Unfortunately, this is the best picture I could get of the arrangements for the Latin Mass on Christmas Day. However, it may serve as inspiration for what can be done in the most unlikely of spaces.
The architecture of the church is typical postmodern, with no vestiges of the past. The crucifix was added and the tabernacle put in its rightful place only within the last decade. Who would have thought that the Latin Mass would be making its debut here in our isolated, rural community when there are a handful of beautiful, century-old churches perfectly designed for the purpose not far away!
The proliferation of fake poinsettias already present in the church set me in motion to find other examples of possibilities for the traditional altar.
My search led me to the liturgy guy's post Does this 1944 Christmas Eve Mass Look Anything Like Yours? I was inspired by the Solemn High Mass featured in the movie Christmas Holiday and later horrified after learning the fate of LA's beautiful Cathedral of St. Vibiana (here is a Wikipedia summary if you care to be equally horrified). Online images of beautiful traditional altars with splendid reredoses and a quick visit to Costco's flower stand gave me the ideas for how to pull it together.
I made four arrangements with three dozen red roses, white hydrangeas, large white poms, holly, magnolia, cedar and huckleberry greens.
Here they are again on the feast of the Circumcision, minus the wilted hydrangeas. I should have tried the alum powder with these! I have also heard of boiling the freshly cut stem ends.
For an update on this post see Christmas Day .
Gemma, These are beautiful. You really have a gift for flower arranging (and also a way with words)! I liked what you said about the TLM debut in your rural community -- it brought to mind Christ's birth in the stable. You must be very close to Our Lady.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful comparison Marie-Jacqueline. It is a bit of a humble stable, but the altar is fit for the King!
ReplyDeleteI want to add that I was glad you found an alternative for the fake poinsettias. I hope you read my two old posts on Christmas flowers and on poinsettias. The poinsettia legends are nice and the plant is lovely but it is very refreshing to get a rest from them sometimes, whether real or fake. I'm sure your altar guild ladies thought so too!
ReplyDeleteThey are very kind and grateful to have my help. I was surprised how enthusiastic they were to have me participate. It is strange how in this age of "active participation", there is little talk of the care of linens, vestments, flowers. These are beautiful ways for the laywoman to actively participate in the liturgy. What an honor to have flowers I arranged beside Our Lord in the tabernacle, vestments I mended used for the holy sacrifice of the Mass. What an honor!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I have often thought the same thing. As your blog develops, I hope it will encourage women to see the beauty and appropriateness of this type of "participation". I suspect many women have secretly felt this way but need support and structures to actively become involved.
ReplyDeleteI love that the flowers came from Costco! I have much enjoyed your posts so far and look forward to more
ReplyDeleteThey actually came from Safeway in the end! There were Christmas bouquets at Costco with red roses and white hydrangeas and I thought it was a good combo. I may do a post on small-town flower shopping. No wholesale flower distributors here!
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