Mindful of the fact that I may epitomize Mrs Comerford's unrepresentative minority who bestir themselves only to cornplain, I would nonetheless like to say a few complaining words about the Holy Year Mass in Westminster Cathedral recently.
Leaving aside such involved issues as the seemingly ad hoc mixture of Latin and English (oil and water!) and the meretricious substitution of various "hymns" (one of them by Wesley) for the psalmody of the Church, I would mention merely one practice which is quite deplorable.
At the Canon of this "concelebrated" affair, ten priests in chasubles flanked the principal celebrant and recited the dominical words of institution. But out of these, no less than eight were seen clutching the visual aid of a little green book in their left hand, solemnly raising the right as if to swat a passing fly.
Surely this is ridiculous, and doubly insulting to Our Lord. In the True Mass of St Pius V priests had to learn by heart a good deal more than is demanded in the banal Novus Ordo. Now most of them can hardly cross the sanctuary without consulting a "missalette" — all the more surprising since it appears that anyone is free to manfacture his or her rubrics at. preference.
If "concelebration" (which is
not to be found in Sacred Scripture) be desirable at Westminster, is it too much to expect the "concelebrants" to learn their lines and to act as if they were more than walk-on extras brought on at the last minute?
Nicholas Webber 18 Gorst Road, London, SW I I.