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Last Easter in Capelburgh
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Kendall K. Down
Apr 30, 2022, 2:09:55 AM4/30/22
to
Capelburgh was a somewhat unorthodox place, thanks to George Crandall
and the democratic ideas he brought to mediaeval England from 22nd
century England, but Easter remained the high point of the liturgical
year - and his final Easter as lord of Capelburgh was particularly
memorable.
God bless,
Kendall K. Down
Then came Holy Week, with a procession round the church on Palm Sunday
and a service of footwashing on Maundy Thursday, when Father Nicholas
and I each washed the feet of twelve village men, while Lucy and
Margaret did the same for twelve village women.
Each evening, from Wednesday onward, Father Nicholas conducted the
service of Tenebrae, a solemn and awe-inspiring service during which the
candles in the church are extinguished one by one after each psalm is
read or sung. When there is only one candle left it is hidden beneath
the altar cloths, leaving the church in total darkness. We all stood in
silence and then Father Nicholas took up a piece of wood and slammed it
down on the altar with a crash, which was the signal for us all to file
quietly out of the church. Father Nicholas says that the crash
represents the earthquake which marked the death of Christ and complains
that it sounds like nothing more than a piece of wood being dropped on
the floor. Down in Oxford, apparently, when Tenebrae is celebrated in
the great churches there, the sound echoes and re-echoes round the
building and is much more impressive.
On Good Friday we all fasted as we thought of our Saviour on the cross.
The bell rang at Sext to mark the beginning of Christ's ordeal and those
of us who could went up to the church where Father Nicholas said mass
and recited psalms and passages from the gospels for three long hours.
At None the bell rang again, to mark the moment when Christ died, and
everyone, even those working in the kitchens or the fields uncovered and
crossed themselves or knelt in solemn remembrance.
Saturday was supposed to be a quiet day, but Mistress Gemma and her
helpers were busy throughout the day preparing for the Easter feast on
the following day. Father Nicholas visited all those who were too sick
or old to come to church and took them the Lord's Body, hearing their
confessions and granting absolution, so that all might be ready for the
glorious dawn of Easter Sunday.
Saturday night Father Nicholas kept vigil in the church and those who
could were with him, standing or kneeling quietly in the darkness. By
midnight most had gone to their beds and only the hardiest and most
pious stayed throughout the night. At the first cock-crow we all rose in
haste and dressed and returned to the church, ready for the glorious
climax of the feast.
At the first hint of sunrise Father Nicholas turned to us and loudly
proclaimed "Christus surrexit!" Then, while he busied himself lighting
every candle he could lay hold of, we all turned to each other and
affirmed the same truth: "Christus surrexit!" - "Christ is risen!" All
over the church you could hear people who didn't know a word of Latin
joyfully responding, "Surrexit Christus hodie! Alleluia!" - "Christ is
risen today! Alleluia!"
As the rising sun lit up the village and fields outside the church,
inside the building blazed with light as thirty candles flickered and
shone, their friendly glow shining on our faces and illuminating every
corner of the building. The silver of St Stephen's reliquary reflected
the light and little points of brightness danced in every eye, so that
wherever you looked there was light and life and movement.
"Christus surrexit!" I exclaimed to Margaret and she smiled into my eyes
and responded, "Surrexit vere!" - "He is risen indeed!"
"Christus surrexit!" I said to Ranulf and Makeda overrode him in her
eagerness to respond. "Surrexit hodie, Papa George."
"Christus surrexit!" I called across the building to Robert and he waved
back at me and mouthed "Alleluia!" for there was so much noise in the
church I couldn't hear what he said.
"Christus surrexit, my lord," Durwin came up to me and greeted me and
Amilia curtsied and said "Christus surrexit." Little Stace bowed
clumsily and lisped, "Crista rexit," and we all laughed and I fumbled in
my wallet for a penny and presented it to him.
Gradually the noise died away and the church grew still as everyone
returned to his place after greeting his friends and relatives and then
Father Nicholas pronounced the blessing and we filed out of the church
to go to our Easter feast. Margaret held my arm and as we walked down
the lane she said softly, "I'm glad we stayed for Easter, George. I
think heaven must be like that, with everyone rejoicing and everyone in
harmony and all our thoughts turned to God."
"I'm sure you're right," I told her and put my arm around her waist as I
used to do when that waist was a good deal slimmer.
and the democratic ideas he brought to mediaeval England from 22nd
century England, but Easter remained the high point of the liturgical
year - and his final Easter as lord of Capelburgh was particularly
memorable.
God bless,
Kendall K. Down
Then came Holy Week, with a procession round the church on Palm Sunday
and a service of footwashing on Maundy Thursday, when Father Nicholas
and I each washed the feet of twelve village men, while Lucy and
Margaret did the same for twelve village women.
