Societas Sanctae Crucis

Great fun to be at the annual Synod for the South East of Engand, with hundreds of brethren. In these dodgy times, with heterodoxy and heteropraxy (is there a difference?) rife, we need these expressions of fellowship.

The liturgy was interesting: Novus Ordo (third Roman Eucharistic Prayer) in the style which used to be called "Modern Catholic". I remember finding that sort of thing very refreshing when Eric Kemp introduced it at Chichester diocesan events in the 1970s - Chrism Masses, diocesan pilgrimages to Walsingham, etc. - because it it was such a lovely change from what had been the style of official Anglican liturgy: turgid, safe, pompous, tedious, self-conscious, with a whiff of the Victorians about it. But that was the 1970s. And, even then, I remember being uneasy about those Glorias and Sanctuses and Agnuses which involved jolly choruses superimposed upon very free paraphrases of texts. Liturgiam authentican was subsequently to agree with me on this. Presumably SSC will catch up with the newer Roman dispensation; perhaps next year's Synod Mass will be the last in the genuine 1970s style.

Perhaps someone should make a video of it for the archives.