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“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
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- on Why reverent, traditionally-oriented Novus Ordo Masses may soon come under attack.: “Pope Leo XIV has inherited Francis’ appointments to key positions such as the DDF and DDW and it will take…”
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- on Here we go again! Comments on forcing table altars and forbidding Mass “ad orientem”.: “I’ve had this debate with various priests and laity over many years, that ‘turning the altar round’ was never mandated…”
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On May 19, Deacon Jon-Paul Bevak will be ordained a priest of the new Community-in-Formation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Cincinnati. His first Mass will be celebrated Sunday, May 20th at Old St. Mary’s Church where the Oratory is being established. The Mass will be an “All-Parish” Mass at 11:00 a.m. The new priest will celebrate a Tridentine Mass with Fr. Whitaker, a faithful Jesuit who frequently says the Latin Mass, as the homilist, with Fr. Valentine (a Franciscan who says the daily Tridentine Mass at OSM) assisting. The readings will be in German, which Jon-Paul is
studying to assist with the regular Sunday German Mass. Old St. Mary’s is with its beautiful high altar containing the relics of a martyr saint, and its communion rail, is located in an inner-city area known as Over-the-Rhine. Please pray for this new priest and the new Community.
Father used the “Kyrie Eleison” (said not sung) at Mass yesterday – as opposed to the translated version. First time (apart from when the gospels report Jesus’ words in the original Aramaic) that i have heard a language other than English in the liturgy. I hope that this is evidence of the leaven cleansing the Church of Protestantism slowly working its way through the dough. I thought it was good news, anyway!
The choir was in up to our eyeballs yesterday at a special event!
The regional lieutenancy of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre had its investiture Mass at our parish, celebrated by the Archbishop of New Orleans.
Rather than hire musicians, our parish choir (and our more than able music director) provided all the music (with the addition of a very fine trumpeter from the Symphony, who played splendidly). We rehearsed for months – including the Mozart Mass in C which we weren’t able to use because the Archbishop preferred the standard Mass setting which is apparently mandated for every parish there. So there was something else we had to learn . . .
The lineup:
Choral prelude: Tallis, “If ye love me”
Fanfare and choral processional: Ahlstrom, “I rejoiced when they said to me” (Ps 122). We all know the Parry, but it requires double choirs which in our case we have not got. And they wanted something “big”, and they didn’t like anything that was suggested. So our music director just WROTE it. It was definitely big, modern (in a classical sense, with echoes of Parry), and a bit difficult.
Hymn, “Sing with all the saints in glory” – Beethoven’s “Ode to joy”
Hymn: “Veni creator spiritus” – chant
Choral Psalm: 103 “The Lord is kind and merciful”. Setting by Ahlstrom. Alternating between very loud and trumpety and very quiet and sweet, close harmony with occasional dissonances, sort of French romantic- sounding. (needless to say it left Haugen’s awful setting absolutely nowhere).
Offertory: Vaughn Williams, “Let all the world in every corner sing”. This is another “big” piece, with the electric quality of the best modern English church music. Setting of poem by George Herbert, part of the “Four last songs” cycle. We tried to produce the big echoes of the St Paul’s choir in London, and I think we succeeded.
Communion: Durufle’, “Ubi Caritas”. Something beautiful, contemplative, and sweet after all that trumpeting.
Hymn: “Where charity and love prevail”. It’s better in Latin.
Can’t remember the recessional hymn, but because the procession was so long, we dropped in the Mozart “Gloria”.
We are all absolutely beat (my ears are still ringing from standing right in front of the jet blasting organ), but extremely pleased that it all went off so well. I hope that somebody made a recording.
Forgive me for all the details, but we have been eating and sleeping this since January!
After five previous unsuccessful attempts and a 45-minute wait in line, I was able to go to confession. Glad to see so many other folks availing themselves of this Sacrament. (Sadly I ended up hearing some of one fellow’s confession from about fifteen feet away as he got pretty riled up. My feigning coughing fits didn’t really faze him.)