Each evening, from Wednesday onward, Father Nicholas conducted the
service of Tenebrae, a solemn and awe-inspiring service during which the
candles in the church are extinguished one by one after each psalm is
read or sung. When there is only one candle left it is hidden beneath
the altar cloths, leaving the church in total darkness. We all stood in
silence and then Father Nicholas took up a piece of wood and slammed it
down on the altar with a crash, which was the signal for us all to file
quietly out of the church. Father Nicholas says that the crash
represents the earthquake which marked the death of Christ and complains
that it sounds like nothing more than a piece of wood being dropped on
the floor. Down in Oxford, apparently, when Tenebrae is celebrated in
the great churches there, the sound echoes and re-echoes round the
building and is much more impressive.
On Good Friday we all fasted as we thought of our Saviour on the cross.
The bell rang at Sext to mark the beginning of Christ's ordeal and those
of us who could went up to the church where Father Nicholas said mass
and recited psalms and passages from the gospels for three long hours.
At None the bell rang again, to mark the moment when Christ died, and
everyone, even those working in the kitchens or the fields uncovered and
crossed themselves or knelt in solemn remembrance.
Saturday was supposed to be a quiet day, but Mistress Gemma and her
helpers were busy throughout the day preparing for the Easter feast on
the following day. Father Nicholas visited all those who were too sick
or old to come to church and took them the Lord's Body, hearing their
confessions and granting absolution, so that all might be ready for the
glorious dawn of Easter Sunday.
Saturday night Father Nicholas kept vigil in the church and those who
could were with him, standing or kneeling quietly in the darkness. By
midnight most had gone to their beds and only the hardiest and most
pious stayed throughout the night. At the first cock-crow we all rose in
haste and dressed and returned to the church, ready for the glorious
climax of the feast.
At the first hint of sunrise Father Nicholas turned to us and loudly
proclaimed "Christus surrexit!" Then, while he busied himself lighting
every candle he could lay hold of, we all turned to each other and
affirmed the same truth: "Christus surrexit!" - "Christ is risen!" All
over the church you could hear people who didn't know a word of Latin
joyfully responding, "Surrexit Christus hodie! Alleluia!" - "Christ is
risen today! Alleluia!"
As the rising sun lit up the village and fields outside the church,
inside the building blazed with light as thirty candles flickered and
shone, their friendly glow shining on our faces and illuminating every
corner of the building. The silver of St Stephen's reliquary reflected
the light and little points of brightness danced in every eye, so that
wherever you looked there was light and life and movement.
"Christus surrexit!" I exclaimed to Margaret and she smiled into my eyes
and responded, "Surrexit vere!" - "He is risen indeed!"
"Christus surrexit!" I said to Ranulf and Makeda overrode him in her
eagerness to respond. "Surrexit hodie, Papa George."
"Christus surrexit!" I called across the building to Robert and he waved
back at me and mouthed "Alleluia!" for there was so much noise in the
church I couldn't hear what he said.
"Christus surrexit, my lord," Durwin came up to me and greeted me and
Amilia curtsied and said "Christus surrexit." Little Stace bowed
clumsily and lisped, "Crista rexit," and we all laughed and I fumbled in
my wallet for a penny and presented it to him.
Gradually the noise died away and the church grew still as everyone
returned to his place after greeting his friends and relatives and then
Father Nicholas pronounced the blessing and we filed out of the church
to go to our Easter feast. Margaret held my arm and as we walked down
the lane she said softly, "I'm glad we stayed for Easter, George. I
think heaven must be like that, with everyone rejoicing and everyone in
harmony and all our thoughts turned to God."
"I'm sure you're right," I told her and put my arm around her waist as I
used to do when that waist was a good deal slimmer.
Mike Davis
Apr 30, 2022, 7:59:54 AM4/30/22
to
On 30/04/2022 07:00, Kendall K. Down wrote:
> Capelburgh was a somewhat unorthodox place, thanks to George Crandall
> and the democratic ideas he brought to mediaeval England from 22nd
> century England, but Easter remained the high point of the liturgical
> year - and his final Easter as lord of Capelburgh was particularly
> memorable.
>
> God bless,
> Kendall K. Down
>
> Then came Holy Week, with a procession round the church on Palm Sunday
> and a service of footwashing on Maundy Thursday, when Father Nicholas
> and I each washed the feet of twelve village men, while Lucy and
> Margaret did the same for twelve village women.
>
[snip]
> Capelburgh was a somewhat unorthodox place, thanks to George Crandall
> and the democratic ideas he brought to mediaeval England from 22nd
> century England, but Easter remained the high point of the liturgical
> year - and his final Easter as lord of Capelburgh was particularly
> memorable.
