O City city, I can sometimes hear
Beside a public bar in Lower Thames Street,
The pleasant whining of a mandoline
And a clatter and a chatter from within
Where fishmen lounge at noon: where the walls
Of Magnus Martyr hold
Inexplicable splendour of Ionian white and gold.
T.S. Eliot
(The Wasteland – III. The Fire Sermon)
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
on “And I shall go in unto the altar of God.” A note from Anthony Esolen: “Indeed, gives an entirely new meaning to “he turned his face to the wall.” Beautiful.”
on 12 September – Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, anniversary of the Battle of Vienna (1683): “I have been praying a novena in honor of the Holy Name of Mary for an important event which just…”
on “And I shall go in unto the altar of God.” A note from Anthony Esolen: “Are you reeeeeeally sure you want to be in Rome in Oct/Nov? Given all of the signs that keep piling…”
on Daily Rome Shot 1116 – BLACK VESTMENT PROJECT: “Thomas777 ‘ s mate in 2 does not work because, after: 1. R-h8+ . . . . K-f7 (forced) and…”
on 12 September – Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, anniversary of the Battle of Vienna (1683): “Some years back I was told that the date for tragedy of 9/11 was chosen by the terrorists to commemorate…”
on Daily Rome Shot 1118: “Reading your chessy news I found myself wondering if Hikaru is still world #2 (when he first hit it years…”
on 12 September – Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, anniversary of the Battle of Vienna (1683): “Love that scene from the movie; it brings tears to my eyes because we are in that kind of battle…”
on 12 September – Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, anniversary of the Battle of Vienna (1683): “Went to daily mass (NO) this morning and was happy to see this feast celebrated. I had forgotten that this…”
on 12 September – Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, anniversary of the Battle of Vienna (1683): “SUPERIOR MOVIE!!! O, HOLY NAME OF MARY, HELP US, PROTECT US, AND SAVE US.”
on Daily Rome Shot 1118: “In chessy news, the 45th Chess Olympiad ignited Wednesday in Budapest. 197 Teams are in the Open. Some teams couldn’t…”
on “The young are more to be pitied, since they know not of what they have been deprived.”: “Chili, Thank you for sharing the letter. For what it’s worth – The Synod of Rouen in the year 650…”
on “The young are more to be pitied, since they know not of what they have been deprived.”: “Chili quotes “I, indeed, communicate four times a week, on the Lord’s day, on Wednesday, on Friday, and on the…”
on “The young are more to be pitied, since they know not of what they have been deprived.”: “stdaniel, I found your tribute very moving and poignant. Very. The ending is crushing, but hopeful as well. Well done.…”
on I’ve got a Secret… from the Votive Mass for the Sick: “Honest theological question here; what you write about the “sacrament of the living” suggests that one needs to be in…”
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A Daily Prayer for Priests
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since Sat., 25 Nov. 2006:
Nice to know that Fr is also an insomniac :)
St. Magnus Martyr is a spectacular church still — I visited there about three years ago.
Thank the Lord Ezra Pound was around to help Eliot clean up The Wasteland. I can’t remember the number of times he forced Eliot to re-write this section, including one time where he sent he manuscript back to Eliot with a big NO! written across the pages.
Give me David Jones over Eliot any day.
It used to be an Anglican Papalist stronghold. Does it now have women clergy?
For a taste of its current status see http://anglicanexfide.blogspot.com/
To add to what Flabellum posted, when I was there, there were a number of places where it was stated that this church is Anglo-Catholic. I’m still not quite sure what that means. But when I entered the church, I thought I was in a Catholic church, not an Anglican establishment. The photo on the anglicanexfide site is a very good one of the interior of the church.
I was a little taken aback during my walk around the inside to see the statue of the patron saint of the church wearing a Viking helmet, complete with horns!
“Anglo-Catholic” covers a wide range of opinions on many matters these days (and I speak as one). I believe St. Magnus is one of those places which “would not accept a woman as the minister who presides at or celebrates the Holy Communion or pronounces absolution” to quote the relevant Measure.
As a building it benefits from having been re-ordered when Baroque was the height of fashion among Anglo-Catholics, which of course blends well with Wren’s building.
Incidentally, refreshing my memory before posting, I found the “inexplicable splendour” line quoted as being from Old London Churches by E. and W. Wayland Young (1909)
Yes, the parish is a classic Anglo-Catholic church. Have a look at the magnificent shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in their virtual tour:
http://www.stmagnusmartyr.org.uk/
Incidentally, T.S. Eliot was the Church Warden at Saint Stephen’s, Gloucester Rd. This is also an Anglo-Catholic church well worth visiting when in London.
http://saint-stephen.org.uk/tseliot.htm
If you want to see a good picture of the Presiding(Lady) Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the USA look in the porch of the formerly Anglo-Catholic Church of St Matthew, Westminster. The church is half-way between the Abbey and Westminster Cathedral.