The Eucharist and the Bible – the Catholic perspective

Posted on 20/04/2026 by Scott Anderson

This paper was given by Fr Christopher Marshall, a priest of the Ordinariate. It is full of rich teaching and puts the Catholic position with admirable clarity. I persuaded Fr Christopher to let me put his paper on my blog.

The Revd Edward Forse, writing in 1920 in  “Ceremonial Curiosities and Queer Sights in Foreign Churches” describes High Mass one Sunday in an Italian Cathedral. He notes that after the Gospel, a Franciscan Friar mounted the pulpit and began to preach. Meanwhile the celebrant sent the MC to put out the six altar candles. After twenty minutes from the pulpit, the celebrant sent the MC to light the altar candles again. Forse records, “The preacher watched this procedure in stony silence and then proceeded to preach for another half hour!”

This is much the way I first reacted to the account of Paul at Troas, when a major incident interrupts.  Paul is not going to be throw off course by this young man drawing attention to himself by falling out of the window! He deals with it and goes on regardless. Paul, as ever dogged and determined, will not be derailed and went on till day break.

Acts 20 verse 7.

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was taken up dead. 10But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12And they took the youth away alive and were not a little comforted.

There is more to it than just Paul’s doggedness here. They wanted to hear, to know as much as they could about this new life in Christ on which they were embarking. Paul would have been their primary or only source of information available at the time

For the first Christians there is  no ‘New Testament’, no missals, no written books to teach  the  faith, just perhaps access to a “Passion Narrative” of the last week in the earthly life of Jesus and such letters of Paul and other apostles then in circulation. The message they had heard was this:  Jesus was put to death, rose again, will come again. If you want to be ready when he comes again, repent of your sins and be baptised into him. The extent of Catechesis must have varied widely within this framework. The Ethiopian Eunuch has a  few hours catechesis from Philip starting from Isaiah’s Servant Songs. He is baptised on his journey,  went on his way and began  the conversion of a whole nation!

Others are less well instructed like those Paul comes across at Ephesus. There he found some disciples.

2and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when [a] you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

On the Day of Pentecost-3000 heard Peter’s sermon, were convinced and baptised all on same day, yet it appears from the account in Acts that they received little or no catechesis. What then bound them together to become the nucleus of the Church?

 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”

41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer    (Acts 2:37-42)

Apostle’s teaching – fine in Jerusalem, live teaching where it was available, but more difficult as the faith started to spread outside Jerusalem.

So again this question, what  bound them together to become nucleus of the Church?

Fellowship – The fellowship of the believers kept them together. Having all things in common

Prayers – Temple prayers – daily in the Temple – but not sacrifices for  Jesus had ended the cult of sacrifice in the offering of His own Person.

Breaking of Bread – given by Jesus on night of His Passion. Its future lay on Sunday, the day of His Resurrection and new Life, the eighth  Day of Creation, the New Creation in Christ.

And on first Easter evening, two disciples journey to Emmaus

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So, he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.”   (Luke 24:27-35)

Breaking of Bread – to share in fellowship at first within context of meal, instituted by Jesus in context of Passover meal (or as Pope Benedict believes  an anticipated Passover, because Jesus knew He would not be alive in 24 hours when feast began, and indeed while the lambs were being sacrificed in the Temple, Jesus would be dying on the cross.)  Jesus is the New and True Passover Lamb, his body broken, adding a deeper dimension to breaking of bread  at the fellowship meal.

Always remember that St Paul’s first account of the Eucharist is not to give to the Corinthian Christians information about something new but to correct abuse of what is  already familiar and central.

The Lord’s Supper

23For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for[f] you. Do this in remembrance of me.”[g]25In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

27Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 

26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

(I Corinthians 11)

The Eucharistic celebration is a part of Christian experience  every Sunday, their meeting with the crucified and Risen Christ. So the New Testament is  full of allusions, referring to what they already know, and would suggest the Eucharist in which they met the crucified and risen Lord for themselves.

Thus  Matthew, writing for Jewish Christians, speaks of Bethlehem, the House of Bread. And in the call of Matthew, as Bishop Robert Barron points out Jesus tells the tax collector “Follow me”, and then goes with him to a meal, a feast “(where) they were at table”.

The feeding of the seven and the five thousand suggest that Jesus anticipated the gift of Eucharist in communal feeding of the crowd with earthly food as he wanted to feed them with heavenly food. ( see John 6) The early Christians hearing these events from the lips of the Apostles or in later reading of the Gospels at  Mass, would immediately think  “ Jesus fed them: and that’s what Jesus does for us in the Eucharist.”

Matthew, Mark and Luke include accounts of the Last Supper with the gift of the Blessed Eucharist in terms and language corresponding to St Paul in 1 Corinthians. However John 6 expounds this truth by giving us Jesus’ own teaching on the gift he would make to His Church in the Eucharist.  “I am the Bread of Life” says the Lord: I AM is the name of God:  Jesus is and speaks the solemn word of God, whose word brings into being in creation  – “and it was so.” There is only one thing you have bread for and that is to eat it. So with this Bread of Life: God is to be eaten. He is to become part of us. In the Temple the cereal offerings or shewbread, set before the Lord, are eaten by the priests as an offering. Jesus will himself take the place of this and all Temple offerings by his giving of his life on the cross.

St John makes no mention of the institution of the Eucharist, already available in St Paul and the synoptic Gospels and familiar in Sunday by Sunday celebration. But he gives  this amazing discourse of Jesus  on meaning of the Eucharist. The Protestant Christian, making the assumption is his mind that “the Bible came first”  would see only a picture of personal relationship with Jesus. But for Catholics the Eucharistic context is clear: this chapter of John is an in-depth description of how that personal relationship is attained and developed through the Blessed Sacrament. John begins his Gospel with the Incarnation and refers to what also happens in the Eucharist: “The Word was made flesh” And John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb: “There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

41 (Jesus)  said “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42  48 zI am the bread of life. 49 aYour fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and bthey died. 50 cThis is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it dand not die. 51 I am the living bread ethat came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give ffor the life of the world is gmy flesh.”

52 The Jews then hdisputed among themselves, saying, i“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of jthe Son of Man and drink his blood, you khave no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood lhas eternal life, and mI will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood nabides in me, and I in him. 57 As othe living Father psent me, and qI live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 rThis is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread3 the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught sat Capernaum.  (John 6:42-59)

The letter to the Hebrews dates AD 64-68 and is written to a group of Jewish Christians. It speaks of Temple worship as though it is still going on. Bishop Barron suggests a temple priest as the author:  “the most compelling biblical depiction of Jesus as sacrificial priest. Temple sacrifice is seen as an imperfect  foreshadowing of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus.“ The letter expounds on the relation between the sacrificial death of Jesus once on the cross and the eternal offering of that sacrifice in heaven.

 9 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. ……..he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 

10 19 Therefore, brothers,[c] since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 2

The death of the animal is the preparation of the sacrifice. The offering of the sacrifice takes place in the Holy Place. Jesus having entered the true Holy Place of heaven offers his sacrifice made once upon the cross to the Father for us.

But you have come to eMount Zion and to the city of the living God,  the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to 

God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesuskthe mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24)

The writer speaks of Heavenly worship in the present: you have come to Mount Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem. Where can that be said of Christians that they have come to Jesus and His sprinkled blood?  At Sunday Mass!

