The Ember Saturday of Lent at Sarum and St. Peter's

March 3, 2012, 6:00 am

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In the Roman Missal, the fifth prophecy is the same on all four Ember Saturdays, Daniel 3, 47-51, with a few of the verses re-ordered. The words that follow in the Biblical text (verses 52-57) are sung as a canticle, according to a very beautiful melody. This canticle is one of the oldest pieces in the repertoire of Gregorian chant; the text follows the so-called Old Latin translation of the Bible which was used before St. Jerome’s Vulgate, and contains several more verses than are found in the Vulgate version. In the Roman Use, the canticle is sung on the Ember Saturdays of Advent, Lent and September, but in Pentecost week is supplanted by a very short Alleluja.

The Sarum Use, which was followed in most of England before the Reformation, arranges both the reading and the canticle that follows differently on each of the four Ember Days. In Advent, it follows the Roman Use, with a few variants. In Lent, on the other hand, the words of the Roman canticle are sung as part of the Lesson; the canticle of Sunday Lauds, the Benedicite, (Daniel 3, 57-88) is then sung in a special arrangement, alternating between two cantors who sing the verses, and the choir singing the response.

The Lesson

The Angel of the Lord went down with Azariah and his companions into the furnace, and he drove the flame of the fire out of the furnace, and made the midst of the furnace like the blowing of a wind bringing dew. And the flame was poured forth above the furnace nine and forty cubits, and burnt such of the Chaldeans as it found near the furnace, the ministers of the king who kindled the fire. But them the fire touched not at all, nor troubled them, nor did them any harm. Then these three as with one mouth praised, and glorified, and blessed God in the furnace, saying: (Here Sarum continues to read as part of the Lesson the words which are sung as the Canticle in the Roman Use.) Blessed art thou, O Lord the God of our fathers: and worthy to be praised, and glorified, and exalted above all for ever: and blessed is the name of thy glory, which is holy: and worthy to be praised, and exalted above all in all ages. Blessed art thou in the holy temple of thy glory: and exceedingly to be praised, and exceeding glorious for ever. Blessed art thou on the throne of thy kingdom, and exceedingly to be praised, and exalted above all for ever. (Here 3 verses are added from the Old Latin text.) Blessed art thou upon the scepter of thy divinity: and exceedingly to be praised, and exceeding glorious for ever. Blessed art thou, that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the cherubim: and worthy to be praised and exalted above all for ever. Blessed art thou, who walkest upon the wings of the winds, and upon the waves of the sea: and worthy to be praised and exalted above all for ever.

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V. Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven, and praiseworthy and glorious forever. R. Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven, and praiseworthy and glorious forever.

V. All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord. O ye heavens, bless the Lord. O ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye a hymn, and exalt him above all for ever. (This response is repeated by the choir after each verse.)

V. O all ye waters that are above the heavens, bless the Lord. O all ye powers of the Lord, bless the Lord. O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye.

V. O ye stars of heaven, bless the Lord. O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord. O all ye spirits of God, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye.

V. O ye fire and heat, bless the Lord. O ye nights and days, bless the Lord. O ye darkness and light, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye.

V. O ye cold and heat, bless the Lord. O ye frost and snows, bless the Lord. O ye lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye.

V. O let the earth bless the Lord. O all ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord. O ye that are born of the earth, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye.

V. O all ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord. O ye fountains, bless the Lord. O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye.

V. O all ye fowls of the air, bless the Lord. O ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord. O ye sons of men, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye.

V. O let Israel bless the Lord. O ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord. O servants of the Lord, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye.

V. O spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord. O ye holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye. V. O Ananiah, Azariah Misael, bless the Lord. R. Sing ye.

The Cantors repeat the beginning: Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven. and the Choir finishes: And praiseworthy and glorious forever.

O ye holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord!

When the Lenten station is held at St. Peter's Basilica, on Ember Saturday and Passion Sunday, and on a few other occasions, the Papal altar is decorated with relics according to a particular arrangement. The relics of martyrs are placed closer to the edge of the mensa, and those of other saints further in; the four corners are decorated with reliquaries shaped like obelisks, with long bones (tibias and such) in them.

On each of the two short sides of the altar is set a rectangular panel containing relics 35 Popes; between the two of them, all of the Sainted Popes except the most recent.

On the long side facing the apse, a bust reliquary of Pope St. Damasus I (366-84, feast on December 11), containing the relics of his skull, is placed in the middle. This is a particularly appropriate choice, since Damasus was a great promoter of devotion to the saints and the cult of the relics, particularly those of the Roman martyrs. Within many catacombs, he rearranged the spaces around the tombs of the martyrs to make it easier for pilgrims to find and visit them, decorating the tombs themselves with elaborately carved inscriptions written by himself in classical poetic meter. For this reason, he is honored as the patron saint of archeologists.

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AWN Pugin Bicentenary: Varia (including Solemn Mass in EF at St. Augustine, Ramsgate)

March 5, 2012, 5:00 am

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This past March 1st was the 200th anniversary of the birth of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, one of the great gothic revivalists, and NLM has a few things to note about this occasion.

First, BBC have a story on this, including a video which shows the Solemn Mass which was celebrated for the bicentenary in the usus antiquior -- and Pugin's great, great grandson laying a wreath on his tomb:

On this same note, Fr. Ray Blake directs us toward this homily by Fr. Marcus Holden, parish priest of St. Augustine's.

