[Magdalen] Trinity, St. Augustine

[Jim Guthrie]

 >They still do the singing-to-the-flag thing (after the procession, 
someone carries the America flag to the front of the chancel steps and 
 >everybody sings verse 4 of Hymn 717). I cannot tell you how much I 
hate this, possibly more today than when I first saw it. The music >was 
indescribably bad. I wanted to take the assistant rector by the throat 
and yell "That had to be one of the five worst sermons I've

This was pretty common back in MP days, segueing from Old Hundredth 
(certainly prima facie evidence that the congregation is there for the 
nostalgia value rather than worship).

Ir was fairly common after WWI, and during WWII, the vast majority of 
parishes adopted the practice. And discontinuing it was one of those 
things few Rectors wanted to fall on their sword to do -- but the change 
to Eucharist as primary service gave many the "good reason" to do it -- 
along with getting rid of "Old Hundredth" though it would seem more for 
the former and less of the latter.

I remember a Rector promising with a straight face that the parish would 
continue to do it "every Sunday morning when MP was scheduled"(and of 
course, to the best of my knowledge, MP was never scheduled for the 
principal Sunday service ever again).

  Cheers,
Jim