It's official. I'm totally depraved.
The Academic Suburb Community Good Friday Service was held at the Episcopal Church this year. I probably appreciate high church liturgy more than many Presbyterians. I enjoy introducing certain high church elements into our worship from time to time when it seems appropriate. However, when I find myself among folks who take all that stuff utterly seriously, my inner Calvinist emerges--and not it a good way.
Yesterday the Rector at St. Stuffierthanthou was detailing for us how the Eucharist would unfold. "After each communicant has received the host, the Chalicifer will come forward and . . ."
And I evilly whispered to the Congregationalist pastor sitting next to me: "Chalicifer? Wasn't that the cat in Cinderella?"
I think the Rector heard me. Maybe I should wash my mouth out with sherry.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
*snort*
*double snort*
*coffee outa my nose snort*
((word verification: awegod....seriously)
I love your "St. Stuffierthanthou."
chalicifer? Is that even a word? oh my, oh my.
{laughing uproariously, cats looking at me as though I've lost my mind...}
Sherry? No... an 18-year-old Scotch whisky, I think.
You know the old song, right?
Oh there's no Episcopalians in hell,
Oh there's no Episcopalians in hell,
They're in heaven up above
Drinking scotch and making love,
Oh there's no Episcopalians in hell!
:-) Hedwyg
(going back to singing Jesus Christ is Risen Today, A-a-a-a-a-le-e-lu-ia!)
This does remind me of my pre-Episcopalian days, 20 years ago. My ex is a cradle Episcopalian, because his mother converted from Methodism to "Whiskeypalianism." :)
Well, being terribly new to the Episcopalian church, having spent time among the Quakers (but having grown up Lutheran), I was seriously re-examining ritual when then-husband and I were singing in his church choir.
Holy Week arrived, and my ex-mother-in-law asked if I would be attending a service I'd never before heard of -- Easter Vigil.
I said something about not wanting to deal with all that rigamarole (genuflecting, kneeling, etc).
She told my ex that I "just didn't understand."
Two decades later, I do understand, but truly, if this is new to you, I absolutely know how "quaint" (nicely put) all this seems.
Though I gotta say, chalicifer is a new term to me. We called them chalice bearers in my previous parish. Crucifer, thurifer, I got.
Well, what do you expect? A garden is a garth. The lovely bowls in which you wash your hands (provided you do that) before consecration of the Blessed Sacrament is called a lavabo (think lavatory). The linens used to wipe the chalice rim after each use are called purificators. And so on.
Think King James English and it'll be a start.
*doing a little sing-songy jig*
Yer Gonna Burn in Hell. Yer Gonna Burn in Hell.
Hee hee hee.
Ok, I am a seminarian at the Anglo-Catholic and liberal seminary of the Episcopal Church here in the land of so-high-your-nose-bleeds high church (that's New York City) and I've never heard of a chalicifer. So either he said chalice bearer (but not very clearly) or he's making up words.
Seriously, I have no idea. But hey, enough with the snorting already! :-) Our Presiding Bishop is a woman, we support the MDG's, we have Gene Robinson... cut us some slack on the liturgical stuff, okay?
(Besides, you know you love it and you're all headed back toward higher liturgy anyway!) Some day real soon you'll all be stopping over at my blog to find out how to properly set a credence table or prepare a thurible. ;-)
;-) (giggle)
Really. Listen to yourselves. Every one of you is ignorant about the formation of the English language, which, in case you haven't noticed, continues to be transformed. If you analyze the not-yet-ready-for-prime-time-word "chalicifer", it is formulated logically from the word "chalice" and the suffix "fer" which means "to bear" -or chalice bearer. You could be participating in the evolution" of a new word, but, no, in your lazy and "no changes for me, thank you very much" attitude, you look down your noses, at least one of which has coffee "outa" (what is THAT word) it. What a waste of energy to make fun of people who ar.e exploring linguistics
And having posted the comment above, I continued with research and found that there already and existing and appropriate term - "chalicer" - signifying one who administers wine from the chalice. This is more descriptive and specific than "chalice bearer", which would most accurately describe one who carries a chalice, rather than one who actually uses the chalice to administer the wine element. I found this information by "googling" it. We don't seem to have a problem making up a word like that.
Post a Comment