* * *

Second, here is an article by Rory (Roderick) O'Donnell which appeared in a recent print edition of The Catholic Herald

(Click here to see it full size)

* * *

Finally, said occasion was marked by a Solemn Mass at St Kevin's, Harrington St, Dublin. St Kevin's was designed by Pugin's son Edward, in collaboration with George Ashlin. The celebrant was Fr Patrick McCarthy, parish priest of the church of Ss. Peter and Paul in Cork city, another church designed by the younger Pugin. The deacon was Fr Gerard Deighan, chaplain to the Latin Mass Community in Dublin at St Kevin's, and Fr Michael Cahill was subdeacon. Fr Cahill very kindly provided a Puginesque chasuble from his collection. The Lassus Scholars sang Byrd's Mass for four voices, with motets by Byrd, Tallis, and Bruckner.

(Photographs courtesy Mr. David Yung)

NLM may have more on this in the near future.

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Christe Qui Lux es et Dies - An Ancient Hymn for Compline during Lent

March 5, 2012, 9:00 am

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The Gospel of the Transfiguration, which was read this past Saturday, the Ember Saturday of Lent, and resumed yesterday at the Mass of the second Sunday of Lent gives me the opportunity to present an ancient hymn for Compline glorifying Christ as Light of the World.

This hymn, Christe qui lux es et dies, used to be sung for Compline during Lent but was not retained by the Roman Breviary; remember, as the word itself suggests, that the Breviary is an abbreviation of the ancient choral office in order to get all the divine office in a convenient book easy to carry; the Roman Breviary - whose first realization seems to be the work of clerks of the papal chapel under Pope Innocent III (1198 - 1216) - has, for instance, simplified the office of Compline as well as vespers during Lent.

However, this Compline hymn was kept by many diocesan or religious uses and rites (e.g. Sarum, Worcester, Paris, Cambrai, Tours, Utrecht, Tongeren, Salzburg, Aachen, Mainz, Esztergom, Benevento, Dominican, Augustinian, etc.), usually for Lent. This widespread might be explained, in my view, by the antiquity of that hymn. Indeed, Christe qui lux es et dies is already cited in the Rule for the Virgins written around 500 AD by St. Caesarius of Arles, and has already the function of hymn for Compline during the whole year, outside the Easter time (during this time an other hymn is sung: Christe precamur annue). This beautiful hymn has long been attributed to saint Ambrose (cf. Pat. Lat. 17, 1176-1177), unfortunately, its real author remains unknown. The rhythmic construction is however the same as in the hymns of St. Ambrose.

The adoption of the Roman liturgy in the Carolingian Empire was accompanied by widespread dissemination of the Rule of St. Benedict, according to a canon of the Council of Aix-la-Chapelle in 817 held under Louis the Pious:

111. Ut officium juxta quod in regula sancti Benedicti continetur celebrent monachi.
(cf. Labbe, Concilia, t. VII, c. 1505; Baluze, Capitul., I, c. 579).

Yet there was a significant synthesis of the Benedictine hymnarium (where the hymn at Compline is Te lucis ante terminum) & the Gallican one, as shown in several manuscripts of these times. For instance, the manuscript 2106 of Darmstadt (which might be from the VIIIth or IXth century) gives: "Ad completorium Christe qui lux es et dies, item ad completorium Te lucis ante terminum". Saint Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester, gives the same in his rule for monks in 963.

Of course there are some variations in the manuscripts, but in general the chant of this hymn is built around a very quiet and meditative minor third (D-F) of the second tone. Here is the chant found in the books of choirs of Notre-Dame of Paris dated 1300:

Here is a English translation of the iambic dimeters of Christe qui lux es et dies:

Christ, who art the light and day,
You drive away the darkness of night,
You are called the light of light,
For you proclaim the blessed light.

We beseech you, Holy Lord,
Protect us this night.
Let us take our rest in you;
Grant us a tranquil night.

Let our sleep be free from care;
Let not the enemy snatch us away,
Nor flesh conspire within him,
And make us guilty in your sight.

Though our eyes be filled with sleep,
Keep our hearts forever awake to you.
May your right hand protect
Your willing servants.

You who are our shield, behold;
Restrain those that lie in wait.
And guide your servants whom
You have ransomed with your blood.

Remember us, O Lord,
Who bear the burden of this mortal form;
You who are the defender of the soul,
Be near us, O Lord.

Glory be to God the Father,
And to his only Son,
With the Spirit, Comforter,
Both now and evermore. Amen.

The Dominican Chant is almost the same of the Parisian one, just one note differs: D instead of C at the beginning of the second verse (also, the perielesis at he end of the intonation is a typical Parisian tradition). Here is a further evidence of the relationship of these two rites. In the Dominican use, a genuflection is made while singing "Quos sanguine mercatus es".

The chant of Sarum can be found in the website Music of the Sarum Rite: Dominica prima Quadragesima, p. 855.

Several composers have set this hymn in music. Here are the beautiful alternating polyphonic verses written by Robert White (c. 1538 † 1574), they are sung here with the Sarum chant:

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Bach Choir and the London Oratory

March 5, 2012, 1:00 pm

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Review: The Roman Breviary in English and Latin, Baronius Press

March 6, 2012, 5:00 am

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As previously announced, the Baronius Press edition of the Roman Breviary has now been released and I wanted to present a quick review.