In the Apocalypse we have a vision of heavenly worship, with the assembly of the angels and first born. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” i.e. the day of the Eucharist. John the author is at Sunday Mass and the assembly of bishops and priests is transposed to the heavenly court.  At the centre the Lamb that had been sacrificed, Jesus who is the sacrificial Lamb the of the Eucharist.  Back to Hebrews where we read You have come to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Abel’s blood pleaded for vengeance – Jesus’ blood pleads for forgiveness.)

In the Synoptic Gospels, the Institution Narrative relates the events of the Last Supper to the real presence of Jesus and his sacrifice on the  cross. ‘This is my blood of the New Covenant.’

Back to Troas where the context not just of Paul’s visit and teaching but of the composition and understanding of the New Testament is found in the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered to break bread,” The New Testament was composed and is understood within the community of the Church and the Church is essentially the community which gathers to celebrate the Eucharist.

The sixteenth century Reformers placed a tremendous emphasis on Scripture as the pivot of the Church’s life and came more and more to understand the Eucharist in relation to its mention in Scripture. Gradually the idea “ since it’s not mentioned very often we don’t need to do it very often,”  takes shape. The emphasis of Sunday worship shifts  to the preaching of Scripture based sermons rather than the celebration of the Sunday Mass.

Within the Church of England in recent decades this imbalance had been largely corrected : the primacy of the Eucharist was almost won. But in more recent years  this has receded  in deference to Evangelical priorities of “mission and evangelism”. Another reason for decline has been the decreasing availability of ordained clergy to celebrate. The Catholic Church is also experiencing this difficulty, but it is essential that it does not sacrifice its Eucharistic heart.

The Catholic Church since Vatican 2 has placed great emphasis on the Eucharist as the celebration of the Christian community. This has sometimes led to a decreasing understanding of the Catholic doctrine of our Lord’s Real Presence in the transubstantiated bread and wine and in the Sacrifice of the Mass, the sacrifice of Calvary presented anew  in every Mass.

“We have become so engrossed in assuring each other that we are the Body of Christ, that we are in danger of forgetting the Body of Christ present on the altar” (Fenton Morley, Anglican Dean of Salisbury in 1970s).

Thus (quoting Bishop Robert Barron), the highly respected Pew Research Centre in 2019, detailing American Catholics’ belief about the Eucharist found that “just 31 % affirm that “during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus. The other 69% believe that they are symbols of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.” This aligns with Protestant beliefs about the Eucharistic species. UK surveys show that 51% of self-identified Catholics in Britain say that they “probably or definitely believe in the “Real Presence of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist.” Very striking here, and the opposite of what Pew found in the USA is that younger Catholics tend to have a more robust belief in the Real Presence. Over 80% of those who say they attend Mass every week affirm a belief in the Real Presence. At the other end of the scale, around 20% of those who attend only for “hatch, match and dispatch etc”  hold such a belief. In contrast to the prevailing view of our western society that the individual believes as he wishes, Pope Benedict emphasised  “Catholics must believe what the Catholic Church teaches.”

I conclude by a picture of the Church in the immediate post Apostolic Period, when the New Testament was largely still fresh from the pen.

St. Justin was a renowned evangelist/philosopher/apologist . As a very young man , it is just possible that he might have heard a very old man, St John the Divine,  preach at Sunday Mass. That’s how close we are to the apostles.  Justin was eventually tortured and executed by the Roman authorities  for his Catholic faith.

From the First Apology of St. Justin Martyr, c. 155 AD

 No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ.

We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Saviour became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving.

The apostles, in their recollections, which are called gospels, handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do. They tell us that he took bread, gave thanks and said: Do this in memory of me. This is my body. In the same way he took the cup, he gave thanks and said: This is my blood. The Lord gave this command to them alone. Ever since then we have constantly reminded one another of these things. The rich among us help the poor and we are always united. For all that we receive we praise the Creator of the universe through his Son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.

On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether they live in the city or the outlying districts. The recollections of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as there is time. When the reader has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together and pray.

On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are brought forward. The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his ability, and the people give assent by saying, “Amen”. The eucharist is distributed, everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent.

The wealthy, if they wish, may make a contribution, and they themselves decide the amount. The collection is placed in the custody of the president, who uses it to help the orphans and widows and all who for any reason are in distress, whether because they are sick, in prison, or away from home. In a word, he takes care of all who are in need.

We hold our common assembly on Sunday because it is the first day of the week, the day on which God put darkness and chaos to flight and created the world, and because on that same day our saviour Jesus Christ rose from the dead. For he was crucified on Friday and on Sunday he appeared to his apostles and disciples and taught them the things that we have passed on for your consideration. “

St Justin shows that  post-apostolic Christians:

  • Understood that baptism conveyed new life in Christ and forgiveness of sins. “A sacrament does what it says” ………. unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins
  •  gathered Sunday by Sunday to honour the day of Christ’s resurrection.
  • Their worship  included the reading  of and teaching from the Old Testament (particularly the prophets who anticipated the coming of Jesus) and the memoirs of the apostles i.e. the Gospels – and the sharing in ‘the Eucharist’ each week.
  • They  believed in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist, since the bread and wine “becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving” (Eucharistic prayer ) (see also St Paul on unworthy reception)  On Sunday he appeared to his apostles and disciples and taught them the things that we have passed on for your consideration
  • Only those who had been catechised and baptised and were living in in accordance with the teaching of  the Christ could receive the Blessed Eucharist. …..      unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins,  

They believed that their Eucharistic worship was not just “a service” but obedience to the command  delivered by Jesus Christ to his apostles and eye-witness disciples.

Eastern Christians would later give it the title of “Divine Liturgy”  – the service given by God.

Thus by 150 AD we see established a tradition of Eucharistic worship which relates back to the teaching and practice of the Apostles as delivered to them by the Lord Jesus. We see also a pattern familiar to us, especially since Vatican 2,  in the shape of the Mass and the belief and practice of the Universal Church.

In this paper, I have sought to show that the Eucharist, “the source and summit of Christian life”   is the heart and the beginning of the life of the Christian Church and that the New Testament needs to be read in a Eucharistic context, rather than vice versa. I have suggested  illustrations from the New Testament to back this argument rather than a comprehensive analysis of passages. I have touched on the effects of the Reformation in reversing this context. 

Bishop Robert Barron’s  comments concerning current trends in abandoning traditional Catholic belief in the Eucharistic presence seem to me highly pertinent . Finally I have returned  to use Justin Martyr’s Apologia as an authentic picture of the Eucharistic life of  the immediate post Apostolic Church. 

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That elusive Anglican Patrimony

Posted on 08/01/2026 by Scott Anderson

One of my colleagues, a cradle Catholic and a Diocesan priest, challenged me recently to say what exactly is this Anglican Patrimony which we in the Ordinariate are supposed to bring with us as a gift to the whole Church. He had been to an Ordinariate Funeral concelebrated by a group of priests wearing black latin chasubles reciting ‘our’ Eucharistic Prayer (as my colleague put it) but put into ‘tudor’ English. Anyone who has read some of my posts will not be surprised to learn that I tried to steer him away from thinking that this was indeed the ‘Anglican Patrimony’. But that still leaves me to answer the question, ‘If it’s not birettas, latin vestments and the maniple, what is it.

Can I give you a couple of examples which came my way recently – the first really quite trivial, the other not at all trivial?

