I was just in conversation with my American correspondent in the Diocese of Argyll about Liturgical Matters. It transpires that there is schism between us. It is my belief that the candles on an Advent Wreath should be red, with the possible addition of a white one in the middle at Midnight Mass. It is her belief that candles should be either all purple or three purple ones and a pink one.
My contention is that this purple and pink business is something which came to us from our colonial brethren not that many decades ago and that it is, like George Bush, something of which they should repent. My correspondent replied with the assertion that red candles on an Advent Wreath could never be, because “…red candles are common”.
This seems to confirm my view that although she may not be personally responsible for changing our candles from red to purple/pink, her co-countrypersons were. Anyone beg to differ?
If we could resolve differences such as this, we might be able to move to some kind of companion link with the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles one day, which would be quite exciting. We could go there for visits and exchanges, and maybe even share communion.
Oh, thank God for Germany.
I’m about to be the recipient of lots of Christmas cookies. I believe every word. It was Radio 3 after all.
I use a book of collects which has moved stir up Sunday, but perhaps that is for another thread.
Sounds to me as though the Kyles of Bute have been spending too much time going to TISEC residentials.
In Argyll (or at least in Cowal and Bute) the theory is: why go to TISEC weekends when the cloth will come to you?
(and lovely to hear from you so swiftly, Kelvin. Sweden always was good for your correspondence skills.)
Looks like my cover is blown.
Can we borrow the thurible for the procession then, Kelvin?
I’ll get me coat………..
Fr G, you are most welcome to borrow a thurible any time. We provide lessons too.
In the Episcopal Church that I/we attend we have four red candles and one purple. It looks rather strange. Never mind the Church is decorated beautifully with so much pagen green boughs and other green items. What would Boniface,[Saint] [680_ 754] have made of all this one cannot begin to imagine.
Why is it that the main section of this blog carries so many ads for online dating? Can it be that the divine Google thinks that so many people with nothing better to do than comment on candles might get together and find a life? Just a thought ……
I smiled when we lit the rose candle this morning.
Well, the ads are different according to where you view the page from. I get different ads looking at the page from Sweden. I can only conclude that they think that the people of Argyll are in particular need of company.
So what are the Swedish ads then? 🙂
Swedish ads not exciting, but google forbids one to comment on the content of ads on the same website. It mucks up their placement programmes.
I was intrigued by this post as we in the Church of England face similar schism at the moment with the rise to prominence of a new genre of Covenanted Evangelicals who are concerned about similarly weighty matters within our Dioceses. Being strictly scriptural of course doesn’t help in your debate since Advent candles area 12th century invention which was imported into the west coast of Ireland. The authentic tradition has however survived with Irish emigres to Canada and I have blogged about it here, as well as offering some tongue cheek commentary on your dilemna. see
http://bigbulkyanglican.typepad.com/bigbulkyanglican/2006/12/scottish_advent.html