Monday, this coming Monday, is a Festival. To be precise it is the Feast of the Apostle Bartholomew.
We try to mark the feast days of apostles and others with a Eucharist. They take place at different times and on differening days of the week to ensure that as many people as possible get to come sometime.
This Monday the service will be at 7.30 pm and we will be singing a simple plainsong setting.
Why plainsong? Because it is an utterly lovely thing to do. Utterly lovely is what some of the Festivals are all about and that is what is on offer to celebrate Bartholomew on Monday.
All Welcome.
Strictly speaking the feast of St Bartholomew the Apostle in 24 August (Sunday) however the peculiarities of the current SEC (and probably others) Kalendar means that Saints’ Days that are moved away from Sundays, which I really think is our loss.
The 1929 Prayer Book (which we no longer follow) identifies St Bartholomew as Red Letter Day (page lv) with the rule on page lviii giving the feast precedence over the Sunday after Trinity. But of course we now identify the Sundays in Ordinary Time as Pentecost 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc….
For those like myself, an explanation as to why (and when) we lost the opportunity to celebrate these Red Letter Days when they fall on a Sunday would be most helpful.
The 1929 Kalendar is no longer authorised for use in the Scottish Episcopal Church. The concept of Red Letter Days is now obsolete. (The Calendar is printed in plain old black and white).
As to why the Liturgy Committee made these recommendations, I do not know. I do think it is interesting that at a time when the Roman Catholics are moving everything to a Sunday (including even Corpus Christi) we are not following their example.
The Calendar which we use ranks different events in the liturgical year into 6 categories.
The two relevant rules to Sundays are these:
Feasts in Category 2, falling on a weekday, may be kept on the nearest Sunday, except Sundays in
Categories 1 and 2.
and
Where feasts in Category 4 fall on a Sunday (other than a Sunday in Categories 1 and 2), they may, if local
circumstances require, be kept on that day.
Thus there is no reason why we could not celebrate St Bartholomew on Sunday morning. However, there is no real reason for doing so. And anyway, who would not want the chance of a plainsong mass on a Monday evening?
Here is the table:
When two celebrations fall on the same day, the following table indicates which takes precedence.
1
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday;
Easter Day (and the weekdays following);
Pentecost;
Ash Wednesday; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Holy Week; Ascension Day;
Christmas Day ; Epiphany;
Sundays of Advent, Lent and Easter.
2
Feasts of The Lord (Naming, Presentation, Annunciation, Transfiguration);
Trinity Sunday; All Saints’ Day;
Dedication and Patronal Festivals;
Eves of Christmas and Pentecost;
First Sunday after Christmas;
First Sunday after Epiphany (the Baptism of the Lord).
3
Sundays after Christmas (except Christmas 1);
Sundays after Epiphany (except Epiphany 1);
Sundays after Pentecost (except Pentecost 1);
Weekdays in Lent.
4
Feasts of the Apostles and Evangelists;
Saint Mary the Virgin, the Visit to Elizabeth;
Joseph, John the Baptist (Birth, Beheading);
Mary Magdalene; Michael and All Angels;
Stephen, the Holy Innocents;
Kentigern, Patrick, Columba, Ninian, Margaret of Scotland.
5
All Souls’ Day; Holy Cross Day;
Conception and Birth of Mary, Mother of the Lord;
Thanksgiving for the Institution of the Holy Communion (Corpus Christi);Thanksgiving for Harvest.
6
Other commemorations.
What about the chance of a Plainsong Mass on Sunday Evening (1st Evensong of the Festival??)
Anyway Corpus Christi on a Sunday (ugh!!!), the next suggestion will be having All Saints Day on a Sunday
I fear that, on behalf of my spiritual alma matter, I should be offended that this Bart guy attracts more comments than the (many!) cute guys of st.silas. Not to mention that “plain” anything is not something I can easily imagine being associated with Kelvin or the cathedral.
