It’s our first time
at the SSPX church of St John
in Dún Laoghaire
to attend a Latin Mass
and before Mass begins
I take a few minutes
to survey my surroundings.

As I do so
the realisation slowly dawns
that our own wee SSPX chapel
in a shop basement
in Belfast
lacks something …
but I just can’t put my finger
on what exactly is missing.

Could it be the organ
with its intricately patterned,
golden pipes?
No, we have a Yamaha keyboard.
It can’t be that.

Could it be the smooth, shiny,
white, marble altar rail?
No, we have wooden prie-dieux
at which we kneel
to receive our Blessed Lord.
It can’t be that.

Could it be the beautiful, arch-shaped
Stations of the Cross
that adorn the walls?
No, we have A4-sized Stations
with a wee, golden cross
at each one.
It can’t be that.

Could it be the oak-beamed ceiling,
high-vaulted and impressive?
No, we have our own steel beams
on our ceiling
which is so low
that Fr Boyle has to duck
in case he bumps his head!
It can’t be that.

Could it be the steps
up to the altar?
We certainly don’t have those!
But, no, I can definitely imagine them
when our priests step forward
with great reverence
to our altar.
I’m pretty sure it’s not that.

What could it be that’s missing?

Then I spot
a large sanctuary lamp
suspended from the ceiling.

Aaahh, now I understand!

When we were wee,
Mammy taught us
that the chapel is God’s house,
where God lives
and that the red sanctuary lamp means
that God is home.

We don’t have a sanctuary lamp
because we don’t have a tabernacle.

With some sadness
I realise
that God doesn’t actually live
in our wee chapel
in Belfast.
He simply visits
every single Sunday
for an hour
during Mass.

And right there and then,
I begin to pray
that, one day,
we may have our own SSPX chapel
in Belfast,
with a tabernacle
for God to live in.

Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

© Claire Murray, 5th August 2023