The first is that custom we had of singing the Benediction hymns to seasonal tunes. Tomorrow at Adoration, therefore, I shall try Tantum ergo to the tune of Once in royal.

The second is much more serious. I’ve been looking again at the writings of Michael Ramsey who was Archbishop of Canterbury in the ’60’s and ’70’s. His stuff on priesthood just would not make sense if it were written and preached for today’s Church of England. But reading it now as a Catholic it has a richness and resonance which is deeply impressive. Could it be that the theology of Ramsey (and others) now find their place in a bigger and fuller communion that he ever imagined?

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Singing the Great O’s

Posted on 15/12/2025 by Scott Anderson

If you want a simple way to sing the ‘O antiphons’ for the days of Advent from 17th to 23rd December, read on. Of course, you could go to Evensong at King’s Cambridge or find them on YouTube. Fifty years ago we students at the Theological College at Kelham though nothing of singing them each day before and after the Magnificat, but I suppose they would be too ‘difficult’ nowadays.

Here are the antiphons for each day. They date from around the 6th century, and address the Lord Jesus by a series of titles from the Old Testament of the long-awaited Messiah.

17 December: O Sapientia – O Wisdom

18 December: O Adonai

19 December: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)

20 December: O Clavis David (O Key of David)

21 December: O Oriens (O Dawn of the East)

22 December: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)

23 December: O Emmanuel

The Roman lectionary uses the O Antiphons as the Gospel Acclamations at the Mass for each of these days. And in most parishes the Acclamation would be said (which is almost as bad as saying the Alleluia – a word which should only ever be sung in the Christian liturgy). But here is a simple way of singing the ‘O’s.

The hymn ‘O come, O come, Emmanuel’ is a metrical version of the Advent antiphons. Most hymn books do not have all seven antiphons, but the full version is to be found at n° 14 in the Revised English Hymnal . Print a sheet for the people with one verse for each day between 17th and 23rd. For the correct order, begin with verse 2, and finish with verse 1.

For the chorus sing Alleluia four times instead of Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel etc. This fits perfectly well, but you will need two notes on the -le of the second and fourth alleluia. And there you have your Great O Gospel Acclamations for the latter part of Advent.

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A prayer for Remembrance Sunday

Posted on 10/11/2025 by Scott Anderson

Some ten years ago Dr Antonia Lynn and I put together a little booklet for the Novena of Prayer under the title ‘Called to be holy’. We composed the prayers using the Collect form. Archbishop Cranmer was very skilful in using this form and adapting it to the vernacular in his English Prayer Book. Neither the 1970 Missal nor its more recent translation into English have used this form particularly well.

Here is a prayer, composed by the two of us, which I used at the American War Memorial in Weymouth last Sunday.

O Almighty God / King of kings and Lord of lords : when the darkness of war engulfed the nations of the old world / you sent forth fresh light and hope from the new world / through the courage of brave men and women / Hear us as we pray in gratitude for those who gave their lives / that we might enjoy peace and freedom in our day / Welcome them, we pray, into the eternal light of your presence / through Jesus Christ our Lord: / Amen;

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… and finally!

Posted on 24/10/2025 by Scott Anderson

To conclude this series some observations on matters related to the celebration and presentation of the liturgy.

Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament

In mediaeval England the Blessed Sacrament was reserved in a pyx, suspended over the High Altar of the parish church. The practice of reserving the Sacrament for the sick and as the centre for devotion to Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist, was lost by the Church of England (though not in Scotland) at the Reformation. Little by little it was restored  towards the end of the 19th century. The Anglican Bishops were cautious and tried to insist that Reservation should be in a wall aumbry in a side-chapel. (Oddly, and embarrassingly for the Anglican bishops, Dom Gregory Dix showed that Reservation in the aumbry had been developed in Germany during the late Middle Ages where the aumbry was placed against a pillar at the head of the nave, and given a transparent door, to enable the laity to have more direct access for adoration.)  The use of the hanging pyx for Reservation continued in France until the Revolution, but by the 19th century Rome’s insisted on the use of a veiled and lockable tabernacle, firmly fixed to the altar. In parish churches this was normally the main altar, but in Cathedrals and monastic churches a suitable side chapel was prescribed. (Westminster Cathedral, and of course, St Peter’s Rome are examples.)

With the post-Council reforms to the liturgy came the requirement that the altar be arranged so that the Celebrant might position himself facing the people or facing east. This clearly made reservation in the fixed tabernacle on the main altar impossible.  Various solutions were adopted, with the Blessed Sacrament being placed in a chapel off the main sanctuary, on a plinth within the sanctuary itself, or where the original High Altar remained intact, upon that altar. Mass should not to be celebrated on the altar where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved to avoid confusion. In many Catholic churches, especially during the week the priest will consecrate only one host (unfortunately still often called the ‘priest’s host’) with communion being given to the people from the tabernacle. While this may be understandable where the number of communicants varies wildly it is contrary to the rubrics which state that communion should be given from the sacred elements consecrated at that Mass. This is usually possible with a little forethought and planning.

Permission for Reservation in the pyx suspended over the altar would discourage this practice, as well as making the Reserved Sacrament central without impeding the altar of celebration. If the pyx is suspended above the altar it makes it almost impossible to violate or steal, and the provision of an electric lift, controlled by a key from close to (or even at) the altar, makes the raising and lowering of the pyx at Mass or Adoration comparatively simple. This method of Reservation is undoubtedly true to the Patrimony though it was realised in only a small number of Anglican churches.

Vestments

The restoration of the traditional vestments in the C of E was seen as one of the great achievements of the Oxford Movement. The move was fought against by those who realised, quite correctly, that such vesture emphasised the centrality of the Eucharist and proclaimed the sacrificial nature of the celebration – thus seeming to link the worship of the C of E with the earliest years of Christianity, rather than the outworn controversies of the Reformation. (It is worth noting that even today a minority of C of E churches have given up almost entirely the use of ‘robes’ in worship, although attempts to legalise this through the General Synod have so far failed.

The Ordinariate brings with it that strand of Anglicanism which has a high regard for the Eucharist, fighting to retain the surplice for the priest (the ‘rag of Popery’ according to the Puritans of the 17th century) and rejoicing to see the chasuble and other vestments so clearly ordered by the Prayer Book restored in the 19th century. A late mediaeval shape, often heavily embroidered, became the norm. This shape (which we might call ‘Gothic Revival’) represented a halfway-house in the gradual abbreviation of the chasuble, which happened as a result of the elaboration of manual gestures performed by the Celebrant. This process  culminated in the so-called ‘Latin’ or ‘Spanish’ shape, where the vestment is reduced to two strips which hang front and back of the Celebrant (hence the nickname ‘sandwich boards’ or ‘fiddle-back’).  With the dramatic simplification of ceremonial in the latter half of the 20th century there is no need to continue with this abbreviated form of vestment, and so a return to something which resembles the chasuble of the first thousand years of Catholic worship may be achieved. Curiously, as the chasuble diminished in size from the 17th to the 19th century the stole and maniple (a vestment worn over the left arm by the priest) became larger and more exaggerated, until they resembled a lady’s handbag or reticule  The use of  canvas interlining to stiffen the vestments destroyed the graceful folds of the older pattern. The sleeves disappeared from the deacon’s dalmatic to be replaced by flaps hanging from the shoulders.

