Anglican Use for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

I've written about my only experience with Anglican Use before. And yes, "Anglican Use" may not be the correct term to use anymore but it's what I'm using since it's more descriptive. Anyway, so I originally intended to back to that Anglican Use parish more often but it never happened for various reasons.

However, I found myself in kind of a mess in the lead up to the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God in that I was planning to take a road trip on Friday, January 1, which would prevent me from attending Mass. My priest seemed reluctant to grant me a dispensation but the only parish I knew about that was offering Mass on Thursday, December 31 was a Novus Ordo parish that I've mixed experiences with.

But then I remembered the Anglican Use parish. Father seemed perfectly okay with my suggestion to attend Mass there.

As I've said, I really do miss the Anglican liturgy even now. I enjoy the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, don't get me wrong, but deep down I think my heart will always belong to the Book of Common Prayer Rite I.

I should add that what this all really drives home for me is the distaste I have for the New Mass. Again, I want to emphasize that I don't question the validity of the New Mass. I'm no radtrad. I just think other forms are more reverential.

The formality was amazing. The priest faced ad orientem, which I wouldn't have insisted upon but was still happy to have. This never happened at my old ACNA parish. I don't know why but for some reason facing ad orientem gives me that extra degree of solemnity. I'm not trying to nitpick; I'm just saying I appreciated this part of the deal.

Then there's how beautiful the whole enterprise is:

Prayer of Humble Access: We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the Flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his Blood, that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.

Also, several parts were sung and chanted (which also never happened at my old ACNA parish) and it was beautiful! Angelic! If I hear chants at all, they're probably in Latin so the English was a nice change of pace.

Bells and smells. Copious amounts of incense. There's no such thing as too much incense in my book.

As to communion, I prefer receiving from a priest or deacon while kneeling at an altar rail, and somebody at that Anglican Use parish apparently agrees with me because that's their setup. Definitely the way to go. Communion is done by intinction, incidentally, and then placed directly into the communicant's mouth. All fine by me.

Another nice touch is the architecture. The style is sort of Gothic or neo-Gothic or some such. It basically looks like the stereotype I always had of a traditional Anglican parish.

Anyway. I'll never regret joining the Catholic Church. But I do cherish Anglican liturgy and this place does it right.