Memorial Day Mass...a windy experience

I celebrated the Memorial Day Mass at Calvary Cemetery in Ottawa this morning. We were worried about rain, but it held off. The wind, however, did not hold off so the 15 to 20 mph winds made the celebration of Mass quite interesting.

I have assisted as deacon at a number of outdoor Masses, so I know that you have to watch so that things don't blow away. More importantly, you have to protect the Body and Blood of Christ from the elements. Being the celebrant, however, is a completely different experience. First, you must try to keep the Missal open to the right page, try to keep the altar cloth, corporal and purificators from blowing away and forget about trying to keep the candles lit. It is even more difficult to keep some sort of order and flow to the Mass. For example, I was giving a short homily and I tend to use my hands a lot when talking. While I was talking, the chasuble blew up over my head!!!

Overall, the Mass went quite well and I got to have the blessing of Deacon Ralph assisting me one last time before he left to return to St. Louis. Every day of priesthood (and there have only been 2 of them so far) is a new and wonderful experience. Until tomorrow...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 20:12 | link | comments (1) |
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#1  29 May 2007 - 19:01

 

Congrats on your ordination! Deo gratias!
--Stephanie

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