The Blessing of Herbs on the Feast of the Assumption

August 15, 2015, 11:01 am

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According to a fairly ancient tradition, which St. John Damascene (among others) attests in the 8th century, when it came time for the Virgin Mary’s earthly life to end, all of the Apostles, then scattered over the earth to preach the Gospel, were miraculously brought to Jerusalem in an instant to be present for Her death. St Thomas, however, was late in arriving, as he had been late to witness the Lord’s Resurrection. When the Virgin had died, they laid Her body to rest in a tomb in the garden of Gethsemani, outside the city; three days later, when Thomas arrived in Jerusalem, he wished to venerate it. The Apostles went as a group to the tomb, but on opening it, discovered that Her body was no longer there, and a sweet odor came forth, confirming that (as Damascene writes) “Whom once it pleased to take the flesh from the Virgin Mary, and become a man, and be born (of Her)… and who after birth preserved Her virginity incorrupt, it also pleased, after Her passing, to honor Her immaculate body … by translating (it to Heaven) before the common and universal resurrection.”

The Oddi Altarpiece, by Raphael Sanzio, painted in 1502-3, when the artist was only 19 years old; now kept in the Painting Gallery of the Vatican Museums. Above, the Virgin is crowned by Christ, and surrounded by angels, four of whom are playing musical instruments; below, the Apostles are gathered around Her tomb, with some of them looking upwards and listening to the music. St. Thomas is in the middle of the group, with his head tilted back, and has received from the Virgin Her belt,; this relic is now, according to tradition, preserved in the cathedral of Prato, Italy. Her tomb is filled with flowers growing out of the stone; Raphael himself appears on the far right as one of the Apostles, wearing black and looking straight out at the viewer.

According to one version of this legend, the other eleven Apostles believed in the Assumption because angelic music played in the air over the tomb on the day of the burial, and for three days after; St. Thomas, arriving after the music had ceased, refused to believe them until the tomb was opened and the absence of the body confirmed. According to another version, Thomas already knew and believed in the Assumption before coming to Jerusalem, and brought the others to the tomb to show them that the Virgin’s body was gone; after which, they heard all the music together. A further addition to the story says that flowers were growing out of the stone sarcophagus in which She had been laid, and were the source of the sweet odor coming out of the tomb, confirming the Apostles’ faith in Her Assumption.

A stained glass window from Siena Cathedral by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1288. The central panels represent the death of the Virgin (below), the Assumption (middle) and Coronation (above.) The corners show the Four Evangelists, the middle panels on the left and right the patron Saints of the city.

In honor of this last part of the story, the Church instituted the custom of blessing wild herbs and flowers on the feast of the Assumption. The blessing originated in Germany, and is first attested in the 10th century; one version of it or another is found in a great many of the liturgical books which contain blessings of this sort. In the 1614 Roman Ritual of Pope Paul V, it consists of a psalm, a series of versicles and responses, three prayers, and the blessing, after which the flowers are sprinkled with holy water; the blessing is supposed to be done before the principal Mass of the day.

I here give the blessing in English translation; the Latin text is found in the Rituale among the blessings not reserved to bishops, shortly after the Sunday blessing of holy water and the Asperges. A free version can be downloaded from googlebooks by clicking this link; the blessing is on page 42*.

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 64 is said in full.

V. The Lord will give goodness.
R. And our earth shall yield her fruit. (Ps. 84)
V. Thou waterest the hills from Thy upper rooms.
R. The earth shall be filled with the fruit of Thy works.
V. Bringing forth grass for cattle.
R. And herbs for the service of men.
V. That Thou may bring bread out of the earth.
R. And that wine may cheer the heart of man.
V. That he may make the face cheerful with oil.
R. And that bread may strengthen man’s heart. (Ps. 103)
V. He sent his word, and healed them.
R. And delivered them from their destructions. (Ps. 106)

V. Lord, heed my prayer.
R. And let my cry be heard by you.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray. Almighty everlasting God, who by Thy word created from nothing the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things visible and invisible, and commanded the earth to bring forth plants and trees for the use of men and beasts, and each one to have fruit in itself according to its seed; and in Thy ineffable goodness granted not only that the plants might serve as the food of living creatures, but also that they might profit ailing bodies as medicine; with mind and word we humbly pray Thee that in Thy clemency Thou may bless + these herbs and fruits of various kinds, and pour upon them the grace of Thy renewed blessing, above the natural power which Thou gavest them; so that, when used by men and beasts in Thy name, they may become a defense against every disease and adversity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son etc. R. Amen.

Let us pray. O God, who through Moses, Thy servant, commanded the children of Israel to bear sheaves of new fruits to the priests to be blessed, and to take the fruits of the finest trees, and rejoice before Thee, the Lord their God; in Thy mercy be present to our supplications, and pour forth the abundance of Thy bless+ing upon us and upon these bundles of new fruits, new herbs, and upon the gathering of fruits which we bring before Thee with thanksgiving, and on this solemn feast we bless in Thy name. And grant that they may give to men, cattle, flocks, and beasts of burden a remedy against sickness, pestilence, sores, curses, spells, against the poison of serpents and bites of other venomous animals. And may they bring protection against the devil’s illusions, and devisings and cunning, wherever they or any portion of them are kept and carried, or otherwise used; so that, with the sheaves of good works, by the merits of the blessed Virgin Mary, the feast of whose Assumption we keep, we may merit to be taken up to that place whither She was assumed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son etc. R. Amen.

Let us pray. O God, who on this day raised up to the heights of heaven the rod of Jesse, the Mother of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, so that by Her prayers and patronage Thou might communicate to our mortal nature the fruit of Her womb, the same Thy Son; we humbly implore Thee, that by His power, and by the glorious patronage of His Mother, with the help of these fruits of the earth, we may be guided through temporal welfare unto everlasting salvation. Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son etc. R. Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the Son, + and Holy Spirit, come upon these creatures and remain always. R. Amen.

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What Do “the People in the Pews” Deserve?: On the Right of the Faithful to Integrally Catholic Worship

August 17, 2015, 9:15 am

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In 2004, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments published the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, “On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist.” It makes for melancholy reading, given that this Instruction, like so many other damage-control documents, was summarily ignored by the liturgical establishment and most diocesan chanceries. In 2005 a friend of mine called her diocese one day to complain about an outrageous liturgical abuse and mentioned that Redemptionis Sacramentum had specifically declared it outlawed. The person on the other end, an officer of the chancery, said she’d never heard of it, but she would ask around to see if they had a copy. Some time later she came back and said: “No, no one here has heard of that document. Maybe you could send us a letter with your question?”