This year’s All Saints and All Souls celebration will encompass three days and include artistic installations on the theme of grace from local artists, a day long workshop on “The Best of Times, the Worst of Times”, a Big (positively enormous) Sing, High Mass of All Saints on the Sunday and a Sung Requiem (hopefully with orchestra) on the Sunday evening. Day and Night and Weekday and Sabbath are likely to become a little blurred.
Plain, Ryan, is relative.
Lest we become victim to pedantry, we should also acknowledge that there was in fact only one cute guy who caught Kingsfold’s eye. He or she was apparently concentrating on worship and not those around him or her on the day that he or she came to St Mary’s.
> I fear that, on behalf of my spiritual alma matter, I should be offended that this Bart guy attracts more comments than the (many!) cute guys of st.silas.
I think people are too bemused by the unexpected combination of cute guys and St Silas’s in the same heading to be able to comment! It does come across a bit like ‘Mrs Thatcher and Social Justice’, or ‘The Wit and Wisdom of John Prescott’.
A friend of mine was once told that he was “2qt2bstr8”. Should there be a category “2qt2go2StSilas’s”?
Excellent. Thank you Kelvin. The Long, Short And Tall Of It All is that we have the utterly lovely opportunity of Mass on Monday, and a plainsong setting at that. Thank You.
“Plain” service does indeed sounds spectacular!
You could argue that St.Mary’s grandeur is such that it is more appropriate , whilst waiting for the start of the service, to bless oneself or pray whereas st.silas is so obviously low and easy that checking out the cute guys is perfectly acceptable, as long as it doesn’t prove a distraction when the service starts.
I maintain that St.Silas’ cute guy ratio is greater than average.
I do not know what qt means Robin. I am not very gr8 @ txtng LOL.
Ryan you may be onto something. At St Mary’s one prays first and flirts later (after the benediction, one hopes).
I wonder if that theory does (or should) influence the choice of postludes.
And whilst I’m on the subject, St Andrew’s Day will be kept at St Mary’s in appropriately glorious style on St Andrew’s Day, which this year is 1 December 2008.
As I said last year.
Reasons above.
No arguing.
Flirting optional.
In all Kalendars, Calendars, etc. St Andrew can never take precendence over Advent 1.
Now who is for Christmas Day always being on a Sunday? 😉
Stewart, Christmas day being on a sunday would lead to less days off for certain people so I’m against it.
Just noted that your current sponsored ads, Kelvin, include “Masonic Gifts” and “Catholic Feast Days”. Catholic Feast Days I can understand being suggested by your post’s content, but Masonic Gifts?
Hi Kelvin! Speaking of celebrations…How do you feel about letting me mention the BIG JIG ceilidh? It’s on Friday 10th October in Destiny Church in Shawlands. Details are at http://www.thejiggers.co.uk/bigjig
I know how much people at St Mary’s like a good ceilidh, so would like to extend the invite to you and your congregation. It promises to be a great night.
(PS I realise you’re moderating comments now, which is why I’ve posted: if this is too much O.T. feel free not to post it, but the invite still stands obviously! It’s not a “church” ceilidh, just a general “anyone and everyone” gig.)
All the best
Greg
(oops, not so moderated, then…)
Hello Greg de Beat! That’s at least (including Nick) 3 cute guys of St.Silas you have personal knowledge of, Kelvin.
yes it was a lovely quiet meditative service-thanks Kelvin,good that it was on at night to get the opportunity to attend
Didn’t see any of the”cute guys “from St.Silas- though apologies if you were there
Looking forward to the homecoming concert and Vivaldi’s Gloria!
harrumph, morag. I hearby resign my membership of the St.Silas cute guys club, whilst still maintaining that said club exists.
sorry ryan,but I am getting on a bit and should really wear my specs,which I usually can’t find cos I’m not wearing them– please don’t retire on my behalf the world needs more cute guys and gals not less