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The return of triumphalism
More and more Pope Benedict’s intentions are being clarified in regard to the Church traditional liturgical expressions.
The Holy Father’s throne is raised high above the floor of the Basilica. I had heard when I was in Rome from one of the canons of St. Peter that there would be a dias of five steps.
This is a very "Roman" occasion. The mayor of Rome is present, and the Holy Father in his sermon adddressed the spiritual situation in the diocese, young people, the life of parishes, etc.
Vespers is on EWTN as I write. It is also available through CTV.
Can you believe that on the EWTN audio feed the speaker, all the way through, read from the English language breviary? When they were sining the hymn he read a text which had absolutely NOTHING to do with the hymn sung in Latin in the Basilica! I don’t know if that was EWTN’s audio or if it was coming from Vatican Radio. If the later, then that was truly embarrassing. How hard would it have been to get a service booklet, which are available in advance and then do the necessary homework? In any event, they sang the hymn for vespers of Christmastide, Christe redemptor omnium. I am not quite sure why they sang that rather than the hymn for 1st Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, Corde natus ex Parentis. Christe redemptor omnium is to be sung during the Octave unless there is a proper hymn, as there is for Mary Mother of God.
I truly detest the explanatory commentary in Italian sister, but … toleratur.
There is something important to notice. Gregorian chant is being used and not the drippy gooey personal melodies of the present director of the Cappella Sistina. I am sure he was informed that Gregorian chant shall have pride of place. I am sure he would like to keep his job.
For those of you inclined stinginess who might think this is too little too late, remember that it takes longer to build than to tear down. The Holy Father is moving pretty quickly now.
The morse of the cope:
Also, note the medieval image of Mary chosen for the ceremony.
Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, to whom those who love the older form of Mass owe a debt of gratitude.
I rather wish that Cardinal deacons would have been the deacons for Vespers, but these two fellows did a serviceable job.
The Holy Father spoke in his sermon about the upcoming ordinations to the priesthood of nearly 30 men for the Diocese of Rome.
Their Excellencies Piero Marini and Renato Boccardo were preesent, together with their brethren in service of the Holy See.
Pope Benedict sings the oration.
OMBRELLINO!
There are some priests who think that having their cope or vestments held as they process is somehow not to be done, perhaps from false humility?
Adoration. Perhaps too much organ. Silence would have been better here.
I would have much preferred a traditional Te Deum which is solemnly sung in God’s honor at the end of a year. I don’t know who wrote the Te Deum used today. I suspect it of fairly recent composition, since there was a little refrain to encourage congregational singing and you could hear traces of the traditional Te Deum.
As the great Fr. Finigan reminds us:
A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful under the usual conditions who devoutly assist at the singing or recition of:
The Te Deum on the lst day of the year to give thanks to God for benefits received during the past year.
The Veni Creator on 1 January to implore divine help during the coming year.
As ever, do see my post Plenary Indulgences not impossible if you are worried about the conditions
Another good look at the back of the cope.
And the recessional:
Judging from the coat of arms on the cope, this may have been from B;. Pope John XXIII, who was a great promoter of vespers for the Roman people.
And back out into the Roman evening to find some supper!
But wait! There’s more!
A band and kneeler are set up before the Christmas scene in the Piazza.
Here comes the Holy Father!
The band is comprised of the Swiss Guard and the Vatican police and perhaps also the Roman police.
Te Deum on 31 Dec 2007 [13:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download O sanctissima on 31 Dec 2007 - Guards' band [1:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
This is a marvelous occasion really. You see the Holy Father’s dedication to formal liturgical ceremony and also popular devotion, which is also of great importance in the life of the Catholic people. They strengthen each other, and the Holy Father understands that.
He is giving a good example as Bishop and chief pastor of Rome to his City and to the world. The broadcast of vespers and the visit to the Christmas scene in the piazza is his way of showing the bishops and priests of the world how this is to be done.