But I digress. Here is one of my favorite passages from Redemptionis Sacramentum:

Arbitrary actions [in the liturgy] are not conducive to true renewal, but are detrimental to the right of Christ’s faithful to a liturgical celebration that is an expression of the Church’s life in accordance with her tradition and discipline. … It is the right of all of Christ’s faithful that the liturgy, and in particular the celebration of Holy Mass, should truly be as the Church wishes, according to her stipulations as prescribed in the liturgical books and in the other laws and norms. Likewise, the Catholic people have the right that the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass should be celebrated for them in an integral manner, according to the entire doctrine of the Church’s Magisterium. Finally, it is the Catholic community’s right that the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist should be carried out for it in such a manner that it truly stands out as a sacrament of unity, to the exclusion of all blemishes and actions that might engender divisions and factions in the Church. (nn. 11-12) 

The document refers several times to the Church’s “patrimony” and “heritage,” which are to be preserved. I was thinking of all this recently in connection with a poignant quotation from an article by David Warren:

Through the centuries, and even to the present day, the faith of the Church has been communicated by music, as much as by words; the very Word, through the Church, embodied in music. … The Mass in its nature is sung, chanted; and the innumerable musical settings of the Mass are intrinsic to its meaning, to its universality, to the dimensionality: it is not “just words.” … I am convinced that the recovery of the musical traditions, within Holy Church, can do more to evangelize than any quarrelling with the world. For what we must do is not argue, but proclaim; and music in its nature does not argue. It proclaims.[1]

The traditional sacred music of the Church is part, and not a small part, of that patrimony and heritage that simply ARE Catholic and MAKE US more thoroughly Catholic when we embrace them for the God-given gifts they are. Redemptionis Sacramentum lays it out quite clearly: Catholics have a right to the sacred music of the Church as defined by the Magisterium of the Church, and pastors have a duty to provide it for our spiritual benefit.[2] Not to provide it would constitute a kind of liturgical abuse; not to seek it would amount to a form of acedia or spiritual laziness.[3] To love it would be the humility of the disciple; to be offended by it, the pride of autonomy, a non serviam. To sing it with gratitude would be one way of proclaiming the Good News to a world enveloped in warped or bad news.

Still, we all know that there are people who, for reasons great and small, despise sacred music and all sorts of other things that fall into the category of “patrimony” or “heritage.” What do we say about them? Should we make room for them and their latest version of worship, accommodate their views, cater to their tastes? Should there be a “Mass slot” for their sentiments and shenanigans?

This is where some tough love is in order, if we actually wish to be charitable. It can happen that people are looking for the wrong thing — and it’s not the Church’s job to give them the wrong thing, but to show them what is better. To Americans this sounds elitist, but it’s always been the way: to show a higher path, to live it as well as we can, and to beg the Lord to move people to follow. We do a disservice to evangelization when we entice people into the Church for the wrong reasons or with means that are non-catholic or even anti-catholic.[4] By consistently offering the divine liturgy and its sacred music in their better (i.e., more traditional) forms, and doing so without cultural apologies or the security valve of postmodern pluralism, we honor the great holiness of the inherited liturgy and we give good service to evangelization, which must be founded on the fact of having received something worthwhile to hand on.

Returning to the pastoral question, to what extent should we “make room” for that which is less good, less worthy of the liturgy (such as poor quality music), in order to avoid offense or exclusion? It seems to me obvious that one has to take an incremental approach wherever there has been, for 50 years or more, a smorgasbord or secularized approach. One shouldn’t expect to change everything overnight or attempt to do so, because one will lose not only those who are ill-disposed to any change, but also those who might come around given a little time and some experience of the beautiful. To avoid meandering and losing momentum, however, one must always preserve a single sovereign goal: feeding the faithful with the best of our Catholic tradition, which is what the people in the pews need and deserve, and what the clergy owe them. It is an act of love and respect to share our riches and not to hide them under a bushel basket; it is an act of obedience to submit to the given liturgical forms (e.g., the use of the Propers of the Mass, Gregorian chant, Latin, and the other things Vatican II called for) rather than randomizing or customizing them.

The liturgy is given to us as something objective, formal, public, and traditional — and we have terribly lost sight of that in the past fifty years, as we rushed to make it subjectively appealing, informal so as not to scare away the half-hearted, privatized in accordance with our social sectors, and full of novelties to win over the progressive, the bored, or the curious. It has all been a resounding failure, leaving us divided, scattered, and bleeding to death. We have learned, or we should have learned by now, that trying to figure out what “modern man” needs and then custom-fitting everything to that is certainly not going to work. What modern man needs is what man, as such, has always needed and will always need: worship in spirit and in truth, aided by the sensible elements of the liturgy, in continuity with apostolic tradition. Anything less than that leaves us prisoners to ourselves and our age; anything less is a form of abuse, open or subtle. Good liturgy is demanding because anything fine, noble, great, and transcendent is demanding.

Besides that, the liturgy cannot be expected to perform every job. We need social events, social outreach, catechesis, apologetics — and, most basic of all, the witness of good Christian lives. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in particular, is a very specific thing in the life of the Church, and it was never intended to be all things to all people. It breaks under that kind of impossible weight. The Mass will come to life again, and we will come to life through it, if we can just let it be itself — if we let the Mass be simply and totally the sacrifice of Calvary, nothing else, with all that is proper to it, and nothing that is foreign to it. It cannot be the youth rally, the senior club, the show of Padre Centro d’Attenzione, the Buddhist-Bauhaus zone of emptiness, or the Billy Graham Bible Study. Give it back its music, its ritual fabric, its tapestry of solemn, sung, and silent prayer handed down in hallowed forms, its gaze riveted on the bloody Tree of Paradise, and it will become once again the hidden font of torrents of grace.

Meanwhile, we poor servants of the mystery should not reproach ourselves about offering the liturgy as beautifully and worthily and reverently as we can, even if, by doing so, we lose some of our congregation. When Jesus preached the doctrine of feasting on His Eucharistic flesh and blood, He lost some disciples, too — or rather He allowed them to go away. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass has ever been and will ever be a scandal to certain individuals, and this “scandal of the particular” includes all of its particularities: the fixed rites, the content of the prayers, the hieratic garments and gestures, the visible hierarchy of male ministries, the traditional music that is part and parcel of the liturgy, the ascetical demands placed on the faithful by the rites or their surrounding laws. These and all such things are or can become offensive to the fallen human mind with its resistance to the obedience of faith and the discipline of mysteries. What we must be thinking, instead, is that by God’s grace, which we must always implore, the human mind can be opened to faith and mystery, and once open, can be filled with holiness and grow into connaturality with the good, the true, and the beautiful.

