Friday, October 31, 2008

English Use is the Real Anglican Use

First we must use the services of the Prayer Book, obeying its rubrics. Among the latter is the Ornaments Rubric, which refers us to the church arrangements and ceremonial adjuncts of the older tradition, as they were used either on the eve of the introduction of the First Prayer Book or immediately after it had been introduced. Then we must find out what that tradition was, and follow it, except where it is inconsistent with the later and living authority of the Prayer Book. For this tradition, the Sarum books are the principal, though not the only source. That is the English Use.
Francis C Eeles, "Prayer Book Revision and Christian Reunion"

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Even the opponents of English Usage admit that Anglican-Use is a synonym. Most even admit that the goal of Advanced Ritualism is to be as Tridentine as possible. Yet, despite these admissions, flying in the face of all reason, they STILL cling to the Anglican appellation.

Go figure? Obviously, for Victorian Anglo-Catholics, logic and reason have nothing to do with the case.

Anonymous said...

Whatever its defects, the Tridentine Rite was one that was actually being celebrated in the 19th century; more than anyone can say for Sarum, certainly.

Your house is looking a bit transparent to me, especially with all the bricks you're throwing at Missal users about role-playing games and extended adolescence.

Anonymous said...

Dear Anon.,

The Tridentine Rite may does not have any defects from a Counter-Reformation view point, and yes it was the only one being celebrated by Latin-Rite Roman Catholics in the 19th Century.

But, Anglicans were bound by both the letter and spirit of duly constituted canon law to celebrate Prayer-Book Masses, using historically English ceremonial. These masses were quite prevalent in 19th century England, and, in varying degrees, they largely used Sarum or Sarum-derived ceremonl, not Roman ceremonial.

OTOH, those 19th and 20th and now 21st century Anglicans who pretended to be Roman Catholics by putting on odd dress (for an Englishman) and by mumbling the Tridentine Mass are all indeed doing just that: pretending to be what they are not.

That is, they are engaging in an imaginative flight of fantasy, much pimply- faced, can't-get-a-date, adolescent boys.

BTW, my house is build on the Rock and out of stone, so there is no transparency regardless of how many bricks I throw!

Interestingly enough, the rump Episcopal Church has its own bit a cross-dressing going on now, as their priestess tend to wear historical male, English liturgical garb. Personally, I think Schori would look better in lavender and old lace than certain Continuing Anglican Bishops, who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty.

Anonymous said...

Where in the Sarum Rite is the celebrant directed to read the service from the north end of the table, wearing gown and scarf?

Are rochets & chimeres ("cimera" is a creative variant, but not one I've seen before) vestments of the Sarum Rite as well? I had thought they were court garments, but perhaps that's just RC/A-C propaganda.

And is it too late to canonize Sir Oswald Mosley?