Evensong and Dinner.

Tonight I went to Evensong at the parish of S. John's Shaughnessy, a surprisingly large contingent of 30 came out for this service, as I had no idea what to expect numbers wise.

The congregation was very welcoming, and pleased to welcome another member of the Prayerbook Society into their midst, especially as one still within the Diocese.

We had a lovely dinner after, and it was great to meet strong Prayerbook Anglicans with whom the bonds of communion have been broken on an official level.

I was also interested to learn that some of the stain glass in the chancel and sanctuary comes from 11th century windows originally in Canterbury Cathedral and broken during the Second World War.

I have new app on my iPhone, Old Camera which takes some interesting pics, I snapped a pic of their old banner, which interestingly enough has the Diocese of New Westminster crest on the bottom corner... oh the ironies of life...

Until next time... I have to be at work for 4:30am tomorrow...

Spending time in the Tiber.

These same intrepid adventurers also went to the local Roman Catholic Benedictine Abbey with its own personal no fly zone.  As it is a little out of town, we had a lovely tour through places I hadn't been in six or seven years.

The Abbey itself contains both a minor and a major seminary, and is home to quite a large community of monks, and is home to a very accomplished artist.  Sadly, the church has been radically restyled, and is really not my thing.  The worst was the monstrance, something that would have made sense in Star Trek perhaps... As it was the Feast of Pentecost, the Abbot sang Solemn Vespers and Benediction, but sadly the quality of the choir was severely lacking, and the level of liturgical prowess was also a bit sad.

Here is a picture of the roof of the nave... As you can see, the late 70's are alive and well...

And here is a snap of the bell tower from a good distance as we perambulated around the rather lovely grounds.

The final picture is taken again from the grounds, overlooking the valley floor below the Abbey.

To the East.

A couple of weeks ago, on the Feast of S. Peter and S. Paul, a couple of friends and I attended a Divine Liturgy in the Ukrainian Catholic parish in town.  For a goodly long time, we were the only people in this rather massive sanctuary, then just us and the priest... a good few minutes after the appointed hour did our fellow congregants begin to arrive, perhaps no more than 20 in all.

I thought all Eastern liturgies consisted of clouds of incense, ringing of bells and babushkas telling you to stand up straighter... sadly none of these were present.  The strange mixture of English and Ukrainian made it a bit difficult but by the end of the service, I was able to follow along... and I even crossed myself correctly!

I took a picture of the beautiful cupola, and gave me various thoughts for my own parishes rather barren one.

A glorious space!

The current parish.

This parish is the mother church of the Diocese, and has been a part of the history of this city since its inception.  Burnt down in large fire in its original location (now the location of one of my favourite bars), it moved a few blocks to its present location, and rebuilt in its current form in the early 1930's.  It is a marvel of design, though it can be a bit cold, and is a little puritanical on the inside for my tastes, not nearly enough stain glass, or statuary.

It has remained a parish in the Catholic tradition, albeit in a more Affirming direction in the past seven years... but I will not get into that now.

Here we have the High Altar arrayed just prior to Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

And this the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, as arrayed as the Altar of Repose on Maundy Thursday.

The final picture is the banner of the Mother's Union, its a beautiful banner that I must do more research on, as it is a beautiful portrayal of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Perhaps more on this later...

I rather like it.

The home parish.

The parish was founded in the early 1920's and the present building and present location came about in the early 50's.  My family has been involved with the parish since the new building, and holds a very special place in our heart.

It is a reasonably high parish, with the Sacrament reserved, chasubles always worn, even a biretta on occasion... The rector is a priest associate of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham and at one time a member of the SSC, if memory serves me correctly.

The parish has not been without controversy in its history, but it continues to be a vibrant parish with over 120 on a Sunday, and a strong presence within the community.

The picture is of the altar before Mass on Easter Morn.

Pictures...

I hope to have this become a mode of showcasing my photography of the churches of my city.  I have a long love of Church architecture, as well as the ornaments of worship.  I especially appreciate the work of Fr. Allen Barton, who takes some of the most glorious photos and chronicles the beauty of the Church.  I also greatly apprectiate the work of Davis D'Ambly and Matthew Alderman.  Their work is inspiring and beautiful, and deserve as much showcasing as possible, I can only hope and dream that my contributions and thoughts are one tenth of theirs.

And it begins again

I guess this is blog number four over the years... I hope this one lasts longer, and has wide range of content, for a wide range of viewers... or not depending on my mood...