At its most basic, what we are speaking about here is a parallel Latin-English edition of the 1961 Breviarium Romanum; this is the breviary envisioned for use under the terms of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. The set is published in three volumes and priced at $350.00 USD (or £230 GBP) -- which I believe is perfectly reasonable for a three volume, leather bound set, comprised of 6,064 pages (not to mention other features). The set is an investment and one which will last for many years to come. (And to put things into a little perspective, a very cheap laptop will run about this same price; a device that will not be particularly qualitative to begin with, and which is likely to outlive its usefulness within 2-3 years.)

But before I spent to much time on the breviary, let me speak to a couple of other things which come with the breviary.

The first is a copy of Learning the Traditional Breviary by Fr. Bernard Hausmann, SJ. This will be a very handy reference, being an explanation of the rubrics for the older Roman Breviary.

Second, a number of cards have been included with the set for handy quick reference. Most useful will be the cards for the prayers for before and after reciting the Divine Office, the Invitatory Psalm, the Benedictus and Magnificat, the Te Deum, the conclusions for the collects and the final antiphons of the Blessed Virgin Mary for use after Compline.

Turning our attention to the breviary proper, as noted, the set is published in three volumes:

Each volume has its own very sturdy and durable slipcase which will help to protect each volume from dust and other damage. I think this was a very good inclusion.

The covers of each volume, which you can see in the above two photographs, are made of flexible leather, just as one would expect for a breviary. Each cover has a gold tooled IHS monogram on the front cover in gothic script. The spines carry decorative tooling that denote the "ribbing" that would traditionally be found in book construction. While this is purely decorative, and while it might have been nice to have seen this raised, it is nonetheless attractive and adds a bit more visual interest to the spines. The spines have gold titling on each of them, with the Latin and English titling on each. As this is not a four volume set, the volumes are simply denoted as being the 1st, 2nd or 3rd volume.

The pages of the volume themselves are gold git and rounded. From what I can tell, the gilding looks to be a very good quality (better than shows up in our photo here).

As we turn inward, we will find beautiful endpapers on each of the volumes. This was an inclusion that I was pleasantly surprised by when I first opened up the breviary, and I am very glad to see this sort of attention to detail.

There are six ribbons per volume, which is the right number in my view, and they are coloured in the liturgical colours -- a point I commented upon in my recent review of the new English editions of the Roman Missal. Those ribbons are sewn and look to be quite durable.

Turning now inward to the pages of the breviary itself, first a quick word or two about those pages. As a first point of note, the paper used is a traditional onion skin, or bible paper. As well, I want to note that the type of the breviary is very crisp and two coloured: red and black. Each of the pages also includes an attractive red border around the text and between the Latin and English columns which gives an overall very traditional and finished appearance.

Here is the title page:

This new Latin-English edition of the breviary contains the necessary approvals for liturgical books with the imprimatur coming from Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska. The breviary also carries a foreword by him -- and rather than quote it, I will simply allow you to click on the photo below to read it for yourself.)

I was very pleased to see Pius Parsch's excellent "Introduction to the Hours of the Breviary" included within the introductory pages; a text which we have referenced here on NLM before.

The general rubrics for the breviary are given entirely in English:

Here too is a look at the table of liturgical days, the table of occurrence and the table of concurrence:

I would be remiss to not at least note that also to be found is an introduction by the Baronius editor in chief, and also the Latin and English text of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

All that said of the introductory pages, let us now turn to the real meat of the breviary.

I have already noted the fine onion skin paper that is used, the excellent and clear red and black typography (any possible blurriness is not from the text itself, but rather in the photograph be assured), but what I haven't mentioned is the art included. Throughout the 3 volumes, thirty traditional engravings as found in older liturgical books have been included. These have been scanned and re-mastered. They come out very well and you will see some of them in the pages below.

I want to give a reasonably broad sampling from the first volume of the breviary, allowing the images to speak for themselves -- for it is often my belief that a review of a book such as this is best when it provides readers with an opportunity to take a closer look for themselves, rather than trying to interpret what I am saying. Here then is a sampling of a few pages:

Many questions will naturally arise about the particular texts used within this edition breviary, which was based off Collegeville's popular Hours of the Divine Office in Latin and English published in 1963. The answers to those questions can be found in the prefatory note within the breviary [NLM emphasis]:

While the Baronius Breviary essentially follows that of the Collegeville Breviary of 1963, certain changes and additions have been made to the text for this edition. Most notably the Pius XII Psalter has been replaced with the Gallican Psalter of St. Jerome. The English versions of the psalms and canticles have been thoroughly revised in order to make them correspond to the Latin of the Vulgate. Where it was thought necessary the English text of other parts of the Hours has also been revised in order to make them more closely conform to the Latin original.

Additionally, it should be noted that the English translation of the hymns found within this breviary are from The Hymns of the Roman Liturgy by Fr. Joseph Connelly -- more on this in the summary of thoughts immediately below -- and the English translations of the scriptures are based off of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine version.

Psalter commentaries are also included, which, like the introduction, are taken from Pius Parsch.

Summary of Thoughts

So all of that presented, what might our conclusions be? Speaking for myself, from what I have seen of this edition of the breviary so far, I believe it was well worth the wait. It is a beautiful, well produced edition of the Divine Office which employs qualitative materials in its construction -- which is exactly as it should be.

