Since the start of last month, when the parish often introduces changes to the liturgy for the upcoming year, my wife and I have commented that the parish has actually been becoming more "Episcopalian" (in a good way). It has always had quite a roster of professional -- I would even say operatic -- quality cantors, which isn't surprising in an area with many record producers and film studios. But they've added what I've begun to call "Episcopalian" cantors, middle-aged men with conservative gray haircuts and metal-rimmed glasses who are (like all the cantors) vested in cassock and surplice.
This year, they've changed the cantor's welcome statement at the start of the mass to begin, "Peace be with you." The turn-off-cell-phones reminder now goes something like, "Please take this opportunity to turn off all cell phones and noisemaking devices to respect the reverence of our liturgy and prayer." The tone carries a high seriousness that in some ways I always wished for in my Episcopalian parishes but never quite had.
The cantors now cross over to the pulpit to lead the responses to the psalm. With the quality of the choir, organ, and orchestra that perform at mass every Sunday, I keep muttering to my wife at various points that our parish outdoes every Episcopalian service we've ever been to, and I would bet a great many we haven't. And it's OF, versus populum.
But now I realize this comes from something called the parish liturgy committee. The problem I see with ordinariate projects like the newly established Presentation group in Woodlands, TX is that they're explicitly saying they're going to start new "to build a place worthy of the mysteries with which we’ve been entrusted", as though this isn't the purpose of every parish and has never been done before.
Given the underlying seething attitude we seem to find among ordinariate types, the implication is that this has been neglected, at least in Montgomery County, and not only that, the bishop hasn't addressed it and will never do so, so we need a whole new prelature to set things right. Yeah, we've got trouble.
Have any of these people thought about working through the liturgy committee in existing parishes? Wouldn't a proportionate increase in pledge from people who want improvements in liturgy go much farther in an existing building than in a startup? But in Woodlands, the money's going to an expensive new house for a married priest and his family -- but that's just Phase I, dei gratia, it's here! The good liturgy, well, that's Phase II, but it'll be here! just be patient!
