Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Mass at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome

From the Roman Basilica of St. Apollinaris, which is entrusted to Opus Dei's Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, via John Sonnen, comes this suggestive photograph of a priest celebrating Mass at one of the side altars, dedicated to the founder of Opus Dei, St. Josemaría Escrivá. The priest celebrates versus Deum, thus echoing the posture of St. Josemaría in the altar painting, which strikes me as a remarkable visual expression of the hermeneutic of continuity.


The altar painting is evidently modeled on one of the most well known pictures of St. Josemaría celebrating Mass (in the usus antiquior):


Another picture of St. Josemaría celebrating Mass at the same altar was featured on the NLM before:

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