We might note that the linen under-vestment, the alb (and its associated vestments the surplice, rochet and cotta) were similarly abbreviated and decorated with lace, losing  dignity and simplicity. What might well be pretty on a night-gown in the privacy of a bedroom looks fussy in public worship.

The vestments worn by the priest and deacon in the photographs of this presentation are long and ample. The plain fabric hangs in heavy folds, and a note of richness is added by the use of decorative strips or orphreys of elaborate woven tapestry. The undecorated albs (worn by the servers as well as the ministers) are enlivened by apparels (which form collars) – a particular feature of English vesture. The shape of the chasuble is a compromise. Well into the mediaeval period this vestment was cut as a semicircle joined to form a cone (hence the description ‘conical chasuble’ ) with an opening for the priest’s head at the apex. (If you are not familiar with the chasuble shaped like this, imagine wearing a cope with the front edges joined. To handle anything, you will need to pull the sides up over your arms, thus creating the crescent-shaped folds front and back which are such a beautiful feature of this shape of chasuble.) The ‘conical’ chasuble requires time and care putting on, and unhurried movement in celebrating the liturgy. Incensing the altar or elevating host, for example, the Celebrant may need the help of the deacon and servers. (Ironically, such ‘assistance’ may  be seen in the celebration of the ‘Extraordinary Form’ where it is quite unnecessary,   as the Celebrant will be wearing a chasuble of the abbreviated ‘latin’ shape!) The albs fall right to the ground, thus covering trouser legs and doing at least something to ameliorate the effect of the oversized (and hideous) ‘trainers’ worn by the younger servers, in spite of pleas by parents and priests.  The clergy should wear the cassock under the alb, though the ugly custom of cutting the alb short, thus exposing inches of cassock, should be avoided. Albs are never trimmed with lace, though sometimes  apparels are tacked to the skirt and cuffs of the alb.

The stole is made of a strip of material some 3 inches wide and 8 – 9 feet long, usually of the same fabric of the vestments, (but sometimes of the fabric of any decorative orphrey) and lined and perhaps interlined. The ends may be slightly splayed (any exaggeration is to be avoided) and may be finished with fringe or tassels.  Both Celebrant and Deacon wear the stole under their respective vestments, the Celebrant wearing his stole around the neck and hanging down the front, (older pictures show the stole crossed over the breast but this is no longer required) to a couple of inches short of the alb hem. The deacon places it over his left shoulder and fastens  it  at his right side, similar to a sash.

Note on the maniple: This vestment, whose origin and symbolism is uncertain, is now only worn when the 1962 Missal is used. There is no mention of it in either the current Missal or Divine Worship. Especially in its  exaggerated form as seen in the 17th and 18th century it required some skill on the part of the Celebrant to avoid knocking over the vessels on the altar!

Note on the biretta:  The biretta is the later development  of clergy head-covering, preceded by the square cap (sometimes called the ‘Canterbury cap’) and by the mortar board now only seen at university graduations. Its obligatory use during the Mass by the priest and other ministers from the 17th century to the middle of the 20th century led to the stiffened form which could be easily managed with one hand.  It was widely adopted in the C of E during the 19th century but mainly as out-of-doors headgear, for which it is not well-adapted especially in wet weather. (The cardboard becomes soggy). The older English tradition is for the priest to remain bare headed during Mass. A black skull cap might be used in unheated churches during the recitation of the Office, if the priest feels the cold.

Note on liturgical colours        The modern sequence of white, red, violet and green , (with black and rose-pink as extras) was standardised only comparatively recently. Until the 17th century usage of colours varied widely. In the so-called ‘English Use’ adopted by many Anglican Cathedrals in the 20th century dark blue was sometimes used in place of violet. Almost universal before the Reformation and widely revived in the C of E in the 19th and 20th century was the use of the “Lenten Array’.  This is not really a colour at all,  but a veiling of statues, crosses and altars with unbleached linen. (Modern cotton curtain lining gives a similar impression.) These veils, which covered up much that was coloured and gilded in the church, were put in place for the whole of Lent. Whether the ministers wore vestments of the same unbleached linen, or violet/blue is uncertain; but we do know that crimson or blood-red was worn for the last two weeks of Lent (sometimes called Passiontide) The linen veils were stencilled in black, red or blue, with the symbols of the Passion.

A move in this direction came in the revised Roman Rite which now orders red for Palm Sunday and Good Friday. (There is an option for black for Good Friday in the Divine Worship missal.) In some places a distinction is made between the two penitential seasons with violet (i.e. blue-toned ) being used for Advent, and purple (i.e. red-toned) for Lent.

There is a curious anomaly in the veiling, during the last two weeks of Lent, of realistic crucifixes. This is made more curious where the altar-piece is, say, of a saint in heavenly glory, unveiled for all to see, and in front stands the crucifix with a violet cover over it. (The explanation probably, is that the covering of crucifixes dates from the earlier period when the Lord on the cross was shown in kingly splendour, rather than the agonised suffering figure of the later period.)

The Divine Worship calendar has a period of three weeks before Ash Wednesday which are ordered to be celebrated in violet/purple, although the readings of these Sundays continue the cycle of Ordinary Time with the rest of the Church. The changing seasons would be more clearly marked if violet vestments were worn for the three pre-Lent weeks, with the ‘Lent Array’ coming into use for Ash Wednesday. (Even if it were felt necessary to continue with violet vestments, nonetheless the change in the appearance of the church building would still be very marked.)  The last two weeks of Lent (in the old rite called ‘Passiontide’)  are more clearly defined in the Ordinariate calendar and suggest the use of red as the liturgical colour a week earlier than in the current Roman Rite. This would accord with the ‘English Use’. But vestments decorated with symbols of the Holy Spirit are clearly inappropriate – plain red with black would be good, and the scarlet/crimson distinction  (similar to the violet/purple distinction) might be useful.  Veiling, colours – as with all customs – need to be thought through and explained as part of our catechesis. Does what we do show forth, simply and clearly, what we believe,  or does it confuse and hide, or at least require doubtful justifications? ‘Vain ceremonies’ (to use an expression from  the old Anglican Prayer Book) are best avoided.

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THE PRESENT OPPORTUNITY part 4

Posted on 20/10/2025 by Scott Anderson

THE SETTING

The Mass was photographed in the church of the Holy Trinity, Dorchester, Dorset.  This small Gothic Revival Church, built in the 19th century to the designs of Benjamin Ferry, was originally a parish church of the Church of England. It was bought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth in  1975 to serve the needs of Catholics in Dorchester where the former Catholic church building had become too small.  It is a competent piece of work, designed along the principles established by AWN Pugin, with some good stained glass by CE Kempe and an elaborate painted and gilded reredos carved at Oberammergau. 

