Thursday, July 17, 2008

Surprise Discoveries of the Liturgical Influence of Benedict XVI

It is perhaps one of the greater signs of progress when one starts to see certain liturgical developments just by pure happenstance, rather than by intention.

One of our readers was looking about the internet at different parishes offering employment opportunities when they ran across the parish of St. Francis de Sales in Ohio, when they happened to notice the altar arrangement:



Very nice and congratulations to the parish priest for their implementation of this first step back toward ad orientem.

If I might make one suggestion -- for I like to take the opportunity as often as I can to promote this -- I would always recommend the use of the frontal; specifically of the Roman or Medieval English style. These two styles are particularly effectual in ornamenting and veiling the altar and are crisp, clean and quite indicative of the Roman liturgical tradition.

Here is a simple example from Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Greenville, South Carolina:



There are other variations upon this of course, but this gives the general just of things.

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