Praxiteles

Now, the question is: where does this leave our little Danny Murphy and his codology liturgy? Clearly, he has been widely overtaken.

As for the question of an altar in Cobh Cathedral, well, the Sixtine Mass this morning resolves the problem – there is no liturgical need for a aVolkslatar in Cobh and the original High Altar can be used for the Novus Ordo without difficulty – something the FOSCC has been saying for oevr a decade.

And again:

And here we have the guff-bite of the month:

“A diocesan spokesman told The Sunday Business Post: ‘‘No part of the cathedral has collapsed in any way. Since December, a section of the south nave and the south aisle of the cathedral have, for safety reasons, been cordoned off due to fragments falling from the clerestory wall. The occurrence is currently being examined by experts and a report is awaited”.

That is as good as the famous guff-bite for the BBC: “the problem with the Cathedral is that we have a 19th century sanctuary for a 21st century liturgy” – just see what happened to-day in the Sixtine Chapel where you have a 15th century sanctuary for a 21st century liturgy!!

And here we have another piece of liturgical radicalism from the Sixtine Chapel this morning:

http://mediastream.vatican.va/mpeg4dsl.sdp

St. Nicholas, Churchtown, Co. Cork

The titular dedication to St. Nicholas of Myra is a clear indication of the presence of the Normans in this area. Indeed, Churchtown was the seat of the McAdam Barry who established themselves here in the late 12th. century. The popularity of the Saint among the Normans comes from the Norman association with Bari in the South of Italy where his relics are venerated and which was once part of Norman Southern Italy.

Other Saints also with Norman associations would be St. Catherine of Alexandria, St Erasmus, St. John the Baptist, St. Michael the Archangel etc.

Exterior with bellcote:

St. Nicholas Church, Churchtown, Co. Cork (1839)

This is one of the very first examples of a Pugin influenced chuch in the North Cork area. It is distinguished by its high pitched roof, five stepped lancet window on the entrance facade, and recessed chancel with tripartite stepped lancets all in early English style.

@Rhabanus wrote:

Here goes:

The Christian liturgy adopts the classic Roman method of marching counter-clockwise in procession. Pagan Romans returning from battle purified themselves ritually by marching into the Forum on the Via Sacra in a counterclockwise direction. This movement was chosen in order to purify the troops from contact with blood in battle. The procession, which involved a display of the spoils of victory, including even captives, would lead to one of the great temples in the forum.

The Christian Church in Rome adopted the same practice, advancing to the right of the principal celebrant and proceeding in a counter-clockwise direction around the perimeter of the space or along a circular or rectangular path that wound up at the point of departure. This obtained in the Candlemas Day processions on the Esquiline Hill into the Basilica of St Mary Major, which replaced the pagan temple dedicated to Juno in Childbirth. It was there that a Christian procession would wend its way around the Esquiline and into the Basilica of St Mary Major on the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, also known as Hypapante, the “Encounter” between Christ and Simeon, representative of the all the just.

Processions into and around the stational churches of Rome follow the same pattern.

The procession of the Stations of the Cross follows this method as well. The celebrant, with various attendants bearing cross and candles, leaves the sacristy and proceeds to the foot of the altar in the sanctuary. After the opening prayers, the celebrant turns toward the gate of the sanctuary, proceeds through it into the nave and then turns to his right (Gospel side of the church). The first station (Pilate condemns Jesus to death) is placed in the side aisle. After the first station, the procession advances down the nave or side aisle toward the entrance of the church or chapel. Once the seventh station is prayed (Jesus falls the second time), the procession moves to the other side of the nave and carries on with the eighth station (Jesus comforts the daughters of Jerusalem). The procession now moves from the entrance of the church toward the sanctuary along the side aisle (Epistle side) or remaining in the middle aisle but facing each station for reflection and prayer.

After the fourteenth station (Jesus is laid in the Sepulchre) the procession leaves the Epistle side and enters the sanctuary by the gate; then prayers are recited at the foot of the Altar before the tabernacle.

The novel contrivance of a fifteenth station (The Resurrection) is an innovation encouraged by church suppliers ($$$) and nouveaux liturgistes (???), but is quite redundant, considering the tradition of concluding the procession and prayer at the foot of the altar, before the Blessed Sacrament – the Risen Lord Himself! DUHH!!

“Ya! That makes a whole lot of sense.” Glad you agree! It makes eminent sense if one possesses even a modicum of liturgical instinct (not to mention common sense), and are capable of distinguishing right from left, east from west, and your knee (?) from your elbow!

Well as a matter of fact, our brave Danny is in fact proposing a fifteenth station of the Cross.

Could you perhaps recommend a book or two (in English of course) should our Danny want to learn something about liturgy and liturgical movement?

St. Joseph’s Church, Liscarroll, Co. Cork

Well, Cork County Council is due to make a decision this week on the planning application that has been lodged by the Parish Priest to wreck the interior of this church. As usual, Danny Murphy, the liturgical guru of the Cloyne HACK, provided some of the most interesting “liturgical” justifications for this barbarism in another paper he submitted just before Christmas to the Planning Authority.

It looks as though this poor man has discovered something about liturgical movement and its anti-clockwise direction in the Latin Church. Unfortunately, as is always the case with a modicum of learning, he does not appear to have understood much about the anti-clokwise direction of Western liturgical movement – given some of the howlers he came up with on positioning the Stations of the Cross that the HACK want to put into this church.

Basically, poor old Danny had the idiotic idea of erecting the stations of the Cross in an anti-clockwise direction from the door of the church!! If Danny had been half educated, he should have known that the anti clockwise direction of liturgical movement is anti-clockwise from the ALTAR -not the back of the church or any where else in the church.

Neither did he notice that while “liturgical” movement is anti-clockwise in direction, non-liturgical movement is not anti-clockwise and can be clockwise. Danny should have realized that the Stations of the Cross, not being a liturgical practice but being a DEVOTIONAL practice, usually move in a clockwise direction. Hence, looking from the ALTAR, the first station will be on the left and progress around the church to the right.

Clearly, he has not carefully read the relevant section of the Directory on Liturgy and Popular Devotions. Indeed, he may well not have read a single word of the document for all we know and the evidence points in that direction.

Reading the latest piece of guff from him, the reader cannot easily escape the impression that the writer has confused liturgy for a very eccentric and, dare one say, daft bit of personal codology.

Perhaps Rhabanus might like to comment further.

Someone has suggested to Praxiteles that this statue of Our Lady is by Seammus Murphy. Praxiteles would appreciate any comments on taht remark. Thanks.

Here we have a picture of an emporium on the Main Street in Charleville, Co. Cork, showing the present whereabouts of the burnished brass gates stripped from the Mortuary Chapel of the nearby parish church.