The Catholic congregation redesigned the small chancel removing the choir and creating a spacious sanctuary. They brought with them the beautiful alabaster altar from their old church and retained the brass eagle lectern from Anglican days. Interestingly, they placed the altar at the centre of the sanctuary with a single step (predella or footpace) which extends both in front of and behind the altar. The Blessed Sacrament is reserved in a central tabernacle situated on the shelf (gradine) at the foot of the reredos.  The Celebrant’s chair is normally placed at the right side of the altar with the deacon’s seat next to it.  Since the space here is limited I have chosen to seat the two ministers on the former choir bench facing north. This becomes less of an issue where the first part of the Mass is celebrated at the altar (an option in the Ordinariate rite) but might be an issue in the celebration of the current Roman Rite. The altar is vested in a frontal:  this was almost universal among Anglicans (indeed the omission of the frontal on Catholic altars dates only from the 17th century ) and has two candles with more standing around: again, Anglican custom. There is no need for a standing crucifix on the altar as there is a prominent crucifixion on the reredos. Depiction of the Lord’s death should be treated with reticence: the constant repetition of the sacred symbol on vestments and even carpets is to be avoided! The altar missal rests on a cushion, a beautiful feature of the English tradition. Flower vases, altar cards and reliquaries and all the clutter of the Victorian altar are  avoided: the English liturgical tradition retains the primitive notion that only what is necessary for the celebration of the Eucharist is placed on the Holy Table. This is also the norm for the current Roman Rite.  If the need is felt for the Celebrant to have the Offertory prayers and words of Institution in front of him then a laminated card may discretely lie flat on the altar table – whether the Mass be celebrated ‘facing the people’ or ‘eastward facing’. 

It seems appropriate at this stage to consider the position of the Celebrant at the altar.  Up until the Council Catholic altars were often built in such a way that the priest could only take the ‘eastward position’. The tabernacle was on the centre of the altar, and the six candlesticks might stand on a shelf (gradine). In the 19th century the reredos, often containing a throne for Exposition grew in size and magnificence, but left the altar as a mere sideboard at its foot.  It took the work of the Liturgical Movement and the subsequent reforms of the Council to restore the significance and dignity of the Catholic altar. Of course, as with all reforms, the pendulum may swing too far in the other direction. Architects do not always understand the practicalities (altars too small or the wrong shape) and the sheer ugliness of  some recent designs, leaves one gasping.

The credence table is always at the Celebrant’s right (and will therefore ‘change sides’ depending on whether he celebrates ‘ad orientem’ or ‘versus populum’. It should be large enough to take the chalice(s) and paten (or ciborium) before Mass, together with cruets and lavabo bowl, as well as normally being the place for the ablutions after Communion. The vessels are never placed on the altar before the Offertory.

Seats for the servers are provided to the left and right of the sanctuary.

In both the ‘Ordinary Form’ as well as in the Ordinariate Rite the Celebrant may take either ‘eastward’ or ‘westward’ position. The Ordinariate Rite expresses a preference for the ‘ad orientem’ position. ( Most Anglo-Catholics in the UK installed a ‘nave altar’ in the 1970’s at which the Eucharist was celebrated ‘facing the people’, at least on Sundays.  In the United States I understand that the ‘eastward position’ remained more common) . So much must depend on the building. I have  seen the Divine Worship Mass celebrated on a small altar, cluttered with candlesticks and  altar cards, and with the priest precariously perched on the narrow front step. The sight was faintly ludicrous! Forcing the liturgy into a straitjacket where what is deemed to be ‘correct’ is given   preference over what is sensible, simple and  beautiful.

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THE PRESENT OPPORTUNITY part 3

Posted on 16/10/2025 by Scott Anderson

The deacon goes to the foot of the altar steps, bows to the altar and ascends to the centre. The Celebrant remains seated at the sedilia. The clerk moves the Missal to its position left of the corporal and the taperers bring from the credence the chalice, pall and  purificator

The chalice veil, and with it the burse, seem to have made a comeback in recent years. The Roman Missal does not mention the burse,  but mandates a veil of white or the colour of the day over the chalice. The use of the burse to hold the corporal(s )(hence the ‘corporas case’ of the inventories) is older than the veil which did not come into widespread use until the 16th or 17th centuries. It seems hard to justify in these days where several chalices are placed on the credence to be used for communion in both kinds, to veil just one of the empty chalices. Certainly the chalice should not appear on the altar until the Offertory, nor should the burse be propped up between the candlesticks. If either burse or veil are used they should be taken away to the credence as soon as the deacon has prepared the Table.

The deacon spreads the corporal in the centre of the altar, unfolding it carefully , not shaking it out, and making sure that the edge of the corporal is aligned with the front edge of the altar. He places the chalice and purificator to the right beyond the corporal, and then, if there is to be an Offertory Procession,  turns and goes to the sanctuary step to receive the bread and wine from the people. He receives all the bread including that which will be broken and consumed by the Celebrant. Unleavened bread is always used in the Western rites, but the wafers should not be inordinately thin like rice paper. Any suggestion that the priest has his ‘own’ wafer should be avoided, several medium sized wafers being available to be broken, say, into four, or a large ‘concelebration’ host broken into pieces at the fraction. It is desirable that a large deep paten be used with all the bread in it, rather than a small paten for the ‘priest’s host’, and a closed ciborium containing wafers for the everyone else. He may be assisted by the taperers, passing them the wine cruet.

In the meantime, the Celebrant goes directly to the centre of the altar and receives the paten from the deacon who comes up to his right. The taperer with the wine cruet goes to the right of the altar where he is joined by the second taperer who  has brought the water cruet from the credence. Together they assist the Deacon who fills the chalice and adds a few drops of water, saying ‘By the mystery …’  The Celebrant for his part begins the Offertory prayers ‘Blessed art thou, Lord God of all creation …

Note on the Offertory prayers:  The Divine Worship Missal  provides the familiar prayers for the Celebrant and Deacon. It also provides the prayers which were used at this point (though in English) in the 1962 Missal. Liturgists have pointed out that these prayers appear somehow to anticipate the Eucharistic Prayer, which is turn seems to have led to a muddling of the Offertory as the preparation of the bread and wine on the altar at this moment in the liturgy, and the offering of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharistic Prayer by which the perpetual offering of the Son to the Father is set forth in time. 

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Having mixed the chalice, the Deacon hands it to the Celebrant who prays, ‘Blessed art thou… ‘ and places the chalice on the corporal. The thurifer approaches, hands the boat to the Deacon, who holds it while Celebrant spoons incense into the thurible and blesses it with a single sign of the cross. The thurifer closes the thurible and hands it to the Celebrant.  He censes the gifts, and then the crucifix and altar as at the beginning of Mass. Returning to the centre of the altar, he gives the thurible to the Deacon who turns, retires to the right of the altar (off the footpace) and censes the Celebrant.  The Deacon then goes (with the thurifer) to the entrance to the sanctuary, and censes the people, bowing to them before and after. He returns the thurible to the thurifer.

 While the Deacon is censing the people the taperers come with bowl, jug and towel to the right hand end of the altar and the Celebrant washes and dries his hands. ( Hands mean hands, not tips of fingers)

The Celebrant, at the centre of the altar, turns to speak to the people with the ‘Pray brethren ….’.  The deacons turns to the right and then turns inwards.  The clerk, having brought the Missal on its cushion to the Celebrant’s left, remains there  to turn the pages of the book. The Celebrant remains facing the people while they make their response ‘May the Lord accept …’  and then turns again to the altar where here says the Prayer over the Gifts. The Deacon moves to stand behind him.

After a reverent pause the Celebrant begins the Sursum Corda. The general opinion is that this dialogue should be sung facing the altar without turning to the people. As the Sanctus begins the Deacon steps up to the Celebrant’s right. At the same moment the taperers leave their places at the credence, go to the centre of the pavement before the altar, bow and go to stand at their tapers (not picking them up) The thurifer, (having added a small amount of incense in the thurible at his place if necessary )  goes to the centre of the pavement or entrance to the sanctuary carrying the thurible. No exaggerated swinging of the thurible on the long chain is necessary and only disturbs the people.

