Priest leading the faithful toward Our Lord, as it should be.
Posted on 05/25/2022 10:44:21 AM PDT by one guy in new jersey
Our readers will perhaps remember that in 2016, His Eminence Cardinal Robert Sarah, then Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, called upon the Church to return to its authentic custom of offering the Mass ad orientem, as a way of “putting God back at the center” of Christian worship. (Original interview in French here: https://www.famillechretienne.fr/vie-chretienne/liturgie/cardinal-sarah-comment-remettre-dieu-au-caeur-de-la-liturgie-194987.) They will also likely remember that was met with a swift Papal intervention on behalf of retaining the inauthentic custom of worshipping versus populum, which cannot perish soon or thoroughly enough.
This controversy does not impinge solely on the Roman Rite. The Syro-Malabar Church suffered a number of very unfortunate Latinizations in the 20th century, which the Congregation for the Eastern Churches has spent a good deal of time undoing, in obedience to the one decree of Vatican II that the Vatican itself seems to take seriously these days, Orientalium Ecclesiarum. In recent months, this has become such a very sharp controversy that (lamentabile sane dictu!), some members of the faithful even went so far as to publicly burn in effigy the prefect of the Oriental Congregation, H.E. Leonardo Sandri, and the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church. H.E. Mar George Alencherry. In January, over 100 Syro-Malabar priests staged a protest and hunger-strike in front of Cardinal Alencherry’s residence in favor of the continuation of the inauthentic custom.
Given the events of 2016 in regard to the Roman Rite, we are very pleased to be able to report via the German website katholisches.info (brought to my attention by Peter) that the Pope has now changed his mind, and ordered the Syro-Malabar in toto to accept the proposed return to the authentic custom of the Church. Like the recent denunciation of the Novus Ordo by Abp Roche, we can only say that this bodes well for the future!
“Pope Francis settled a dispute by ordering that all (Syro-Malabar) diocesesthroughout the Church celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass ad orientem, versus Deum. Together, Francis said, priests and people have to look to the East, from where, according to apostolic tradition, the Second Coming of the Lord is expected. No satire. You read correctly. But how can this be?"
Read the full article here: (German is a language which the automatic translator of Google Chrome handles very well.)
https://katholisches.info/2022/05/19/papst-franziskus-ordnet-an-ad-orientem-zu-zelebrieren/
What’s “Ad Orientum Worship”?
Couldn’t determine from the excerpt.
The priest, when saying mass, facing “toward the East”, or Versus Deum.
As opposed to versus populum, or facing the people.
Priest leading the faithful toward Our Lord, as it should be.
Basically the priest facing toward the crucifix, the same direction the lay parishioners are facing.
It is beautiful.
Particularly during the consecration when the priest leans forward with his elbows on the altar, a thoroughly male posture.
Facing in solidarity with the congregation.
The priest isn’t management, he’s a union steward. He is one of us and should face God like the rest of us.
Seems like a minor thing.
I like the symbolism of the priest facing the cross. But it would be easier for parishioners to understand him if they can see his face. Especially hard of hearing.
Maybe a compromise? Have the priest face the cross but have a video camera on the priests face blown up for the parishioners to see.
To face toward the east is to anticipate the direction from which Christ Jesus will come, when he “comes again” (the second coming).
when I was growing up there was a mike there
Get a copy of the 1962 version of the Missal of the Roman Rite and you’ll be abke to follow right along with an SSPX priest saying mass Ad Orientem.
So are all Roman Catholic churches physically oriented towards he east? Another freeper said it was facing the crucifix. But “Orientem” does sound like maybe it means east. But could mean Oriented.
Even without the use of electronic devices, I have never had trouble hearing and understanding the Priest when he is facing the Altar and Tabernacle. Most (first-world) parishes today, even with the Priest facing the congregation (and turning his back on the Tabernacle ...) use electronic amplification ... In practice, hearing the Priest isn’t a problem.
Most older churches actually are geographically facing East, newer are a mixed bag. Regardless, the liturgical symbolism of facing the Altar, the Crucifix, and most importantly the Tabernacle remains regardless of geography.
I always thought of Tabernacle as the church building. But a quick google tells me in Catholic churches it’s a container where the communion (bread, wine) is kept.
Yes, orientem=east.
Liturgical east is the broader term, used by necessity if the physical church is constructed such that the parishioners in the pews in the “nave” or central part of the church end up facing north, south or west, as obviously happens (but is not preferred).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nave
Indeed he should.
Ping.
Hear about this, ET?
The Priest turns toward the people when they need to hear him during the Mass.
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