Last night I went to the first High Mass I went to since I was very young. I have to say that back in the day, a lot of families, mine included, only went to the high Mass if we overslept. So I came in with vague memories. Last night's Mass was well attended, and once again the Little Oratory assisted with the singing to bolster the normal St. Anne's choir. The priest was a visiting missionary from New Zealand, now stationed in Nigeria in Ibo country. He was quite young, according to him "recently ordained."I happen to love incense, so I was delighted there was enough to choke a heretic with. Full complement of servers, and I have a good guess as to why when His Hermeneuticalness was at a few high Masses with muckety mucks that he was a 2nd subdeacon. The first one stand in line with the humeral veil and hold the paten (I think in the misty dark ages, someone must have ticked off the head man or whatever, and he said "YOU, THIS Sunday you're going to stand behind the deacon in a thoroughly fatiguing way, we'll come up with some allegorical reason later, but YOU, you're being punished!!!" ) Then the 2nd subdeacon is there to complete the picture of getting to hold up the left side of the chasuble. And be someone else to manoever around. Two torchbearers but I don't know how many physical torches there are to be carried.
I didn't time when it started but it was to start at 7 - it did end at 8:25. Assuming they may have been at most 5 minutes late, then it really didn't take much more than 15 minutes longer than the average Sunday Mass does today. [The Epistle and the Gospel were re-read in English, too.]
The vestments were particularly sumptuous, nice to see them on someone's back rather than a museum, and there were a veil and burse to match. Click on the picture with the isolated chasubles to see more detail.