At the Sunday Vespers I have attended at St. Peter’s in the past, even in the days of Msgr. Colino, Gregorian chant was always used for the psalms by the Cappella Giulia . From whence does the statue of the Mother and Child hail? They are certainly taking seriously the aim to “demonstrate continuity with the past.” Hooray!
Comment by TNCath — 31 December 2007 @ 11:37 amThe Holy Father is moving pretty quickly now.
This is music to my ears!
Comment by Thomas — 31 December 2007 @ 11:50 amFather Z,
Comment by Zach — 31 December 2007 @ 11:50 amObviously the priest sitting to the Pope’s left is Marini II, but who is on his right hand side?
Zach
Not sure if it’s triumphalism so much as a practical re-use of traditional furnishings to make this pope more visible to the crowd. Papa Ratzinger is less distinguished by physique than his predecessor, who was quite easy to pick out of the crowd of prelates (at first by his lineman-like physicality, then by his frailty).
Comment by Liam — 31 December 2007 @ 11:58 am“I had heard when I was in Rome from one of the canons of St. Peter that there would be a dias of five steps.” And the five steps symbolize…?
Comment by Christopher Mandzok — 31 December 2007 @ 12:18 pmZach: That is Mons. Franco Camaldo.
Comment by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf — 31 December 2007 @ 12:20 pmThis is truly amazing! I can’t decide which thing I’m liking the most, the umbrella or the lifting of the Pope’s vestment! :P
Comment by Manuel R. — 31 December 2007 @ 12:20 pmWhere on earth did they dig up that infernal choral version of the Te Deum they’re botching? If they’d stuck with Gregorian chant they’d have been done in a quarter of the time, and the Holy Father wouldn’t have had to stand there wearing what’s obviously a rather heavy cope through the whole thing. Methinks HH will be having a few choice words with the kappelmeister afterwards…if he manages to survive this liturgy.
Comment by Fr Arsenius — 31 December 2007 @ 12:22 pmI can’t tell from the photos where this dias is; is it in front of, or behind the altar? Thanks to anyone who can answer.
Comment by Fr. Ó Buaidhe — 31 December 2007 @ 12:25 pmThey did seem to murder the Te Deum towards the end of it, not that it was terribly nice even at the beginning.
Comment by Bob — 31 December 2007 @ 12:26 pmThe Te Deum is by the Director, Mgr Liberto, and is available in print copies in Rome.
Happy new year!
Comment by surge — 31 December 2007 @ 12:27 pmMy goodness, their rendition of the Adeste Fideles has managed to out-murder their Te Deum! Its truly awful.
Comment by Bob — 31 December 2007 @ 12:29 pmYes, the Te Deum was a bit much. The traditional chant would have been much better. Nonetheless, overall it was a magnificent ceremony where prayer was the focus and not the theatrics of the Archbishop Marini shows.
Comment by TNCath — 31 December 2007 @ 12:35 pmI am constantly amazed by what our Holy Father is doing. (Of course, I am not surprised either, because he is the man we know him to be.) What astounds me is the seeming decorum of the way he is changing things, restoring things, and correcting things. He is not changing things for change’s sake, or in the interest of liturgical archaeologism, but because the change is right.
Comment by Mark — 31 December 2007 @ 12:38 pmI agree with all of you: The Te Deum melody was aweful. The organist obviously doen’t know what holy silence is all about. But the Holy Father always maintains the digninity of his office, and maintains the spirit of prayer in spite of the organist.
Comment by Hieromonk Gregory — 31 December 2007 @ 12:46 pmI’m afraid Rome still has a way to go in curing its musical woes. They could actually take a lesson or two from the Anglicans….pre-1970 of course. It has always amazed me beyond words how bloody awful the music is at St. Peter’s. It’s not like they can’t afford good music. Nor is it that they don’t have a treasure trove of wonderful music to pull from. Frankly even the quality of the singing is not what I would call “world class”. They don’t compare favorably to any of the great English Cathedrals. Even the organist sounds like he should be playing for a schmaltzy protestant service. Why is that?