Moreover, I think the pricing is entirely reasonable given both the aforementioned considerations and given that I suspect this set will last for a great many years to come.

Were I to proffer one personal criticism (and it is personal) it would be with regard to the use of the Connelly translation of the hymns. For example, here is the first stanza from the Te lucis ante terminum in this edition, as translated by Connelly:

Before the day is finished, Creator of the world, we earnestly ask of You that, in keeping with Your mercy, You be our protector and defence.

As you can see, the Connelly translation of this hymn essentially reads like a prose text. Compare this with another translation of the same, this time by John Mason Neale:

To Thee, before the close of day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That with Thy wonted favor Thou
Wouldst be our Guard and Keeper now.

As you can see, the difference here is found in Neale's use of rhyme and verse. Admittedly, translations of such Latin hymns are a tricky business wherein one must weigh between accuracy and literalism versus rhyme and verse -- the latter of which often results in compromises in the translation it goes without saying. So then, what I make note of, let me be clear, I make note of simply as a matter of personal preference: I personally prefer something more akin to what Neale produced than Connelly; others would take a different view. Regardless of your position on this particular point however, in the overall scale of things it certainly wouldn't stop me from using this edition of the breviary -- and having read through some of the psalm translations and translations of the collects, I am overall quite content indeed.

All said then, this edition of the Divine Office is certainly a worthwhile investment, worthy of your Christmas list or for saving up your "book budget" over next while to acquire. I certainly have no hesitations in giving it my recommendation.

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If A Commission Spoke, What Should It Say?

March 6, 2012, 9:00 am

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Valentín Miserachs, head of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, has repeated his call for a Vatican commission to pronounce on the problem of music in Catholic liturgy. Like many others, he has expressed great regret at the loss of Gregorian chant, and speaks of the widespread ignorance of music among so many. He decries the “anarchy” that persists in parishes and cathedrals around the world, by which he means the tendency for musicians to pull out any music they want and sing it during the processions of the Mass (entrance, offertory, and communion).

In this latest interview with Rome Reports, Msgr. Miserachs speaks of the continuing rumours that just such a commission is in the works. I’ve heard the same rumours. And surely something along these lines is in the works.

This raises a question. What would or should the commission say? You can fill up several volumes of books with existing authoritative pronouncements on the topic. If they were followed, there would be problem to pronounce on at all. Even if you repeated the actual words of the second Vatican Council, along with the writings of the Popes that followed until the present, and these words were implemented, there would be no confusion, no anarchy, no issue to solve.

What can a new commission do that these other teachings have not done? It could offer stern and ever more incontrovertible language on the first place of Gregorian chant in the liturgy. But my prediction is that even a tightening of existing language -- I’m not sure what a tightening would even read like -- will not cause needed change. In fact, nothing would change.

You only have to think about your own parish environment. The hymnals that the choir uses most likely have no Gregorian chant in them, apart from a simple version of the Mass ordinary and a few chant hymns. Sometimes pieces from this small group of chants are brought out during Lent. Would expanding the options available be the magic bullet? I seriously doubt it.

In any case, the core of the problem is not so much within the ordinary parts of the Mass but during the entrance, offertory, and communion. These are the times when the musical path wanders far away from the liturgical ideal.

At a Mass I attended on the first Sunday of Lent, for example, the choir sang a processional that had nothing to do with Lent, fully three offertory songs that were unrelated to the liturgy or (in the case of one of them) even to Christianity (so far as I could tell), and the communion song shouted repeatedly that “God is amazing!” but I failed to find that text anywhere in my liturgical books.

So let’s say you went up to this choir leader in charge and said: “Instead of those crazy songs, you really should be singing Gregorian chant, just as the Vatican demands.” Would this song leader have any clue at all where to begin? He would not have the music in front of him. He wouldn’t know what to sing and when. As for the official chant books such as the Graduale or the Gregorian Missal, the notation and the language are completely foreign to him. He would be totally clueless how to actually implement the demand.

This situation is true in probably three quarters of American parishes today, and even those parishes where there is a Gregorian schola, there are other Masses controlled by the Life Teen band or some other guitar group that wants nothing whatever to do with chant and refuses even to learn what it is all about. They won’t budge. I’m going to estimate that a strict demand for Gregorian chant will help reinforce those who are already doing it, but I seriously doubt that it will make much difference in those sectors where it is not currently be done.

A commission that made a grand statement in favor of chant would be great. For that statement to be widely ignored, just as all existing statements since 1963 and before are ignored, would not be great. It would be very bad because it would be yet another occasion in which the teaching authority of the Church would be undermined. In this case, it would be undermined not by open defiance so much as total ignorance about the meaning and implications and implementations of the statement itself.

For that reason, of course, such a statement would have to be seriously qualified. It would have to make room for polyphony and new compositions -- a necessary exception. It would also have to be sensitive to the needs of parishes in mission territories that have no tradition of chant at all and yet embed within the liturgy authentic expressions and styles of local piety. In these vulnerable communities, it would be unpastoral and probably greatly mistaken suddenly to impose a new form and style where it has never been known before.

Once the exceptions have been admitted, the document would then have to make some strong statements about the meaning and purpose of sacred music, and specifically pronounce on the styles and approaches that are truly unworthy of the liturgy. And yet, that has been done before! John Paul II repeatedly stressed the need to “purify worship from ugliness of style, from distasteful forms of expression, from uninspired musical texts which are not worthy of the great act that is being celebrated.”

