"Feast" of the Christening of Kas
Here is the order of service.
But lets see how many liturgical abominations, there can be in one service.
The father and mother sit to the left, just in front of the statue of the crouching monster which is on permanent display in the Church.
Instead of the Kyrie a hymn- New People Born in Us. One suspects that the priest and possibly many of his congregation believe that a transcendent Christ, who needs no historical reality, is only present in the believing, gathered community. A belief shared by modernists and protestants alike. Reportedly, one priest in the USA genuflected to the congregation.
But lets get a close up here-
Baptismal font to the left. New age candles distributed at randomn for no purpose. Picture of Christ propped up on the green thing is actually the Gospel book. The green thing is actually, yes really, the altar. One can only have doubts about the intention of the priest, if he thinks this is an altar of sacrifice.
The father of the child read the Epistle, the priest siting himself next to the parents. Hopefully, the child does not grow up confused as to which father is which-the spiritual father and his natural.
Did I say Epistle? Silly me. The place of the Epistle was taken by a reading from T S Eliot (albeit his poem, The Journey of the Magi). Read in English, it was translated into Dutch in the order of service. T S Eliot was an Anglican. These are the readings from the 1970 Missal.
But then, horror of horrors- the mother of the child to be baptised delivered the sermon.
At this stage, fortunately for my blood pressure, other duties called me away. But I can promise Cathcon readers, I will return!
But lets just take a further look at some other details of the church. In front of the glorious altar, a Christ with a rather feminine form, freed from the historical realities of the Cross. But perhaps will move away from the Cross, and take up tree trunk worship, a more advanced form of twig worship.
Our Lady who previously had been clothed so finely, now is given a magical cloak, that would not be out of place in Harry Potter.
The alien image of Christ had greeted me when I went to the Church of St Peter earlier on in the day. A Diocesan poster advertising catechism makes Christ look rather like the devil.
Inside, Three Queens brought the gifts to the Christ Child, the Gloria was accompanied by African tribal screams and I would swear the priest was wearing make-up.
No longer the Church militant here on earth, but the Church decadent and disolving in front of our very eyes in post-conciliar contradictions and modernist inspired extremism.
Comments
Fr. John D'Alton,
Antiochian Orthodox church.