Quantcast
Channel: New Liturgical Movement
Viewing all 8535 articles
Browse latest View live

40 Hours’ and Sawdust Carpets in a Eucharistic Procession

0
0
On Monday, August 3, Saint Joseph Parish in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, celebrated the close of 40 Hours’ Devotion. A packed attendance included over 20 priests of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, seminarians, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, and the parish community. Antiphonal and sacred music selections were conducted by Nicholas Will, Assistant Professor of Music at Franciscan University of Steubenville. A beautiful tradition which the pastor Saint Joseph’s, Fr. Aron Maghsoudi, has included with this annual 40 Hours’ is sawdust carpets. Parishioners dyed sawdust in burlap bags in a number of different colors, drew outlines of liturgical designs in chalk, then filled them in to create a beautiful “carpeted” walkway for the priest to follow during the Eucharistic Procession. The idea of sawdust carpets originated at a seminary in the Black Forest region of Germany; the tradition eventually found its way to the United States in an area near Pittsburgh called Tarentum in 1943. The priest there, Father James MacNamara, assistant pastor of the former Sacred Heart Parish, suggested it as a good way to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. (Thanks to Mr Jordan Hainsey for sending us these photos.)







The Feast of the Transfiguration 2015

0
0
The Transfiguration, by Perugino, in the Collegio del Cambio in Perugia, 1497-1500
Assumpsit Jesus Petrum, et Jacobum, et Joannem fratrem ejus; * in montem excelsum seorsum ascendens, ibi se transfigurans, suae gloriae claritatem eis ostendit. V. Ne videntes ejus passionem turbarentur, sed fortiori soliditate firmarentur. In montem. Gloria Patri. In montem. (The fourth responsory of Matins in the Monastic Breviary)

Jesus took Peter, and James, and John his brother; * going up unto a high mountain apart, and there transfiguring Himself, He showed them the brightness of His glory. V. Lest seeing His Passion, they be troubled, but rather, strengthened with greater firmness of faith. Going up. Glory be to the Father. Going up.

Mass in the Presence of A Greater Prelate Celebrated in Taiwan

0
0
Last July 19, the Communitas Missae Latinae Taiwanesis (CMLT), the Latin Mass group in Taiwan, was formally inaugurated at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (DongNan Church) in the Diocese of Hsinchu, with the celebration of a Mass in the Presence of a Greater Prelate. Due to lack of priests who can celebrate the Extraordinary Form, the liturgy was a Missa Cantata, and was attended by the Bishop Emeritus, Most Rev. James Tan-kuei Liu. Under the auspices of the Discalced Carmelites Friars, the group has found its home in Mt. Carmel. Assisting were the Fujen Catholic University Music Department and Tridentine Liturgy Community of Hong Kong. The Mass was well attended not only by the parishioners from the diocese, but also from the different dioceses of Taiwan, as well as some friends from the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan and Eastern Orthodox Church. Religious from the Carmelite Missionaries and Sacro Costato Missionaries were also present.

The group would like to thank the Bishop of Hsinchu, H.E. John Baptist Lee; the Bishop emeritus, James Liu; Fr. Sinwee Chin, O.C.D., parish priest of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Shrine; Fr. Jerome Guevarra, S.J., the celebrant, Fr. Bai; Mr. Pak Sing Chan and Ms. Anabelle Lam of the Tridentine Liturgy Community of Hong Kong; Prof. Tien Ming Pan and Prof. Lionel Hong of the Fujen Catholic University Music Department, and the Order of the Discalced Carmelite Friars.















St Cajetan, and the Church of San Paolo Maggiore in Naples

0
0
Today is the feast of St Cajetan, the founder of the Clerks Regular of the Divine Providence, the very first order of Clerks Regular. They are often referred to as the Theatines, since one of the other founders, Gian Pietro Caraffa, was bishop of the city of Chieti, “Theate” in Latin, in the Abruzzo region; he would later be elected Pope with the name Paul IV (1555-59). Cajetan himself was born to a noble family of Vicenza in the Venetian Republic, but spent much of his life in Rome. The name “Clerks Regular of the Divine Providence” refers to the fact that, in imitation of the poverty of the Apostles, whose spirit they hoped to revive in the Church, they neither begged like the mendicants, nor accepted permanent endowments like the monks, but lived on whatever might be offered to them spontaneously by the faithful.

The Vision of St Cajetan, by Michelangelo Buonocore, 1733. While praying in the Chapel of the Crib at Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome on Christmas Eve, the Saint beheld the Virgin Mary, who then passed the Baby Jesus to him to hold; he is frequently represented this way in art.  
It may fairly be said that Cajetan’s ministry in Rome, and that of his order, which was certainly important, but never very large, has been overshadowed by his near contemporary St Ignatius, the founder of what would become a vastly larger and more widespread order of Clerks Regular, and by St Philip Neri and the Oratory in the following generation. This is partly because the Council of Trent was only just getting started at the time of his death; St Cajetan belongs to the generation whose good example in evil days would lay the groundwork for the sweeping and highly effective reforms of the Counter-Reformation.

The revised Butler’s Lives of the Saints describes his mission field thus: “The state of Christendom at this time was not less than shocking. The general corruption weakened the Church before the assaults of Protestantisrn and provided an apparent excuse for that revolt, and the decay of religion with its accompaniment of moral wickedness was not checked by the clergy, many of whom, high and low, secular and regular were themselves sunk in iniquity and indifference. The Church was ‘sick in head and members’. The spectacle shocked and distressed Cajetan, and in 1523 he went back to Rome to confer with his friends of the Oratory of Divine Love. They agreed that little could be done than by reviving in the clergy the spirit and zeal of those holy pastors who first planted the faith, and to put them in mind what this spirit ought to be, and what it obliges them to, a plan was formed for instituting an order of regular clergy upon the model of lives of the Apostles.”

After founding a house of his order in Naples, St Cajetan died there in 1547, and is buried in the crypt of the Theatine church of San Paolo Maggiore in the heart of the city. The Order tended to attract not just a large number of its vocations from among the aristocracy, but also a great many aristocratic patrons; it also did not unlearn the lessons imparted to the Church by earlier Orders like the Cistercians and Franciscans, that the poverty of religious is not practiced by impoverishing the house of God. The Theatines and their patrons built a number of very beautiful churches; those of Munich and Naples are particularly outstanding. Here then are a few photos of San Paolo Maggiore.