Here again, musicians around the world will feel free to ignore all of this. They know full well that all these statements in the past have contained small loopholes that allow them freedom to sing something else. They know that they do not have the skill to accomplish authentic chant. They know that implementation of all of this will depend on the cooperation of the publishers, and that the publishers care essentially nothing for the spirit of this legislation and these statements and instead seize on the loopholes to continue their games.

Is this a counsel of despair? No. Absolutely not. There is a way out of this whole problem. Interestingly, it is not through further pronouncements on music and musical style. The Church needs to change its current legislation dating from 1967 that permits other texts to replace the proper texts of the Mass.

The problem text came in section 32 of Musicam Sacram: “The custom legitimately in use in certain places and widely confirmed by indults, of substituting other songs for the songs given in the Graduale for the Entrance, Offertory, and Communion, can be retained according to the judgement of the competent territorial authority.”

This sentence seems innocuous. It’s tempting to read past it. Should a legitimate custom be retained? Sure, why not? Actually, what this sentence permitted, for the first time in the history of the universal Church, was the complete throwing out of the Mass propers that had been largely stable throughout the whole history of the Roman Rite and formed the basis of Gregorian chant in the first place. The “indult” quickly became the universal practice.

This is the sentence that needs to be repealed, erased, and replaced, because it is this sentence that unleashed the musical chaos and confusion. This is the reason for why the choir is free to totally ignore the liturgy and sing any old song that they happen to have handy in place of the actual text that the liturgy is asking us to sing.

Any Vatican commission on music that is actually effective in our times needs to state very plainly, admitting no exceptions, that this universal practice of throwing out Mass propers in favor of just about anything is absolutely repealed. It must state very plainly that the proper text of the Mass, whether drawn from the Missal or Roman Gradual or from the Simple Gradual, must be the text that is sung. Period. Only after this text is sung in some setting may other songs be introduced.

This one step, which interestingly speaks not to music but to text, would completely change the musical culture of the entire Roman Rite through the whole world. It would mean that the hymnals that choirs use would not be useful for fulfilling this mandate. It would mean that the choirs would have to buckle down and learn new music. They would need to learn some chant in either English or Latin. They would discover that they have responsibilities to the liturgy and not just to their own performance needs. It would draw together the work of the sanctuary with that of the loft.

The document would need to state this in black ink and stark terms. And this is all that the statement would need to do. It would not need to restate what has already been stated a thousand times. Instead, it would repeal the one loophole that allows nearly the whole of the Catholic musical world to freely ignore any and all statements about Gregorian chant and sacred music that have been made throughout history.

It would be a fresh and inspiring start. Far from resenting the imposition, most choirs and choir directors would be thrilled to find that their work is actually valuable and important to the liturgy, that they can actually make a real contribution to the real action of the liturgy. Rather than merely performing some groovy song, they would actually be singing the liturgy again. That would inspire their work and drive them to improve.

What this analysis implies of course is that the core problem we are dealing with today only appears to be about the music. Actually, the core problem is a problem with the words of the Mass itself. The choir must defer to them. It must sing the entrance with the proper text and psalms. It must sing the offertory using the proper text and its Psalms. It must sing the communion with its proper text and Psalms. There is no indult not to. There is no “option four” as it appears in the General Instruction.

To accomplish this task, the commission doesn’t need to consult any musicians or liturgists or anyone else. It should simply close a loophole that should never have been opened in the first place. In this case, the commission could dispense with the long treatise, the lectures, the long sermons. If people want to read them, great, and the commission can provide a long bibliography. We all have google. The commission only needs one paragraph that states that it is no longer permissible to replace the Mass propers with “others songs.” The end.

Only then will we begin to see universal change.

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The New FSSP Church in Ottawa?

March 6, 2012, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Cardinal Cañizares on Moderating the Use of Concelebration

≪ Previous: If A Commission Spoke, What Should It Say?

Below is a photo of St. Clement's, the present church of the FSSP in Ottawa; a church built in 1957 and of not terribly great architectural merit if we were to be bluntly honest about the matter:

Below is what is likely to become the new FSSP church in Ottawa, the historical parish of St. Anne, built in 1873 in the very recognizable French Canadian style that is found so frequently throughout the nearby province of Quebec.

It was recently announced that the councils of St. Clement's parish have, after a detailed analysis and consideration, recommended the move to historic St. Anne's; a recommendation endorsed by the pastor of St. Clement's as well. They are now soliciting feedback from the parishioners there it would seem.

Not that it matters, not being a parishioner, but such a move certainly would have my vote. Not only is the latter parish more architecturally beautiful, the parish itself is also historically significant. Overall it seems to be a more fortuitous and prominent face for the usus antiquior in Canada's capital city.

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Cardinal Cañizares on Moderating the Use of Concelebration

March 7, 2012, 5:00 am

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On March 5th, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera gave a paper at the pontifical university of Santa Croce, presenting Msgr. Guillaume Derville's work, La concélébration eucharistique. Du symbole à la réalité (Eucharistic Concelebration: From Symbol To Reality).

