22 April 2009

Enjoy these pics

from the Triduum this year at Riga Cathedral. Yes, Lutherans swinging incense, washing feet, lining up to venerate the cross. I want to move!!! :)

Lutheran Riga Cathedral

14 comments:

Phillip said...

Awesome!

I met one of the pastors from this church body at the Fort almost a decade ago. He invited me to bring my choir over. Seeing the cathedral now, I have fresh incentive to take a trip over there.

I believe we are in fellowship with this church body now, are we not? Or am I thinking of some other folks nearby?

William Weedon said...

Yes, we're in complete altar and pulpit fellowship with the Latvian Lutheran Church. We could commune with them and they with us.

Rev. Paul Beisel said...

Wow, you must have a pretty small cone. :)

X said...

Note to self: pack a basin.

Just kidding. ;)

Phil said...

An interview with Archbishop Janis Vanags (who, by the way, has to be one of the youngest archbishops around):

http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=14-04-031-i

Some family members of mine have gone to Latvia as part of their congregation's mission efforts. I hope to make it there one day.

And that organ (which you can see in some of their other galleries) looks amazing...

Past Elder said...

Looks like it should be the other way around -- the Latvians making mission efforts to us.

Brian P Westgate said...

Archbishop Vanags preached here at the Fort earlier this year. I think it was on Friday of symposia week.

Anonymous said...

The Lutheran Church in Latvia is one of the CID's mission partners.
I heard Archbishop Vanags speak at the CID convention three years ago...
I was impressed because they discontinued ordination of women in spite of pressure from other "Lutheran" churches to continue the practice.

Former Vicar

Bishop Robert Lyons said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bishop Robert Lyons said...

Is the Latvian Lutheran Church one that has retained the historic episcopate? I noticed the Mitre in the pics from the Vigil (I assume it was the Easter Vigil, anyway) and wondered...

I found the imagery, however, to be quite impressive... I did find the Altar candles sitting so low on the floor to be a bit odd, but that's just my liturgical sensibilities.

Rob+

William Weedon said...

They have succession from the Church of Sweden, for whatever that is worth...

Anonymous said...

So the LC-MS could begin to get historic episcopal succession from the Latvian church... wouldn't that be awesome!!

I don't forsee it coming, but wouldn't it be nice if the LC-MS really did subscribe to the Lutheran confessions (Apology, Article XIV: Of Ecclesiastical Order. "Concerning this subject we have frequently testified in this assembly that it is our greatest wish to maintain church-polity and the grades in the Church")

Past Elder said...

?????

ACXXVIII -- It is not our design now to wrest the government from the bishops, but this one thing is asked, namely, that they allow the Gospel to be purely taught, and that they relax some few observances which 78] cannot be kept without sin. But if they make no concession, it is for them to see how they shall give account to God for furnishing, by their obstinacy, a cause for schism.

Past Elder said...

Or the rest of the quotation -- even though they have been made by human authority -- which they continue to deny.