The body of St Cajetan in the crypt of the church.
The high altar
The church was badly damaged during the bombing of Naples in 1943, which caused the ceiling to collapse and badly damaged the paintings on it. Note that the side chapels are isolated from the central nave, a typical feature of Italian Counter-Reformation churches.
The Firrao Chapel, named for the family who commissioned it in the first part of the 17th century. Many churches in Naples have this style of elaborate polychrome marble work; this is known as a particularly fine example of it. 
The cupola of the Firrao Chapel 
The body of St Andrew of Avellino, a member of the Theatine Order who served as the prevost of San Paolo Maggiore in the later 16th century. (died 1608, canonized 1712)

The Church of Purity, built to house a much-venerated painting of the Virgin by Luis Morales (now replaced with a copy - the original is kept in the Theatine house.) 

From the top of the church’s steps, one sees the façade and bell-tower of  San Lorenzo Maggiore, one of the most ancient churches in the city, and in the distance, a part of the Armenian church of St Gregory the Illuminator.

Dominican Rite Care of the Sick and Dying

0
0
Humbert of Romans, Codifier of the Dominican Rite
I am pleased to announce a new offering from Dominican Liturgy Publications: Cura Infirmorum: Care of the Sick in the Dominican Rite.

This book contains the prayers and rituals for care of the sick and dying according to the Dominican Rite, in Latin and English. It includes: Sacramental Absolution, Communion of the Sick as Viaticum, the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, the Apostolic Blessing at Moment of Death, the Commendation of the Dying, and Prayers for a Departed Soul. In an appendix are included: The Dominican form of the Confiteor, the Seven Penitential Psalms, and the Gradual Psalms.

Now Dominican priests can have a handy, attractively printed, ritual for ministry to the sick in the traditional rite.  The book is hardcover and printed with text in black and rubrics in red.  The price is $35.00.  Read more about it here.

I also remind Dominican priest readers about the Sacramental Absolution Wallet Cards for the Dominican Rite, which I recently presented here.

The Basilica of St Dominic in Bologna

0
0
On the General Calendar of the OF, today is the feast of St Dominic, although some Dominican institutions, including the basilica in Bologna which houses his relics, still keep his feast on the 4th, the traditional day in the Tridentine period. St Dominic, who died in 1221, was originally buried in the floor of the church’s choir; in 1233, his remains were moved to a major chapel added to the side of the building, which was then rebuilt in the first part of the 17th century.

The Arc of St Dominic, as it is called, which contains the relics, is actually a collection of pieces from different periods. The sarcophagus, showing six episodes from the Saint’s life, was carved by Nicola Pisano in 1267; the upper part was added from 1469-73 by Niccolò da Bari, whose work was so admired that from it he came to be known as “Niccolò dell’Arca - Nicholas who worked on the arc.” At the top is God the Father, below the dead Christ, with two angels on either side, and the four Evangelists at the corners. The angel kneeling on the left just above the mensa of the altar is also his work; Michelangelo added the one on the right in 1494, when he was just 19, along with the statue of St Petronius (the patron Saint of Bologna; second from left right above the sarcophagus) and a statue St Proculus on the back. The 16th century predella just above the altar by Alfonso Lombardi shows further episodes of St Dominic’s life, while his burial is represented on the front of the altar itself in a relief by Carlo Bianconi done in 1768.


Inside the arc at the back is kept this magnificent reliquary of his skull, made in 1383; it is still taken out for a procession every year on his feast day.


The chapel seen from the cloister.


The Chapel of the Holy Rosary on the opposite side of the building from St Dominic.


The choir stalls were formerly in the nave of the church in front of the principal altar, and further separated from the main nave by a choir screen. The latter was removed after the Council of Trent, the choir then disassembled and rebuilt in a vastly expanded apse behind the main altar.


In addition to numerous other decorative details, every seat of the choir has above it an inlaid wooden panel with a Biblical scene. These were executed in only 8 years, 1541-49, by Fra Damian of Bergamo, who also did the lectern shown below.


A view of the main nave from the choir.


Two details of the lectern; above, the stand for the choirbooks, showing the meeting between St Dominic and St Francis, and below, the door of the armoire beneath where the books were kept.



The large painting at the back of the choir by Bartolomeo Cesi shows the Adoration of the Magi above and the Last Supper below.


The nave seen from the back of the church.


The former Sacrament chapel, with a painting of St Thomas composing the Office of Corpus Christi. 

Just Published: Bouyer's Memoirs in English

0
0
This is momentous news indeed. Many have been waiting for this day and now it is here. Having read the manuscript, and knowing Bouyer's eminence as a theologian, observer, and writer, I can vouch for the importance of this book. It is one of the few publications about which one can simply say: just get it and read it. You are in for quite a treat (or maybe I should say, quite a ride). We have John Pepino to thank for a superb translation.

From the publisher, Angelico Press:

261 pages
$19.95 / £13.00
978-1-62138-142-6 (paper)

At Amazon.com
At Amazon.uk.co

LOUIS BOUYER was a major figure in the Church of the last century. These memoirs, which Bouyer wrote in a humble and humorous vein — though without withholding his notoriously sharp pen when needed — allow the reader to enter with him into the great events that shook the Church and the world during the era of upheavals and transformations through which he lived. They amount to an intelligent, sensitive, and pious man’s fascinating chronicle and deep reflection on Christianity’s life and travails in a world committed to modernity. Bouyer here tells us the full and varied story of a life devoted to the discovery of the sources and Tradition of the Church in doctrine, spirituality, liturgy, and scripture.

We follow Bouyer’s journeys from his inherited Protestantism to the fullness of the Catholic Faith, from his position as a Lutheran pastor to the priesthood in the Oratory of France, from humble parish life to the Olympian heights of his official theological and liturgical collaboration (and difficulties) before and after the Council with such influential figures as Congar, Daniélou, de Lubac, Bugnini, and … Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI). Bouyer paints the lush landscape of a century’s illusions and disenchantments; his memoirs are essential for understanding the history of the Church during that momentous time.