Comment by Doug — 31 December 2007 @ 12:47 pmGlorious! Cope, mitre, ombrellino, dalmatics, raised throne with backdrop behind the altar (why don’t they keep this arrangement for Mass? Everything is better than where the throne is now during Mass).
At first I was dismayed by the candle arrangement on the altar, but then very relieved when the Holy Father said during the homily that adoration was to follow, which explains it.
Two querstions: 1) Why was the regular Christmas Tide hymn “Christe redemptor omnium” sung, instead of today’s proper one, “Corde natus ex Parentis”?
2) Is it normal that the Holy Father as celebrant does not incense the altar himself, but has his deacons do it?
Father, I agree that we could do very well without Sister explaining the psalms to us. This should, if at all, happen during the homily, not all the time. This is one of the major problems of the liturgical reform – as my old parish priest put it: the highjacking of the liturgy by catechesis. But as you say, we have to be thankful for what the Holy Father has done in such short time, and await patiently the further steps.
Comment by Berolinensis — 31 December 2007 @ 12:48 pmI agree with all of you: The Te Deum melody was aweful. The organist obviously doen’t know what holy silence is all about. But the Holy Father always maintains the digninity of his office, and maintains the spirit of prayer in spite of the organist.
Comment by Hieromonk Gregory — 31 December 2007 @ 12:50 pmRassourcement at its finest, the way it should be.
Comment by Contra — 31 December 2007 @ 12:51 pmFather: “Judging from the coat of arms on the cope, this may have been from Bl. Pope John XXIII, who was a great promoter of vespers for the Roman people.”
Sure it was. Wasn’t it the same the Holy Father wore for the Urbi et Orbi Blessing?
Comment by Berolinensis — 31 December 2007 @ 12:54 pmBXVI is a new man from the one who arrived at Vatican II wearing a coat and tie.
BXVI wrote in Milestones that he returned to Germany after, I think, the second session
of VII and noticed a change sweeping over the Church, but instead of the hope forid
renewal, he noticed something negative and stale.
Tradition can never be stale, because like nature itself, things that are from God
Comment by malta — 31 December 2007 @ 12:58 pmare ever old but ever new and refreshing. There is nothing more stale than a Vatican II
worshipping pries in 70’s vestments trying to be relative and “cool”.
Truly amazing. That baroque hunched up back of the cope alone is enough to reduce me to tears.
Speaking of reducing people to tears, if you think the Capella Sistina is bad now listen to their recording of ‘Domine, salvum fac’ with Maestro Alessandro Moreschi as soloist.
Comment by David Kubiak — 31 December 2007 @ 12:59 pmFr. Z, I agree that the Holy Father in doing this – particularly the mix of solemn liturgy and popular devotion – is showing his brother bishops how things are to be done. At the same time, I think he’s acting out of genuine and altruistic piety.
A priest friend of mine made the comment, upon seeing the Holy Father at prayer, “It’s like he actually believes this stuff.” Sadly, my friend (for whom I pray and ask for prayers) did not intend it as the compliment it truly is.
Comment by Tim Ferguson — 31 December 2007 @ 1:11 pmOkay…question for the rubrical experts:
Why the penitential morse?
Comment by Flambeaux — 31 December 2007 @ 1:22 pmFr. Z. writes:
This is a marvelous occasion really. You see the Holy Father’s dedication to formal liturgical ceremony and also popular devotion, which is also of great importance in the life of the Catholic people. They strengthen each other, and the Holy Father understands that.
He is giving a good example as Bishop and chief pastor of Rome to his City and to the world. The broadcast of vespers and the visit to the Christmas scene in the piazza is his way of showing the bishops and priests of the world how this is to be done.
Once again, Fr. Z, your analysis “hits the nail on the head”. As I never tire of remarking (though my bishop does tire of me reminding him), a good bishop—indeed, a good father—teaches not o