Another priest starts to turn the tables

Posted on 9 April 2008 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Dwight Longenecker at Standing on my head posts the following:

Last week I began saying Mass in our daily Mass chapel at St Joseph’s Catholic School facing East. I do so on two days of the week, while facing the people on the other three days. I’m also taking time to explain the change and what it means and why we are doing it.
We will also begin the changeover at St Mary’s quite soon. I hope to post some photographs here on the blog of both celebrations, as well as the responses and reactions of our people.

WDTPRS applauds Fr. Longenecker and looks forward to updates.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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8 Comments

  1. RichR says:
    9 April 2008 at 9:13 AM

    I hope Fr. Longnecker posts his homilies when he starts to explain the shift to people. Priests may want to try something like this, but not be fully confident in their ability to explain to the people why.

  2. Paul Waddington says:
    9 April 2008 at 10:08 AM

    I am impressed that Fr Longenecker is taking the trouble to explain this change. I don’t remember much explanation when the change was in the opposite direction. In those days, it was take it or leave it.

  3. Paul Waddington says:
    9 April 2008 at 10:13 AM

    I am impressed that Fr Longenecker is taking the trouble to explain the change that he is making. I don’t remember much explanation when the altars were turned around the last time! In those days, anyone who dissented was totally ignored.

  4. Emilio says:
    9 April 2008 at 10:50 AM

    I’m filled with admiration for priests who have the courage to celebrate the Novus Ordo ad orientem, hopefully after a period of catechesis to his parish as in this case. I am friends with several priests who are personally convinced that ad orientem is preferable to versus populum, but who are too timid to confront their congregations or their pastors about it, especially in places where the bishop and the chancery would be very unsympathetic, or even hostile – as in the case of Birmingham, AL under it’s former bishop. I hope we are living in a period where true liturgical renewal as in this case, will embolden bishops and priests to restore this essential posture. I hope it is eventually restored everywhere, or at least we reach a point where it is as commonplace, if not more, than versus populum.

  5. Melody says:
    9 April 2008 at 10:58 AM

    He also has a biretta! I suppose the Extraordinary form may be next. ^_^

  6. mpm says:
    9 April 2008 at 12:45 PM

    The Pastor of the parish where Fr. Longenecker is an Associate Pastor
    wrote a wonderful “apologia” for the parishioners. Coincidentally, I
    was just reading it this morning on their website:

    http://www.stmarysgvl.org/whatsnew/turning-together-towards-the-lord

    This is exactly the kind of “communio/koinonia” that Fr. Z has been
    “touting”, and Prof. Ratzinger has been writing about all these years.

  7. CarpeNoctem says:
    11 April 2008 at 2:32 PM

    Look at what I just saw at another blog:
    (Warning: not for the faint of heart!)

    http://addominum.blogspot.com/2008/04/saint-mary-virgin-nyc.html

    It seems that even the Episcopalians are getting into the act. Wow. You’ve seen it; unfortunately you can’t now un-see it.

  8. CarpeNoctem says:
    11 April 2008 at 2:35 PM

    Look at what I just saw at another blog:
    (Warning: not for the faint of heart!)

    http://addominum.blogspot.com/2008/04/saint-mary-virgin-nyc.html

    It seems that even the Episcopalians are getting into the act. Wow. You\’ve seen it; unfortunately you can\’t now un-see it.

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