“It would be impossible for anyone to speak knowledgeably about liturgical developments in the past 50 years without being cognizant of the work done by Louis Bouyer. His Memoirs, which feature his outspoken opinions and profound intelligence as well as a personality deeply imbued with the true spirit of the Catholic liturgy, can serve as a balance and perhaps an antidote to misinformation about the post-Vatican II developments in the Sacred Liturgy of the Latin Rite. A careful perusal of these Memoirs, now available in English in an excellent translation by John Pepino, also can serve as a corrective to the sometimes unbridled and euphoric optimism that marked liturgical studies in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I cannot recommend strongly enough the reading and study of this work.”

— BISHOP (EMERITUS) FABIAN BRUSKEWITZ, Lincoln, NE

“While Father Louis Bouyer was a prolific author in many fields of theology, his most lasting legacy may well be his contribution to liturgical renewal, including his collaboration in the post-conciliar reform of the Roman rite. Bouyer is a sharp observer, and his retrospective is frank and at times caustic. Here is the authentic voice of a key witness to momentous developments in twentieth-century Catholicism. The publication of these important memoirs makes a real contribution to writing the history of the Church in our times.”

— FR. UWE MICHAEL LANG, Cong. Orat.; Heythrop College, University of London

“Louis Bouyer was, according to his former student Cardinal Lustiger, “the least conformist and yet among the most traditional” of theologians — a reality borne out in these memoirs, which reveal Bouyer sinking ever-deeper roots in Catholic tradition as well as his ever-present ability to look at matters with a fresh, critical eye. Expertly translated and edited with additional notes for English readers, The Memoirs of Louis Bouyer not only provides important historical details hitherto unpublished — particularly regarding the liturgical movement and post-conciliar reform—but also offers a lesson in the nature of living Catholic Tradition: one that Bouyer would insist that we learn, and learn well.”

— DOM ALCUIN REID, Monastère Saint-Benoît, La Garde-Freinet, France

“Louis Bouyer in his Memoirs gives us a gripping, witty, firsthand account of a world of variously amiable and offensive people, revolving around the immense intellectual fermentations, social upheavals, and spiritual battles that preceded and succeeded the Second Vatican Council. No one serious about the Church’s contemporary history and the fate of her tradition can afford to be unacquainted with this book.”

— PETER KWASNIEWSKI, Wyoming Catholic College

“In this work, Louis Bouyer describes the lectures of one of his teachers as dizzyingly brilliant, with unbridled asides coming fast and furious, leaving students enriched by his knowledge and broadened by his culture. The same could be said for these memoirs. My favorite ‘aside’ was Bouyer’s description of Annibale Bugnini as ‘a man as bereft of culture as he was of basic honesty.’ Bouyer’s paths crossed with all the great names in 20th-century theology. These pages read like a literary Who’s Who.”

— TRACEY ROWLAND, Dean of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute (Melbourne, Australia)

“The long-awaited English edition of the Memoirs of Fr. Louis Bouyer is now available thanks to Dr. John Pepino. The blunt French Oratorian theologian is both famous and little known, especially in his native country. Yet he was a reference for Joseph Ratzinger and for the founders of the review Communio, and his teachings have influenced many, particularly in the U.S. This work casts a new light on a major ‘shadow theologian’ before and after the Second Vatican Council. May the struggle of Louis Bouyer to spread the Gospel without sugar-coating it be an inspiration for the Church in this century.”

— LUC PERRIN, University of Strasbourg, France

The Feast of St Lawrence 2015

0
0
Dearly beloved, let us rejoice with spiritual joy, and for this illustrious man’s most happy end, make our boast in the Lord, Who is wonderful in His Saints, and in them hath established for us a help and an example; and through the whole world hath made His glory so bright, that from the rising of the sun unto the setting thereof, as the splendor of the Levitical lights shines forth, Rome is made famous by Lawrence, even as Jerusalem is made glorious by Stephen. (Pope St Leo the Great, sermon on St Lawrence - from the Breviary of St Pius V)

The Martyrdom of St Lawrence, by Palma il Giovane (Iacopo Nigreti, 1548-1628), from the church of San Giacomo dall’Orio in Venice; 1581-2. (click image to enlarge)
Gaudeamus igitur dilectissimi gaudio spiritali, et de felicissimo inclyti viri fine gloriemur in Domino, qui est mirabilis in Sanctis suis, in quibus nobis et praesidium constituit et exemplum: atque ita per universum mundum clarificavit gloriam suam, ut a solis ortu usque ad occasum, leviticorum luminum coruscante fulgore, quam clarificata est Jerosolyma Stephano, tam illustris fieret Roma Laurentio.

Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference - October 1-3 in NYC

0
0

The Society for Catholic Liturgy will celebrate its twentieth anniversary ​in the heart of Manhattan, at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral and the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, ​with a conference exploring how the Church’s sacred worship is dignum et iustum, right and just.​ ​​

The Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, October 1st, at the Union League Club, and offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Friday, October 2, at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
You may register for all, or part, of the conference. Space is limited.

All liturgies are free and open to the public.

+ + +

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1

7 PM
Union League Club (Jacket and tie required)
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Keynote Address

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2

9 AM
Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Solemn Pontifical Mass, Extraordinary Form (Celebrant: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone)

10:45 AM – 11:15 AM
Basilica Youth Center
Breakfast

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (Session 1—Plenary)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Michon Matthiesen, S.T.L., Ph.D.
The Divine Liturgy: "The justice of Christ become fruitful"

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (Session 2)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Fr Thomas Buffer, STD
The American Liturgical Movement, Social Justice, and Liturgical Change

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Fr Innocent Smith, OP
Misericordiam et judicium cantabo: Liturgical Prayer and the Theology of Mercy in Thomas Aquinas

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Basilica Youth Center
Lunch

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (Session 3)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Fr Uwe Michael Lang, CO
Eucharistic Origins Revisited

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Christopher D. Owens
Just Worship: The Necessity of Divine Revelation for Perfection in the Virtue of Religion
Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (Session 4)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Rev. Nicholas Zientarski, STD
Lumen Christi: Christ, Candles, and the Dignity of the Catholic Liturgy

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Father Daniel Cardó, SCV
The Crucifix and the Altar

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

4:30 – 5:30 PM
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Business meeting for SCL members
Free period for non-members

6 PM
Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Solemn Vespers, Extraordinary Form

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Basilica forecourt
Wine & Cheese