The measure of our love for our neighbor is how willing we are to share with him what is best — not the mediocre, the bland, the banal, the has-been, the latest fad, or the good enough, but the best. The measure of a pastor’s love will be how eagerly he takes pains to learn what is truly best, to introduce and foster it in his community, and to make it prevail over false progress, grim habit, and tired indifference. This is no time for likes and dislikes; it is a time for love and hatred — love of the sinner and his genuine good, hatred of sin and all obstacles to transformation in Christ.


NOTES

[1] David Warren, "Oh Had I Jubal's Lyre."

[2] As the hypothetical bishop in last week's "A Blueprint for Parish Musical Reform" noted, Redemptionis Sacramentum explicitly states: “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).

[3] On this matter of acedia, see Mark Nowakowski's review of an exceptionally fine book that has recently appeared on the subject.

[4] Not that our efforts in recent decades have been especially successful in attracting or retaining members.

New Adoremus Bulletin out - featuring Adam Bartlett, Joseph O'Brien, Cardinal Sarah

August 18, 2015, 11:30 am

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The July edition of the Adoremus Bulletin is now out, produced under the leadership of its new editor Chris Carstens. Articles include translations of public statements by Cardinal Robert Sarah, as well as original articles by Adam Bartlett and Joseph O’Brien.

Many NLM readers will no doubt be aware of the great work that Adam Bartlett is doing for chant in the vernacular. I only found out recently the full extent of his work. His compositions are published by Illuminare Publications. He is creating excellent chants for the Ordinaries and Propers of the Mass, and responsorial Psalms available through the Missal, Hymnal and Simple Gradual. Furthermore, he is constantly composing, and four-part

arrangements for accompaniment and singing are posted on the Illuminare website score library weekly; they are available free of charge until they are published as a collection. Through the work that he and others are doing, I think that there is real hope for the establishment of an authentic tradition of chant for English language in the Roman Rite. His work sits alongside what is happening in the Anglican Ordinariate. One hopes that development in each will nourish the other in the future. I am great believer in the importance of the vernacular in the liturgy alongside - not replacing - the Latin, and among these English is in a uniquely important position at the moment. I have written here in the past of the importance of this not just in liturgical renewal, but also the evangelization of the culture (Has Pope Francis Saved Western Culture?). In his article for Adoremus,Bartlett considers the place of hymnody in the Liturgy of the Hours, not only by examining its history, but by providing a contemporary context for hymns in the upcoming edition of the Liturgy of the Hours in English. 

The second story, by Joseph O’Brien, tells of the newly-dedicated Newman Center church on University of Nebraska’s campus in Lincoln, and how beauty of the architecture and stained glass windows is intended as a key element in the liturgical formation of college students. While the images in the windows, for example, will communicate and reinforce the truths of the Faith through their content pedagogically, that is not their sole purpose or even their highest purpose. The beauty of the form communicates something that, to paraphrase of the Catechism, words cannot. Content and form combine beautifully in their profoundly thought out liturgical context, so as to encourage in the students a deep and authentic participation in the liturgy. This is the ultimate purpose of beauty in the liturgy. As Chris Cartens points out in his editorial, it is the transfiguration of the students through the worship of God in the Sacred Liturgy, as members of the body of Christ, that is the ultimate aim of this. One hopes that the new Newman Center in Lincoln will have lasting effect, so that many students will go on to be part of a growing body of people who will contribute to the transformation of the whole culture.

Upcoming UK Conference on Dominicans in the Middle Ages

August 19, 2015, 5:30 am

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From the website of the Dominican Friars of England and Scotland comes this news of a conference to be held at Oxford from Sept. 10-12, on “The Influences of the Dominican Order in the Middle Ages.” Among the topics covered will be some aspects of the early Dominican liturgical tradition, especially in regards to music and the production of liturgical books. The organizer of the conference, Dr Eleanor Giraud of Lincoln College, Oxford, explains in an interview. Information about registration, fees and location is available by clicking here.

“One of the distinctive aspects about Dominican chant is its brevity in comparison to other chant repertories: the Dominicans tended to eliminate repetitions of notes or melodic patterns, and cut down on extensive melismas (that is, several notes sung to one syllable, e.g. saaaaanctus). This was probably related to the focus in Dominican life on dedicating oneself to study, even over worship. One of the early Master Generals of the Order, Humbert of Romans, said ‘A short Office with study is better than a long [Office] with study hindered’ and he even recommended that if the brothers accidentally slept in, then the Cantor should hurry things along and shorten the length of the readings at Matins! So it’s no surprise that the early Dominicans sought to cut down the length of their chant. ...

As the conference is interdisciplinary, there is probably something here for everyone! We have various panels covering how the Dominicans influenced art history, music, liturgy, and book production—the latter being the subject of our keynote paper, given by Mary Rouse. In addition, there are panels looking at the interaction of medieval Dominicans across different parts of Europe.... Another highlight of the conference will be a concert of music that can be associated with the Dominican Order—both Dominican chant, and scraps of polyphony found as binding fragments in Dominican books.”

Solemn High Masses in Lander, Wyoming

August 19, 2015, 11:59 am

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As many readers know, Wyoming is one of the largest States in the country, vast and beautiful, and yet the least populated of all 50 States. This contributes to Wyoming’s palpable sense of solitude, remoteness, and ruggedness, which is ideal for outdoor adventures as well as for people seeking a slower pace of life in the midst of more contemplative surroundings -- like the famous but practically inaccessible Carmelite Monks.

Numbering about 10% of the population, the Catholics in the State generally live quite a distance from the kind of populous urban centers in which it is relatively easy to muster forces for (not to mention interest in) solemn liturgical functions. Fortunately, the presence of Wyoming Catholic College, with its strong Catholic commitment, emphasis on the traditional liberal arts, and devotion to the glories of Western culture, has drawn many students, faculty, staff, and families to the small town of Lander (pop. 7,732) over the past decade. This, in turn, has provided the incentive and the infrastructure for the celebration of many magnificent liturgies, including the classical Roman Rite (celebrated frequently here), the Ordinary Form with Latin chant, the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, and, this summer, a Mass celebrated according to the Anglican use by a visiting priest. The local parish, Holy Rosary, has been most supportive and generous all these years in allowing the College to utilize its church as our main chapel, and parishioners, too, have taken advantage of the many opportunities afforded by the college’s chaplaincy.

This summer, we rejoiced to welcome back a priest who has visited Lander several times before, Fr. Joseph Bolin of the Archdiocese of Vienna, Austria. Fr. Bolin’s presence, together with the parish’s deacon, made possible the celebration of Solemn High Masses for both the 11th and 12th Sundays after Pentecost. The local pastor expressed his support by attending the first Mass in choro. These Masses were, in all likelihood, the first Solemn High Masses according to the 1962 Missale Romanum that have been offered in this church since the postconciliar changes. The ceremonial richness and immense reverence of the liturgies, decked with the fullness of their Gregorian chants, reminded all present, once again, how fair is the portion the Lord has given His people, and how glorious is our inheritance as Roman Catholics. May the Lord bless all those who worked behind the scenes to make these Sundays possible as well as all who assisted at the Masses.

