[Magdalen] End of an Era.

[Jim Guthrie]

David writes:

>The closing Saint Paul's-on-the-Hill, being ultra high church from  the
>onset, and has found its unique Eucharistic orientation become fairly
>commonplace.  True, not many other MN parishes have the complete

The Romish practice of"one sized fits all" seems to have become pervasive with 
the advent of the 1979 BCP  and seemed to have wrecked not a few parishes.

Until the 1960s (when many parishes were booming and now have that virtually 
empty Sunday School Building completed in 1964) there were many variations --  
even in Morning Prayer. Communion was typical at 8 AM, but as for the principal 
service it might be once a month, or even Fifth Sunday (but not in Summer). And 
then there were Litanies and ante-communion in some parishes, with the Communion 
added those occasional Sundays. Others just started on page 67 on Communion 
Sunday, without even bothering with an OT lesson or Psalm.  Of course even that 
8 AM service might be the Gospel reading only in those days).

I'm not happy with the idea of keeping nostalgia alive via an endowment. It 
often means that the church becomes a private club.

I think of Morristown, NJ where St Peters and Redeemer have co-existed around 
the corner from each other for many years. St Peter's is white-bread BCP 
Eucharist with occasional liturgical flourishes; Redeemer is aggressively 
inclusive language (no BCP, No H82 to be found -- Last time I was there they 
were using a UCC inclusive-language hymnal) plus praise band and the like. They 
also seemed to have turned their 12-steppers into congregants along the way.

Both seem to flourish.

I realize that things get tough in a one-parish town, but where there are 
multiple parishes, they really need to distinguish themselves to fulfill the 
needs of different kinds of people and thus meet their spiritual needs where 
they are.

Let me hasten to add that some parishes have tried to fill those needs across 
the board. St Bart's in NYC offers a wide variety of liturgical approaches, and 
a few years ago, even started using incense (!) from time to time, though I 
understand it's used more often at their inclusive language "Come as you Are" 
Eucharist on Sunday evenings.

Cheers,
Jim




smells and bells, but when you have the Eucharist nicely celebrated
with all the good music, that becomes less important.  There  were
people coming to St. Paul's from a hundred miles away.  Not any  more.


David Strang.