8:00 PM
Basilica Youth Center
Dinner

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3

9 AM
Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Mass, Ordinary Form (Celebrant TBA)
10 AM – 10:30 AM
Basilica Youth Center
Breakfast

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (Session 5—Plenary)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
William Mahrt, Ph.D.
Gregorian Chant as Dignus et Justus

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (Session 6)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Robert Fastiggi, Ph.D.
The Ontological Basis for the Rightness of the Eucharistic Sacrifice according to the French Oratorian, Charles de Condren (1588–1641)

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Fr Joseph F. Previtali, STL
St. Thomas Aquinas on the Justice of Liturgical Worship

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Basilica Youth Center
Lunch

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM (Session 7)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Fr Paul J. Keller, OP
Zeal For Your House Consumes Me: Embracing the Asceticism of the Liturgy of the Hours

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Fr Bryan Kromholtz, OP
It Is Right to Mourn: Toward Funerals that Acknowledge Death as Loss

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (Session 8)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Christopher Carstens
The Language of Man, of the Trinity, and of the Liturgy: The Right Consonance of the Word

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Ms. Taylor J. Bartlette
Being the Body of Christ: The Liturgy’s Role in the Development of Virtue

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (Session 9)
Sheen Center, Loreto Theater
Carl G. Fougerousse
On the Dignity of Persons Revealed in Sacred Art: Depicting the Figure as Worthy Gift

Sheen Center, Studio AB
Lecture TBA

Parish House, McCloskey Room
Practicum TBA
5 PM
Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Vespers, Ordinary Form

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

+ + +

The Society for Catholic Liturgy is a multidisciplinary association of Catholic scholars, teachers, pastors, and professionals – including architects and musicians – in the Anglophone world. Founded in 1995, the non-profit Society is committed to promoting scholarly study and practical renewal of the Church’s liturgy.

Contact: Dino Marcantonio (dvmarcantonio@gmail.com)

A Blueprint for Parish Musical Reform

0
0
Apart from showcasing or announcing liturgies that feature fine examples of it, I've noticed that NLM hasn’t been talking much lately about sacred music.

This surely isn’t because the subject is not hugely important. Part of the reason, I think, is that sacred music is so massively and thoroughly important that it is hard to know where to begin. Music is the very language of the soul, its most intimate and exalted expression. Sacred music is the blood and bone of the liturgy, the carrier of its organic life, the texture of its being, the architecture of its prayer. If something goes wrong with music, as Plato saw long ago, the culture is lost. If something goes wrong with liturgical music, as Ratzinger saw so clearly, the cultus is depressed and devalued. It is like arguing about the sanctity of human life, or heterosexual marriage: if it isn’t obvious to you that a child is a person with dignity or that only a man and a woman can marry, then where can our argument go next? There are some things so basic, so close, so intimate, so all-pervasive, that we do not know where to begin, and once begun, we hardly know where to end. Music, and liturgical music, is just like that.

Part of the reason, too, is that one can feel as if everything has already been said (and said well), and that those who want to know already know, and those who need to know have their ears closed, like an immature person in an argument who claps his hands over his ears and says loudly “la la la” until the other person walks away. All the articles are out there, arguing for Gregorian chant (on its own merits or on the basis of Vatican II’s re-endorsement of it), for polyphony, for traditional hymnody, and against liturgical novelties, contemporary styles, and worldly instrumentations ill-suited for the divine mysteries. The musical resources are also plentifully available—everything from Latin chant to English chant to newly-composed polyphony (Allen, Dalitz, Kwasniewski, Morber, and other frequenters of the MusicaSacra forum) to thousands of free scores at CPDL and IMSLP. Frankly, it can seem as if the battle lines are drawn in utter clarity, with a vast no-man’s land in between. People have made up their minds: either they’re sold on traditional sacred music, seeing it as a matter of hallowed principle — “This is simply who Catholics are and what they should do”—or they are vehemently opposed to it, seeing it as a matter of pastoral pragmatism: “This isn’t who Catholics are anymore, and we should do whatever ‘works.’”

Well, that’s all true, as far as it goes — but it’s absolutely not a reason to stop the conversation or to stop the grassroots efforts for revitalizing our Church’s musical life, which, in general, is still at a deplorable level. There are still people who desire to learn about authentic sacred music. There are men and women of good will ready to embrace the Church’s heritage if only it is introduced to them. There are friends to be made and foes to be converted. There are new insights to share and new ways to explain or apply old principles. It is a subject that must not be allowed to descend into the realm of unspoken assumptions but rather must be, again and again, brought into the light. Doing so benefits both those who love sacred music and those who may come to love it if only we are tireless in making the case for it.

Now, the case must be made in two ways. First, in words, as writers have done at NLM and Chant Café and elsewhere. Second, through the introduction and good practice of sacred music in the parish.[1] Precisely because we are dealing with the phenomenon of music, experience is of far greater weight than words. The experience of genuinely beautiful sacred music has its own way of touching minds and hearts, although I am not going to suggest that it will always be easy, automatic, or instantaneous for everyone. So, we need to take whatever opportunities we can find to convince pastors and especially bishops to develop a great concern for the state of music in the Church and to espouse concrete steps of renewal. A shining example in this regard is the pastoral letter Rejoice in the Lord Always of Archbishop Alexander K. Sample, which he issued when bishop of the Diocese of Marquette.[2] In promulgating this document, with its clear explanations and actual legislation for parishes, His Excellency combined the two ways mentioned above: he put the mind of the Church into writing, and, using his episcopal authority, introduced diocesan laws that would establish sacred music at the parish level so that the Catholics of his diocese could at last, in accord with Vatican II’s Sacrosanctum Concilium, experience the primacy of chant and of other music from the Church’s priceless patrimony.

As with last week’s model letter on restoring all-male altar service, what follows is a model or template of the sort of letter that a bishop or other superior might consider sending to his clergy, in pursuit of the liturgical renewal so eloquently called for and expounded in Benedict XVI’s timeless writings. This letter briefly addresses the desperate need for elevating the style and quality of music in parishes. May it be helpful in some way to all pastors who are striving to purge what is unworthy of the temple of God and reestablish excellence in sacred music!

