Sunday, March 28, 2010

Passiontide picture treat

From St Mark's, Locust Street (the other Anglo-Catholic church in Philadelphia!) courtesy of Davis D'Ambly.

4 comments:

Isaac Thorpe said...

Do you know how the decision is made for how the celebrant is orientated for each mass?? I see eastward facing for All Souls Day, and westward for Candlemass at the same altar.

Anonymous said...

From the pictorial essays, St. Mark's seems to be facing east until the offertory and west therafter. More than a little peculiar.

J.Samuel Ross. said...

Yes- the masses are (or at least were when I visited a few years back)celebrated facing east until the offertory, and the offertory onwards until the ablutions is celebrated west-facing. (Similarly, in my parish, the altar is kissed and incensed, and is approached from the front until the offertory, where the priest goes around to face the people, at least in those masses which are celebrated facing the people.)
I suppose it's a compromise to satisfy both views.

I had forgotten until now that S.Mark's uses Lenten array.

Isaac Thorpe said...

But it appears that on All Soul's Day, the entire mass is said facing east...