Bl John Henry Newman -- Moving House

If you've been depending upon The Inn for news of the our little Ordinariate community in Orange County California, then you don't know that we've moved. For the past 13 months we were sharing space in St Joseph Church in Santa Ana, a beautiful old Spanish-style building with an excellent organ. But the St Joseph parish community is a large one and we were limited in what we could do, e.g., no Holy Week services of our own.

 Our pusillus grex now celebrates Mass in the Anglican Use in the "St Luke" room at St Mary Catholic Church in Fullerton at 1:00 p.m. on Sundays. The St Luke room is, alas, a class room in what was St Mary's parish school.  On the other hand, it is air conditioned -- no small benefit in a southern California summer.  Parishioners passing out from the heat adds nothing to the solemnity of High Mass.

However, we've been doing our best to turn it into a proper chapel.  We started with, well, a classroom.

Looks like we'll have some place to sit, anyway.   Here's the same space showing the west facing windows and the blessed air conditioner and with some of our furnishings moved in.

Greg's making a start here on a claret-coloured fabric back drop for the altar.  (Nobody thought much of my idea for Sarum-ish riddel posts and a canopy.  I think it may have been the pvc pipe riddel posts that killed it.)

Now this is not quite so classroom-y and a bit more chapel-y:

Since this was taken the candles have been tidied up and there's a different crucifix which will be (or maybe, by now,  is) higher up and either attached to the wall or hanging down from above.  There's also a little side-altar to Blessed John to the left which you just see a corner of.

And someone (thank you, Cheryl) donated a small organ so that your servant has a fighting chance at staying on pitch.

Yes, the choir loft (ahem) still says "classroom".  But we have hopes. And not just for the choir corner. There are more plans afoot for our new home, including a simple reredos.  And we'll be able to have our own Mass on the great feast days and next year even our own Sacred Triduum.  Laus sit Deo.

"I was glad when they said unto me, we will go into the house of the Lord.

Our feet shall stand in thy gates, O Jerusalem!"