New guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacred Liturgy in the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham . . .

It's my day off today and I just checked my Facebook news feed (as you do :-)) and what jumped out at me was the link to the new Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacred Liturgy in the Ordinariate.

I'm off out to meet a friend for coffee and a catch-up session (again, the way you do!) but I had to just quickly skim the text of the guidelines as I had a feeling it would be good news.

Very briefly, a few points that stood out for me;

• The celebration of the Mass Ad Orientem is commended where the dynamic of the building allows for it.

• The Roman Canon is highly commended for use, not just on Sundays or solemnities.

This one, is a particular bug bear of mine so three cheers for the Ordinariate;

• "Preserving silence and due reverence before the tabernacle, and in the Church before and after liturgical worship is the duty of both the clergy and the faithful."

• The public, sung celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours before Mass and other times.

• Confession available before Mass.

• The Lectionary to be used is the RSV (Catholic, Second Edition) unless the congregation is predominantly a diocesan one.

And so much more . . .  You can read it all here.

I'll digest it all later but my first impressions are that the Ordinariate 'really get it!

A day off and a day out . . .

Today was my day off and as  I hadn't been up to London for ages I decided I'd have a day out and go to Mass at Westminster Cathedral and a mooch around the Catholic bookshops nearby.

In the cathedral I bumped into one of the Friars of the Renewal that I know from his visits to the parish.  Then after the beautiful Mass when I was browsing in the bookshops I bumped into one of the priests from a neighbouring parish at home.  The Catholic world is a small one!

As well as attending Mass, I love to spend some time with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.  It's amazing how close to the Lord one feels and how easily one forgets that the busy, bustling world is carrying on as usual just yards away.  Fantastic!

As I was on the train home, the sun suddenly burst through the clouds and I arrived home to see the garden bathed in sunshine.  I wanted to post a photo on Twitter of our camellia which has burst into bloom recently but for some reason Twitter wasn't cooperating so I thought I'd post a few snaps here . . .

One good thing about this long cold spell and the delay of the onset of Spring is that all the spring bulbs have lasted for ages.  These little tête-à-tête daffodils have been in bloom for weeks.