qfnol31 Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 (edited) Why does St. Peter's Bascilica in Roma face west? It doesn't make much sense. Edited October 3, 2004 by qfnol31 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pio Nono Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 JMJ 10/3 - Twenty-seventh Sunday I actually just got back from a beatification at St. Peter's. St. Peter's actually faces east - the Pope has always said Mass "facing the people," if you will. However, during Mass, the people would never face the Holy Father - they'd always be looking at the back of the basilica. They couldn't build a church in a normal fashion because, at the time of the building of the old basilica (~400AD), there was a hill behind where the sanctuary was supposed to be built, which was right on top of St. Peter's bones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qfnol31 Posted October 3, 2004 Author Share Posted October 3, 2004 So why don't they face that way any more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pio Nono Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 JMJ 10/3 - Twenty-seventh Sunday The people just changed the custom, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enda Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 (edited) Because we are living in the modern [color=red][b]edited by foundsheep [/b][/color]world were looking at people is considered courtsey. Edited October 3, 2004 by foundsheep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pio Nono Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 JMJ 10/4 - St. Francis of Assisi Actually, "looking at people" or facing the people during the Liturgy is a part of the liturgical movement which came out of Belgium in the mid-to-late 1800s. Latin Catholics adopted the practice as an option in the years following Vatican Council II. The Melchites and Syro-Malabar picked it up around then as well; I don't know whether the Ambrosians or the Mozarabs face the people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qfnol31 Posted October 4, 2004 Author Share Posted October 4, 2004 It's sad though, I miss looking towards God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JeffCR07 Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 As can be found in Cardinal Ratzinger's [u]Spirit of the Liturgy[/u], it is possible to be "looking towards God" simply by focusing on the crucifix, which is our "spiritual east" and reminds us of the sacrifice of Christ across both Time and Space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aluigi Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 here's a question... should i bug my pastor with the suggestion that the processional cross should be placed in front of the altar (it has a simple stand which could easily be moved there) so that the symbolism of the Spiritual East is returned to our Liturgy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Wednesday Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 You mean we don't face Mecca? Oops, wrong religion! Sorry. I couldn't help myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fides_et_Ratio Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 [quote name='Pio Nono' date='Oct 3 2004, 08:01 AM'] JMJ 10/3 - Twenty-seventh Sunday I actually just got back from a beatification at St. Peter's. [/quote] I was there too! Were you sitting? How close? Where at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pio Nono Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 JMJ 10/5 - Twenty-seventh Tuesday [quote] I was there too! Were you sitting? How close? Where at? [/quote] Yeah, I was sitting with a few people from the college I'm studying at this semester. Three of us were in cassocks; we were sitting in the front section of general admission seating, on the middle-right side, near the middle of the section. We sat a few rows back from the Argentinians, right in the middle of the Anne Catherine Emmerich cheering squad. Did you happen to spot Lady Hapsburg pay her respects to the Holy Father? If you noticed, all of the Hapsburg women were dressed in black, wearing black veils - except for one, who wore all white. That was Lady Hapsburg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fides_et_Ratio Posted October 6, 2004 Share Posted October 6, 2004 [quote name='Pio Nono' date='Oct 5 2004, 03:56 PM'] JMJ 10/5 - Twenty-seventh Tuesday Yeah, I was sitting with a few people from the college I'm studying at this semester. Three of us were in cassocks; we were sitting in the front section of general admission seating, on the middle-right side, near the middle of the section. We sat a few rows back from the Argentinians, right in the middle of the Anne Catherine Emmerich cheering squad. Did you happen to spot Lady Hapsburg pay her respects to the Holy Father? If you noticed, all of the Hapsburg women were dressed in black, wearing black veils - except for one, who wore all white. That was Lady Hapsburg. [/quote] I was sitting just on the other side then... across from the Argentinians! I was really close to the center aisle on the right side. As to the Hapsburgs, I did watch, but didn't take notice of that.. I was trying to see what Otto looked like since he is coming to speak later on this semester. What college are you at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pio Nono Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 JMJ 10/7 - Our Lady of the Rosary (Our Lady of Victory) [quote]What college are you at?[/quote] I'm studying for the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota as a part of a Study Abroad program. I'm studying at the Angelicum this semester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fides_et_Ratio Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 [quote name='Pio Nono' date='Oct 7 2004, 06:25 AM'] JMJ 10/7 - Our Lady of the Rosary (Our Lady of Victory) I'm studying for the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota as a part of a Study Abroad program. I'm studying at the Angelicum this semester. [/quote] Ah, cool. My spiritual director is now studying at the PNAC, that's why I was asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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