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Ship of Fools: St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland
The Mystery Worshipper
Shipmate
Ship of Fools: St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland
Functional, almost perfunctory midday mass amid painted kings
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Comments
50 at a weekday Mass sounds pretty good, and I think FatherInCharge at Our Place puts out flags, and blows trumpets, if 5 turn up during the week! Mind you, we are C of E, and therefore not particularly good at weekday services...
I note that the MWer was quite impressed by the 2-minute homily. Am I correct in thinking that a homily is required at every Mass in the RC Church?
We get a 2-minute homilette at weekday services, even if there are only 1 or 2 present, although AFAIK the C of E (like the RCC) requires a sermon on Sundays and Holy Days.
The maxim I've heard in this regard was "one should not break the bread without first breaking open the word".
On Sundays and Holydays he is a most eloquent preacher.
@Amanda B Reckondwyth
Lead Editor, Mystery Worship
The present cathedral started off in 1814 as a modest Catholic chapel on the edge of the New Town of Edinburgh but in a place where artisan dwellings abounded. Even 50 years ago the cathedral was surrounded by densely packed tenement buildings and would only be seen by those who were looking for it.
In the course of time the building was extended sideways and in 1932 the decision was takento 'raise the roof ' with angels bearing the heraldic coats of arms of locally recognised 'Protectors of the Church' St Andrew,St Cuthbert,St Margaret of Scotland and. of St David of Scotland. (Margaret and her son David were respectively queen of Scots and King of Scots and give the confusion about the 'Kings', mea culpa !
The other heraldic coats of arms are those of the Vicars Apostolic and later Archbishops with the final coat of arms being those of the then pope in 1932 ,Pius XI.
I thought the usual practice was to spread the Stations out all round the church, IYSWIM.
They do not,however, impede devotion for those who wish to make the Way of the Cross.It simply means you do not have to walk so far from one Station to the next.
That's an interesting bit of history. To continue along that line, was the choice of a German workshop intended as a part of post-war reconciliation, or was it either the most competitive or only tender?
On the cathedral website there is a video tour of the cathedral given by two young deacons (now priests) which show the Stations.