A Quite Right Rite

Okay, so it's not technically a separate rite. The Anglican Use Liturgy for the Roman Catholic Church was established in the 80s for disaffected Episcopalians/Anglicans who wished to be received into the Church. It's getting a bit more press lately thanks to the growing rifts between conservatives and liberals in the of the Church of England what with the ordination of an actively homosexual bishop in its Episcopalian sector.

I've never been to a Mass conducted this way, but apparently it's extraordinarily beautiful - it's the lovely traditional (emphasis on traditional) Anglican liturgy with the tiniest little adjustments to make it fit more with Catholicism. One of my very theologically orthodox friends once told me, "The Church of England has married priests, divorced priests, women priests, gay priests, birth control and abortion. The only good thing you can say for them is that they have exquisite taste." Ouch. Haaaaarsh. But true - they do have all those things, and they do have tons better taste than your average Roman Catholic, including yours truly. Not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with making a parish church out of cement, if it suits you. Or playing guitars at Mass. I've seen it done very well and very reverently. But it's not quite - how can I say this - high art? Perhaps it is all a matter of personal taste. De gestibus non est disputandum. And I'm not exactly an art critic, believe it or not. I can hear the gasps of surprise now ;). Nevertheless, here are two photographs:

The first, from recently built Ss. Cosmas and Damian in Twinsburg, OH. (Yup, in the town next to good old Hudson!)




and the second from Our Lady of the Atonement Church in San Antonio, Texas , built in the mid 80s (and which by the way uses the Anglican Use Liturgy).



Personally, I can't help but like the second one better. It just seems ... Nicer? More Catholic? It's hard to put the "effect" into words ... The modern style does have its virtues and there's nothing liturgically wrong with it, I guess. It just doesn't do it for me. It seems too sterile and cold and rather ugly in my opinion. Our Lady of the Atonement appears warmer and more inviting. I suppose you could also say "cluttered." ;) What do y'all think?