A good bit of news HERE.
WATCH the blessing of the new altar rail during Mass on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 9 a.m. ET.
The Communion rail was restored to the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA. It is staffed by the Marian Fathers (Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary). They were founded in 1670 by St. Stanislaus Papczynski.
What it was like in the 1950s’
Notice how similar the rail and the altar are in that photo.
Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, sent me some photos. For larger, right click and open in a new tab.
The new rail has visual elements of the main altar.
The original rail was removed in 1970. I like that the MIC’s post about this says:
However, no Church document ever called for the removal of the altar rail!
Now they have to get rid of that awful Cramner altar that disturbs the harmony of the sanctuary.
Their post also says:
The altar rail is an extension of the altar and sometimes called “The People’s Altar.” This is why some altar rails are made of the same material and design as the altar. This connection is also seen with the linen communion cloth on top of the altar rail which was required to be used until 1962.
On behalf of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception in the USA, thank you very much to all the benefactors who made this beautiful altar rail possible during this Jubilee Year of Hope. May the Lord bless this altar rail to help foster a greater sense of the sacred and deeper appreciation of the Eucharist to all those who come here to receive His Divine Mercy, Who is so good to us, that He continues to pour out on us and the whole world His Blood and Water almost 2,000 years later through the Eucharist.
Congratulations to the Marian Fathers and to all the people who will visit that Shrine, regularly and occasionally.
I encourage you to read their post which is informative and take a look at their excellent site.
I also warmly endorse Fr. Calloway’s book on St. Joseph.
Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Fr. Donald Calloway
St. Joseph is a mighty intercessor. I’ve been blessed several times by his help in times of real need and stress. I have zero doubt that he was the one who intervened, so concretely that it’s amusing.
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A wonderful place to visit, now even more so.
I remember my last visit there a number of years ago. There was a large Hispanic group also visiting so they did some of the prayers alternating Spanish and English. It got me to thinking “It’s a shame that the Church doesn’t have one universal language that we could all use that would work anywhere in the world. I wonder what language that could be”.
This is great news. This is what Eucharistic revival looks like in my opinion. The Marian Fathers are good preachers. Fr Calloway is someone whom I share with a lot of men. He is a blessing to the Church and an example of being able to accept mercy. He’s a bridge. The shrine looks great, genuinely happy to see the altar rail back.
Father, I give thanks to St. Joseph and have also seen “concrete” results! He has become more important in my life in the last couple of decades and I’m so grateful for his intercession. Bravo to the Marian Fathers, beautiful.
In my old parish back home, it was the early ’80s before they got around to tearing out the altar rail and moving the tabernacle to a (very ugly) side chapel (which required displacing the statute of St. Joseph — what a great way to honor him!). The rationale given for removing the rail was to remove barriers between the people and the sanctuary, as if the people were somehow not worthy and had to be fenced out. But the practical effect of removing the “barrier” was actually to distance people from the sanctuary, because now there was nowhere for them to pray close to the altar as they had formerly done.
Yes, modernity always has the GREATEST ideas. So glad the hierarchy opened the windows to let in the “fresh” air.
Looking ahead to your posting on the collect for Septuagesima, Father, as already printed at OP5, I did a survey of liturgical sources, the results being as follows:
Collects for Septuagesima
Divine Worship: Daily Office (Ordinariates)
The Collect of the Day
O LORD, we beseech thee favourably to hear the prayers of thy people: that we, who are justly punished for our offences, may be mercifully delivered by thy goodness, for the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer (Church of England, 1662 to present)
The Sunday called Septuagesima
Or the Third Sunday before Lent
The Collect
O Lord, we beseech thee favourably to hear the prayers of thy people; that we, who are justly punished for our offences, may be mercifully delivered by thy goodness, for the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Common Worship (Church of England, alternative for present)
The Fifth Sunday before Lent
Green
This provision is always used from the day after the Presentation of Christ in the Temple until the first of the Sundays before Lent.
Collect
Almighty God, by whose grace alone we are accepted and called to your service: strengthen us by your Holy Spirit and make us worthy of our calling; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Book of Divine Worship (US Pastoral Provision, Anglican Use, prior to the Ordinariates)
Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
Collect
O Lord, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth: Send thy Holy Ghost and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever.
Book of Common Prayer (US Episcopal Church, 1928 ed.)
The Sunday called Septuagesima, or the third Sunday before Lent
The Collect.
O LORD, we beseech thee favourably to hear the prayers of thy people; that we, who are justly punished for our offences, may be mercifully delivered by thy goodness, for the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who liveth and, reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer (US Episcopal Church, 1979 ed.)
Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
O Lord, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Yes! The new Altar has some seriously good aesthetics. Definitely a Golden rectangle vibe…
Nice!
I haven’t seen many wrap around rails. I also am glad to see another church, other than the one I usually attend, with the elevated ambo on the right side.
Some of the parishioners (attendees really, since it’s not a parish) at the TLM oratory I attend requested a Devine Mercy picture be installed in the church, the administrator originally balked stating that Devine Mercy was a post VII devotion. He soon relented and admitted something to the effect that Devine Mercy is one devotion that bridges the gap, progressing back in time, well.
The altar rail in the Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine was restored a few weeks ago as well. They had been stored in the former Dominicans’ wine cellar and side choir stalls for a few decades.
That is great! I donate to them periodically and hope in some small way I was able to help with that.
Congratulations to the Marian Fathers and to all the people who will visit that Shrine, regularly and occasionally.
Kudos also to the bishop of Springfield, who must have approved this. It’s a beautiful addition.
The rationale given for removing the rail was to remove barriers between the people and the sanctuary, as if the people were somehow not worthy and had to be fenced out. But the practical effect of removing the “barrier” was actually to distance people from the sanctuary, because now there was nowhere for them to pray close to the altar as they had formerly done.
That old canard was always BS to begin with, as people had never felt “fenced out”: praying to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament didn’t require being within the sanctuary. Talk about silly nonsense.
I suspect that what the wreckovators really intended was the eventual elimination of, first, the all-male priesthood, and later of the priesthood altogether, so then anyone and everyone could be in the sanctuary and could say mass – until there was no longer “mass” any longer because they had done away with that, too. Then the space just becomes real estate and you might as well set up a store or factory. It also works the other way around: make the mass so banal that nobody comes any more, so you can close the church and sell it off.
The altar rail at Winchester Cathedral — of Saxon heritage — was torn from its place by mounted horsemen. I canmot remember whence thet were sent, but Cromwell comes to mind. It was on that occasion — or some other (pardon my imperfect memory) — that the skulls of the Saxon kings were hurled to bresk the cathedral’s stained glass windows. We surrendered our altar rails more peaceably, in a quest — not for the Holy Grail — but for ecumenism.
That is great news about the communion rail at the Basilica in Lewiston ME. For several years when we lived in Lewiston we attended the Sunday TLM there and I remember them setting up a row of kneelers in front of the sanctuary to use as a communion rail. That will no longer be necessary.
What terrific news. Let us pray that more of our churches follow in their footsteps.