Pilgrimage to the Holy Places of Assisi

People who check this blog regularly for fancy snaps of liturgical happenings at S. Magnus may have wondered where the hell I've been for the last few weeks. Well, as a matter of fact I've been in Italy, doing the rounds, and decided to hold off posting anything until I got my own laptop, which arrived today. Big thanks to my housemate, who has allowed me to use his laptop periodically to "enrich" my blog, when he'd rather be on Facebook.

So here are some nice pics of Assisi, which was an amazing experience. I only spent a day seeing the sights, but got a few decent photos with my point-and-shoot cheapo camera. The weather
in mid-January in Umbria was basically wet, wet, wet. Still, there is plenty to see in this amazing part of the world.

The Basilica of Santa Maria delgi Angeli is built around the first Franciscan church: the Porziuncula, or "little portion". It is here that S. Francis of Assisi first realised his vocation and it is the mother church of all Franciscans. It is said that when the little church was given to S. Francis by the Benedictine Abbot of Monte Subasio, it was in terrble condition and that S. Francis restored it with his own hands. The modern-day basilica also incorporates the chapel of the Transito, the place where Francis died, and the rose-garden of S. Francis where, according to tradition, S. Francis felt a pang of temptation to leave his way of life, and humiliated himself by rolling naked in some brambles. Coming into contact with his body, the brambles turned into rose bushes, and to this day a variety called Rosa canina assisiensis grows in this garden, and the leaves of the bushes are often used by those suffering from painful illness.

Also on display in the basilica is this interesting sign, which I assume comes from Jerusalem and belongs to a street in the old city which has since been renamed. If anyone knows where Tariq Mar Fransis or Rehov St. Franzis is now, then please let me know!

The basilica of S. Francis, which contains the tomb of the saint, and is attached to the Convento, is another important stop for any pilgrim. Here you can see a painfully modern take on the Presepe, or Nativity Scene, which adorns most churches in Italy until Candlemas. This one involved lots of confused-looking fibreglass people heading towards a silver bambino in a chicken-wire manger. It is believed that S. Francis was the originator of the Crib devotion, when he created a live Nativity scene in Assisi composed of real figures and livestock, and where the crib formed the altar for the Christmas Mass.

Photography is strictly forbidden in the crypt which contains the relics of the saint, but that didn't stop me taking a sneaky pic. The tomb is contained in a brick column which is accesible from all four sides. The atmosphere in the crypt is quite palpable, which brown-robed figures moving among the pews muttering prayers. I felt moved to stay here for about an hour enjoying the silence of the place, and saying a rosary for all those who had asked my prayers.

There are numerous interesting shrines and chapels in the basilica, including one dedicated to the Immaculate.

Almost every street corner in Assisi features a small Marian shrine or statue, and I took a photo of this one, which was particularly grand. Devotion to Our Lady and S. Francis seems to pervade the entire town.

Across town from S. Francis' basicila is that of S. Claire of Assisi, foundress of the second order of Franciscan sisters. This church contains the crucifix of San Damiano, the iconographic crucufixion scene, from which S. Francis heard the very voice of Christ. During my visit, the church was almost empty, while a Mass was being said in the Blessed Sacrament chapel and through the glass doors I could see a single young woman in attendance. I got the impression that this town lives by the maxim of Franciscan spirituality: Jesus in the crib, Jesus on the Cross, Jesus in the Eucharist.

The visit to the tomb of S. Claire is also an amazing experience, as the crypt contains many relics of the saints, including a cloak sewn by Claire for Francis. I often get the feeling that S. Claire was forced by the norms of her time to accept life as a cloistered nun, whereas her vision of following Francis involved more active apostolic work in the community among the poor and the suffering. However, during my stay in Italy I came into contact with numerous expressions of the Franciscan life for women, some of which involved very tough missionary work in Europe and abroad, and I suppose in a sense Claire's vocation is being lived out anew in our own times, while the obedience she manifested is an example to us all.

The Cathedral of San Rufino, which is undergoing renovations, was the main church of the town in S. Francis' day.

It contains the relics of the saint under the High Altar....

...as well as the font in which S. Francis and S. Claire were baptised.

Baptism of Our Lord and Blessing of the Thames

Ok, so this is the updated post about Sunday's Mass for the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, which was followed by the traditional procession to and blessing of the river Thames. These photos were taken under duress by one of the choir from the organ loft, and such they are not very clear. Still, they give a rough idea of what went on and how.

