Berlin, NJ: Mater Ecclesiae starting sung Compline.

I continue to muse about Latin in parish worship.  I just isn’t that hard.  People can and will take to it and Latin can facilitate a deeper kind of active participation.

I had a note from a reader who has to do with the Latin Liturgy Association in the area of Philadelphia, PA.

Weekly Compline at Mater Ecclesiae, Berlin, NJ, Beginning Tuesday, Feb.9, 2010 at 8:05 PM
Sodales:
I am very pleased to bring to your attention the notice below from LLA member John Rotundi  about weekly Compline starting up at Mater Ecclesiae Roman Catholic Church at 261 Cross Keys Road in Berlin, NJ.  For directions to the church please go to the website at www.materecclesiae.org. As you know, Mater Ecclesiae is “totally traditional” with all Masses and ceremonies in the traditional Latin form of the Roman Rite.

[…]

We will have an Orientation meeting on Sunday, February 7 following the 11:00 am Mass. This meeting will cover the general purposes and goals of this group as well as address any particular questions you may have about how to pray the Office or questions pertaining to any particular version of the Office vs. another, etc.

Also, on Tuesday, February 9 @ 8:05 pm, we will pray Compline in the Mater Ecclesiae chapel in Latin either in recitation or full chant (if we get a practice in with those interested). This will continue on every Tuesday night afterwards following my Latin classes for HFA. I shall work on compiling a Compline service booklet (a quick copy and paste job) to send out soon; however, the "Divinum Officium" book sold in the bookstore would perfectly suffice if you want something nicer and more permanent to use.

Compline for Tuesday, February 9 will utilize the regular Tuesday antiphon and psalms, Hymn "Te lucis" in the Ordinary Tone, and the Simple Tone of the Marian antiphon "Ave regina caelorum" if you would like to take a look at the text ahead of time.

Nice initiative!

 

I am slated to by at Mater Ecclesiae for a time just after this inauguration of Compline.  I will give some reports if I get any.

Perhaps there will be a change for a Philly blognic. 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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6 Comments

  1. wolfeken says:

    Good news on the Divine Office.

    At the same time, I can’t help but read: “As you know, Mater Ecclesiae is ‘totally traditional’ with all Masses and ceremonies in the traditional Latin form of the Roman Rite” and hope the 5 p.m. Saturday “anticipated” Mass for Sunday will be eliminated to fall into that totally traditional category. 1967 (when Saturday night “Sunday” Masses were invented) is not traditional, even if it’s legal.

    My thanks, though, to this wonderful church for otherwise providing full-service sacraments to South Jersey. The place has come a long way — a groundbreaking institution that has served as a model for many others.

  2. Jon says:

    Ah, we beat Mater E. to the punch!

    Sung Compline begins this evening, Wednesday, January 27, after the 7pm Mass at Mater Dei Latin Mass Community (FSSP), Harrisburg, PA.

    Our schola has been practicing Compline about a month. It will be after every Wed. evening Mass from now on.

  3. jrotond2 says:

    Father Z,

    Thank you for posting this. This is part of an initiative to encourage the praying of the Divine Office among the laity, both in private recitation and in communal services at Mater Ecclesiae. This initiative is going to be known as the Confraternity of St. Benedict, which will be a joint clergy-laity association for the praying of the Office. As soon as we get a website up and running, I shall let you know.

    Tentatively, there will be sung Compline on Tuesday nights (when the HFA Homeschool Co-op is in session onsite for which I teach Latin classes in the evening) beginning February 9 as posted here. Additionally, we will also have Compline on the 4th. Wednesday of the month after the evening Mass beginning Feb 24, and Vespers at 2pm on the 3rd. Sunday of every month beginning Feb 21.

    Please pray for the success of this initiative.

    John Rotondi

  4. Good old Mater Ecclesiae – I’ve been there for Christmas Mass 2009. The locals might not be brainy enough to pump their own gas, but at least they know how the Liturgy is supposed to be done. Good on them!

  5. apagano says:

    We’re actually brainy enough to not HAVE to pump our own gas. :)Mater Ecclesiae is a blessing to many families. I know that many of our Parishiners drive at least an hour to participate in the Mass. Father Pasley is a Godsend to us all. Father Z, it will be a special treat to have you with us. Very much looking forward to it

  6. jrotond2 says:

    Father Z,

    We now have a website (in very primitive stages) for the new Divine Office Confraternity of St. Benedict, which is spear-heading the initiative of having more public Offices at Mater Ecclesiae:
    http://www.sbconfraternity.org

    John Rotondi
    Facilitator & Cantor
    Mater Ecclesiae Chapter, Confraternity of St. Benedict

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