BRICK BY BRICK
This is from the Facebook page of San Jose Mangagawa Parish (St. Joseph the Worker Parish) in Manuguit, Tondo.
You can see clearly six candles on the altar. A lit sanctuary lamp, not an electric light bulb, is present. The presider's chair, a term which I hope to find a more suitable term is on the right side of the sanctuary and not in the center, which is and MUST be occupied by the Tabernacle where our Eucharistic Lord is kept. And the priests were not wearing chasu-albs and overlay stoles! Goodness! Even Fr. Genaro Diwa who is supposed to be a liturgist cannot follow this simple rule! I have seen him celebrate Mass at Quiapo and he is not using the prescribed vestments!
You have to send tons of KUDOS to this priest and to support and commend him for bringing back the sense of the sacred into the Mass.
You must be wondering why I post this.
Not only because a Benedictine altar arrangement is rare in the Philippines, because most priests here do not want candles on the altar! You know one reason I heard for this is for the stupidest reason that you do not put candles on a table when you are eating. Aaaahhhhh!!! They view the Mass as a simple merienda! But wait! How about candle lit dinner? Isn't that supposed to be a very special meal?
Why can't they do this for the Mass IF it were a meal?
You are wondering why this is done here? No candles on the altar and the cross to the side with the celebrant sitting on the center, occupying the place of honor rather than the Tabernacle?
Look no further!
Blame it on Anscar Chupungco who taught his protege Fr. Genaro Diwa who then spread it to other priests in the Archdiocese of Manila then to the rest of the country, unfortunately not in CEBU! Love that place!
Then comes Fr. A's students at the Pious Disciple of the Divine Master most especially Sr. Cecilia Payawal, PDDM who "train" other liturgists to have their own kind of liturgy. Oh, yeah. She is notorious for her creativities.
So for a priest of the Archdiocese of Manila to have this kind of altar setting is monumental to say the least.
Pray for this priest and support him!
***
PS: There is this priest who is supposed to be a defender of the Faith and Tradition who also fell into the fad of placing candles near the altar. Guess he was not enriched by the Traditional Mass, eh?
Sad.
