Anglicans: Please help my old memory.

Status
Not open for further replies.
The_Reginator

The_Reginator

Active member
I grew up in the Anglican church. (“Low Anglican”.)
I started attending the Catholic Church after marriage. (I finally converted 10 or so years ago.)
My memory tells me that the Anglican priest faced the alter, not the people. (I only went to parishes using the BCP.)
Is this correct? (Did it change from diocese to diocese? )
 
In all the Anglican masses I’ve ever attended, all the priests faced the people…
 
It basically depended upon how the church was arranged.

Some brought the altar forward. Some left it in the East. And some had free-standing altars so that the priest could do either.

The Churches I attended up through the early 70’s, when I converted to Orthodoxy, all had the altars in the far east, with one exception.

FWIW, there was a time when C of E priests would stand at the NORTH side of the altar. I think it was required by the Second BCP of 1552, but I might be mistaken here. Celebrating ad orientam was considered dangerously Romish.
 
As a youth I attended a low church and the minister faced the altar. Later I attended a high church and the minister faced the altar. The last church I attended was an Anglo Catholic parish for many years and the priest faced the altar. I belonged to the last parish when the 1979 BCP came out and have no idea how the liturgy was conducted.

All Anglican Use parish priests face the altar. In my Latin Rite parish our priest faces the altar.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette
 
Growing up (an Anglican), I can’t remember the Priest ever facing away from the congregation, even when I went to the local Cathedral.
 
I live in the UK. I grew up Anglican and went to an Anglican school I was last at an Anglican communion (they don’t call it mass) two years ago. I have never seen and Anglican vicar face the altar, they all (in my experience) face the people.
 
Never seen an Anglican Mass that was versus populum. All ad orientum..

But then I’m a traditionalist.

GKC

Anglicanus-Catholicus
 
Morning, at least for me now.

Which way does a priest face? Depends.😃

If the parish uses say the 1928 BCP the rubrics has the priest
face the altar and at times turn to face the people.

I believe the '79 bcp, in adopting a more Latin Rite had the priest
facing the people during the service. Besides WO, this was one
of the causes of the beginning of the Anglican multiplication by
schism.

Most Anglican parishes now use of the '79 and
other books, such as the Book of Common Worship, face the
laity.

As GKC, only traditionalist face the altar.

Interesting note. Anglican parishes that use the 79 resemble
current Catholic Masses. I have been told by older Catholics
who have attended Mass at my parish('28 BCP) reminds them
of a pre-Vatican II Mass.

Then again this is Anglicanism, some throw in the Anglican Missal,
or use straight N.O., or a combination of whatever feels good at the
moment. The Book of Common worship I reference earlier, has
Eucharistic prayers A-H. How is that for trying to cover all the bases!

Peace

Fr.Mark
ACNA
 
I’ve only ever seen versus populum when I was an Episcopalian. My parish was fairly high church, but the rest of the diocese was pretty low. Even going to a very high Anglocatholic parish I never saw ad orientem.

Then again, other than the TLM, I’ve had the same experience in Catholicism.
 
IIRC, versus populum in Anglicanism was a conscious imitation of the RCC shift. And was most common in England. Where the more Anglo-Catholic/Anglo-Papalist the parish, the more likely it was to reverse the position.

And it is, I think, very rare amongst 1928 parishes here. Which, with the Missal, is what I am used to.

GKC
MarkBrown said:
Morning, at least for me now.

Which way does a priest face? Depends.😃

If the parish uses say the 1928 BCP the rubrics has the priest
face the altar and at times turn to face the people.

I believe the '79 bcp, in adopting a more Latin Rite had the priest
facing the people during the service. Besides WO, this was one
of the causes of the beginning of the Anglican multiplication by
schism.

Most Anglican parishes now use of the '79 and
other books, such as the Book of Common Worship, face the
laity.

As GKC, only traditionalist face the altar.

Interesting note. Anglican parishes that use the 79 resemble
current Catholic Masses. I have been told by older Catholics
who have attended Mass at my parish('28 BCP) reminds them
of a pre-Vatican II Mass.

Then again this is Anglicanism, some throw in the Anglican Missal,
or use straight N.O., or a combination of whatever feels good at the
moment. The Book of Common worship I reference earlier, has
Eucharistic prayers A-H. How is that for trying to cover all the bases!

Peace

Fr.Mark
ACNA
Click to expand...
 
The only church that I have attended where the priest did not face the people at the Eucharist was at a small church we attended in RI. Honestly, I did like that the priest did not face us and let the priest know…lol

Merry Christmas!
 
bpbasilphx said:
Celebrating ad orientam was considered dangerously Romish.
Click to expand...
Oh my!! :eek:
MarkBrown said:
Morning, at least for me now.

Interesting note. Anglican parishes that use the 79 resemble
current Catholic Masses. I have been told by older Catholics
who have attended Mass at my parish('28 BCP) reminds them
of a pre-Vatican II Mass.

ACNA
Click to expand...
Yes. When I first attended a Latin Mass I was struck by how it reminded me of my younger days attending Anglican communion services.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top