***
Dear Sons in Christ,

“Let nothing be preferred to the Work of God,” as St. Benedict memorably says in his Holy Rule. The Father of Western Monasticism left us a clear reminder that, whether we are monks or not, the service of our Lord in the divine liturgy (what Benedict called the opus Dei) is our principal task while on earth, our greatest responsibility before the Creator of heaven and earth, the most profound source of our sanctification, and a work of love handed down from ages past into which it is our joy to initiate each new generation of believers.

Unfortunately, in the decades following the Council, it seemed as if many in the Church became confused. They ran away from this primary task and got preoccupied with what may have been important but was certainly secondary. Their gaze on the sovereign work of the Lord grew weak, and soon they treated the most sacred mysteries in a casual and irreverent way. Many of the treasures of our faith were forgotten or repudiated in the mistaken view that they had nothing to say to modern people. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI worked tirelessly against the secularization and forgetfulness of God that simultaneously affected the realms of doctrine, morals, and worship. As all can see, the unraveling of Western society and a corresponding disorientation in the Church have, by now, reached crisis proportions. As pastors, it is our duty to avoid anything that may contribute to this process of self-destruction and to promote, in a clear-sighted and principled way, the sanctification and salvation of the faithful entrusted to our care.

To do so, we must first of all be consistent with our Catholic tradition and with the Magisterium of the Church. Any Catholic church should be, and look and sound like, a microcosm of the one Catholic church; the same is true of the liturgy. That is why the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum can say: “It is the right of the community of Christ’s faithful that especially in the Sunday celebration there should customarily be true and suitable sacred music” (n. 57). In accordance with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council — “steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 54); “the musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art” (SC 112); “the treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care” (SC 114); “the Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services” (SC 116) — as well as the constant teaching of the Sovereign Pontiffs from St. Pius X down through Benedict XVI, I shall require pastors and music ministers to expand the use of, or to reintroduce if they have fallen into disuse, chanted proper antiphons and chants for the Ordinary of the Mass. This, too, is fully consistent with the advice of the USCCB in Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship (see, inter alia, nn. 30, 61, 72-80, 117).

The “Propers” of the Mass — at very least, in the realm of the Ordinary Form, the Introit or Entrance antiphon, Offertory antiphon, and Communion antiphon — are an integral part of the Roman Rite of Mass and ought to be prominent, as indeed is suggested by their primacy in the General Instruction (see GIRM, nn. 48, 74, 87). The immense scriptural and theological riches of the Proper texts given in the official liturgical books and the wonderful congruency of chanted antiphons with the liturgical action for which they are intended recommends them above all other texts and types of music. While it is possible and at times desirable to use just the proper antiphons with their verses, it is certainly permissible to chant the antiphon and then sing a suitable motet or congregational hymn; I leave the particulars to your own judgment, which must take into account the abilities of the singers and the sensibilities of the faithful. What I am requiring is that the antiphons always be sung at the principal Masses of Sundays and Holy Days, whatever else may be sung. The “Ordinary” of the Mass — the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Creed, the Sanctus, the Agnus Dei, the Lord’s Prayer, and the dialogues between priest and people — is likewise to be sung on these days, in English or in Latin (Greek for the Kyrie). When the Ordinary is sung in English, preference should be given to modal melodies that have the characteristics of plainchant. Naturally, it takes time to learn a number of chants, so it may be best to start with a certain core, such as the Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, and add to it as time goes on.

Gregorian chant is not simply one style of church music among many; it is the music of the Roman rite par excellence, and therefore has a certain primacy. Pope Benedict XVI asked us to rediscover our tradition and, at long last, to implement what Vatican II really taught (cf. Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 42). It would therefore be fully appropriate and desirable that chant be used at every Mass at which music is planned, and that we move away from artificial distinctions such as “Folk (or Youth) Mass” vs. “High Mass.” Every Mass should be reverent and sacred, as worthy as we can make it of the unfathomable gift and mystery of the Lord’s Body and Blood.

In some missalettes and in nearly all hymnals there is at least one Gregorian chant Mass, and often several, that can be employed. Excellent resources for expanding your parish’s use of plainchant in Latin as well as in the vernacular (English and Spanish) are available from such publishers as Ignatius Press, CanticaNova, Illuminare Publications, Corpus Christi Watershed, and St. Michael Hymnal. Without prejudice to other worthy publications, I do recommend taking a close look at the Lumen Christi series, The Proper of the Mass, and the Ignatius Pew Missal.

As chief liturgist of the Diocese, responsible for good order and decorum in the house of God, I ask that you instruct music ministers to stand no longer in or near the sanctuary at the front of the church, but to sing from the choir loft, or, if there is no choir loft, from the back of the church. Decades of confusion and poor instructions have caused many to believe that the ideal location for musicians is at the front, visible to everyone, but this contravenes in every respect the true nature and role of the musician at Mass. Musicians are not supposed to be in the foreground but in the background; their essential contribution is to help the Christian people to meditate on the sacred mysteries, which is best accomplished by music that is itself more contemplative, not too loud, strident, or dominating. When placed front and center, singers and instrumentalists cannot avoid becoming performers and drawing attention to themselves, no matter how humble their intentions may be.

In this connection it is also important to recall, as the Popes have done into our own times, that the preferred instrument for musical accompaniment in the Roman rite is the pipe organ (cf. Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 120; Pius XII, Musicae Sacrae, n. 58; Instruction Musicam Sacram, n. 63). Churches that do not have a pipe organ should be fitted with one at the nearest opportunity; alternatively, if it does not seem possible to raise the requisite funds, a high-quality keyboard programmed to sound like a pipe organ may be utilized. It will be advisable to phase out the piano and the guitar, since the Church has repeatedly taught that instruments associated with worldly music are not suited for use in the liturgy. It is true that these instruments have been around for a long time now, but their abiding cultural associations, the manner in which they tend to be played, and the style of music written for them combine to show that we are dealing not so much with the sacralization of once-secular instruments as with the secularization of once-sacred music. Accordingly, as of Christmas next year, the only instruments that may be played during the liturgy will be the pipe organ (or its digital equivalent as established by the diocese) and traditional string and wind instruments. Of course, voices by themselves are more than sufficient for the singing of the Church’s music, and the organ by itself suffices as an accompanying or a solo instrument.

