>> Your point about liturgical solemnity is well taken. Perhaps
>> if we read Durandus or the other great encyclopedists of the
>> medieval liturgy we are apt to forget the human
>> coughs-sneezes-wheezes-and-worse which probably punctuated
>> the occasion...
That's an interesting observation, Mr. Dickson. I'm beginning to think
that the
Rood Screen came by that sobriquet for altogether obvious reasons now...
On a serious note, the atmosphere one ought to expect in a Roman Catholic
church is always a somewhat confused affair -- on the one hand, we
Catholics
expect a prayful, reverent silence in the presence of God (a literal
understanding
for us, remember); while on the other hand, there ought not to be absolute
silence, as solemn chant is (or at least used to be) as much a part of the
Catholic experience as the "smells and bells," the incense, Sanctus bell
and
all the rest.
Disruptive noise, such as children whooping and clambering about like
spider monkeys, is never welcome in any house of worship, I should think.
But for a reverent, prayerful (if not completely silent) Catholic
experience,
may I suggest you attend a traditional Latin (a.k.a. "Tridentine") solemn
High Mass? You would do well to avoid the typical Novus Ordo celebration,
which has been saddled with the infamous "active participation" rubric --
which, when combined with banal modern Catholic "hymns" results in
the worst sort of cacophony you can imagine. That's my not-so-humble
opinion, of course.
Joe Oliveri
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