At the end of the Sanctus the people kneel and the servers may do the same. The Deacon and clerk remain standing until the Invocation of the Holy Spirit, when the Deacon removes any palls and lids from the vessels, and both ministers turn and kneel of the edge of the footpace.     

It should be noted that the Celebrant in the Divine Worship rite genuflects both before and after the Elevation of the Host and chalice. The Words of Institution are to be said clearly and naturally. This is the more important where the ad orientem position if adopted. The ‘silent Canon’ of the pre-Council Mass has not been re-introduced via the back door of the Ordinariate

At the Elevation of the Host and again for the Chalice the servers and ministers look up, but any sort of showy prostration is out of place. One of the servers may gently ring the bell at the elevations, and the thurifer censes the consecrated Sacrament. This should be done discretely, on the short chain, and without any clashing of the chains. Single or double swings are used but the rubrics do not anywhere prescribe a triple swing.

As soon as the Celebrant has elevated the chalice, the Deacon and the clerk stand and go to their places left and right of the Celebrant. The Deacon covers the chalice (and ciborium/paten) , the Clerk makes sure that the Missal is correctly set for the continuation of the Eucharistic prayer, and the Celebrant with the Deacon and Clerk genuflects. The Celebrant extends his hands and continues the Prayer.

 The Celebrant joins his hands, the Deacon uncovers the chalice and elevates it as the Celebrant elevates the paten. They replace the vessels on the corporal and both genuflect.

The taperers stand and so does the thurifer. The taperers move to the centre of the pavement where they genuflect together with the thurifer. The the taperers turn to the right and go to their places at the credence. The thurifer turns to the left and goes to his place where he hangs up the thurible (or returns it to the sacristy if this can be done discretely.) The deacon turns and goes to stand behind the Celebrant

The servers having returned to their  places and, facing the altar; the Celebrant invites the people to say the Our Father., and then continues with the Libera nos and the Prayer for Peace.

 As the Celebrant turns to say ‘The Peace of the Lord …’ the Deacon  withdraws to the right  and then turning to face the people invites them to exchange the Peace. He goes to the right of the Celebrant and exchanges the  Peace with him. If this is done formally then the two Ministers bow to each other, the senior places his hands on the shoulders of the junior, inclines, withdraws and they then bow to each other. The Deacon and Minister may descend to the step or pavement and exchange the Peace in like manner, the servers and people turning to the person next to them and greeting them. It will be better if the people do not leave their places or cross the sanctuary or church.

Deacon and Clerk return right and left of the Celebrant who recites ‘Christ our Passover …’ with the people responding. The Celebrant then performs the fourth action breaking the Host deliberately in two and then continuing to break up the Hosts for Communion. The Deacon may, if necessary go to the Place of Reservation, opening the tabernacle, genuflecting and returning to the altar with the ciborium. The Agnus Dei is sung or said.

The Prayer of Humble Access is recited, and then the Celebrant turns to the people, showing them the Host (and chalice) and saying ‘Behold, the Lamb of God …’ The people respond, ‘Lord, I am not worthy …’

    The servers and people receive Holy Communion.

    After Communion the Celebrant returns to the sedilia and the Deacon cleanses the chalice (and other vessels) assisted by the servers. He covers the chalice with the veil, folds and places the corporal in the burse. All vessels are removed to the credence table.

    At the end of the silence the Celebrant and Deacon rise. The taperers go immediately to the centre of the pavement before the altar where they bow and go to stand by their torches. The clerk stands close to the credence with the processional cross and the thurifer stands at his place on the left of the altar (without the thurible.)  The Celebrant and Deacon make their way to the foot of the altar where they bow. The Celebrant ascends to the centre of the altar, and the Deacon takes his place. The Celebrant recites ‘Almighty and everliving God …’  alone or with the people. Then he says, ’Let us pray’ and the Post Communion Prayer.

    The Celebrant turns to face the people. The Deacon turns to his right, so as not to obscure the Celebrant and then turns inward. The Celebrant greets the people and blesses them. The People respond ‘Amen’.

    The Deacon turns to face the people and announces ‘Go forth in peace’ (with hands joined) and the people respond.

    Celebrant and Deacon turn back to the altar and kiss it. Then they turn and descend to the pavement where they make the appropriate reverence with the servers and depart.

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    THE PRESENT OPPORTUNITY Part 2

    Posted on 13/10/2025 by Scott Anderson

    THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

    The Celebrant and Deacon turn to the right and go to the sedilia. The Deacon assists the Celebrant to sit (useful with heavy and full vestments) and then sits himself.  They listen attentively to the Word of God without fidgeting or talking to each other.

    The Reader goes to the ambo (lectern) and proclaims the First Reading, Psalm, Second Reading where ordered, and the Gospel Acclamation is sung.

    As the cantor or choir begins the Acclamation, the thurifer approaches the sedilia. (The custom of doing this during the Second Reading is to be deprecated: it disturbs the people and is disrespectful to the word of God which is being read. If necessary let the blessing of incense be done in silence before the Acclamation begins.) The Celebrant stands, spoons incense into the thurible and blesses it in silence making the sign of the cross once over it with the right hand.

    The taperers move to their candles at the altar step, take them up and wait. The thurifer meanwhile closes the thurible and goes to stand in the centre of the sanctuary.  The Deacon asks and receives the Celebrant’s blessing, and then goes directly to the centre of the altar where he picks up the Gospel Book. He inclines moderately with the servers, turns and goes to the ambo.

    The taperers go left and right of the lectern standing, as it were, to light the Gospel book, and the thurifer to the right of the Deacon. The Deacon greets the people (with hands joined) and announces the Gospel. Then he receives the thurible, censes the book, and returns the thurible to the thurifer who goes to stand at a distance behind the Deacon.  During the reading of the Gospel he gently swings the thurible on the long chain. (Any thing which distracts – excessive smoke, clanking of chains – is to be avoided. )

    The Deacon now reads or sings the Gospel, kissing the Book at the end. He then returns to the sedilia, unless he himself is to preach at the ambo.

    The Celebrant or Deacon preaches the homily from the ambo (or the Celebrant may preach from the chair)

    If the Creed is to be said the Celebrant and Deacon  remain at the sedilia, genuflecting at the Incarnatus; and making the sign of the cross at the end, as ordered.

    The Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England restored an ancient feature of the Eucharist which had been largely lost during the mediaeval period, that is the Prayer of the Faithful.  This BCP prayer was called The Prayer for the Church Militant as it reflected the belief of the Reformers that prayer for the dead was not an ancient Christian practice.  (They were mistaken, though prayer for the dead had become scandalously perverted over the preceding centuries) The Divine Worship Missal provides several alternatives.  There is tacit permission for the long-established custom of the Prayer of the Faithful being written according to the needs of the time and place. There should be no need to compose in thee/thou form (with all the complications of verb endings) if the rule is observed that the petitions are addressed to the people i.e. ‘Let us pray for …. ‘ and not cast as prayers i.e. ‘Heavenly Father, we pray that …’  which form is reserved to the Celebrant at the Eucharist.  Traditionally the Prayer of the Faithful is part of the Deacon’s liturgy.