Made your recent coniglio recipe but having substituted chicken thighs. It was a hit even I made two unforced errors (too much pork fat, didn’t sweat the mirepoix quite enough) that I’ll correct next time I make it, when I’ll also add garlic.
Father spent some time talking about the priest’s vocation and the responsibilities he has. The part that really stuck with me is when he said “If a priest is a saint, his people will be holy. If he is holy, they will be good. If he is merely good, they will be godless.”
Thank you for the details, AnAmericanMother. It sounds like it was a glorious liturgy AMDG. I’d like to know what Herbert text you used – I’m quite partial to the Metaphysical poets myself.
The needs of a young girl, for whom our class has been praying since September, have been answered.
Attended an ordination Mass on Saturday in which 11 men were ordained permanent Deacons for the Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota!
My friend Kristen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl yesterday, Emma Jayne. Glory & thanks be to God for answered prayers for a healthy mom & baby! She & her husband have prayed & waited for this baby for a long time.
My good news is that:
Today is the feast of Saint George!
Father George
A one-day May 12 chant workshop and Mass scheduled at Holy Ghost Catholic Church (Knoxville) for children and youth in Grades 2-12. Concluding with a public sung OF Mass at which the workshop participants will chant the ordinary (Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, etc.) of the Missa de Angelis in Latin and the English propers of the Mass of the 6th Sunday of Easter. See the web site klmcschola.weebly.com for description of the Mass and workshop. Ex ore infantium et lactantium perfecisti laudem regarding Vatican II and continuity with tradition?
Prayers please for an important interview for son this week. He is excited, and nervous….
My husband was the altar server at mass yesterday, and he did a stellar job!
He used to do the Latin masses when he was a kid, so I don’t know how much of that can come back to you 50+ years later.
He related how profound a spiritual feeling he came away with; the Lord surely works in mysterious ways!
A good friend was ordained to the transitional diaconate, in preparation for his priestly ordination following his completion of IV Theology next year!
This past week, I served low Mass for the first time (and didn’t mess up) on Wednesday, went to Solemn High Mass Thursday, and went to another Low Mass on Saturday. This in a place where the EF is rarely offered publicly. Also, Baronius Press’s breviary set arrived at the warehouse Friday, and so should arrive in the mail any day now!
My good news is that I am really a Catholic convert now. I was bored (don’t have TV) popped in an old DVD of some episodes of Northern Exposure I liked years ago. I realized, to my horror there was something ineffably creepy about this show. No children. Lots of sex, no children. Not funny, sad. Strange and sad. I am ineffably happy that I have changed enough to note this. I would not have three years ago.
Wow! So much good news! Prayers for all concerned.
Josephx23,
Sorry – my mistake, working from memory which is not a good idea for accuracy. Of course the “Four Last Songs” are Strauss, not Vaughn Williams. We sang the final part of his “Five Mystical Songs”, “Let all the world in every corner sing”, which is dramatically different from the first four — they are primarily for baritone soloist and orchestra (or organ), although the choir sings O sacrum convivium very quietly under the song “Love bade me welcome.” In order, the poems are:
“Rise, heart! Thy Lord is risen”
“I got me flowers to strew thy way”
“Love bade me welcome”
“Come my way, my truth, my life” a/k/a “The call”
“Let all the world in every corner sing”.
All from Herbert’s The Temple.
I have sung “The call” as a communion piece before, it’s very subdued but requires attention. I wish I had a voice like this: The Call. But I’m not a boy alto and never was. :-D
Here is St. Paul’s men and boys choir raising the roof on Let all the world. They have almost four times our numbers, but we were able to approximate this sound. It’s the cutoffs, playing the room’s acoustics, and attention to dynamics that makes this piece fly. Plus a really, really good organist.
My ‘good news’ on the religious side: on Easter Saturday (April 14) I attended a transitional diaconal ordination Mass at the seminary of traditional priests in the Hudson Valley /Catskills area of New York. He will be ordained a priest in September. Very beautiful Mass, with the seminary chapel filled with fragrant Easter lilies (and a gigantic Paschal candle on an equally gigantic candlestick!).
