I am at St. Mary’s in Washington where the TLM has been celebrated for many years.
Bp Slattery is here as well. I was hoping to hear the bishop preach, especially after what we heard yesterday. But for some reason he was not celebrant for the Mass and did not preach. St Mary’s is a beautiful old German Church. The people I have met here are friendly and happy. As usual there are zillions of children and young people!
UPDATE
Bp Slattery stood up to say three words after Mass. He lost his voice after Mass last night!
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He must be tired. I hope he gets a well-deserved rest on the trip home.
(I have been to St. Mary’s only once, for the funeral Mass for a former student of mine who died at age 20. It was the EF Mass, though not called that as it was several years ago. He was a saintly young man–intensely devoted to the old Mass.)
Too bad for St Mary’s and the Bishop. I have lost my voice when I get dehydrated – stress and singing/talking does it every time if I don’t get a ton of water.
Spouse, children, grandchildren, friends, watched, listened,wept. Thanks to EWTN. Inspiring bishop, glorious liturgy. “Most beautiful thing this side of heaven” Bless me father for I was envious– but also soo hopeful. I think the Blessed Mother was very pleased. May God bless the Bishop. Later, we felt we were at the blog party as we feasted. One daughter worked for William Bennett at Dept.of Ed. a few years back and attended St. Mary’s. Sunday mmorning we are off to St. Frances in Bakersfield where our daughter will direct a Gregorian Mass offered by Fr. Ralph Belloumini as she and I have these many years. During the years of suppression, It was even in in someones garage.This year he celebrates 50 years in the Holy Priesthood and at 80 is still serving 24/7 with a remarkable service to the poor. Deo Gracias.
Two great grandaughters were with us as well. Four generations seems signigicant don’t you think? Belssings V.
Great stuff. It’s no surprise there are lots of young people there. I really wish our bishops and priests would get on board the plans of Pope Benedict XVI. It will work if only it is implemented, like so many great plans.
Me, I’d just like to kneel for Holy Communion for the good of my soul, but haven’t yet found the courage to do so in my own all-standing, all-clapping regular parish.
We are keeping the parts said in Latin during the Lenten season all year round now (the Agnus Dei and the Sanctus)
I’M 46 AND LOVE IT!!!! (AND SO DOES MY ALMOST 12 YEAR OLD SON!!!)
The sanctuary was set up for a Pontifical Low Mass and Bishop Slattery tried to celebrate it but he just couldn’t do it. He stood up at the microphone before Mass and said a few words to see what it would be like and then leaned over the side and tried to tell Fr. Harris he just couldn’t speak. Thus, he asked Fr. Harris to celebrate the Mass.
When I saw the two chairs set up on either side of him for Mass I assumed you would be joining him in choro Father!
It’s true that young people with their children are always at the TLM in significant numbers. And they’re real Catholics, not ersatz ones, whom the media adore (the only good Catholic is a bad Catholic). Unfortunately doubleknit dinosaur bishops and priests cannot accept change, they’re just too rigid, trapped in their passe 1960s mindset.
It makes me so very happy to see my old parish (where manwithblackhat and I first became friends and he learned to serve the Mas there) filled up and joyous as usual. To have the Bishop there and the Reverend Fathers in attendance is the great gift that is due the faithful of Old St Mary’s.
The day of the March, I took two teens to a Low EF Mass instead of taking them to the Rally at the Verizon Center. we were a group of about 20 and half of the people were homeless that came to Mass. the ironic thing, the area homeless that come to St Mary’s know the Mass as well as the MC and pray it devoutly.
I love the Miraculous Medal Novena Altar up front and have lit so many candles over the years and made the Novena and have always been answered…sometimes in a way I didn’t understand.
Seeing the photo of all of you there this morning, I have finally gotten the answer I really hoped for…
Meanwhile, in another part of town later that morning, Fathers Harris and Juncer of the Canons of St John Cantius were the celebrant and subdeacon, respectively, being joined by Father Scalia as deacon, for a Solemn High Mass at St John the Beloved in McLean. Everyone was still buzzing about the events of yesterday, including those among our corps of servers who were able to join Bishop Slattery at the altar. It was a pleasure to stand “in choro” alongside my old comrades from St Mary’s once again.
DdC:
The Miraculous Medal Novena Altar is there no more. It was taken out a couple months ago and will be replaced by a new Miraculous Medal Novena Altar soon.
St. Mary’s was my refuge in the mid 90s when I was living and working in No. Virginia. On many a Sunday I would drive into DC to attend the Traditional Mass there and was quite impressed with the liturgy and the choir. The one thing that bothered me was the peeling paint on the walls and columns of the Church but I suspect that was fixed later on. This is one of the hang-outs for those attached to the Mass of All Time and I think both Antonin Scalia and Pat Buchanan were among the pew sitters at that Mass. I wonder if they attended both Masses this weekend. At any rate I tip my hat to all those who worked for these Masses and I’m sure they will be rewarded for their efforts.
As an aside, if I couldn’t make it all the way from Stephens City into DC on a given Sunday, I’d go to St. Athanasius in Vienna where Fr. Ringrose held sway. You see, to me, the Mass is the Mass and at the time Fr. Ringrose was one of the few priests who would celebrate the Mass without any question as to its legitimacy. His reward, of course, was to be ostracized by the local bishop but I do believe that attitude is changing very slowly due to Summorum Pontificum.
Just for the record, the pastor from SJC is Father Phillips (not Harris).
The great parish of St. Mary Mother of God has other connections to Friday’s mass. The first assistant deacon, Msgr. Pope, and the processional cross bearer, Msgr. Smith are both former pastors there. And Fr. Scalia, the second assistant deacon must have attended there as a young man with his famous father.
Wasn’t Bishop John Henry Newman an assistant pastor there?
Also, Mary Surratt’s boarding house is in Chinatown. One of the buildings [a Chinese restaurant?] has a brass plaque designating the old building at 604 H Street, NW (then 541). Being Catholic, I wonder where she attended Mass. St Mary’s was established in 1890, Mary Surratt died in 1865.
Tina,
I think you are thinking of St. John Neumann, who was pastor as St. Alphonsus in Baltimore, also a TLM parish.
There was a large German immigration in the 1890s. St. Mary’s was probably built by them. My German immigrant ancestors attended there.
St Mary’s was indeed built for the German immigrants who felt that nearby St Patrick’s, from whose parish boundaries St Mary’s carved its own, was too Irish. Sermons at St Mary’s were in German well into the 20th Century.
Mary Surratt almost certainly would have worshipped at St Patrick’s.