Mass for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost, Lander, Wyoming

Mass for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost

Professions at Silverstream Priory

August 20, 2015, 8:29 am

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Silverstream Monks with guests visit Old Mellifont Abbey. Left to right: D. Basil McCabe, D. Ildebrando Wehbe, the Rt. Rev. Dom Antoine Beauchef, Abbot of Flavigny, D. Mark Kirby, D. Benedict Andersen, D. Finnian King.

On Thursday, 6 August, feast of the Transfiguration, Dom Benedict Maria Andersen (a native of Denver, Colorado) pronounced his final vows as a Benedictine monk of Silverstream Priory and received the monastic consecration. Father Benedict, 34 years old, holds degrees from the Lateran University, Rome, and from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary, New York; he is a skilled typesetter and designer of liturgical books.

On Saturday, 15 August, feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, Dom Finnian Joseph King (a native of Bohermeen, Co Meath) and Dom Elijah Maria Carroll (a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma) pronounced their first vows as Benedictine monks of Silverstream Priory. Dom Elijah, 26 years old, is a graduate of the University of Tulsa. He will begin theological studies with the Dominican faculty at St Saviour’s, Dublin, in September. Dom Finnian, 34 years old, worked abroad for several years before entering Silverstream; he is currently studying art under Dony MacManus.

Representatives of the Benedictine family from the Abbey of St Joseph of Flavigny in France, and from the Abbey of San Miniato in Florence Italy were present for the occasion. Silverstream Priory now counts four professed monks, of whom two are priests. The Abbot of Flavigny recently sent Dom Basil M. McCabe, O.S.B. to lend a helping hand to the community at Silverstream during a particularly busy time. A number of men from Ireland and from abroad are currently preparing to come to Silverstream Priory for the initial phase of monastic formation.

Homily on the Feast of the Assumption by Dom Mark Daniel Kirby, O.S.B., Prior of Silverstream

My very dear sons, Dom Finnian and Dom Elijah, today is a festival of passage. The Mother of God passes from this valley of tears to the bridal chamber of heaven, where the King of kings is seated on a throne amidst the stars. She passes from the company of the Beloved Disciple to the that of his Master and Friend, the Bridegroom–King, hidden in God, and returning in glory. She passes from the Jerusalem below to the Jerusalem above; from ceaseless prayer in the heart of the Church on earth to a ceaseless and universal mediation in the sanctuary of heaven. She passes from toil to rest; from desire to possession; from the land of shadows to «the city that hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon, to shine in it. For the glory of God hath enlightened it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof» (Apocalypse 21:23)

Both of you, as well, are living, with the Blessed Virgin Mary, and in her, a festival of passage. You have completed the first stage of your pilgrimage — not on the way to Chartres, as you have already done twice together – but on the way to the altar where you will pronounce the vows that, for the next three years, will bind you more closely to the Lamb of the Holy Sacrifice.

You are passing from a very short time of apprenticeship to a lifetime of labour; from sparing tears to more abundant tears; from joys to greater joys; and from light to light, for the Apostle says that, «we all beholding the glory of the Lord with open face, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord» (2 Corinthians 3:18).

You are passing from the hidden life of the noviceship to a life that, sealed by your monastic profession, will become even more hidden, for yours it is to enter, more and more, into the hiddeness of the Host. What is our Benedictine life if not a gradual, almost imperceptible, penetration into the hiddenness of the Host: Christ in the sanctuary of heaven and Christ in the tabernacles of the earth?

With Our Lady, hide yourselves in Christ,

as Christ is hidden in the glory of His Father.

With Our Lady, hide yourselves in Christ,

as He is hidden in the bright cloud of the Holy Spirit.

With Our Lady, hide yourselves in Christ,

as He is hidden in the sacred species.

With Our Lady, hide yourselves in the Heart of the Lamb,

even as He is hidden in the tabernacles of the world,

unseen, unknown, and forgotten by men.

The monk is a man called more to hiddenness than to appearing; more to silence than to discourse; more to the praise of God than to conversation with men. In all of these things the monk participates, here and now, even amidst the shadows and changes of this passing world, in the glorious mystery of the Assumption of the Mother of God.

The traditional Gospel for this festival of the Assumption is, as you know, Saint Luke’s account of the hospitality given Jesus in the house of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in Bethany. It was, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and following a most luminous theological instinct that the Church, for centuries, proclaimed and meditated this Gospel in reference to the all–pure Mother of God, Mary most holy, seated in quiet repose at the feet of her risen and ascended Son in glory.

«One thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her» (Luke 10:42).

Again, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and following a most luminous theological instinct, holy tradition has long applied this same Gospel passage to the monastic vocation, recognising that in a world and, indeed, even in a Church, where too many souls are burdened with cares and troubled about many things, the monk must remain, on behalf of all and for all, at the Lord’s feet, listening to His Word.

Today, dearest Dom Finnian and Dom Elijah, you are choosing the best part, and it shall not be taken away from you. You are being given three years during which, bound by your vows, you will enter more deeply into the secrets, and trials, and joys of Mary’s part.

In a few moments you will, with Our Lady, enter into the great upward movement of the Suscipe. Might this not have been Our Lady’s own prayer in the hour of her holy dormition: Suscipe me, Domine, secundum eloquium tuum et vivam, «Take me unto thyself, O Lord, and I shall live»? The Virgin Mary was not disappointed in her hope, nor shall you be disappointed in yours. «Know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded. For who hath continued in his commandment, and hath been forsaken? or who hath called upon him, and he despised him?» (Ecclesiasticus 2:11–12).

Dom Finnian and Dom Elijah, you have both made known your desire and your resolve to persevere in the school of the Lord’s service established by our holy Father Benedict. You have both declared yourselves ready to risk a fully Eucharistic life, to fall under the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost so as to become a hostia pura, hostia sancta, hostia immaculata, -- a pure victim, a holy victim, a spotless victim. Now, then, in the radiance of the Assumption of the Mother of God, you may make your profession of triennial vows.

(For more photos, visit this link.)

