The parish of Saint John Vianney is located in the nearish suburb of Northlake, which is not so named because it’s near a lake but because it is located at the intersection of Lake Street and North Avenue.
For some reason, I had it in my head that the Mass began at 8a even though my calendar said 7.30a and so I showed up as the Mass was coming to a close, with the priest and altar server kneeling facing the altar ad orientem and then a procession in which members of the congregation kissed the monstrance,¹ a devotion I’ve never encountered before.
Based on my brief encounter with their liturgics, it appears that the parish is an odd marriage of post-Vatican II architecture and traditionalist worship. I do always wonder to what extent traditionalism at the parish level is directed by the congregation vs by the clergy.
- Or at least I think it was a monstrance. Although if it was, it was not the sort of ornate one that you’d see in an art museum.
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