In pursuit of these important goals, which require professional training and continuing education, diocesan funds will be made available annually to assist in sending parish music directors, choir directors, cantors, and organists to the Sacred Music Colloquium, the Chant Intensives, and other events sponsored by the Church Music Association of America and related organizations. We are also making plans to bring teachers into the diocese for workshops on putting into practice the Council’s noble vision. Each pastor will be asked to select a certain number of musicians from his parish to attend educational events, in proportion to the size of the parish and the scope of its music program. In the next two months, the Office of Divine Worship will send you more information on these educational events, together with a list of suggested chant settings for the Ordinary of the Mass, a list of permitted hymnals and recommended music resources, and more details on the installation of pipe organs and digital organs.

The requirement to reintroduce the chanted Propers and Ordinary and to alter (if necessary) the location of musicians goes into full effect as of the First Sunday of Advent, any customs to the contrary notwithstanding. By Christmas, all Propers are to be sung (either in simple tones or in fuller melodies), and all parts of the Ordinary by the feast of Candlemas, February 2. The requirement to shift to the pipe organ will go into effect as of Easter Sunday; the long-standing tradition of utilizing no musical instruments during Lent will be of assistance in this regard.

In number 35 of the final list of propositions of the Fathers of the thirteenth General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2012, we read these stirring words: “The worthy celebration of the Sacred Liturgy, God’s most treasured gift to us, is the source of the highest expression of our life in Christ (cf. Sacrosanctum concilium, n. 10). It is, therefore, the primary and most powerful expression of the new evangelization. God desires to manifest the incomparable beauty of his immeasurable and unceasing love for us through the Sacred Liturgy, and we, for our part, desire to employ what is most beautiful in our worship of God in response to his gift. In the marvelous exchange of the Sacred Liturgy, by which heaven descends to earth, salvation is at hand, calling forth repentance and conversion of heart (cf. Mt 4:17; Mk 1:15). Evangelization in the Church calls for a liturgy that lifts the hearts of men and women to God. The liturgy is not just a human action but an encounter with God which leads to contemplation and deepening friendship with God. In this sense, the liturgy of the Church is the best school of the faith.”

The source and summit of the new evangelization will be the sacred liturgy most worthily, reverently, and beautifully celebrated, drawing upon all that is best and noblest in our Catholic tradition. This, dear priests and deacons, is a demanding and rewarding path for all of us to follow as we strive to adore the Father in spirit and in truth and to lead our people ever more deeply into the unfathomable mysteries of His love.

Cordially yours in Christ,
etc. etc.


NOTES

[1] Everything I say here about parishes would also apply to college and university chaplaincies.

[2] The full text of Rejoice in the Lord Always is here, at the website of the Diocese of Marquette. Archbishop Sample’s pastoral letter is the finest episcopal document on the subject that has appeared in the last 50 years—including in this estimation the documents of national episcopal conferences. The team of writers at Views from the Choir Loft wrote a series of appreciations of this pastoral letter: see here for the first installment and links to the rest.

EF Missa Cantata for the Assumption in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark UK

The Consilium and ad experimentum Lectionaries, 1965-69

0
0
Recently, I had the opportunity to look at the early issues of Notitiae, the bulletin of the Consilium (and subsequently the CDW and CDWDS).[1] The earlier issues from 1965-1970 record some very interesting details and minutiae about the early stages of the post-conciliar liturgical reforms. Reports on the progress and reception of the reforms around the world, permissions given for the use of vernacular books in the liturgy, articles that give some of the rationale behind certain of the reforms - all of this and more is contained in the pages of Notitiae.

To make some of this information a bit more easily accessible, I have drawn up two new freely-available resources, which can be found on my blog Lectionary Study Aids - incidentally, along with all sorts of other interesting resources regarding the Lectionary and Missal!

The first resource is entitled Permissions given by the Consilium for the use of ad experimentum lectionaries, 1965-69, and details all the permissions recorded in Notitiae for the use of experimental weekday lectionaries and particular lectionaries.[2] It is made up of two tables, the first being organised by date, and the second organised by country/diocese/order. The second, related resource is Text and Tables of the Consilium's « Lectionaria particularia », which reproduces the Consilium's ten experimental sets of readings for occasions such as weddings, funerals, confirmations, etc., which Conferences of Bishops could ask for permission to use from 1967.[3] 

Some interesting things come to light when we look at the permissions in a little more detail. Reading Bugnini's memoirs of the liturgical reform, one might have assumed that the experiments with weekday and particular lectionaries were confined to a few countries/dioceses:
The announcement of the permission [i.e. that given to Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands] roused great interest, and a number of other conferences asked if they might join in the experiment (Bugnini, The Reform of the Liturgy 1948-1975 [Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1990], p. 408, my emphasis).
The only figures in this regard given by Bugnini are for France, Spain, and the diocese of Lugano in Italy: 22,000 copies were printed in France, and ad experimentum lectionaries were apparently used in 15,000 Spanish and 20,000 Italian parishes (cf. ibid., p. 409 n. 9). 57,000 parishes[4], plus an unknown number in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, might seem like a large enough sample to be able to draw meaningful conclusions as to the benefits and drawbacks of the experimental orders of readings. To be more representative, one might wish to have a few dioceses/countries in other continents also participate in the experiments, in order to get more of a feel for how the whole Church might receive a new order of readings.

It is perhaps surprising, then, to find out that between 1965 and 1969, 93 separate permissions were given to 74 different countries (along with 3 religious orders) to experiment with at least some part of the lectionary.

Pie chart of countries by continent given permission to use
ad experimentum lectionaries (click to enlarge)
As well as the rather wide nature of the experiments, they did not appear to be particularly consistent. Conferences could ask permission to use the German or French experimental weekday schemes,[5] but there was also the Consilium's own experimental scheme which was given to countries which did not request the German or French ones.[6] This means that three different weekday lectionaries were in use in various places around the world. As of yet, I have not been able to get hold of the Consilium's scheme, but I can say that the differences between the German and French experimental schemes for weekdays were quite substantial in parts. For example, the German scheme was split over two years (one year for OT readings, one for NT readings), whereas the French scheme was only one year, switching from OT to NT every few weeks; the French scheme also introduced the concept of the Responsorial Psalm, which is absent from the German scheme.