Cistercian Chant for the Feast of St Bernard

August 20, 2015, 7:08 am

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In honor of the feast of St Bernard of Clairvaux, here are two sets of recordings of Cistercian chants made in the 1960s. The first one has the Salve Regina, the hymn Sanctorum meritis from Vespers of Several Martyrs (starting at 3:30), the hymn Jesu corona virginum from Vespers of a Holy Virgin (starting at 5:48), and the Magnificat, with the antiphon “Verbo caro factum est, alleluia, et habitavit in nobis, alleluia.” (starting at 7:28). You may note that the text of the two hymns differs slightly from the versions in the Roman Breviary, since the Cistercians, like the other religious orders, never adopted the revised versions of the hymns promulgated by Pope Urban VIII. These are followed by Terce of the Epiphany (minus the hymn). The second contains various chants for the Dead: the Libera me, Chorus Angelorum, and Clementissime Domine.

Mater Ecclesiae’s Assumption Mass in Philadelphia

August 21, 2015, 12:18 am

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Some choice photos of the Assumption Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Philadelphia, PA.

For more photos please go to www.materlatin.org. For a video of the procession please view Mater Ecclesiae’s Facebook page.

                         

    Dr. Timothy McDonnell at work.

  Entrance procession.

The prayers at the foot of the altar.

  The elevation of Our Lord.

To the altar rail.

  The recessional.

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Solemn EF Mass in Vancouver Cathedral for the Feast of St Augustine

August 21, 2015, 6:54 am

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On Friday, August 28th, a Solemn Mass for the feast of St Augustine will be celebrated in Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver, British Columbia, starting at 7:30 p.m. The cathedral is located at 646 Richards St.

Bishop Schneider at the “Ars Celebrandi” Workshops in Licheń, Poland

August 21, 2015, 9:08 am

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Our thanks to the organizers of the Ars Celebrandi workshops for sending us these photographs and the accompanying press release. I would call our readers’ attention particularly to the report in the second paragraph of Bishop Schneider’s words about the false opposition between the observance of liturgical norms and interior participation in the liturgy, and the “deep wound” in the heart of the Church caused by lack of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. Most of the photographs below were taken at the Pontifical Mass, but the last one is of the blessing of new chalices, and the three before that are of Pontifical Vespers.

On 19 August 2015, at the Ars Celebrandi workshops on the traditional liturgy, Bishop Athanasius Schneider celebrated Pontifical Mass and Vespers, and gave a lecture on the proper renewal of the liturgy and due adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He also answered questions from participants in the workshops, and signed copies of his latest book Corpus Christi.

In a lecture entitled “The Renewal of the Liturgy and the Perennial Sense of the Church”, His Excellency pointed out that the essential feature of the sacred liturgy is the adoration of God. The Eucharistic liturgy is the most sublime realization of the first commandment of which Jesus reminded us: “You shall adore the Lord your God and worship Him alone” (Matt 4, 10). Bishop Athanasius referred to the liturgical norms of the Church and the importance which should be attached to them in accordance with the whole of Scripture and Catholic doctrine.

To establish an opposition between exterior norms and the attention of the heart would be against the Divine truth. Such a contrast was often established by heretical movements, by neglecting or refusing exterior norms, e.g. Christian Gnostics, Cathars and Albigensians, Calvinists, and some Catholic Pentecostals and progressives of various degrees in our days. He also pointed to some alarming data about an increasing number of profanations related to giving Holy Communion on the hand. Then Bishop Schneider went on to present a sublime model to be imitated in liturgical celebrations: the liturgy of the Heavenly Jerusalem described in the Book of the Apocalypse. It is characterized by seven elements: kneeling, deep inclinations, and prostrations; incense; sacred songs, not performing wordly or sensual music (“a new song”); freedom from concentration on oneself; praying and singing together with the Angels; a prolonged time for silence; putting Eucharistic Christ in the visible centre of the liturgical assembly (and not the seat of the human celebrant).

During the Pontifical Mass celebrated in the Basilica of Licheń, Bishop Schneider gave a sermon in Polish in which he said, “The true renewal of the Church begins in an area which is the most important and which is the heart of the Church: in the Eucharistic Lord. However, a deep wound appeared in the heart of today’s Church because of a horrible lack of reverence towards the Blessed Sacrament, and numerous cases of unworthy reception of Holy Communion, without full belief and true contrition.” He also added, “Sinful man wants to put himself in the centre, even in church interiors, even during the Eucharistic feast; he wants to be seen and noticed. For this reason Eucharistic Jesus, who was made man, present in the tabernacle under Eucharistic species, is put to the side in many churches.”

After the Holy Mass, Bishop Schneider shared his feeling that it was one of the most beautiful ones in his life, praising the masters of ceremony and altar servers, as well as the musicians.

Before leaving Licheń, the bishop said a few words to the participants and organizers of the “Ars Celebrandi” Workshops on Traditional Liturgy.

I was deeply impressed by this Ars Celebrandi conference, especially as I met so many young people and young priests who seek to show real love for the holy liturgy and greater honor for Jesus in the holy liturgy. It was for me an experience of little piece of springtime of the Church, because this holy liturgy, the traditional liturgy, is a treasure for the whole Church, as Pope Benedict said, and this is a treasure which our forefathers handed over to us; so we have to love it and to pass it on to the next generation. This liturgy guides us closer to experience the presence of God, of Jesus, and the mystery of His sacrifice of the Cross, and the beauty, the majesty of God, and draws us closer to Him. Of course it is necessary that such beautiful celebrations influence our private lives, our Christianity, our moral lives. This should be a new force to give us new strength and new joy to live a real Christian life; and give an example of good Catholics. So I was favourably impressed and I hope that this Ars Celebrandi meeting will continue in the future and attract ever more young people, seminarians, young priests, to help them to live closer to Jesus, to live deeper this infinite, ineffable mystery of the holy Mass.

The Memoirs of Louis Bouyer Available Again

August 22, 2015, 12:37 am

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Quite a number of NLM readers were dismayed when it looked as if the new English translation of Bouyer's Memoirs had gone out of print. Happily, Amazon has the Memoirs back in stock again, ready for immediate delivery.

Apart from being a prime source of eye-witness information about how the liturgical reform was conducted (and, I assure you, the details are as unedifying as episodes from the lives of certain Renaissance princes of the Church), the Memoirs is, more importantly, a witty, engaging, and beautifully told story of a life spent in service of Christ and the Church. Now, more than ever, we need to learn from Bouyer and we need to emulate his virtues.

Link to product page.

A Course on Poetry Inspired by the Mystical Tradition of the Church

August 22, 2015, 2:05 pm

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This is, as far as I am aware, a new liturgically centered approach to teaching literature, the first in a series offered by Andrew Thornton-Norris, Resident Poet of the Imaginative Conservative and author of A Spiritual History of English.

