My parish is 100 years old and has both pre and post Vatican II items in our sanctuary. We still retain the original altar and tabernacle, providing a spectacular residing place for Our Lord, but in the 70's a new processional cross with matching candle holders got purchased by the Priest at that time.
The processional cross is one of those risen Christ designs.
I guess they were popular in some parishes back then?
The Church's original crucifix got propped in a corner to become corroded and was later damaged from falling over. I'm not trying to paint an image of carelessness and neglect, this is an old building with old liturgical supplies piling up from changes made over the years
and the majority of parishioners are farmers from the dust bowl days who learned to never throw anything out.
I am on the parish council and was told by our newest Priest that while he wasn't going to force us to get a crucifix, what we have is not proper for mass.
I couldn't agree more and went to the council about this and as providence would have it, we will soon receive a lovely processional crucifix from a Parish which is unfortunately closing in a neighboring county. We plan to give them a donation for this, it is a wonderful solution, has divine intervention all over it!
Well.... The news is out and I am getting a lot of
These are ladies I am on the altar society with, and with whom I work with preparing funeral dinners, etc. I care for them like family and also get annoyed as if they were my own. I want to have some answers for them when they approach me on this and I need ( because Father told me I had to
) to answer with love and compassion. I feel like
that I need to come up with a reason for a Catholic to want a Crucifix instead of a resurrectifix! I need your prayers and guidance because Satan would like a chance to jump in on this.
I have been in tears, and angry over what I see as a rejection of the thing that makes us Catholic ( our Lord's passion)and a very profound and beautiful beginning/end to Mass. The crucifix leads the way! Thank The Lord, tears and outward anger were just while talking to Father about my resentments and so far the slights I have committed have been amended toward those harmed.
I think part of the problem is this church went from very traditional to sort of dragged into the Novus Ordo mass, complete with having the marble communion rail taken down. The members, most of them are long timers and endured some trauma from splits within the congregation over this. I missed this whole change as I have only recently joined the church and had floated around as a kid having no problem with Vatican II. It is all I ever knew, and I watched it from the outside, as a non Catholic in a Catholic school.
I may have problems with not understanding what they went through, but on the other hand, I am attracted to the very traditional Catholic mass, none of which is offered here and I am helping to restore some of that which was lost.
So if you can lead me to any Saint's truths, sources that I can cite, I would appreciate it. Also some older Catholic wisdom, please! I am an old worn out lady but I am a baby in the Church and my Godmother cannot be of much help in this one!
God bless you!
Saints' Discussion Forums
Author