More servers appear from the space behind the pulpit....

Offterory

Canon of the Mass...

After Mass, a procession was formed lead by an Acolyte holding an Icon of the Baptism. In fact, the ceremony of Blessing the Thames, which happens on London Bridge every year on this feast day, has its origins in the Eastern Orthodox custom of blessing a body of water by throwing a cross into it.

The procession from S. Magnus leaves the church. You may recognise the clergy present. Fr. Simon Morris was very kind to break short his holiday in order to help us, my thanks to him. Fr. Martin Hislop of S. Luke's, Kingston also kindly joined us.

The procession leaves the filthy underpass that takes one up to London Bridge, birettas braced against the winds. The Parish boundary of S. Magnus the Martyr lies exactly half-way across London Bridge, where it meets the boundary of the Diocese of Southwark. It is therefore our tradition to meet the clergy and congregation of Southwark Cathedral for a short service of readings, prayers and blessings at this meeting point. Prayers were said for those who work on the river, and for those who have died on it or in it. Among those present was a survivor of the Marchioness which sank nearby twenty years ago this summer, Master of the Company of Waterman & Lighterman Richard Goddard and Captain Duncan Glass of the Corporation of Trinity House.

The procession from the Southwark side included the Masters of the Glaziers and the Launderers, whose livery halls are on the Southwark bank, and Timothy West and Prunella Scales who were part of the cathedral congregation.

The Bishop of Woolwich sprinkles the faithful with Holy Water

Hospitality is shared between the two year by year and this year, the congregation of S. Magnus were guests at the Cathedral, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch in the Library.

My personal thanks to those who assisted at the Liturgy, and to the clergy and staff of Southwark Cathedral for their warm welcome.

The Holy Innocents, Church of the Resurrection, NY

Those of us who follow the modern calender probably lamented the fact that the Holy Innocents were liturgically smothered in 2008, but not for our sister parish in the states. Since I'm lucky enough to have a Church of the Resurrection Ordo Calender on my kitchen wall, I can't help noticing that this great church seems to be keeping the old calender, octaves and all. These pictures of their liturgy and Christmas Crib came to me today and I thought I'd better share them.

The High Altar

Asperges me

Collect

Canon of the Mass

Blessing

Crib

Feast of the Epiphany

Wishing everyone a happy Epiphany. This photo is from the Sunday Mass, which was followed by Blessing of the Chalk and marking of the door with the customary Epiphany cipher.

Next week is the Feast of Our Lord's Baptism which is followed by a ceremony of Blessing the Waters (in our case, the Thames under London Bridge). I hope to have some nice photos to share next week.

Urgent prayer-request for Gaza

You will all probably be watching the news bulletins about the Israeli air-strikes on the Gaza strip with shock and horror. Please pray for the peoples of the Middle East during this difficult time:

-For the hundreds of dead and injured in the Gaza strip,

-For those inside Israel who suffer from Qassam rocket attacks,

-For an immediate end to the violence and for the Spirit's guidance towards a full, workable and lasting peace in Israel/Palestine.

You might want to address your prayers to Our Lady, Queen of Palestine. This devotion started during the violent uprisings of the 1930s and has continued to this day. The Daughter of the Holy Land and Mother of all who trust in Christ sustains us by her constant intercession, and will surely hear our prayers.

Midnight Mass, S. Catherine's, Bethlehem

Ah, to be in Bethlehem for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem travelled to Manger Square to say Midnight Mass at S. Catherine's church, and he was welcomed into the city by legions of local scouts playing bagpipes. In deference to a long-standing tradition established by Yasser Arafat, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, also attended, along with the Christian mayors of Bethlehem and Beit Jala, home to the Latin Patriarchal Seminary.

One thing to note is the presence of a biretta in a photo available here http://www.maanimages.com/index.php?opr=Details&ID=58927. In my experience of Latin Catholicism in Egypt and Palestine, ecclesiastical dress in the Middle East tends to conform to the "polyester practical" school of thought. However, the Patriarch of Jerusalem seems to be quite enthusiastic for the restoration of various symbols of office.