Pontifex University is offering a new online course of guided reading entitled The Romance of the Soul - the Mystical in Verse, Spiritual Approaches to Literature. This one is for personal enrichment, (and costs just $99) - a must for anyone interested in understanding what makes great literature, and especially those who wish to be creators of beautiful poetry and prose.

This is the introductory course to a planned series which will give a new exciting approach to teaching literature. The goal is to impart wonder at the beauty of the literary tradition which is derived from and points us to the words of the Poet - the Holy Spirit who speaks in the Sacred Liturgy, especially through the Psalms. The hope is that through this it will deepen our participation in the liturgy and help lead us to our ultimate end.

This particular course is an introduction to the poetry that arises from the mystical tradition of the Church. It is presented through the prism of Andrew Thornton-Norris’s general thesis on literature, articulated in his excellent book the Spiritual History of Literature. In this slim volume, Mr Thornton-Norris does for poetry and prose what I have been trying to do with art. He relates the actual structure of the writing and the vocabulary used to the worldview of the time. He shows us, for example, how even if the poet or novelist is sincerely Catholic and trying to express truths that are consistent with the Faith, he is at a great disadvantage if he is seeking to express those truths with the vocabulary and poetic form that reflect a post-Enlightenment culture. He takes us through a philosophical and literary journey from Bede through to the present day.

The true purpose of literature is to instill in those who read it wonder and a desire for God. It ought to

direct us therefore to the place where in this life we have the most profound encounter with God, the Sacred Liturgy. The poetry of the mystical tradition of the Church arises from the tradition of contemplative prayer. This is the prayer whereby we develop the faculty for the reception of God as He gives himself to us through his love. Its consummation is in the liturgy, and when written well it allows for an ever deeper and more active (in the true sense of the word) participation in the liturgy, where there is the most profound encounter with God. Contemplation itself is that reception of God and it can only be realized by the action of God Himself. All we can do is increase our readiness for him, until He chooses to give Himself to us. When He does so, we have peace and joy, but this is the heavenly state that is only fully realized in the next life. However, on our journey towards that point, we can have it by degrees, and some might experience temporary anticipations of that ecstasy.

Poetry is the work of mystics who specialize in this prayer, and it reflects their experiences and directs us to us, helping us in our own contemplative prayer and inspiring us to make the attempt. In the hierarchy of literature it might be considered the highest outside the inspired work of the Poet Himself, and especially the Psalms sung in the liturgy which direct us to Him.

Here is Andrew’s introduction to the course:

“The most profound meeting place between the spiritual and literature is where the mystical tradition inspires poetry. This course will introduce you to some of the key texts and principles of this tradition and the poetry it has inspired. We begin with an introduction to the central concept of mysticism, contemplation, and look at how this relates to the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Then we will consider the emergence of the subjective perspective characteristic of modernity, in the thought and feeling of the twelfth century. Then we look at the poetic tradition this inspired, from that of the time of Dante, through the English Renaissance, to the emergence of modern poetry at the time of Baudelaire and Eliot. Then we will consider two contemporary accounts of this meeting in the theology of John Paul II and Hans Urs Von Balthasar, which provides the spiritual context for creative activity today. The two further planned courses in this series will cover the same ground, but in greater detail. You can progress from one to the other, and have the cost of the earlier ones discounted from the later, or take any of them individually.”

For more details and to take the course go to Pontifex.University.

Assumption 2015 Photopost - Part 1

August 23, 2015, 1:05 am

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The best of our photoposts are the ones which show not only the beauty, but also the variety and the great richness of our liturgical practice, and the many submissions which we received for the Assumption this year are an especially good example of this. We have Masses of the feast in the EF and OF, as well as the EF vigil Mass, processions, Benediction, a new priest’s first Mass, three Pontifical Masses, the traditional blessing of the herbs, with a bit of the Eastern Rites. The photos have come in from all over the world, and we have enough to make two posts out of them; the second will appear tomorrow. Our thanks and best wishes to all those who sent them in - Evangelize though Beauty!

Our Lady of the Angels - Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England

Assumption Day Procession

St John the Baptist Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Blessing of the Herbs (note the traditional Marian blue vestments!) 

St Mary’s - Pine Bluff, Wisconsin

Pontifical Mass celebrated by the Bishop of Madison, H.E. Robert Morlino 

St Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church - Odessa, Texas

Immaculate Heart of Mary - Glasgow, Scotland

Assumption Grotto - Detroit, Michigan

All Saints’ - Minnepolis-St Paul, Minnesota (FSSP)

Pontifical Mass celebrated by H.E. Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Auxiliary of the Diocese, assisted by priests of the Fraternity of St Peter, including the Superior General Fr John Berg.

Assumption 2015 Photopost - Part 2

August 24, 2015, 1:21 am

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Here is the second part of our Assumption photopost, with our renewed thanks to all those who sent in images of their liturgies.

The next to last set comes from the Hermitage of Our Lady of the Garden Enclosed in Warfhuizen, the Netherlands. The person who sent the photos informs me that the hermit, who is seen here serving as deacon, will be ordained a priest on September 6th; let us remember to pray for him and his apostolate!

Cathedral of the Holy Rosary - Vancouver, British Columbia

EF Mass for the vigil of the Assumption 

Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham

Candlelit procession from the Anglican church to the Catholic church then to the Anglican shrine grounds. (click here to see more photographs)

Epiphany Catholic Church - Tampa, Florida

St Joseph’s Church - Archdiocese of Singapore

Blessing of the Herbs

The Shrine Church of St Walburge - Preston, Lancashire, England (ICKSP)

Blessing of the Herbs and Procession

St Kevin’s Church - Dublin, Ireland

The first EF High Mass of Fr Aidan McCann, who was ordained for the Archdiocese of Armagh on July 5th of this year.

Shrine and Hermitage of Our Lady of the Garden Enclosed - Warfhuizen, the Netherlands

Holy Rosary Church - Portland, Oregon (Dominicans)

Vigil of the Assumption, EF Pontifical Mass, celebrated by H.E. Basil Meeking, Bishop Emeritus of Christchurch, New Zealand. This Mass was part of the 18th Annual William Byrd Festival; the Propers were taken from Byrd’s Gradualia, Liber Primus, sung by members of Cantores in Ecclesia, with Jeremy Summerly as guest conductor, and Mark Williams as guest organist. The Missa ‘Cum Jubilo’ was sung by choir and congregation alternating, and the motet Ave Maria by Robert Parsons (c. 1535-1572) was sung at Communion.

