ragon
THE
P RTAL
May 2019
Page 5
A personal journey
E
xactly thirty years ago, emerging blinking from a somewhat ‘Low Church’
background, ‘Snapdragon’ discovered the boundless glories of traditional Anglo-
Catholicism and shortly after embraced the historic and apostolic Catholic faith founded
by Our Lord Jesus Christ and upheld by the saints and martyrs. The rest, as they say, is now
history.
Equally, God-affirming architecture and church
If I must characterise my early
self, then in my twenties, I was a bit furnishings (such as altar-frontals and even banners)
of a ‘Spikey’ Young-Fogey with a lift our souls and minds to a higher plane and
passionate penchant for Harris tweed. encourage our worship of Almighty God.
Fast-forward
three
decades,
‘Snapdragon’ would describe himself
as a determinedly traditional Catholic, though middle-
aged now, but still with a love for Harris tweed. How
have things changed? Needless to say, the appearance and smell of the
burning of frankincense also achieves this. We all
know it symbolises prayers rising to God and the
incensing of holy things, including God-made-Bread
in the Blessed Sacrament.
Of course, some things remain reassuringly constant:
I’m happy to say I have never been forced to eat a
McDonald’s ‘meal’ [sic] in my life, never donned denim
jeans and still boast the largest collection of cravats I
know possessed among individuals of my generation. Those of us who were privileged to be thurifers
undoubtedly know the advice meted out to those (like
‘Snapdragon’s own younger sister) who claim that
they react badly to an abundance of burnt incense:
“Remember there are only two smells in the Afterlife:
the incense of Heaven and the sulphur of Hell; so you’d
better get used to one of them!”
Other aspects of myself and the lifestyle I lead have
undoubtedly changed - not necessarily for the better,
for example my widening waist-line.
Personally, ‘Snapdragon’ has always passionately
believed one can never experience too much incense.
A third-of-a-century ago, a small party of us (then) Having appreciated the impressive ‘Botafumeiro’- the
‘young bucks’ marked the conclusion of a social event great man-sized thurible which swings across the
in Exeter with a group-photograph of us in evening- transepts of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
dress. One is my oldest friend and I was Best Man at during the Pilgrim Mass - I would recommend that
his wedding and Godfather to his eldest daughter. He every parish church mounts such a contraption.
recently remarked upon how he could still wear that
Finally, I would add that sound (and contrasting
formal attire 33 years on - while I’m now on to my
silence) is absolutely central to the experience of
third dinner-jacket!
our worship of Almighty God. Excluding worship in
Obviously, during my personal pilgrimage in the ‘God’s Language’ (Latin), it is my firm belief that it is
Church I have acquired theological and ecclesiastical practically impossible to improve on the fine cadences
knowledge, but ‘Snapdragon’ still believes that of Thomas Cranmer found in the ‘Divine Worship’
emotionally and aesthetically the Catholic Church Ordinariate Rite liturgy. Tudor English is undoubtedly
possesses an incredible strength by appealing to the superior to the ‘Language of the Supermarket’, the
very senses which every human being created in God’s vernacular versions of the liturgy regretfully adopted
image craves. Some are Sacramentals as defined by the since the late Twentieth Century.
Church (e.g. Holy Water), others are not.
Hymn-singing (obviously from the ‘New English
For example, different coloured church vestments Hymnal’), polyphony, choral music and Anglican
appeal to our sense of sight, irrespective of the Chant for the psalms are also to be encouraged.
theological significance of the season or the specific Generally, ‘Snapdragon’ tends to ignore any church
Holy Day. In ‘Snapdragon’s opinion, all church composer who has been alive during the last one
vestments or clerical garb achieve this end - with hundred years (although Ordinariate ‘Portal’ readers
the exception of those dreadful polyester vestments should be safe and uncontaminated with Sir James
Macmillan).
designed in the immediate wake of Vatican II.