Many orders of religious have had their own Mass propers that elaborate on the basic propers found in the Graduale Romanum, and MusicaSacra.com has worked to put these online. The latest was sent to us from the Franciscans, a marvelous book from 1924: Graduale Romano-Seraphicum.
We recognize the force of the family in shaping the habits and character of children. We know too that neither faith nor ideas are inherited. They are instilled, and the family is the ordinary instrument through which this is accomplished... Because the family is such a basic and intimate society it is a most powerful unit for the preservation of a heritage. Before a movement can be permanently established it must have the support of families, it must become part of the family tradition. The liturgical movement will remain a movement and no more until such a time as it becomes a family heritage. For although the source of the liturgy is Christ through His Church and the proper custodians of it the priests through the parish, the flowering of the liturgy in the lives of the members will not be permanent until it becomes a part and parcel of Christian family life. In that sense, may we not speak of Christian families as the popular custodians of the liturgy, a subordinate but essential means to its strength and expansion?
Yonkers, NY - Today at the Vatican Pope Benedict XVI was presented with a special white edition of the new Roman Missal by Pierre-Marie Dumont, publisher of Magnificat magazine. Bearing the Holy Father's coat of arms on a white leather cover, the personalized edition of the Magnificat Missal was given to the Pope four days after the implementation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, in the United States.
Leafing through the pages of the Magnificat Missal, presented in a white leather and velvet-lined box, the Pope thanked the publisher of Magnificat for the quality of the volume: "It is beautiful, it is truly beautiful," the Holy Father said. "Thank you for having made it so beautiful."
This emphasis on beauty is one of the prime characteristics of the Missal published by Magnificat. "Our desire was to answer the Pope's wish that beauty permeate the liturgy," Pierre-Marie Dumont said, recalling the Pope's own words: "Beauty is an essential element of the liturgical action, since it is an attribute of God himself and his revelation."
Printed in Italy and designed in France and in the United States, the Magnificat Roman Missal is adorned with over 130 reproductions of sacred art, from catacomb frescoes to twentieth-century paintings. The artwork highlights the liturgical seasons, feast days, and other sections of the Missal.
Pope Benedict also indicated that he was very familiar with Magnificat. The monthly worship aid has been published for more than 13 years in the United States. With over one million readers worldwide, its aim is to foster and celebrate the prayer life of the Church.
NEWLY COMPLETED PROJECT: ILLUSTRATIONS for VOX CLARA PONTIFICAL
Earlier this year, I was contacted by the Executive Secretary of the Vox Clara Committee, a Vatican committee of senior bishops from episcopal conferences throughout the English-speaking world that advises the Holy See on English-language liturgy. The Committee will publish in 2012 an interim edition of the Roman Pontifical, including new translations of certain texts drawn from the revised Roman Missal.
I was commissioned to create a series of five color illustrations for this Pontifical, depicting the Crucifixion, the Last Supper, the Presentation in the Temple, the Descent of the Holy Ghost and Christ the High Priest. The central images are surrounded by appropriate symbols and Old Testament prefigurements, and the corner scenes depict liturgical rites contained in the Pontifical.
The drawings were realized in colored inks on Bristol board, in a style heavily influenced by 15th century panel paintings, tapestries, manuscripts and incunabula. Black and white versions of two of these illustrations were also produced.