On the Participation of the Clergy in a Non-Concelebrated Mass

August 24, 2015, 10:10 am

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Some time ago, a reader and I corresponded about a question that may be of interest to NLM readers more generally. The reader was a priest who had recently learned to offer Mass in the Extraordinary Form and who, seeing more clearly that “the priest is ordained to offer sacrifice,” had arrived at a more critical position regarding concelebration. He wrote to me (and I quote with his permission):

In light of my preparation for the Traditional Latin Mass and in light of Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis, my attitude toward concelebration has shifted. Any Ordinary Form Mass with a bishop as celebrant is an appropriate time for concelebration because of the unique theological relationship priests have with their bishops. In addition, in parishes with more than one priest, the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Easter Vigil, primary Mass on Christmas, parish feast day, etc. could be concelebrated. Also for funerals. But not as a matter of course, like the daily community Mass in a monastery or seminary.
          I truly appreciated my week at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska. There the FSSP priests hammered home that “the priest is ordained to offer sacrifice.” Upon arrival, each of us student priests received a schedule for the daily private Mass, with time, altar, and seminarian server lined out for the entire week. (They have the Novus Ordo books on hand, and the server knows he will be serving Mass in the OF.) What was great was actually saying Mass each day. What a joy, too! I was not in front of hundreds “wowing” them with my eloquent homily; I was being genuinely and deeply priestly, and letting the floodgates of Divine Mercy flow upon myself, anyone living and deceased I included in the intentions, and any that the server had, and any that the Father in Heaven desired for the sake of His Son’s sorrowful passion as He “received the sacrifice at [my] hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.”

Instead of automatically concelebrating at a clergy gathering, he went on to say, he now prefers to attend in choro or in the nave, while making time elsewhere in the day for offering a private Mass. This, I gather, is the thinking and praxis prevailing among many of the clergy, especially the younger set, as they come to see the fallacious historical research and the superficial theology on which the “revival” of concelebration was based, and as they experience in their own lives the abuses to which concelebration so often leads as well as the spiritual fruits of individual daily celebration.[1] My correspondent continued:

What I am now moved to explore is the phenomenon of the non-celebrant priest present at Mass. Since with the priesthood of the baptized, every baptized person present at Mass offers, in a way, the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross as well as the sacrifice of oneself with Christ to the Father, does concelebration make any difference for ordained priests who are present at Masses they are not offering as celebrants? To rephrase the question, does a priest concelebrating at a Mass in the Ordinary Form exercise a higher level of efficacy or enjoy a greater access to sacramental graces than a priest assisting at a Mass in either form in the pew, in choir, or serving (in the EF) as deacon, subdeacon, assistant priest, master of ceremonies, etc.? The question amounts to this: Does a priest who merely attends a Mass rather than celebrating it participate in a qualitatively different way than a layman does?

I answered along the following lines.

It seems to me true that a priest is called to the altar of God every day, if possible, to represent and act on behalf of Christ the High Priest, and to offer the holy sacrifice for himself and for the people. Obviously, concelebration is not wrong in itself, and there are times when it seems to be called for, but to make it into a general or normative practice is certainly a deviation from the organic development of the Roman Church, and I am glad that so many are rethinking it and rediscovering how a priest may fruitfully pray “in choir” (though not in substitution for his daily Mass).

Concelebration is an exercise of the ministerial priesthood in a way that praying “in choir” is not, since the latter participation in the sacrifice is not essentially different from the way in which a layman participates—namely, by uniting himself spiritually with the priest who is actually offering at the altar, and in that way, uniting himself with Christ. The priest is ordained to offer sacrifice in persona Christi, but when he assists at Mass not as the offerer, he is not exercising this specific power, which is manifested and actualized in the consecration.

Serving as a deacon, on the other hand, is a distinctive way of participating in the liturgy which can neither simply be reduced to a layman’s participation nor made equivalent to a priest’s. The subdeacon presents a special case, because a layman can, in a pinch, serve as a “straw” subdeacon,[2] and also because the status of the subdiaconate is somewhat perplexing in these days when we are suspended between the OF world (where the ministry no longer exists) and the EF world (where it definitely exists). It is one among many questions for which a future solution will need to be found.

So, in short, I would say:

1. The priest offering Mass (whether celebrating or concelebrating) is doing something unique, to which no other ministry can compare.
2. The priest assisting at Mass as a deacon or subdeacon, or the deacon or subdeacon in their respective capacities, is participating in a manner subordinate to that of the priest but still with an exercise of major or minor orders that is distinctive to him and in which the laity do not share.
3. The priest assisting at Mass “in choro” is participating in the Mass as the laity do, but with external marks of honor, such as cassock, surplice, and stole, to convey his difference in identity and his proper place in the hierarchical communion of the Church.

That is what I feel able to say, but it is a question with many interesting ramifications and implications to it. I would certainly value comments from any readers who have light to shed or further speculations on any aspect of the matter.

Hierarchical participation in the one Sacrifice

NOTES

[1] For more on the entirely non-Roman novelty of modern concelebration, see here; for more on how it differs from the Byzantine practice to which it is erroneously compared, see here; for more on its spiritual disadvantages, see here.

[2] Contrary to some reports, there is no definitive judgment from the PCED that the long-standing custom of the “straw subdeacon” may never be followed. It happens regularly in Ecclesia Dei communities and shows no signs of abating. It could have been officially stopped if that was thought to be necessary or important.

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A Talk on John Singer Sargent in Manchester, NH, Thursday, August 27

August 25, 2015, 1:28 am

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Paul Ingbretson is opening up his painting school, the Ingbretson Studios, this Thursday, to give a talk on one of the great artists of the naturalistic tradition, John Singer Sargent, and the movement that was inspired to a large degree by his influence, the Boston School of the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century.

John Singer Sargent was not a religious man, and was not known for sacred art; neither was the Boston School. However, I recommend this talk for two reasons. First, because stylistically Sargent was an anachronism. Although he was trained in Paris in the 19th century, under the influence of his teacher Charles Durand (known as Carolus-Duran) he rejected the sterile neo-classicism of the French academy and its corollary, and the overly emotional portrayals of the Romantics, and strove to follow the style of the great Spanish master of the 17th century baroque, Velasquez. This was not a theological or philosophical decision, as far as I am aware, but based rather on his personal taste. He wanted to paint like Velazquez because he preferred his style. After training with Duran in Paris, he went to the Prado in Madrid, and taught himself further by copying every Velazquez on display in the museum. So, in his portraits and landscapes, he incorporates the essential elements of the baroque style, which is an authentically Christian style, and can be accounted for by a Christian worldview. This style is rooted in the religious art that grew out of the Catholic Counter-Reformation period. Therefore, anyone who wishes to understand the balance between natural appearances and idealization that must be present in all genuine Christian art could do worse than study the work of Sargent.

Idealized naturalism is as much about what you don’t show as much it is about what you do. The artist controls the focus, the intensity of color and contrast of light and dark, in order to draw your attention to the important points of interest, which must coincide with those which we would look at naturally if we were presented with the scene itself. We are made by God to be curious about important things, and uninterested in unimportant things, and the artist must understand this.