In his paper the Cardinal commented on the importance of beauty within the sacred liturgy, noting the "intrinsic link between the liturgy and beauty" and quoting Pope Benedict XVI who himself noted that the sacred liturgy is "a sublime expression of God’s glory and, in a certain sense, a glimpse of heaven on earth... Beauty, then, is not mere decoration, but rather an essential element of the liturgical action, since it is an attribute of God himself and his revelation."

Turning his attention to the matter of concelebration, the subject of Msgr. Guillaume Derville's work, the Prefect for the Congregation of Divine Worship continued:

...the liturgy, and within it the act of concelebration, will be beautiful when it is true and authentic, when its innate splendour is really reflected. [...]

The question is precisely one of keeping “the structure desired by the Lord”, because the liturgy is a gift from God. It is not something fabricated by us men; it is not at our disposition. [...]

For this reason, “we must learn to understand the structure of the Liturgy and why it is laid out as it is. The Liturgy developed in the course of two millennia, and even after the Reformation was not simply something worked out by a few liturgists. It has always remained a continuation of this on-going growth of worship and proclamation. Thus, to be well in tune, it is very important to understand this structure that developed over time and to enter with our mens into the vox of the Church.”

[...]

In this sense, it is important to look, however briefly, into the history of concelebration. The historical panorama that Msgr. Derville offers us... is sufficient to let us glimpse areas of obscurity, that show the absence of clear data on Eucharistic celebration in the earliest times of the Church. At the same time, and without falling into a ingenuous “archaeologism”, it does provide us with enough information to be able to state that concelebration, in the genuine tradition of the Church, whether eastern or western, is an extraordinary, solemn and public rite, normally presided over by the Bishop or his delegate, surrounded by his presbyterium and by the entire community of the faithful. But the daily concelebrations of priests only ... do not form part of the Latin liturgical tradition.

Moreover, the author seems to me to succeed fully when he examines in depth the underlying reasons mentioned by the Council for extending concelebration. This widening of the faculty to concelebrate needs to be moderated, as we can see when we read the Council texts. And it is logical that it should be so: the purpose of concelebration is not to solve problems of logistics or organization, but rather to make the Paschal mystery present...

You can read the entire address over on Zenit: Cardinal Cañizares on Beauty in the Liturgy and Concelebration

But before I leave you on this matter, there was one final idea posed by the Cardinal which I wanted to quote here, because I think it is an idea that needs to be quoted and re-quoted. Cardinal Canizares talks about "the right of the faithful to take part in a liturgy where the ars celebrandi makes their actuosa participatio possible." This hits home a very pertinent reality: the poor celebration of the sacred liturgy is, in point of fact, not a minor matter of aesthetics or pickiness, but actually a real hindrance to actuosa participatio.

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Liturgical Developments in the Anglican Ordinariate

March 7, 2012, 9:00 am

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The following press release was issued yesterday by the communications offices of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham:

Holy See approves first liturgical resources for Ordinariate

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has published a Decree permitting the use of the Revised Standard Version (Second Catholic Edition) for liturgical use in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

This edition of the Holy Bible allows those Catholics originally from the Anglican tradition, to worship using a version of scripture which is familiar to them. It also promotes the English Bible tradition and recent efforts to renew Catholic liturgy with more accurate translations.

Alongside this, the Congregation has also approved and confirmed the Proper Liturgical Calendar of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, which retains certain celebrations in the Church year that are significant to those from the Anglican tradition. The Calendar reflects very closely the General Roman Calendar used across the Catholic Church in England & Wales, but also makes use of some older titles, such as 'Sundays after Trinity'.

These developments represent the first of the liturgical resources to be approved by the Holy See for former Anglicans who have entered the full communion of the Catholic Church.

In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI published the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, which allows 'groups of Anglicans' to come into communion with the Holy See, whilst retaining important aspects of their tradition and heritage.

Monsignor Keith Newton, the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, commented on the news:

"This is very welcome. For the Ordinariate to make a distinctive contribution to Catholic life and witness in England & Wales, these liturgical resources are essential. They show - as Pope Benedict has recently said - how traditions (small 't') can thrive within the wider Tradition (capital 'T') of the Catholic Church".

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NLM Quiz no. 12: What Are They Carrying On Their Shoulders?

March 7, 2012, 1:00 pm

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Can you guess what these deacons are carrying on their shoulders and why? Please give your answer in the comments, and give whatever detail you can about the context. To make this more interesting, please make your answer in the combox before reading the other comments.

A view from a diffierent angle, for clarity's sake.

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Choir of Westminter Abbey and Sistine Choir on the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul

March 8, 2012, 5:00 am

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Many of our readers have often commented on the differences between the choral music as seen within the English (Anglican or Catholic) tradition, and what is often heard within the Holy See.

In view of that, I thought some of you would be interested in this story which appeared the other day on VIS.

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WESTMINSTER ABBEY CHOIR TO SING IN ST. PETER'S

Vatican City, (VIS) - The Choir of Westminster Abbey in London, England, is due to sing alongside the "Cappella Musicale Pontificia", or Sistine Choir, on 29 June, in an event which will be broadcast across the world. The Westminster Choir has been invited to the Holy See through Msgr. Massimo Palombella, director of the Sistine Choir.

A joint communique made public today notes that "this momentous ecumenical occasion is the first time in its over-500 year history that the Sistine Chapel Choir has joined forces with another choir. The invitation to Rome came after Pope Benedict XVI visited the Abbey in September 2010 when he attended Evening Prayer and prayed at the tomb of St. Edward the Confessor with Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, as part of his State visit to England and Scotland".

