Placement of Candles - Two 'Altars'?

[steve99]

mosher:

Assuming a few things based on the post I would say that the Benedictine Abbey that was attended was not liturgically correct in the first place because the CDW has stated that the altar is not to be bare during any portion of the Liturgy (baring one exception during the Triduum). But assuming that the altar was properly dressed it would be correct for the monks who are priests to come from the stalls to the altar because that is the proper form for concelebration of the Liturgy. There would only be a problem if the lay monks (monks not priests) were to also gather around the altar…

The lay monks did gather round the altar with the rest of their community, but of course did not join in with the consecration. I think that is only right… They are the community gathered together. What should they do? Stay in their stalls at the back where they cannot see what is going on, or join the congregation in the pews?

“The written letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life”
(2Cor 3:7)

An elderly priest told me recently about when he was in seminary during the second world war. At the darkest time when the Nazis controlled most of Europe, when people were dying in concentration camps, when bombs were raining down on England there was a letter in the current clergy journal. At this darkest hour for England, and the world, this letter asked if, during Adoration, a candle went out, was it permissable for a woman to go onto the sanctuary to relight it if there was no man present to do it.
Liturgical nit-pickers were alive and active then as now.

 

[mosher]

steve99:

The lay monks did gather round the altar with the rest of their community, but of course did not join in with the consecration. I think that is only right… They are the community gathered together. What should they do? Stay in their stalls at the back where they cannot see what is going on, or join the congregation in the pews?

“The written letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life”
(2Cor 3:7)

An elderly priest told me recently about when he was in seminary during the second world war. At the darkest time when the Nazis controlled most of Europe, when people were dying in concentration camps, when bombs were raining down on England there was a letter in the current clergy journal. At this darkest hour for England, and the world, this letter asked if, during Adoration, a candle went out, was it permissable for a woman to go onto the sanctuary to relight it if there was no man present to do it.
Liturgical nit-pickers were alive and active then as now.

Your point is irrelivent. The lay monks are to stay in their stalls. Even at Mount Angel the lay monks stay in their stalls. However, my recent experience of Mount Angel Abbey has been very exciting because of their movement toward right liturgy. In fact there are few places where it is done better.

We don’t do things in the liturgy because it feels right, we do things in the liturgy because it is right. The Pauline quote given is taken completely out of context when refering to this issue. The point is that worship does not belong to any single community or individual and as such no one person or community has the right to unilaterally change or modify the liturgy because it belongs to the whole of the Church. Further, each person has a right, a right, to “right worship” and no priest, liturgical director, Abbot or Bishop has a right to deny that to them. In fact they have a sacred obligation to ensure that right worship is being performed.

 

[General]

Dimekt:

Some churches place the altar to one side of center and the ambo to the other side of center symbolically showing that the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist are equally important. In our church, a candle is placed on each side of the ambo during the Liturgy of the Word and then the candles are moved to each side of the altar during the Offetory and remain there until the end of Mass.

This is a liturgical abuse. There is ONE altar of sacrifice. The Liturgy of the Word is not “equally important” to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.