Pilgrim numbers have been up in Bethlehem this year, which is something to be thankful for. The security wall has been slowly strangling the town over the last few years, exacerbated by the ring of expanding settlements that will soon encircle Bethlehem completely. There have been some ugly settler incidents in the municipality this year, most notably around the village of al-Khadr, where the shrine of St. George lies, and in the villages of al-Ta'amrah where settlers from Tekua frequently attack Palestinian farmers, and temporary road-blocks around the settlements disrupts the local agricultural economy. At least foreign tourists and pilgrims won't have to look far for the ugly 8-metre concrete slabs of the separation wall. The area around the main checkpoint where tourists from Jerusalem arrive may have the look of a normal border crossing, but for the time being foreigners still have to queue with locals and can easily observe the oppressive system of permits and finger-printing in action for themselves. I really hope to go back to the West Bank this year, possibly to visit the Parish we have just twinned with, and I will definitely try to get to Bethlehem if I can. If anyone is going on pilgrimage, please let me see the photos!

Photos of the liturgy courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Midnight Mass, Ss Peter & Paul, Wantage

High Altar and Crib

Merry Christmas to one and all, hope everyone is enjoying the Feast of the Nativity. I am currently unable to move very far or very quickly, or even maintain a face-to-face conversation without falling asleep, and this due to the excessive amount of free-range turkey and Pastis I have consumed today. So I find myself at the computer desk, eager to add some pictures of the church I visited last night for Midnight Mass. At least this only involves moving part of my upper body...

My parents have recently moved to rural Oxfordshire, and I spent some time worrying about where I would go for Midnight Mass that would be within easy driving distance of my parent's isolated cottage. I got onto the FinF website and eventually found the Parish church of Ss Peter and Paul listed in nearby (15 miles) Wantage. I rang the rector and learned that although the church isn't actually FinF, the current vicar, Fr. Salter, is supportive. In this part of Oxfordshire, you throw a penny and hit a woman-priest, the area is so saturated with female clergy, and this made me all the more pleased to find an Anglican church that I could go to.

Chancel, with some beautiful monuments

The church bells were peeling just before midnight in the busy town-centre of Wantage, the pubs were absolutely brimming and it was nice to find the town's church quite busy too. I slipped into some latecomers' seats behind a pillar while the choir was singing Mattins of the day in a darkened church. At Midnight, the Mass itself started and a huge altar party wound its way around the church, depositing en route the considerably-sized choir in the stalls at the back of the nave. The liturgy was modern Roman, High Mass said from a modern portable nave altar, with a carol in place of the Psalm and a protracted exchange of the peace before the canon (it's my custom at such moments to be overcome with piety and drop to my knees in fervent prayer, thus avoiding having to shake hands with every Tom, Dick and Eileen), which is all very standard I suppose. The music was Schubert's Mass in G, which I was very excited about. Unfortunately, one of the violins had tuning issues, but the choir (all presumably unpaid non-professionals) did really well and the music truly contributed to the dignity of the occasion.

One thing really annoyed me, however: the thurifer, who had customised the standard attire of cassock and surplice by wearing a bright pink feathery hair-band on her pony-tail, decided to remove her 6-inch heels during the readings and never put them back on, padding around the church in tights instead. Any self-respecting server knows that apart from health and safety concerns around the charcoal, it is bad form to serve at the altar both in heels and barefoot. I know it's wrong to notice all of this but I couldn't help it, plank in my own eye etc but honestly, a man has limits.

The Mass ended with a procession to the crib, where the Celebrant carried the Bambinello in a cope and humeral veil to the crib, where the scene was lustrated and censed and the blessing given.

I didn't take pictures of the liturgy, but I managed to take a few snaps of the church afterwards. I have to apologise for the poor quality, but flash didn't look good and, well, I don't have a decent camera. The chancel is beautifully adorned, and the low, stone arches of the nave give a sort of basilica effect to the building. However, the narrow lines of this old church are quite at odds with modern tastes in liturgical celebration, and so Mass from the High Altar would be quite unacceptable to a modern congregation. Unfortunately, this means that with the addition of a nave altar and the focus of liturgical activity being so close to the congregation, the impression is one of a slightly squashed arrangement with only half the space in use. This is quite normal however in similar churches, and indeed any church where a nave altar has been preferred, and is truly endemic in our cathedrals.

Blessed Sacrament chapel with MU banner

I would like to thank Fr. Salter for his help and for letting me take some photos of the church. Please do visit if you ever find yourself in this part of Oxfordshire; one thing I've realised this week is the unfortunate state of the Church in some parts of rural England, with some impressive pockets of enthusiasm like Ss Peter and Paul. It's very important to pray for Anglicans in rural parishes who don't enjoy easy access to the various networks or abundance of churches to chose from, such as we enjoy in cities.