Speaking about the forthcoming visit, the primate of the Anglican Church has highlighted how St. Peter is patron of both the Vatican Basilica and of Westminster Abbey, therefore "celebrating together his apostolic witness and example is a powerful reminder of the call that our Churches share to be faithful to the apostolic fullness of the Gospel today".

The two choirs will together sing at First Vespers in the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls on 28 June, and at Mass in the Vatican Basilica on the morning of 29 June. The Westminster Abbey Choir will also travel to the Benedictine monastery at Montecassino to sing Vespers and Mass with the monastic community at the burial place of St Benedict. It was Benedictine monks who established a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day in Westminster Abbey, founded in the year 960.

Source: Vatican Information Service

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Holy Coat Pilgrimage 2012

March 8, 2012, 9:00 am

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In the year 1512 Emperor Maximilian I demanded to see the greatest relic of Trier Cathedral, which had heretofore been enclosed invisbly in the cathedral's high altar: the Holy Coat, the seamless garment (tunica inconsultilis) of Christ, which according to tradition, Empress St. Helena had sent there. Upon his insistence, the high altar was opened and the Holy Coat shown to the Emperor, and after the people had heard of this and demanded to see it, too, the first solemn public showing took place. Afterwards, pilgrimages took place at first yearly, then - in consonance with the Aachen pilgrimage - every seven years.

The 1933 pilgrimage

However, after 1545, due to the warlike times that followed, the pilgrimages only occurred at irrgeular intervals, with a 150 year gap between 1655 and 1810. The pilgrimages of 1891, 1933 and 1959 drew each around two million pilgrims, while the last pilgrimage of 1996 still attracted almost one million.

The 1959 pilgrimage

To mark the quincentenary of the first public exposition in 1512, this year will see the next Holy Coat Pilgrimage. It will take place from 13 April to 13 May. Pope Benedict has appointed Card. Ouellet, the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, as his Special Envoy for the solemn opening on the Friday in the Ocatve of Easter.

Among the six daily Masses offered during the pilgrimage and listed on the official website, one is in the Extraordinary Form.

Image of the Holy Coat taken from the website of the diocese of Trier. Images of earlier expositions taken from the official website of the 2012 pilgrimage.

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New Edition of Les Heures Grégoriennes

March 8, 2012, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: The Chapel and Cloister at Visitation School and Convent, Frederick, Maryland, USA

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A little over two years ago we spoke to readers about the Communauté Saint-Martin and their publication, Les Heures Grégoriennes (The Gregorian Hours) -- a Latin-French edition of the Liturgia Horarum which includes all the Gregorian melodies for the texts of the day hours of the modern Roman breviary; the primary audience of the publication being those parishes and communities who wish to celebrate the OF Liturgy of the Hours in Latin and using Gregorian chant -- a very noble and worthwhile venture to say the least.

Word has recently come to NLM from the Communauté Saint-Martin of a new, 2nd edition of this publication, released this past February 2012.

The work, published in three volumes, contains more than 1700 Gregorian works: "hymns, anthems, responses, and many newly restored antique pieces."

There is also the option to order separately accompanying CD's for learning the chants.

The set sells for 240€ (approximately $315 USD) and may be ordered here.

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The Chapel and Cloister at Visitation School and Convent, Frederick, Maryland, USA

March 9, 2012, 9:00 am

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Here are some photographs of the well preserved 19th century chapel of the Visitation Academy in Frederick, Maryland. Sitting on three-acres the Chapel and monastery were completed in 1852 and and the remaining school buildings a year later. The school describes the chapel as in the 'Corinthian' style. The main altar is crafted in marble and the oil painting above depicts the “The Presentation in the Temple”. Franz Mayer stained glass windows border the altar with images of the founders of the Visitation Order, St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. There is a temporary altar in the picture, but this is easily removed for ad orientem Masses. All the fixtures are the originals from the 19th century.

Although the nuns have recently gone, the school remains. I have friends in Frederick whose children attend the school and they are working hard to keep it open. They have rededicated it to its Salesian educational mission, to the delight of the order based in Georgetown. Accordingly they have instituted the Salesian daily prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the routine includes pausing for reflection during the day, the 'Salesian minute'. the future of the building as a Catholic institution and the continued use of the chapel is not assured. In order to raise money for the school and for the upkeep of the buildings, the chapel along with the courtyard is offered for hire and is appropriate particularly for weddings. So if anyone is interested contact Kirsten Tydings at 1-301 908 1366 or 301-9081366 or www.facebook.com/visitationacademyweddings (hence some of the photos showing wedding couples)

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3rd Sunday of Lent, Simple English Propers

March 10, 2012, 8:28 am

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Simple English Propers

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Dominican Rite at St. Vincent Ferrer, New York City

March 12, 2012, 5:00 am

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From the Dominican Province of St. Joseph:

...a Missa Cantata in honor of St. Thomas Aquinas that was celebrated according to the traditional Dominican Rite at Saint Vincent Ferrer Church in New York City on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. The celebrant for the Mass was Fr. Austin Dominic Litke, O.P., and Fr. James Dominic Brent, O.P., assistant professor of philosophy at the Catholic University of America, was be the preacher. The music for the Mass was Dominican chant sung by a schola of Dominican friars.

