Catholic cathedrals in England , Not?

[HisIsTheCrown]

I was in London may in 1992. It looked unfinished in the mosaics only. I just paid a brief look to the walls and paid attention to the mass then.
I may be totally wrong.
Did not know there were Anglicans in Ireland. Are they English?

 

[HisIsTheCrown]

Well we think to Ireland as Catholic but we forget that England was more time Catholic than Protestant.

 

[liturgyluver]

Yes, Protestant speak and sing much better. The question is that the main emphasis in the RCC is for the Eucharist, which is “ex opera operato”, so that it makes its effects no matter how badly you sing no matter how clumsily you speak. If we go there to eat the Flesh and drink the blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the rest is insignificant.

Nevertheless, I tell you, my wife, who is not mystic at all, still talks about that Mass at Westminster Cathedral…she resumes in rather no so much appropriate…“the best of my life”, and we have been everywhere…

Interesting, but the explanation as to why Catholics don’t sing well doesn’t work for me. Although we don’t think of the Anglican or Lutheran Eucharist as valid, they themselves do, and still sing well. Besides German Catholics also sing beautifully.

I am still baffled by your experience at Westminster Cathedral: they do have a fine choir but furing Solemn Mass there, there are no opportunities for congregational singing. There is one hymn at the Vigil and late morning mass but hardly anyone sings. You onviously attended on an exceptional day, and it’s nice your wife has this positive memory.

 

[HisIsTheCrown]

Interesting, but the explanation as to why Catholics don’t sing well doesn’t work for me. Although we don’t think of the Anglican or Lutheran Eucharist as valid, they themselves do, and still sing well. Besides German Catholics also sing beautifully.

I am still baffled by your experience at Westminster Cathedral: they do have a fine choir but furing Solemn Mass there, there are no opportunities for congregational singing. There is one hymn at the Vigil and late morning mass but hardly anyone sings. You onviously attended on an exceptional day, and it’s nice your wife has this positive memory.

As I said, we have been everywhere (camping, cheaply…) for we wanted to show our kids that the world is vast.
Once we went to Köln in Germany and we attended mass there. Typically German. We had communion kneeling in the rail, completely traditional and the choir was huge. The choir was something, they sang at 4 voices terribly difficult chants and went on and on.
I felt it was an unbalanced mass for the choir was singing too much! But who am I to criticize? The mass was not celebrated for me, it was German the congregation who has the right to have liturgy that pleases them.
Funny the English People comments on the mass at Westminster. All of the them, specially Londoners.
The question is that foreigner see things different from London aborigines. The Tower of London is crowded with tourists. A cousin of mine who lives in London for 20 years, told me that he never went there, for “it was not on his path”. And obvious, it is just a Bridge and we know it by photos … ! The other tourist monuments he did not see other.
Some goods of a country, you only appreciate them if you are a visitor !!!

 

[asd72]

Interesting, but the explanation as to why Catholics don’t sing well doesn’t work for me. Although we don’t think of the Anglican or Lutheran Eucharist as valid, they themselves do, and still sing well. Besides German Catholics also sing beautifully.

I am still baffled by your experience at Westminster Cathedral: they do have a fine choir but furing Solemn Mass there, there are no opportunities for congregational singing. There is one hymn at the Vigil and late morning mass but hardly anyone sings. You onviously attended on an exceptional day, and it’s nice your wife has this positive memory.

There are also the Sung Masses and Sung Vespers too.

 

[liturgyluver]

There are also the Sung Masses and Sung Vespers too.

Yes - I quite like their 6pm Sat Vigil mass but I seem to be one of the few who joins in with the very beautiful St Anne’s Mass setting, and the 2 hymns. Vespers are fully choral apart from Tuesday and Saturday when they are congregational. It is a pity that more Catholic churches don’t have sung vespers.