Fr Blake and A Tale of Two Cardinals

Fr Ray Blake at Fr Ray Blake's Blog has the following post  Far be it for me to correct Cardinal Nichols but...

The full text of Cardinal Sarah's address can be seen at http://www.sacraliturgia.org/2016/07/robert-cardinal-sarah-towards-authentic.html

Meanwhile Zenit on July 13 had Press Office Clarifies Cardinal’s Remarks About Priest Facing East During Mass but then today there was a scathing piece from Richard Cipolla at RORATE CÆLI
which can be seen at  Contra Cardinal Sarah: The Bitter and Noxious Fruits of Ideology
 
Which simply makes me wonder just who IS calling the shots in the Vatican?

Cardinal Sarah ad orientem

The New Liturgical Movement has a post by Matthew Hazell about a significant pronouncement from Cardinal Robert Sarah in London at Cardinal Sarah’s Inaugural Address at Sacra Liturgia UK

Also on this subject there is Fr Ray Blake at Fr Ray Blake's Blog with Towards the Lord: Important, Urgent and Necessary

Ad Orientem for Advent

The Zenit online news service has an article citing the pastoral letter of the Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, setting out a policy for the priests of the cathedral and the Bishop himself at the Midnight Mass, to celebrate facing east during Advent, in the expectation of the coming of the Lord. He suggests other clergy may do the same.

This looks like intelligent Reform of the Reform, and a way of reacquainting the faithful with the traditional priestly posture. It certainly looks to be a case of leading by example, and hoping that example will be followed.

The Bishop's letter can be read at Lincoln Bishop Announces Masses With Priest Facing East to Recall Advent Symbolism.

A move in the right direction

Yesterday evening at the Solemn Mass at the Oxford Oratory for Candlemas the Fathers re -instituted the practice of the celebrant and sacred ministers facing ad Dominum - one cannot say ad orientem as the church, due to its site, is arranged facing westwards; perhaps ad occidentum? - at such celebrations of the Novus ordo liturgy. The practice will be followed at the 11 am Solemn Mass on Sundays amd other similar celebrations in the Novus ordo, but the Sunday 9.30 and 6.30 as well as weekday Masses will continue to be ad populum.

We have had occasional celebrations beforehand in this manner - the Masses at the Forty Hours Devotion or in preparation for days of Exposition in Lent for example when the altar is arranged for the monstrance - but this is a significant move. It is one which I very much welcome, and, trite as this may appear as a statement, it looked and seemed right - indeed dignum et justus est.