      The Prayers of the People being ended the servers and congregation kneel at the behest of the Deacon and pray together the Confession.

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    THE PRESENT OPPORTUNITY

    Posted on 12/10/2025 by Scott Anderson

    A PRESENTATION IN PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE MASS CELEBRATED ACCORDING TO DIVINE WORSHIP – THE MISSAL OF THE ORDINARIATES

    With the creation of the Ordinariates for receiving Anglicans into the full communion of the Catholic Church, together with the publication of a Missal containing elements of our liturgical heritage; I first conceived this photographic project some years ago. With my retirement from Parish ministry I now have the time to pursue such a project. It is not a celebration of the Mass but rather a series of posed photographs. Nor is it in any way ‘official’ though I believe I have followed the rubrics and instructions carefully .I shall be glad to receive comments and criticisms

    I am grateful to Fr Babu Francis, parish priest of Holy Trinity, Dorchester, for permitting me to use the church as the setting for this photo shoot, and for taking the part of the Celebrant. My thanks also to Deacon Jonathan de Kretser, to Mark, Tom, Michael and Mark, the servers, members of the congregation and Sue, the photographer (with whom I was at school a few years ago).

    The Divine Worship Missal authorised for the use of the Ordinariates created in 2009, is prefaced by the same Instruction as that of the Missal of 1970 and used by Catholics across the western world.. In the Ordinariate Missal the Instruction is followed by the Rubrical Directory, with rubrics and recommendations peculiar to the Mass rite of the Divine Worship Missal but it has been made clear on a number of occasions that the Ordinariate Rite is a variant of the current liturgy, although the Directory ‘ sometimes permits or mandates customs from the 1962 Missal. It is not the ‘old’ Mass in English and should not be treated as such.

    I therefore make no apology for the fact that in this presentation of the Mass I have kept the shape of the Mass as close as possible to that of the ‘Ordinary Form’.  But I need to explain my preference for a ceremonial form common among Anglicans in the 20th century: often (though misleadingly, I think) called the ‘English Use’. My hope therefore is that the presentation will be of use the priests and congregations who do not use the Divine Worship rite and with a minimum of adaptation may produce a liturgy which is dignified, fresh and beautiful.

    In establishing the Ordinariates the Pope expressed the hope that former Anglicans coming into the wider communion of the Catholic Church would bring with them a ‘Patrimony’, not least in the area of liturgy. We assume that the first English liturgy after the break with Rome (the Prayer Book of 1549) was celebrated according to the usage which had been current for hundreds of years, though there is evidence of simplification. Much of this was swept away in the Prayer Book of 1552 in which the influence of the Protestant reformers is most obvious.  All the subsequent liturgical changes of the C of E manifested – at least until the 1980’s – a desire to return to the mainstream of Catholic worship.

    This process began almost immediately with the insertion into the Prayer Book of 1559 of the ‘Ornament Rubric’, repeated in 1604 and in 1662.

    “THE Morning and Evening Prayer shall be used in the accustomed Place of the Church, Chapel, or Chancel; except it shall be otherwise determined by the Ordinary of the Place. And the Chancels shall remain as they have done in times past.
    “And here is to be noted, that such Ornaments of the Church, and of the Ministers thereof, at all Times of their Ministration, shall be retained, and be in use, as were in this Church of England, by the Authority of Parliament, in the Second Year of the Reign of     King Edward the Sixth.”

    The interpretation of the second paragraph was debated when it first appeared  but became a major issue towards the end of the 19th century during the conflicts over what vestments and ceremonies were legal in the Church of England. At the end of that century the researches of Dr Percy Dearmer were encapsulated in his book ‘The Parson’s Handbook’.  Dearmer was a ‘working’ parish priest, Vicar of St Mary’s Primrose Hill in north London, and his work contained pages of practical suggestions. He was motivated too by his deep aesthetic sensibilities, so that what he advocated was not mediaevalism, nor a copying of current Roman Catholic practise, but a fresh look at worship which drew on the wells of tradition. He insisted that liturgical worship should be beautiful not just ‘correct’, and in many ways he reflected the concerns of the growing Liturgical Movement in the wider Church. Dearmer’s work had a huge influence in the C of E not least in its Cathedrals where dignified and beautiful liturgy became the norm, not the exception. Many will remember the look of appreciation on the face of Pope Benedict in Westminster Abbey (where Dearmer had been a Canon between 1931 & 1936) as the servers, choir and clergy entered with him to the singing of  ‘Christ is made the sure foundation’.

    This tradition of liturgical worship, shaped by both ancient Christian symbolism, the concerns of beauty, and practical considerations, is an essential part of the Patrimony. I believe it is one of the gifts which Anglicans who have been received into full communion bring with them for the enrichment of the wider Church. In this spirit I respectfully offer this illustrated guide to the presentation of the Mass not only to the Ordinariates in the UK, America and Australia, but to the Church as a whole.

    The ministers approach the altar. The Priest Celebrant is accompanied by the Deacon, as he will be wherever possible, regardless of whether the Mass is celebrated with music and singing or not. Under the 1962 missal (The ‘Tridentine Rite’ or ‘Extraordinary Form) ‘High Mass’ was celebrated with three ministers, Celebrant, Deacon and Subdeacon. In fact these three ministers were usually in priests’ orders, though permission was given latterly for a layman to take the part of the Subdeacon. The reforms to the liturgy after Vatican 2 required that from henceforward the Deacon must be a ‘real’ Deacon (transitory or permanent) and that a priest might not assume the dalmatic and deacon’s stole. The Subdiaconate had been abolished as an Order, being replaced by the instituted ministries of Lector and Acolyte.  From the 19th century many Anglicans had copied the form of ‘High Mass’  without the corresponding orders, though it is worth noting that the ‘Epistoler’ and ‘Gospeler’ were to accompany the Celebrant in Cathedral and Collegiate churches, wearing copes.

    The form of ‘High Mass’ with three ministers continued in the C of E after the reforms, especially in the Cathedrals, though the reasons seem to have been largely aesthetic rather than a reflection of a clear understanding of the different Orders.  Otherwise this form died out quite rapidly in the UK with the clergy preferring to concelebrate where appropriate. The Divine Worship Missal has the (unclear) rubric ‘In the absence of a second Deacon, another cleric or even an Instituted Acolyte may serve the sub-diaconal ministry and read the Epistle. Does this then mean that it would be appropriate to celebrate the liturgy with a ‘sub-deacon? I think not. The ‘Minister’ of our rite is much closer to the ‘Clerk’ of the English tradition (and indeed Bishop Challoner in ‘The Garden of the Soul’ in the 18th century, uses the title of Clerk for the one who serves and ‘answers’ the Mass (i.e. responds to the priest on behalf of the congregation, the Mass being celebrated in Latin, a tongue unknown to to majority present) Should the Clerk (or Minister) wear the tunicle? I think not. To revive this vestment which is so similar to the Deacon’s dalmatic over half a century since it became obsolete, would only confuse – and to what purpose?


    So the Mass is seen here celebrated by a priest Celebrant who is assisted throughout by a single Deacon wearing his distinctive vestments. If there is a second deacon available he may also function, the two deacons dividing the role between them. This is particularly appropriate where the Celebrant is the Bishop. It should be noted that the deacon remains at the right hand of the Celebrant. He should not be displaced by the concelebrating priests, and it would be better if they stayed off the footpace altogether, allowing the Clerk (Minister) to stay at the left of the Celebrant to turn the pages of the altar Missal.