>
> God bless,
> Kendall K. Down
>
> Then came Holy Week, with a procession round the church on Palm Sunday
> and a service of footwashing on Maundy Thursday, when Father Nicholas
> and I each washed the feet of twelve village men, while Lucy and
> Margaret did the same for twelve village women.
>
> Gradually the noise died away and the church grew still as everyone
> returned to his place after greeting his friends and relatives and then
> Father Nicholas pronounced the blessing and we filed out of the church
> to go to our Easter feast. Margaret held my arm and as we walked down
> the lane she said softly, "I'm glad we stayed for Easter, George. I
> think heaven must be like that, with everyone rejoicing and everyone in
> harmony and all our thoughts turned to God."
>
> "I'm sure you're right," I told her and put my arm around her waist as I
> used to do when that waist was a good deal slimmer.
Thanks Kendall, I enjoyed that! Although I'm not clear what time period
> returned to his place after greeting his friends and relatives and then
> Father Nicholas pronounced the blessing and we filed out of the church
> to go to our Easter feast. Margaret held my arm and as we walked down
> the lane she said softly, "I'm glad we stayed for Easter, George. I
> think heaven must be like that, with everyone rejoicing and everyone in
> harmony and all our thoughts turned to God."
>
> "I'm sure you're right," I told her and put my arm around her waist as I
> used to do when that waist was a good deal slimmer.
it's pitched in, it seems a good representation of the Easter
celebration in many communities. And a good flavour of Catholicism in
the best sense.
Incidentally, in the RCC today, we celebrate Pope St Pius V, who did
much to reform the RCC, in calling the Council of Trent. In turn, that
Council did much to correct the abuses that caused the rise of
Protestantism, including setting up seminaries for the proper education
of priests. However, what I didn't previously know was that he was the
one who insisted on drawing up the first 'Catechism' which contained the
basic teachings of the Church.
Mike
--
Mike Davis
Kendall K. Down
Apr 30, 2022, 5:19:54 PM4/30/22
to
On 30/04/2022 12:57, Mike Davis wrote:
> Thanks Kendall, I enjoyed that! Although I'm not clear what time period
> it's pitched in, it seems a good representation of the Easter
> celebration in many communities. And a good flavour of Catholicism in
> the best sense.
The Capelburgh books are set in the mid-1300s - the basic premise is
> Thanks Kendall, I enjoyed that! Although I'm not clear what time period
> it's pitched in, it seems a good representation of the Easter
> celebration in many communities. And a good flavour of Catholicism in
> the best sense.
that the hero uses a time machine to go back and study the Black Death
at first hand, but then ends up as "lord of Capelburgh" and has sundry
adventures.
I'm pleased that it is a good description of a Catholic Easter.
> Incidentally, in the RCC today, we celebrate Pope St Pius V, who did
> much to reform the RCC, in calling the Council of Trent. In turn, that
> Council did much to correct the abuses that caused the rise of
> Protestantism, including setting up seminaries for the proper education
> of priests. However, what I didn't previously know was that he was the
> one who insisted on drawing up the first 'Catechism' which contained the
> basic teachings of the Church.
catechism" or "the first authorised catechism" or something?
Mind you, I've just looked up that fount of all wisdom - Wikipedia -
which gives 1529 for Luther's Large Catechism and 1566 for the Trent
catechism. Seems like the pope was playing "catch-up". There is,
however, reference to catechism-type books by both Thomas Aquinas and
the Council of Lambeth, which was in 1281.
Mike Davis
May 1, 2022, 12:49:54 PM5/1/22
to
On 30/04/2022 22:17, Kendall K. Down wrote:
> On 30/04/2022 12:57, Mike Davis wrote:
>
>> Thanks Kendall, I enjoyed that! Although I'm not clear what time
>> period it's pitched in, it seems a good representation of the Easter
>> celebration in many communities. And a good flavour of Catholicism in
>> the best sense.
>
> The Capelburgh books are set in the mid-1300s - the basic premise is
> that the hero uses a time machine to go back and study the Black Death
> at first hand, but then ends up as "lord of Capelburgh" and has sundry
> adventures.
Thanks!
> On 30/04/2022 12:57, Mike Davis wrote:
>
>> Thanks Kendall, I enjoyed that! Although I'm not clear what time
>> period it's pitched in, it seems a good representation of the Easter
>> celebration in many communities. And a good flavour of Catholicism in
>> the best sense.
>
> The Capelburgh books are set in the mid-1300s - the basic premise is
> that the hero uses a time machine to go back and study the Black Death
> at first hand, but then ends up as "lord of Capelburgh" and has sundry
> adventures.
>
> I'm pleased that it is a good description of a Catholic Easter.
