Last weekend I visited the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in their church, SS Peter & Paul & Philomena, the 'Dome of Home'. Here are some photos of their Missa Cantata on Sunday morning, Passion Sunday, when the images in the church are veiled.
I have visited before, but not since they've actually started to use the church. It is wonderful to see it back in use, though it still needs major work.
Canon Montjean ICKSP, a Frenchman, is assisted by Abbe Almeter, an Institute seminarian from the USA. Abbe Almeter leads the schola (which I joined for the occasion), in the choir loft.
There is an impressive team of servers.
In addition to saying Mass here, Canon Montjean says another every week, and on some weeks a third, at other locations. But in the evening he has Vespers and Benediction in the Dome, for the intention of priestly vocations, at the special request of Bishop Mark Davies. I attended this (annoyingly, without a proper camera), and witnessed the famous monstance in action. This monstrance is so huge, and its throne is so high up, that it is raised into position on a sort of lift, worked by a crank.
To bless the people with it the celebrant climbs a ladder and takes the top part off the the base, which would be far to large and heavy to manhandle; to place it on the altar it fits onto a smaller base.
The congregation at Mass was about 80, a good start for this apostolate, though of course the church is very large. The Faithful, and the Latin Mass Society locally, is very committed to the wonderful church and the Traditional liturgy which takes place here. We plan to organise a pilgrimage here next year - it is, after all, a shrine.
Full set of photos here.
On a recent visit I was most impressed by how far things have come on since my last visit about a year ago. The music is much better, for example, and the serving a joy to behold. The church is in a poor state of repair, and needs a lot of work, but the IKCSP seem to have the drive to do that sort of thing.
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