My ‘good news’ on the secular side: I’ve been driving around with a ‘patch job’ on a car window that was busted in early March (happened right in front of the TLM chapel I go to!). With the rain we got overnight (the ‘April no’reaster) the tape won’t stay on it, and the plastic is flapping when I drive. Well, I went over to a garage that two of our Perpetual Adorers go to for car service….and the owner had a replacement window called in. I’m bringing it in tomorrow morning-and he told me not to worry about the cost. I nearly broke into tears of relief and joy, and gave him a hug! Just shows that there are still decent people out there–and why the heck I didn’t do this earlier (’cause I’m such a dunce, that’s why)…..
Oh, and Happy St. George’s Day to you too, Father George at Holy Souls’ Hermitage!
(And it’s also the ‘name day’ of Mons. Ganswein, the Holy Father’s secretary….hey, happy ‘Name Day’, ‘Bel’Giorgio’!) ; )
yes, a new blog: contemplativepenguins.com.
Finally back on these shores, I’m getting back to writing! :)
My teenaged son with Asperger Syndrome was just approved as a client by the local regional center. This means, deo gratias, that his dad and I can put some legal protections in place for the boy, because even though he has an 18-year-old body, he lacks the capacity to function as an independent adult. This is the answer to many, many prayers.
My college freshman son, who is double majoring in Classical Languages and Spanish, has decided to also pursue Organ Performance as a minor next year. He’s played piano since age 5 and began organ lessons at age 11 (he just turned 18 yesterday). Towards the end of high school he was getting a little burned out with all the musical practice and decided not to continue any musical endeavors this past year. Recently, however, he seems to have rediscovered the joy in making music. Even though he hasn’t played the organ during the last 9 months, he’ll have to audition next week. He’s determined to do well, though, and plans to get in as much practice as he can before the audition. He plays very well and it’s great to see this spark rekindled.
My 9 year old third grade son made his first Holy Communion on Saturday, thanks be to God!! He was well prepared (he made a good confession Friday afternoon) and excited. He was even able to receive on the tongue without the slightest problem from the DRE or Pastor (which I was a bit worried about). What an excellent day!
Attended Mass while on vacation. Before Mass the congregation prayed the Rosary and Litany of OurLady. The Priest said the petitions and included one for a local abortion clinic to shut down and another for the HHS mandate to be repealed. I don’t often hear that in a N. O. Mass
I can just see Cardinal Dolan’s biretta sliding off sideways, as it often does.
People are buying good traditional Catholic books. Yay ! (no self-help modernistic, books and DVDs here)
We opened the parish bookstore yesterday (outside under a tent on many folding tables) at 101 degrees. we are saving them from a worse heat in their future eternity. (we’re trying to anyway) . Every time I put the bookstore in our lady’s hands she does this for us. over $1,000, I couldn’t believe it. But what’s there not to believe since it’s our Lady’s bookstore.
Attended the TLM in Oakland, at Margaret Mary, it was a beautiful worship service that put the emphasis on the Eucharist, and worship. The homily was brief and to the point about the days readings and with none of the personal cant I’ve grown accustomed to hearing from the pulpit.
I (finally!) finished and submitted my Roe v. Wade research paper on Friday!
My Jean-Hervé Nicolas’ “Sintesi Dogmatica” just arraived!
Oops! I had meant to post that on the sermon notes page! Haha.
I learned yesterday that a gentleman that was without work last fall has found employment. He was able to unlock a friend’s car that had been locked with the keys inside. I still am working and that is good news also as the ‘temp’ job has lasted 14 months.
I went to Eucharistic Adoration today.
Sunday Mass (TLM) was like heaven, not earth. No matter what is going on in this world or in our lives, we get to leave it outside and dwell “in the secret place of the Most High” for an hour and a half. Nothing distracted from worship; it was all worship. That is what Mass is, but in this form it is exactly right. It is perfect.
Every week we (collectively) get to “go to heaven”.
I got my car replacement window today! No more flapping plastic and soggy duct tape!
Now my interior is warm and dry!
[now if it would only warm up a little more and not rain….then perhaps my basement will dry out!]