Saint Anne's Catholic Church Richmond Hill
UPDATE:
BELOW IS A REPORT FROM FATHER MCDONALD FOLLOWING HIS FIRST MASS AT HIS PARSH THIS WEEK:I began our every Tuesday Low Mass in the Ancient Form yesterday at St. Anne Church. It's at 6 PM. I gave a brief homily on the difference between the two forms of the one Latin Rite.I encouraged the congregation to take part in the spoken parts of the Mass that the altar boy (in our case altar man) says. And they did very well. But I emphasized that the actual participation in the EF Mass is more contemplative, much like Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Each person brings his or her own prayer to Mass, their own needs and the needs of their loved ones and acquaintances as well as the needs of the local, national and worldwide communities and Church.
Therefore in the EF Mass, silence is not something added to the Mass when nothing else is being said, but there is silence in the midst of the Church most public prayer, especially at the offering of the Roman Canon.
The priest offers the Canon in a low voice and we join his silence to our own in wonder and awe.
And since only the Roman Canon is used in this form of the Mass, everyone should know what it his without hearing it. They should pray it apart from Mass and thus will not need a worship aid such as a hand missal to follow the priest.
They should gaze upon the altar as the priest offers the canon in the Person of Christ, Head of the Church. Allow the sign language of the priest, his arm motions, bows, genuflection, kisses of the altar, the bells be a powerful "spoken" Word to their hearts as the Canon is prayed.
This quiet can be disconcerting if our only experience is the business and noises of the Ordinary Form with words and more words and more words shouted at us rather than offered exclusively to God.
Yes, the world needs more silence. It's too noisey and to quote Pope Francis, via the Second Vatican Council:
"Refuse to give free course to the instincts of violence and hatred which beget wars and all their train of miseries. Be generous, pure, respectful and sincere, and build in enthusiasm a better world than your elders had."
I might add, make silence a form of your own spirituality with you contemplatively and thus actually participation in the holy of holies as though behind an iconostasis.
By the way, could you just imagine if the silent Roman Canon were added to the OF Mass with no other changes, how much more prayerful it would be for the holy people of God?
Great News, Father McDonald, pastor of the parish in Richmond Hill ( Savannah Diocese) announced today that he will celebrate a low mass every Tuesday at his parish at 6:00 pm. The Mass will be celebrated in the Martha and Mary chapel of the church. The mass will begin on the Feast of the Guardian Angels on Tuesday October 2nd. Make sure you thank Father McDonald for doing this !!!!
Saint Anne Catholic Church
1055 Ford Ave ( Hwy 144)
Richmond Hill Ga 31324
phone: (912) 756-3661
web site: www.StAnneRH.org
