All over the world, there must be members of that great network, koinonia, of Latin Rite Christian Communities whose Patron, whoever (s)he may be, has been transferred this year out of Holy Week or Easter Week - a magnificent but inhospitable fortnight - to this happy, easy-going, inclusive, catholic, receptive day, the Monday after Low* Sunday.
As I said the Mass of S George Regni huius Patroni today, Double of the First Class, I recollected also my dear friends on Papa Stronsay, celebrating the Mass of S Magnus, Great Patron of Orkney (yes, that splendiferous Calendar hangs prominently above my desk.) So greetings to you! Nice to think that you were in red vestments too!
And greetings to all of you out there who are also keeping your Patron's festivity today.
'Translations Monday' deserves a more romantic name. Any ideas?
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*BTW; it suddenly occurred to me .... could Low Sunday conceivably be a corruption of Close Sunday, videlicet the Sunday in clausa festorum Paschalium? My edition of the OED seems unable to take the name further back than the fifteenth century.
The Sunday morning after we were married, we went to Mass at S Mary's Bourne Street, where a large clergyman talked (it's the only thing I recall from his sermon) about the certainty, before the War, of finding the entire Bench of Bishops, on Low Sunday, upon the shores of Lake Como. I wonder if Mgr Newton has persuaded his episcopal colleagues to adopt this piece of Patrimony. The week could be renamed Canon Vesey Stanhope Week.
More like "translations week." At the very least, those of a more traditional bent will be using St. Mark's breviary office today. Add to that the possibilities of George, Anselm, etc., and you might have a few days to catch up on.
ReplyDeleteDear Father
ReplyDeleteBlessed day of St George to you and Mrs. Hunwicke. Yes we celebrated St Magnus in red and the day was crowned with sunshine.
Those of us who still observe SS. Pip & Jim on their traditional day (i.e. have not gone along with the usurpation of their feast day in favour of an optional memoria of politically dubious origin) were treated in 2011 to the sight of a national Patron Saint, an Evangelist and a brace of Apostles politely queuing up to take their turn at the Altars of the Church on successive days in "Translations Week".
ReplyDeleteIt was great fun trying to explain all of this to my baffled parishioners.