believe that it is very important that we return as soon as possible to a
common orientation of priests and faithful turned in the same direction –
eastwards or at least towards the apse – towards the Lord who comes, in those
parts of the liturgical rites when we are addressing God ... I think it is a very important step in
ensuring that in our celebrations the Lord is truly at the centre.’ In his view, celebrating Mass facing the
people does not really comply with the Council documents nor do other practices
such as the reception of Communion while standing.
Pope Emeritus Benedict in the past expressed his
preference for Mass to be celebrated ‘ad orientem’ – facing east – but he also
stated that it was impractical to impose this on the Church due to the
confusion it would cause. Cardinal Sarah
does not fear any such confusion. The
Lord will come from the east at the end of time and so we should fix our gaze
eastwards. His final argument for
turning towards the east comes from the Scriptures. ‘Dear fathers,’ he said,
‘we should listen again to the lament of God proclaimed by the prophet
Jeremiah: ‘They have turned their back to me.
Let us turn again towards the Lord.’
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of
Westminster, told his priests that turning their backs to their congregations
was not in line with liturgical norms.
The Pope has met Cardinal Sarah and discussed with him the remarks he
made in London. I don’t think it is
likely that Pope Francis will start celebrating Mass with his back to the
people on the strength of advice from Cardinal Sarah and Cardinal Gullickson. Nor do I think that we should be
contemplating re-ordering our own church to comply with the preferences of
these distinguished churchmen. But there
are many people in the Curia of like mind.
Perhaps they should apply their minds to the real problems and needs of
the Christian family and the concerns of the wider human family.