Here are some of the photos (or see the full photo gallery):

Photos reprinted with permission the Dominican Province of St. Joseph

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A Brief Meditation on the Importance of the Vocation of the Catholic Artisan

March 12, 2012, 9:00 am

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The proper sphere of a Catholic craftsman who is responsive to the appeal of the liturgical movement is to translate its doctrine into terms of form and color, and so help in presenting it to his fellow men through the medium of the senses. Let us be quite clear about this. His work is not that of a teacher, but of a translator of others' teaching. His normal function is to get on with the job without explaining what he is doing or why he is doing it.

He may well consider the job important enough in itself, if he accepts the definition of Catholic philosophy that all truth has to pass through the senses before reaching the understanding. Nihil in intellectu nisi prius fuerit in sensu.

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The above quotation comes from Geoffrey Webb, author of The Liturgical Altar, being published in Liturgical Arts Quarterly (vol. 10, no. 2) in 1942 in an article entitled "Inspired Symbolism".

Webb's statement comes within the context of a time and a journal that was immersed in the application of the Liturgical Movement and so is arguably a bit particular in its scope. I believe we might tweak Webb's statement to speak more generally in this way: "The proper sphere of a Catholic craftsman who is responsive to the appeal of the Church is to translate its doctrine into terms of form and color, and so help in presenting it to his fellow men through the medium of the senses." Of course, what Webb says within the context of the 20th century Liturgical Movement can likewise be said of the task of the Catholic craftsman in the context of the 21st century and the new liturgical movement.

All of this brings to bear another point; one which we have consistently tried to bring to the fore here: whether we are speaking of sacred architecture, sacred vestments, sacred music or any other liturgical accoutrements, while they are not ends in themselves (and should not be so approached), these things do indeed matter for they not only relate to the Faith, they relay it and help to incarnate it.

The liturgical arts are a type of liturgical language. As such, they must be taken (and approached) both seriously and substantively.

Photo courtesy Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts

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Pastoral Visit of Archbishop of Seattle to FSSP Community

March 12, 2012, 1:00 pm

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[From a reader:]

On Wednesday, March 7, North American Martyrs Parish (FSSP) hosted Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle for a pastoral visit to commemorate the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas. Archbishop Sartain assisted from the throne for the Solemn High Mass offered by Fr. Gerard Saguto, FSSP, administrator of North American Martyrs. Also assisting at the Mass were Fraternity priests Fr. Simon Harkins, Fr. Gregory Pendergraft, Fr. Dan Geddes, and Fr. Matthew McNeely, along with Fr. Paul Pluth (archdiocese of Seattle) and Fr. Boniface Willard, O.P. Over 600 were in attendance for the evening Mass.

North American Martyrs temporarily operates out of St. Alphonsus Church in northwest Seattle.

Photos by Michael Curtis Photography

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Solemn Pontifical Mass in Libreville, Gabon

March 13, 2012, 5:00 am

≫ Next: The Musical Shape of the Liturgy

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I am always rather interested in showing images of the usus antiquior from outside the context of the usual North American and European venues; not because of any lack of interest in seeing these things from those venues, but instead out of a keen interest in showing the life of the usus antiquior in as broad as possible a spectrum.

It was by way of Accion Liturgica that I came across the following images from the ICRSS showing the installation of a new parish priest in their parish of Notre Dame de Lourdes in Libreville, Gabon by Mgr. Basile Mvé Engone.

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The Musical Shape of the Liturgy

March 13, 2012, 9:00 am

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Over the week, I was on the faculty at another parish workshop on music, this one for what I think of as a conventional parish. The singers are all volunteers. There is someone paid (too little) to play piano. The guitar players are attached to "Praise and Worship." All the music they do but for a few additional popular songs are from the song book published by one of the "big three." Everyone sings in unison. But there is an underlying frustration that something isn't right. No one seems to know what it is.

I've learned that in these cases, the most important work I need to do is present an introduction to the musical structure of the Roman Rite. It doesn't matter how long the musicians have been at it. It doesn't matter how good the pianist is. It doesn't matter how much time they spend in rehearsal. It is almost a universal fact that the musicians who perform at Mass today do not really understand what it is they are being asked to do. It is not their fault. No one ever explained this to them. There is a massive loss of knowledge out there.

After explaining, and after Arlene Oost-Zinner taught them all how to read square notes and sing the propers, everything changed. The musicians were thrilled and excited. They were shown the north star of Catholic music. They were fired up to get going singing the liturgy rather than merely singing songs as Mass. A few hours of instruction and conversation changed everything.

Sadly, I did not yet have in my hand the great work that accomplishes what I think should be the central goal of our time as regards Catholic music: raising consciousness that the Roman Rite has its own inherent music that is integral to the rite itself. It is the most appropriate music. It is also a wonderful world of art and theology. This is the most exciting discovery any musician can make.

Fortunately, I can now say that this book is now available: The Musical Shape of the Liturgy by William Mahrt. It is a 467-page hardback for $25. It covers everything that needs to be known in our time, whether the music pertains to the ordinary or extraordinary form. The next seminar I gave I will now have the key resource to underscore what I'm saying.

For decades, I've wanted this book to exist. Now it does. Nothing else in print comes close in its scholarship, seriousness, passion, and practicality. Every priest needs a copy. Certainly every musician needs one. I dare say that many liturgy offices need to pick up a copy so that they can discover the world of liturgical music for the first time.

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