Sainte-Marie-sur-La-Minerve : messe en rit ambrosien de la fête de sainte Catherine de Sienne, patronne de l’Italie
1. Diffusa est gratia – plain-chant ambrosien – 1:19
2. Les 12 Kyrie eleison – plain-chant ambrosien – 1:02
3. O felix anima – Giacomo Carissimi – 3:54
4. Sanctus – plain-chant ambrosien – 1:28
5. Adoramus te – Loyset Compère – 1:44
6. Tantum ergo – Orfeo Vecchi (1550 † 1604) – 3:23
7. Rites de conclusion de la messe ambrosienne – plain-chant ambrosien – 1:57
8. Regina cœli – Charles de Courbes – 1:01
Saint-André-du-Quirinal : vêpres & complies solennelles en rit ambrosien de la fête des saints Apôtres Philippe & Jacques
9. Lucernarium – plain-chant ambrosien – 1:36
10. Æterna Christi munera – plain-chant ambrosien – 2:07
11. Magnificat – plain-chant ambrosien & alternance polyphonique de Claudin de Sermisy – 6:45
12. Psallenda – plain-chant ambrosien – 1:35
13. Fin des vêpres – plain-chant ambrosien – 1:28
Basilique de Sainte-Marie-Majeure : messe en rit romain de la solennité de saint Joseph
14. Iste confessor – plain-chant de Prémontré – 1:53
15. Kyrie eleison – Missa Secunda de Hans Leo Hassler – 3:59
16. Gloria – Missa Secunda de Hans Leo Hassler – 6:01
17. Alleluia – plain-chant grégorien – 6:13
18. Credo – Missa Secunda de Hans Leo Hassler – 3:16
19. Sanctus – Missa Secunda de Hans Leo Hassler – 1:48
20. Benedictus – Missa Secunda de Hans Leo Hassler – 3:44
21. Agnus Dei – Missa Secunda de Hans Leo Hassler – 3:33
Father Thomas Kocik to present “Singing His Life”
On St. Nicholas Day, December 6, 2011, Fr. Thomas Kocik will present "Singing His Life ," a brief history of the Liturgical Movement, including its most recent phase, now widely called the "new liturgical movement." This hour-long presentation is a highly condensed version of a 13-part series on the liturgical movement that appeared earlier in 2011 in The Anchor, the official Catholic weekly paper of the Diocese of Fall River.
Fr. Thomas Kocik, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, MA, is the author of two liturgy-related books: The Reform of the Reform? A Liturgical Debate (Ignatius, 2003) and Loving and Living the Mass (Zaccheus, 2007; rev. ed. 2011), as well as several published essays, both scholarly and popular. He is a member of the Society for Catholic Liturgy and served as editor of its journal Antiphon. Fr. Kocik celebrates both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Mass of the Roman Rite.
We hope you will join us for this presentation! Refreshments will be served.
The College of Saint Mary Magdalen • 511 Kearsarge Mountain Rd. • Warner, NH 03278
Tel: (603) 456 – 2656 • Fax: (603) 456 – 2660
Bishop of Myra in Lycia; died 6 December, 345 or 352. Though he is one of the most popular saints in the Greek as well as the Latin Church, there is scarcely anything historically certain about him except that he was Bishop of Myra in the fourth century.
Some of the main points in his legend are as follows: He was born at Parara, a city of Lycia in Asia Minor; in his youth he made a pilgrimage to Egypt and Palestine; shortly after his return he became Bishop of Myra; cast into prison during the persecution of Diocletian, he was released after the accession of Constantine...
In many parts of Europe children still receive his "visit" on the eve of his feast. Impersonated by a man wearing a long white beard, dressed in the vestments of a bishop, with mitre and crozier, he appears in the homes as a heavenly messenger. Coming at the start of Advent, he admonishes the children to prepare their hearts for a blessed and holy Christmas. He examines them on their prayers. After exhorting them to be good, he distributes fruit and candy and departs with a kindly farewell... (p. 340)
Ambrose Uranius Aurelius was born probably at Treves, of an ancient and illustrious Roman family, which had already given to the Church the martyr St. Soter, and which was to enrich the martyrology with two more names besides that of the holy Doctor of whom we are speaking, those of Satyrus and Marcellina, his own brother and sister. St. Ambrose died at Milan on Easter Eve, April 4, 397. As, however, that day always recurs in Lent, or in Paschal week, when in accordance with the ancient liturgy all feasts in honour of the saints are excluded, his festival is kept today, which is the anniversary of his ordination as bishop.
This substitution dates at Rome from the eleventh century at least, and is founded on the very ancient liturgical custom of solemnly celebrating the natale ordinationis of bishops and priests.
Today, again, the Church is full of joy, and the joy is greater than it was. It is true that her Lord has not come; but she feels that He is nearer than before, and therefore she thinks it just to lessen somewhat the austerity of this penitential season by the innoncent cheerfulness of her sacred rites... The organ is played at the Mass; the vestments are rose-colour; the deacon resumes the dalmatic, and the subdeacon the tunic [this is in reference to the folded chasubles which would have been worn by deacon and subdeacon on the other days of Advent at this time -- NLM]; and in cathedral churches the bishop assists with precious mitre. How touching are all these usages, and how admirable this condescension of the Church, wherewith she so beautifully blends together the unalterable strictness of the dogmas of the faith and the graceful poetry of the formulae of the liturgy!