>
>> Incidentally, in the RCC today, we celebrate Pope St Pius V, who did
>> much to reform the RCC, in calling the Council of Trent. In turn, that
>> Council did much to correct the abuses that caused the rise of
>> Protestantism, including setting up seminaries for the proper
>> education of priests. However, what I didn't previously know was that
>> he was the one who insisted on drawing up the first 'Catechism' which
>> contained the basic teachings of the Church.
>
> I am surprised at that. Are you sure you don't mean "the first official
> catechism" or "the first authorised catechism" or something?
No, I'm not certain, but it does seem that a summary of RCC teaching
> I'm pleased that it is a good description of a Catholic Easter.
>
>> Incidentally, in the RCC today, we celebrate Pope St Pius V, who did
>> much to reform the RCC, in calling the Council of Trent. In turn, that
>> Council did much to correct the abuses that caused the rise of
>> Protestantism, including setting up seminaries for the proper
>> education of priests. However, what I didn't previously know was that
>> he was the one who insisted on drawing up the first 'Catechism' which
>> contained the basic teachings of the Church.
>
> I am surprised at that. Are you sure you don't mean "the first official
> catechism" or "the first authorised catechism" or something?
would be important at the time of the Reformation, if one wasn't in
existence. My guess it would have been primarily for the priests, many
of whom seem to have been remarkably uneducated. (Hence also the
seminaries.)
>
> Mind you, I've just looked up that fount of all wisdom - Wikipedia -
> which gives 1529 for Luther's Large Catechism and 1566 for the Trent
> catechism. Seems like the pope was playing "catch-up". There is,
> however, reference to catechism-type books by both Thomas Aquinas and
> the Council of Lambeth, which was in 1281.
I can't imagine Aquinas' work being termed a 'catechism'. What's the
> Mind you, I've just looked up that fount of all wisdom - Wikipedia -
> which gives 1529 for Luther's Large Catechism and 1566 for the Trent
> catechism. Seems like the pope was playing "catch-up". There is,
> however, reference to catechism-type books by both Thomas Aquinas and
> the Council of Lambeth, which was in 1281.
Council of Lambeth? - It's not an ecumenical* council of the church.
*NB for others reading this: 'Ecumenical' means 'whole church'; within
RCC terminology it strictly means the whole of those affiliated to the
RCC. But of course, today we mean the 'whole Christian Church' in a more
general sense. See the Vatican II document: Unitatis Redintegratio
('Decree on Ecumenism').
Mike
--
Mike Davis
Mike Davis
May 1, 2022, 12:49:55 PM5/1/22
to
On 30/04/2022 22:17, Kendall K. Down wrote:
> Mind you, I've just looked up that fount of all wisdom - Wikipedia -
> which gives 1529 for Luther's Large Catechism and 1566 for the Trent
> catechism. Seems like the pope was playing "catch-up". There is,
> however, reference to catechism-type books by both Thomas Aquinas and
> the Council of Lambeth, which was in 1281.
Further to my previous post, I've just found the references to John
> which gives 1529 for Luther's Large Catechism and 1566 for the Trent
> catechism. Seems like the pope was playing "catch-up". There is,
> however, reference to catechism-type books by both Thomas Aquinas and
> the Council of Lambeth, which was in 1281.
Peckham (ABoC), but I don't think that;s a catechism - but I'll
investigate further.
Mike
--
Mike Davis
Kendall K. Down
May 1, 2022, 4:19:53 PM5/1/22
to
On 01/05/2022 17:45, Mike Davis wrote:
> No, I'm not certain, but it does seem that a summary of RCC teaching
> would be important at the time of the Reformation, if one wasn't in
> existence. My guess it would have been primarily for the priests, many
> of whom seem to have been remarkably uneducated. (Hence also the
> seminaries.)
Yes, it would be a good step for both clergy and laity.
> No, I'm not certain, but it does seem that a summary of RCC teaching
> would be important at the time of the Reformation, if one wasn't in
> existence. My guess it would have been primarily for the priests, many
> of whom seem to have been remarkably uneducated. (Hence also the
> seminaries.)
> I can't imagine Aquinas' work being termed a 'catechism'. What's the
> Council of Lambeth? - It's not an ecumenical* council of the church.
catechism-like document.
Kendall K. Down
May 1, 2022, 4:19:54 PM5/1/22
to
On 01/05/2022 17:49, Mike Davis wrote:
> Further to my previous post, I've just found the references to John
> Peckham (ABoC), but I don't think that;s a catechism - but I'll
> investigate further.
I'm sure it wasn't a catechism exactly as the Trent one, but my
> Further to my previous post, I've just found the references to John
> Peckham (ABoC), but I don't think that;s a catechism - but I'll
> investigate further.
understanding is that it was intended to teach doctrine and it employed
to some extent the question and answer format.
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