Just a little flit to my stats page. I was quite struck with “hippie charicature” (the word is spelt caricature). Quite a few people these days are causing problems for barbers by depriving them of business! Oh well, each to his own…
“relationship between augustinianism and jansenism” – Oh yikes, my brain hurts! It’s all that difficult stuff about nature and grace, election and predestination. I wrote a few posts a while ago about Calvinism and some of the things you find on the internet from converts to low-church Anglicanism. I don’t want to reignite the flames.
“concept dinghy” – That is an interesting way of expressing it. The dinghy is usually defined as a small boat, often used as a ship’s boat by a larger vessel. Dinghies are sailed, rowed or propelled by an engine. The recreational sailing dinghy was developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and takes many forms and designs from the stout wooden cruiser to the high-tech regatta boat for today’s whizz kids.
“john hepworth” – I dare say many are still asking questions. I’m still not over it emotionally just yet. We are left with so many questions of why it happened the way it did, and we really come to the same conclusion – that we had to move on.
The Blue Flower 
Change of topic but didn’t know how else to get through to you. Over at Ritual Notes a question has arisen about the Sarum Usage and the laying of the priest’s left hand on the altar at a blessing. As people tend, even at Ritual Notes a site dedicated to liturgical minutia, to be imprecise in the writing, I suggest taking a look at the facebook pg to be sure of the point of discussion. But anyway I’m thinking that one person is referring to a practice, left hand on altar, found in the Sarum Usage of the Candlemas Liturgy. Whether he referring the blessing of candles and procession or the actual mass I don’t know. Any help?
Hi Dale, that is actually a fairly interesting question. I remember when I was in school, back in the middle ages, we had one priest who always gave the final blessing at Mass standing slightly to the gospel side of the altar with his left had placed upon the altar making the sign of the cross with his right hand. I was told by the school chaplain that that was from Dearmer’s notes. In the Roman tradition, followed by most Anglicans, the priest does not do this, hence, it is most likely a Sarum tradition. Perhaps Fr Anthony can fill us in?
I think it’s Dearmer’s own idea. He was a very strict BCP person. The rubric in the 1662 BCP specifies that the consecrated bread and wine be covered with a white cloth after Communion and then consumed by the priest and other communicants AFTER the blessing. The result of this is that consecrated elements will be at the center of the altar while the blessing is given. Dearmer’s strong insistence on the Real Presence would have left him unwilling to turn his back to the sacrament, thus to put his left hand on the corporal and pivot to the Gospel side for the blessing. One of our priests (now deceased) used to follow this procedure and explained it in this way.
I haven’t run into any reference to it as an original Sarum practice. How say you, Fr. Anthony?
Yes, Ed, you are probably correct. One has to be careful with Dearmer at times. His most famous, or infamous, playing about with Sarum was his introduction of a eastern type of great entrance with the elements, made by the subdeacon or server in tunicle; although it may look very nice, it was simply his personal whim.
Once Fr gets a chance to add his comments, if there’s a consensus, I post it over at Ritual Notes as from other sources. Dearmer was certainly an Anglican of the early do thine own thing school. I post quite a bit over at Ritual Notes coming from your favorite perspective Dale, AWRV. It can be interesting but I’m by far and away the most conservative liturgically and most likely theologically as well except for an occasional RC. Paul Goings from St Clement’s Philly is also conservative liturgically but obviously not theologically.
There is no final blessing at the Sarum Mass. After the Placeat, the priest simply kisses the altar and signs himself saying In nomine Patris, etc. Only the Bishop gives the (pontifical) blessing at the end of Mass. As far as I know, the Dearmer way of giving a final blessing at a retrofitted BCP Mass is his innovation based on leaving the Sacrament on the altar until after Mass.
The Ritual Notes is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/598729773525802/
Dale I’d like to internet with you privately on some liturgical questions. Any ideas how?
As Ritual Notes is about minutia I’ll be a little nit picky Fr. Am I correct in assuming that the Sarum Blessing of Candles has no hand on altar either?
I find no mention of this in the rubrics. The priest is up at the altar at the epistle corner. I put the candles to be blessed on the credence, so I turn towards them at the moment of blessing them. In the absence of any special rubric, I do it as in the Roman rite, the left hand pressed onto the breast. The left hand is of course placed on the altar when making signs of the cross over the host and chalice during the Canon, but that is something else. Also the right hand is placed on the altar when turning missal pages over with the left hand, but that is standard Roman practice. I have no reason to believe that Sarum is any different in this.
Thanks mucho.
I notice ICRSS priests place their left hand on the Altar at the Misereatur-Indulgentiam prayers during the peoples’ Communion Rite.
I thought they pretty much used the 62 Usage now.
Yes, especially since the late Fr Quoëx got the heave-ho. I’m out of touch with the Institute and rarely look at their website – all so long ago for me and I have moved on. We officially did 1962 when I was there, but “tweaked” rather the way we Anglicans can tend to arrange things.