    Four servers take part in the celebration, the clerk, carrying the processional cross; next,  the taperers who are often referred to (somewhat confusingly) nowadays as acolytes, with their tapers or candlesticks; and the thurifer, who carries the thurible swinging it gently on the long chain in the Entrance Procession. The Celebrant will have put on and blessed incense in the sacristy.

    All ministers (both lay and ordained) wear the alb with amice and girdle (cincture).  The amice has a collar called an apparel, a particularly attractive English tradition. The amice is the first of the vestments to be put on, but rests over the head until the chasuble or dalmatic is in place. Then the amice is lowered, the apparel forming a collar over the outer vestment.

    The ministers approach the altar through the assembly.

    Arrived before the altar the servers and ministers make the appropriate reverence. If the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the sanctuary then a genuflexion is made. This acknowledgement the Real Presence of the Lord in the tabernacle is made at the beginning and end of Mass. Otherwise the genuflexion is made only to the Sacrament on the altar after the consecration. If the Sacrament is reserved elsewhere in the church then the ministers and servers make a profound bow to the altar. If the Deacon is carrying the Gospel Book he neither bows nor genuflects.

    The Priest and Deacon ascend the altar steps, the Deacon places the Gospel Book on the altar and both ministers  kiss the altar.  The thurifer approaches and gives the thurible to the Celebrant. (Incense will have been put on and blessed by the Celebrant in the sacristy and there should no need for more to be added and blessed at this point.)  The Celebrant censes the crucifix, on or above the altar, bowing before and after the censing,  and then, (moving anticlockwise) censes the altar. He may be accompanied and aided by the deacon and clerk or thurifer., especially if he is wearing very full and heavy vestments. The altar is censed in the simplest manner possible going right round the altar, gently swinging the thurible. (Where the sanctuary is very small and the altar is close to the east wall then the Celebrant will cense the altar to the right and then to the left. ) There seems no reason to revive the custom of censing the Celebrant at this point. Having handed the thurible back to the thurifer, the Celebrant and Deacon go to the north or left-hand side of the altar.

    The rubric from the 1662 Prayer Book of the Church of England requires the priest to begin the Communion Service at the ‘north end’ of the Holy Table. From the Offertory onwards he is to stand ‘before’ the Table. Standing and kneeling at the ‘north end’ became a hallmark of evangelical Anglicans until the 1980’s, in spite of liturgical scholars pointing out that the ‘north end’ is not the ‘north side’.  Before the Reformation it was apparently the custom in some places for the vestments to be laid out at the ‘north end’ of the altar and it was there that the Celebrant vested and said his preparatory prayers.

    The Celebrant, facing the altar, says the Invocation, and (alone) the Collect for Purity. He will need a card on the altar (which should not be propped up on the candlestick!)

    Still at the ‘north end’ the Deacon turns to the people to read the Commandments or Summary of the Law. The Clerk (Minister) holds the card or gives it to the Deacon.

    The Celebrant and Deacon move to the centre of the altar. The Celebrant, opening and then joining his hands, sings the opening phrase of the Gloria. (On occasions when the singers perform a lengthy setting of the Gloria, the priest and deacon go to the sedilia (their seats) They and the people sit and participate in listening. There is no reason for the priest to recite the Gloria sotto voce at the altar as this implies that he is celebrating his ‘own’ Mass separately from the rest of the congregation. 

    Still at the centre of the altar the Celebrant turns to the people and greets them (the Deacon moves to one side, turning and walking deliberately, and not shuffling sideways. He then turns inwards at right angles to the Celebrant). The Celebrant greets the people and then together he and the Deacon and move to the right-hand side (the south side) of the altar where the Celebrant says the Collect. Only one Collect is ever used. (The moves here are complicated and need to be practised carefully and accomplished slowly and deliberately.) The Clerk (Minister) has left his place on the footpace and gone to stand at his seat.

    After the people have responded with their Amen the Celebrant and Deacon turn to the right and go to the sedilia. The Deacon assists the Celebrant to sit (useful with heavy ad full vestments) and then sits himself. The taperers move to the centre, bow to the altar and together go to their places.

    To be continued …

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    Puritans and Protestants

    Posted on 26/08/2025 by Scott Anderson

    “The truth is that the English puritan’s crusade against all forms of sensuous beauty in worship has had more effect than we realise upon our notion of the worship of the primitive church. It disconcerts us to find that that church did not share the puritan theory of worship so far as corporate worship was concerned. No small part of our liturgical difficulties … come from confusing two things: protestantism – a purely doctrinal movement of the sixteenth century, confined to Western christianity and closely related to certain aspects of fifteenth century Western catholicism, from which it derived directly by way both of development and reaction, and puritanism – which is a general theory about worship, not specifically protestant nor indeed confined to christians of any kind. It is the working theory upon which all mohammedan worship is based. It was put as well as by anybody by the Roman poet Persius or by the pagan philosopher Seneca in the first century, and they are only elaborating a thesis from Greek philosophical authors going back to the seventh century B.C. Briefly, the puritan theory is that worship is a strictly mental activity, to be exercised by a strictly psychological ‘attention’ to a subjective emotional or spiritual experience/ For the puritan this is the essence of worship, and all external things which might impair this strictly mental attention have no rightful place in it. At the most they are to be admitted grudgingly and with suspicion, and only insofar as practise shows that they stimulate the ‘felt’ religious experience or emotion. Its principal defect is its tendency to ‘verbalism’, to suppose that words alone can express or stimulate the act of worship. Over against this puritan theory of worship stands another – the ‘ceremonious’ conception of worship, whose foundation principle is that worship as such is not a purely intellectual and affective exercise, but one in which the whole man – body as well as soul, his aesthetic and volitional as well as his intellectual powers – must take full part. It regards worship as an ‘act’ just as much as an ‘experience’. The accidental alliance of protestant doctrine with the puritan theory of worship in the sixteenth century may have been natural, and was as close in England as anywhere. But it was not inevitable. The early Cistercians were profoundly puritan, but they were never protestant. The thorough protestantism of the Swedish Lutherans, with their vestments and lights and crucifixes, has never been puritan.

    The puritan conception of worship may be right or wrong in itself – catholics must excuse a monk for finding it understandable and, in some respects at least, sympathetic,. But from the point of view of history we have to grasp the fact that there was little in antiquity to suggest to the church that it was even desirable for Christians. The elaborate ceremonial worship of the Jerusalem Temple had never been condemned on those grounds by our Lord. And although they came to regard it is in some sense superseded, it had never seemed wrong to the christians of the apostolic age, whose most revered leaders had continued to frequent it until they were driven from Jerusalem. Images and metaphors drawn from it saturated the language of the new christian scriptures, and entered at once into the very fabric of eucharistic doctrine. Clement in the first century takes its practice as the most natural analogy of the christian eucharistic assembly….What is striking about the pre-Nicene liturgy is to no much its simplicity as what I have called its ‘directness’, its intense concentration and insistence upon the external sacramental action in itself as what really mattered, and its exclusion of all devotional accretions of a kind which stimulate or satisfy a subjective piety. This is a type of worship the very reverse of the puritan, for which the subjective experience, not the external action, is always the important thing.”

    Dom Gregory Dix The Shape of the Liturgy Dacre Press 1943

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