With regard to the particular lectionaries, Conferences could ask for permission to use all of it, or only a few parts of it, which only adds to the rather haphazard appearance of the experiments. Finally, it is interesting that permissions were being given right up until February 1969, only three months before Paul VI's promulgation of the Ordo lectionum missae.[7]

It seems, then, that the experimentation behind the unprecedented post-conciliar reform of the lectionary of the Roman Rite was rather messier and more chaotic than Bugnini lets on. One wonders whether, for instance, some of the excesses in the Ordinary Form's lectionary (e.g. the overwhelming number of choices for readings in the Commons) might have been tempered if the experiments and permissions had been a little more controlled.


NOTES

[1] Unfortunately, the earlier issues seem particularly difficult to obtain these days. I might suggest that, for anyone who has access to them, it would be a wonderful service to scan and make available online these earlier, out of print issues of Notitiae! If you have these issues to hand and live in the United Kingdom, please e-mail me at mhazell@newliturgicalmovement.org if you would be willing to participate in making them available online.

[2] By "particular" is meant the ad experimentum schemes for occasions such as weddings, funerals, confirmations, ordinations, etc.

[3] Conferences were also free to design their own particular lectionaries and submit them to the Consilium. For example, the USA had its own particular set of readings for use at Nuptial Masses, authorised by the Consilum for experimental use on 30 Jan 1967.

[4] Assuming the 22,000 copies printed in France were used in parishes.

[5] Both these schemes are available for download from Lectionary Study Aids (German, French).

[6] Cf. Bugnini, Reform, p. 408. Notitiae details some exceptions to this: for instance, following Spain, a number of other Spanish-speaking countries were given permission to use the German scheme with some adjustments. Hungary also obtained permission to use the German scheme with a modified order of readings for Advent weekdays.

[7] Also, rather oddly, more permissions for use of ad experimentum lectionaries were given in 1968 (22 permissions) than in 1967 (19 permissions)!

Photopost Request: Assumption

0
0
Our next major photopost will be for the Assumption, this coming Saturday, August 15th; please send your photos (whether of the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form) to photopost@newliturgicalmovement.org for inclusion. We are also always glad to receive photographs of celebrations in the Eastern rites, as well as Vespers and other parts of the Office, blessings, processions etc. Please be sure to include the name and location of the church, and always feel free to add any other information you think important. Evangelize through beauty!

An image from last year’s Assumption photopost, from the Birmingham Oratory 

Assumption Mass at Mater Ecclesiae in Berlin NJ, 2015

0
0
As many of you know, Mater Ecclesiae in Berlin, New Jersey, has offered a special Assumption Mass for the past 14 years. It started with a threefold intention: first, to praise God and honor Our Lady on this most magnificent feast; second, to thank God for the establishment of Mater Ecclesiae, the foundation of which back on October 13, 2000 was truly a miracle; and third, to use some of the greatest music in the history of the world where it was meant to be used, in the Sacred Liturgy.
This Friday, August 14, at 7:00 PM, the Fifteenth Annual Assumption Mass, in the Extraordinary Form, will be offered at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr Timothy McDonnell gathers musicians from across the Philadelphia region each year and forms the Ars Laudis Festival Orchestra and Choir.
The purpose of this post is to highlight some of the music that will be used. Of course, the Propers of the Mass are the Gregorian Chants assigned to the feast, which are the foundation of all the music for the liturgy. The Ordinary is the Schopfungsmesse, by Luigi Gatti, after Haydn’s The Creation. Dr McDonnell writes in the Assumption Booklet, “Regarded as one of his finest compositions, Franz Josef Haydn’s Oratorio The Creation is a touchstone in the sacred Choir repertoire. Sometime after 1800, Luigi Gatti, then the chapel master and priest at the cathedral in Salzburg, produced a version of Haydn’s celebrated Oratorio using the text of the Latin Mass. This adaptation brings all the energy and lyricism of Haydn’s magnum opus to the liturgical context. The work is known for the vigor of its choral passages, the strong character of the arias, and for the suppleness of the line throughout. The original text of the sacred Oratorio draws on biblical and literary sources to tell the story of Genesis. Recast with the Latin text, the work conforms the power of its expressiveness to the shape of the liturgy.”

Dr McDonnell continues, “his practice of reworking a piece with another text is called contrafactum, and it is not an uncommon tradition in church music. Many chants and motets were cast with new texts as the circumstances required. In fact, the neo-Gregorian chants that were composed for the Assumption Mass after its definition as dogma in 1950 are contrafacta. The introit, Signum magnum, for instance, is a reworking of the introit of the Common of One Martyr, In virtute tua.
During the Offertory of the Mass the choir will sing the Salve Regina by Francis Poulenc.
During the reception of Holy Communion three motets will be sung: the first, O Quam Suavis, by G.B. Cesena - Hail, Lord Jesus Christ, blessed King, praise of the angels, glory of the saints, vision of peace, undivided Deity, true man, flower and fruit of the Virgin Mother; the second, Vidi speciosam by Felice Anerio; and the third, the five part Assumpta est Maria, by Palestrina.There will also be some instrumental works by Tommaso Albinoni.
It is a tradition at the Assumption Mass to always begin with the Hymn, O Sanctissima, and to end with The Hail Holy Queen. Both hymns have been magnificently arranged for Organ and Brass Choir by Dr McDonnell.
Friday night will be a night of magnificent praise of God and honor and love expressed to Our Lady, by some of the greatest music ever written by human beings, in the place where it belongs. AMDG.

EF Masses for the Assumption in Vancouver Cathedral and Tampa, Florida

0
0
Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver, British Columbia, will have a Missa Cantata in the Extraordinary Form on the vigil of the Assumption, August 14th, and two weeks later a solemn Mass on the feast of St Augustine. The cathedral is located at 646 Richards St in Vancouver.


There will be a Solemn High Mass on the feast of the Assumption at Epiphany Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida, located at 2510 East Hanna Avenue, to be celebrated at 9am in the main church by the pastor, Fr. Edwin Palka; the deacon will be Fr. Philip Clement; and the subdeacon will be Fr. Paul Mangiafico, who has served for many years as the chaplain for the local Traditional Latin Mass community. Mass will be followed by a holy hour and confessions. More information on the parish website.



Musical Resources & John Scott RIP

0
0
Following Peter Kwasniewski’s recent post on Parish Musical Reform, we have received news that Paraclete Press are currently offering their highest bulk discounts on the Gregorian Missal and the CMAA’s Parish Book of Chant. If you are considering buying multiple copies of either of these titles, act now and call Jim Jordan at Paraclete Press (800-451-5006 ext 335). Their preferential rate is only available through August.

