3302: St Mary's, Stanley, Falkland Islands

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27 April 2018

The full name of St Mary's, Stanley, Falkland Islands, is Our Lady Star of the Sea. We usually refer to it by the shorter name.

The thurible sits on top of a speaker box, not a gas canister.

Your Mystery Worshipper would have noticed that the thurible was extinguished in a bowl of water after the offertory. When I have a thurifer, he doubles as chief fire officer and extinguishes it after the eucharistic prayer. The church being made of wood, there is also a jug of water at hand in case of accidents with the thurible.

As you seemed surprised by mass being offered ad orientem, I take it you have never attended the weekday mass at St Philip's Priory, Chelmsford. The post-Vatican II missals have all assumed that this is how mass will be offered, directing the priest to face the congregation at certain points.

Although I modestly use "Revd" most of the time, I'm actually a "Very Revd." At seminary I came top in humility, but I didn't deserve it.

Very Revd John Wisdom