Pontifical High Mass

Tuesday night was the closest I've got to a Pontifical High Mass. It was a beautiful opportunity to photograph the rich sanctuary of the Birmingham Oratory, which is notable in its noble simplicity, its simple form, and functional area. Like the whole church, it does not make one feel swamped by sheer splendour, but invites the soul to share the majestic heights which it aspires to in a more intimate way than the Roman basilicas it is modelled after.

There are so many photos, it is better to simply embed a slide show. You will notice, this Mass was celebrated by Cardinal John Foley in the new form of the Roman Rite, which customary to the Oratories incorporates traditional mass custom with the Novus Ordo missal. The musical setting was Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli which is divine. The result is something which closely resembles the old Rite, without losing the unique aspects of the new; such as offertory processions, special intercessions etc. I find the main drawback to this approach is the stop-start nature of the Rite when coupled with the long Mass scores. In the old Rite, it is more usual for the music to provide a backdrop to what is happening at the altar, rather than an interlude in the proceedings.

Flickr set here

Please go to the Cause Website for an official report of the Mass and the Cardinal's excellent homily.