As readers of NLM may have heard, John Scott, the Organist and Choir Master of St Thomas’s Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City, died yesterday. He was a titan of the Church Music world, known for his spectacular technique as an organist, and for the high choral standards which he espoused. I have written a short tribute to him here. As well as prayers for his soul, please remember his wife Lily who is carrying their first child. May he rest in peace.

Ars Celebrandi Worshops to be Held Again in Poland

0
0
We reported last September on the Ars Celebrandi workshops held in August 2014 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń, the largest Marian shrine in Poland, with the blessing of Bishop Wieslaw Mering of Wloclawek. A second series begins this coming Sunday; we are pleased to share the official press release with our readers.
Ars Celebrandi – the biggest traditional liturgy workshops in Eastern Europe
From August 16-23, 2015, at the Shrine of the Virgin Mary in Licheń, Poland, will be held offered the second series of the Ars Celebrandi Liturgy Workshops, for the number of participants the largest such gathering workshops in Eastern Europe. One-hundred and eighty people from Poland and abroad are already registered, including 40 priests. His Excellence Bishop Athanasius Schneider will celebrate both a Pontifical Holy Mass and Pontifical Vespers; the workshops are being held under the patronage of His Excellency Bishop Wiesław Mering of the Diocese of Wrocław.

As was the case last year, participants will be able to choose from a wide range of practical workshops dedicated to priests, seminarians, servers, musicians, and any one else who cares about the Sacred Liturgy. Highly qualified and experienced leaders will be teaching:
- Celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Mass (read and solemn).
- Serving as acolyte at read, sung and solemn Masses.
- Chorale singing
- Polyphonic singing
- Organ
- Preservation of liturgical vestments.

Among the leaders there are some famous Polish and international church musicians, including Joanna Orzeł, Paweł Bębenek, Marcin Bornus Szczyciński, Robert Pożarski and Robert Hugo from Prague. Practical training will be enhanced by discussions about the liturgical calendar, choir apparel and other topics.

Every day there will be two main Holy Masses celebrated, Solemn and sung, and two in the Dominican Rite, during which the participants will be using their skills gained on the workshops. We will also celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours, Lauds or Vespers and Compline. Apart from the above every priest will be able to celebrate the Holy Mass privately. Workshops going on for a full week offer valuable time for socializing, integration and interchange of experience from different circles of people who care about traditional liturgy, both in Poland and abroad.

Those responsible for the organization are both priests and laymen; Una Voce Polonia is in charge of the all workshops. More information is accessible on our website arscelebrandi.pl, where you can also see the photo gallery from last year: arscelebrandi.pl/galeria/). You can also find us on Facebook at Ars Celebrandi. For any additional information please e-mail our press department: media@arscelebrandi.pl.

Some images from last year’s liturgical celebrations during the Ars Celebrandi workshops: Solemn Vespers, Dominican missa cantata, and a Eucharistic procession.




Dominican Breviary Volumes (Latin and English) for Sale

0
0
Dominican Liturgy Publications is making individual volumes of the Dominican Rite Breviary in Latin (1962) and English (1967) available for purchase by the general readership.

Go to the  ORDER PAGE!

This offering is being made in response to inquiries as to where used Dominican Rite books may be acquired.  We may eventually add other offering to these breviary volumes, so bookmark the Order Page!

"Should Women Be Lectors at Mass?" An Interesting Article at OnePeterFive

0
0
Benedict Constable, the nom de plume of a noteworthy traditional Catholic scholar and author, has recently penned an article for the website OnePeterFive, dealing with the question of whether or not women should be lectors at Mass.

Though currently in many places this is far from obvious, the tradition of the Church has been - and, as far as instituted lectors and acolytes go, still is - for male-only service within the sanctuary (cf. Paul VI, Ministeria quaedam, no. 7). But why is this, and has it been beneficial for the Church in our time to allow women as well as men to read the scriptures at Mass in the absence of an instituted lector?

In the style of a Thomistic question, Constable does a great job of examining the issue. A few selections from his article:
First, the ever-increasing number of parishes and chapels in which the Extraordinary Form is celebrated have reintroduced all over the world, to the relief of traditionally-minded men and women, the custom of male-only service in the sanctuary. But the very experience of this once-universal practice necessarily prompts Catholics to raise the question of why it “had” to change at all, and the related question: Is the Church better off for the change, or, as with communion in the hand while standing or communion under both kinds, worse off?
Second, we are living in an age when many believers are revisiting and critically examining the blithe assumptions and hasty moves of the past half-century—and are finding, perhaps to their surprise, that the rationales behind many of the changes are shallow at best, ideological at worst.
Third, now that the evil fruits of a disordered feminism are far more apparent in society and in the Church than ever before, Catholics who have their heads screwed on straight are more open than ever to a fundamental critique of the modern tendency to treat men and women as interchangeable entities...
It may be said, in addition, that rationalism has played far too great a role in the liturgical reform and the evils that have followed from it, as Joseph Ratzinger frequently observes. We are considering here a poignant example. Could anything be more rationalistic than ignoring the raw, earthy, elemental differences between man and woman? Could anything be more Cartesian than pretending they are the same, or indistinguishable, or interchangeable, or substitutable? Our age will surely go down in history, if there is much of history left, as the age in which common sense met its demise.
Head over to OnePeterFive to read the whole article and the follow-up, Male-Female Symbolism in Liturgical Roles: Not Bizarre, Just Catholic.

A Pontifical Requiem Mass in Portland, Oregon

0
0
The 18th Annual Byrd Festival at St. Stephen Parish in Portland, Oregon began on Friday, August 7th with a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Faldstool, celebrated in memory of David Trendell by His Grace, the Most Reverend Basil Meeking, Bishop Emeritus of of Christchurch, New Zealand. The Victoria Requiem (1605) was sung by Cantores in Ecclesia, directed by Blake Applegate. Mr Trendell was preparing the Victoria Requiem with the Choir of King’s College, London, when he died suddenly a week before All Souls’ Day last year. “It is fitting that this piece should open the festival which this year is dedicated to his memory.” (program notes - our thanks to Fr Eric Andersen for sending in these photos).












Viewing all 8535 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images