I have a personal commitment to ‘widening the tent’, as Pope Francis spoke about, particularly in the area of Catholic liturgy. In my view, we have tended to widen the tent on what we might call the progressive side of the Church. I am happy for that. But a tent needs support on both sides if it is to stand, and there is a legitimate diversity within the Church that we should recognise and strengthen.
With that in mind, during Advent I intend to celebrate my Masses at the cathedral ad orientem: with priest and people facing the same direction. I have taken this opportunity for some years, first as a priest and now as a bishop. I am not asking other priests to do this necessarily. Rather, I want to give our lay faithful the opportunity to experience what I consider a legitimate diversity in the celebration of Holy Mass.
This is not a different Mass. The words remain the same. What changes is our direction: priest and people face together towards liturgical east, offering ourselves to God the Father. This ancient tradition of worship expresses something important about the Mass. We are looking together towards the Lord, from whom our salvation comes.
I am not seeking to dismiss the beauty of the priest celebrating Mass facing the people. There is a beautiful nuptial relationship expressed there. However, I do think we need to reflect on how easily our attention can become centred on the priest’s personality. We can almost develop a “game show host” culture: if the priest is lively and engaging, we think the parish is doing well; if he is quieter or less outgoing, we think the parish is doing poorly.
But the Mass is not about the priest. It never should be. Making his personality the centre of our worship is a form of clericalism. In my view, one remedy is for priest and people to face the same way, reminding us that we are together in offering our worship to God.
For me, Advent is a particularly fitting time to experience this shared direction of prayer. There are three dimensions of Advent that I invite us to hold together.
First, we remember Christ’s first coming in the Incarnation and prepare to celebrate Christmas. What a beautiful feast that will be. At my Christmas Masses, I will again celebrate facing the people.
Second, Advent turns our attention towards Christ’s second coming. We look forward to his return, and our common direction of prayer can help express that expectation.
Third, there is our present reality. Even now, we should have a sense that we are moving towards the great wedding feast of heaven. Advent reminds us that our lives have a direction: towards God and the fulfilment of his promises.
The Missal also includes instructions for the priest to turn towards the people at particular moments. When celebrating ad orientem, those turns become especially clear. They help us appreciate the different moments of the Mass while remembering that, throughout our worship, we are turned towards God.
So I invite those who come to the cathedral during Advent to approach this experience thoughtfully. My intention is to offer an opportunity for bishop and people to face the same direction, looking together towards the Lord. In this season of expectation, may it help us remember whom we worship, whose coming we await, and where our journey is leading.