The other reason for highlighting this is to give a profile to Paul Ingbretson. One of the most important reasons that there are any ateliers teaching the academic style at all today is the group of young men trained in Boston in the 1970s under the guidance of almost the only remaining teacher of the academic style at that time, an octogenarian called Ives-Gammell. Paul was one of these young men who went on to devote himself to passing on to others what he learned.

Paul is not Catholic, but he is, as far as I am aware, Christian. Certainly, his strong libertarian views mean that he encourages people of faith to connect this with their art when he teaches. This is not true of all the ateliers around, which can be just as aggressively secular in their worldviews as any other modern art school. Some of you may be aware of the Catholic painter based in Virginia, Henry Wingate, who paints portraits, still lives, and sacred art, and is one of Paul’s star pupils.

The paintings shown here are by Sargent; the first is Gassed, which comes from his work as a war artist during the First World War, and shows soldier who have been blinded by mustard gas being led from the battle ground. The second is Venetian Interior, in which we can see how much Sargent communicates by his use of colour (or deliberate lack of it), focus and contrast.

David Clayton's book, the Way of Beauty, which contains a description of theological basis of the form of Western naturalistic art is now available from Angelico Press and Amazon.com.

Assumption 2015 - Final Photpost

August 26, 2015, 3:32 am

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As is often the case, we’ve had a enough late submissions for the feast of the Assumption to make a third and final photopost. I am also including a video of a procession in honor of the Virgin Mary’s mother, St Anne, a tradition revived by the Fraternity of St Peter after many years’ suspension at a church entitled to her in Ottawa.

Annunciation Catholic Church - Houston, Texas

Solemn High Mass of the Vigil of the Assumption, was followed by Solemn First Vespers of the Assumption, with antiphons and psalms fully accompanied on the organ. On Assumption Day, Fr. Paul Felix, the pastor, celebrated his first Solemn High Mass, and on Sunday afternoon, Solemn Sunday Vespers was sung coram Sanctissimo, followed by Benediction. All the liturgies mentioned here were in the Extraordinary Form.

Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon - North Jackson, Ohio

Procession for the Dormition of the Virgin on August 14, celebrated by the Melkites and Ukrainians. The bishop is the Melkite Bishop Nicholas Samra of the Eparchy of Newton and the Burial Service was conducted by Rt. Rev. Msgr. Archimandrite George Appleyard of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Parma. The last three photos are of an EF Missa Cantata.

Sacred Heart Church - Copenhagen, Denmark

St Clement Parish at the Church of St Anne - Ottawa, Ontario

Procession in honor of St Anne

Society of St. Dominic Announces Concert with Victoria Requiem

August 26, 2015, 7:00 am

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The Society of St. Dominic, based in Winnipeg, is pleased to announce a major undertaking in connection with the Camerata Nova. If you are anywhere near Winnipeg, make sure you get this in your calendar!

Tomas Luis de Victoria's 1605 Requiem

In honor of Our Lady of Sorrows, an evening of renaissance sacred polyphony performed by Camerata Nova

Saturday September 26th, 2015, 8:00 pm, St Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church, 315 Munroe Avenue, Winnipeg, MB.

Doors open at 7:00 pm; concert begins at 8:00 pm. Admission is free. Free-will offerings gratefully accepted.

In Memoriam

August 26, 2015, 12:09 pm

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Today, August 26, marks the fourth anniversary of the death of Professor László Dobszay (1935-2011), a true Catholic gentleman and scholar. Many, perhaps most, readers of NLM will have heard of him and of his substantial contributions to sacred music and liturgical scholarship, two of his English-language publications being The Bugnini-Liturgy and the Reform of the Reform (Church Music Association of America, 2007) and The Restoration and Organic Development of the Roman Rite (T&T Clark/Continuum, 2010). I was blessed to have known him personally as a colleague in the “new Liturgical Movement” and as a friend. Please say a prayer for the happy repose of his soul. Requiescat in pace Domini.

Summorum Pontificum Conference in Santiago de Chile

August 27, 2015, 3:34 am

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The first International Summorum Pontificum Conference in Chile was recently held in the city of Santiago from July 21-23 at the Nuestra Señora de La Dehesa retreat house, focused mainly on the implementation of the Traditional Roman Liturgy, in light of Pope Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

The conference was organized by Fr. Milan Tisma (Archdiocese of Santiago), Fr. Lucio Cáceres (Prelature of Illapel), Fr. Carlos Bolelli (Archdiocese of La Serena) and Fr. Marcelo Guzmán (Diocese of San Bernardo), with the support of Magnificat - Una Voce Chile ( founded in 1966), the Chilean Chapter of the International Una Voce Federation (FIUV), and of several generous benefactors. The conference was attended by priests and laymen from Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and France; Paix Liturgique was represented by Mr. Guillaume Ferluc, one of the organizers of the annual Populus Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage to Rome.

The conference began with the celebration of Low Masses in the Extraordinary Form in two shifts at the side altars of the retreat house’s main chapel. Since one of the conference’s main purposes was to introduce the Traditional Rite to priests who were not yet familiar with its celebration, an altar for celebration of the Ordinary Form versus Deum.

The opening lecture was given by Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez, former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship (1998-2002), who focused his speech on the sacrificial meaning of the Holy Mass. The second lecture was delivered by Professor Augusto Merino, Vice President of Magnificat - Una Voce Chile, addressing the issue of the liturgical reform. In the afternoon, two liturgical training workshops were held for priests interested in learning the celebration of the Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form, and another for laypeople.

On Wednesday the 22nd, Professor Mario Correa Ph.D. addressed the issue of the juridical status of the Extraordinary Form in light of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. The second lecture was given by Professor Luis González, organist of Magnificat - Una Voce Chile, regarding the nature, purposes and features of sacred music. Prof. González also gave suggestions for the interpretation of music in the context of the Extraordinary Form.

In the evening, Fr. Lucio Cáceres celebrated a Sung Mass at the church of Nuestra Señora de la Victoria, with the attendance of a considerable number of faithful.

The first lecture of Thursday the 23rd was given by Fr. Milan Tisma, chaplain of Magnificat - Una Voce Chile, who gave a testimony of his experience in the celebration under both forms of the Roman Rite, and gave some advice for the introduction of the Extraordinary Form in a Catholic community or parish. The closing lecture was delivered by Professor Julio Retamal Ph.D., President and founder of Magnificat - Una Voce Chile, regarding the history of the Roman Rite.

The conference concluded with the Blessing of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the singing of the Te Deum. The assistants expressed their wish to attend a new Summorum Pontificum conference in 2016.