Our Lady was crowned Queen of Poland at Czestochowa in 1717; now that Poland has been delivered from Communism, laymen have proposed naming Christ our Lord as King of Poland. The proposal probably won't go through yet, but it's a laudable thought.
(Via Catholicgauze.)
Sacred Music magazine has an informative article by Laszlo Dobszay. His "Critical Reflections" (PDF) describe the historic structure of the Roman Office, and explain how reform efforts over the past centuries turned it from a liturgy meant for choral celebration into a book for priests to read.
Prof. Bill Mahrt (music, Stanford) has proposed some ways for the US Catholic Bishops to improve sacred music in this country by improving their coming document on the subject. Along the way, he cuts through numerous confusions about the music of the Mass.
(Thanks, Amy.)
Now that I'm trying out semi-retirement, I'm filling in some of the gaps in my education, and today I read the play Oedipus the King for the first time. Having only a minimal acquaintance with the story's outline, I'm struck to find that the story's horrible crimes (parricide, incest) aren't presented as arbitrary results of blind fate, but are rooted in an older crime, a long-hidden attempt to kill a child. In a way, the later horrors were a divine vengeance (or nature's vengeance) for that failed act of infanticide.
To me, the devastating force of the play's revelations comes not from the attempted infanticide alone, but from the mother's consent to it: in putting her husband's interests first, Iocasta makes a perverse substitution of husband for child that eventually proves mortal to both parents.
Other folks are paying attention to this play too: a Maryknoll sister recently helped a group of inmates at Sing Sing put on a production of Oedipus the King in November.
(Incidentally, further down, that page has reviews of Sr. Chan's own 2003 play that takes on China's ruthless one-child policy.)
(The reception of doctrine)
Good Master
On our shoulders, place your yoke, for this yoke is sweet. All irradiated with your goodness, may your doctrine penetrate deeply into us.
Make us carry your burden, for this burden is light. May your commandments, far from encumbering us, enter into our life in the way of your gentle goodwill.
Make us fulfill your law, for this law frees us and lifts us up. May we never complain of being chained by your word or your will, for you have never wanted chains but those of love!
Make us take up your cross, for this cross has less weight when it is carried by your own shoulders and embraced by your generosity.
Engrave in us your ideal, whatever it may cost us, for in your heart every fatigue is changed into rest and every pain becomes beatitude.
--Jean Galot, S.J.
A look at Boston's Tridentine Mass community, likely to be moved to Newton soon, and at the Korean Catholic community, also likely to be relocated from its church.
Truly, Time has descended into asinine self-parody:
Time Magazine's Person of the Year: You
NEW YORK (AP) - Congratulations! You are the Time magazine "Person of the Year."
The annual honor for 2006 went to each and every one of us, as Time cited the shift from institutions to individuals - citizens of the new digital democracy, as the magazine put it. The winners this year were anyone using or creating content on the World Wide Web.
"If you choose an individual, you have to justify how that person affected millions of people," said Richard Stengel, who took over as Time's managing editor earlier this year. "But if you choose millions of people, you don't have to justify it to anyone."Thanks, editor dudes!
ACI Prensa has this on the upcoming liturgical documents.
(NB: this is my own off-the-cuff translation of the Spanish. Caveat lector.)
Motu Proprio after Christmas, Apostolic Exhortation in January
ACI NEWSROOM, 14 Dec. 06 (ACI).- Sources in the Vatican tell ACI Prensa that the Motu Proprio by which Pope Benedict XVI will grant a universal indult for the Missal of St. Pius V may be published after Christmas; furthermore, the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist will see light in the middle of January.
The sources confirm the press statement by Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez, who recently participated in the meeting of the "Ecclesia Dei" Commission –charged with dialogue with the Lefebvrist schism– in which the final version of the text of the Motu Proprio was revised.
The indult is said to allow the Mass of St. Pius V to be celebrated freely, without the current requirement of explicit permission from the local bishop. The Motu Proprio, however, does not deal with the canonical issue of the Society of St. Pius X, the schismatic organizatión created by Mons. Marcel Lefebvre.
The Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist, according to the same sources, has been completed by Pope Benedict XVI and is in the process of translation into the various languages in which it will be published.
The text, which will see the light after January 15, say the sources, reaffirms a "no" for married priests, promotes the use of Latin in liturgical celebrations, and also asks that seminarians learn the use of that language.
The text also supports the recovery of Gregorian chant and polyphonic sacred music in place of modern music, which would imply a gradual removal of musical instruments "inadequate" for the solemnity and reverence of the Eucharistic Celebration.
(Tip: WDTPRS)
Tuesday at 2 p.m., two new bishops will be ordained as auxiliaries for the Archdiocese of Boston. Choirs from the Cathedral's English and Spanish communities and from the new bishops' respective parishes will join to sing these musical selections, along with a couple of pro soloists and a few extra voices responding to the APB.
(Updated with the actual order of music:)
Before the Mass:
Cesar Franck: Praise Ye The Lord (Ps. 150, ed. Treharne; very triumphal)
Also, before the Mass, a Life Teen choir sang Carey Landry's Hail Mary, and while it was nothing fancy, they really were a good assemblage of voices and sounded quite nice.
After them, a soloist did 2-3 Spanish-language religious songs, with (I was horrified) an audio accompaniment track. Karaoke time in the cathedral! And the priests' procession took place during this embarrassing performance.
Procession:
Traditional: Las Apariciones Guadalupanas
Traditional: O come, O come, Emmanuel / O ven, O ven, Emmanuel
Berthier (Taize): Kyrie
James Chepponis: Melodic Gloria
at the Responsorial Psalm: Chepponis, Magnificat
Ordination Rite:
plainchant: Veni Creator Spiritus
Chant (in English): Litany of the Saints
Offertory:
John Ireland (the 20th c. composer, not the 19th c. Archbishop): Greater Love Hath No Man
Marty Haugen: Mass of Creation (Holy, Acclamation, Amen)
(Unknown): Cordero de Dios (Lamb of God)
Communion:
Gabarain: Pescador de Hombres
Bob Hurd: Pan de Vida
Mozart: Laudate Dominum
(while the new bishops blessed the congregation)
Traditional: Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
F.X. Moreau: Tu Reinaras, a march
(The congregation went wild for the new bishops, so we had to sing three verses of the latter, twice, and it still wasn't enough.)
Recess Song: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus -- but the text was so much changed from the original -- Heaven knows why -- I stopped trying to sing it.
PS: Boston-area cable viewers can catch reruns of the Mass on the Boston Catholic TV cable channel Tuesday, Dec 12, at 8:30 pm and tomorrow (Wed., Dec 13) at 11 a.m.
Quaeramus cum pastoribus by Jean Mouton (1459-1522): I haven't found a voice recording of the motet, but here's an audio file I made from CPDL's MIDI sample.
I'm learning it for a concert Saturday, Dec. 16, by the New England Classical Singers. We're not going to sing it at quite the pace illustrated in the audio file, but I speeded it up for John's sake. :-)
Bravo to the French bishops who called their country's Muscular Dystrophy organization on the carpet, just days before its national telethon, for spending donors' contributions on destructive embryo research.
Christmas comes early for choirs. Mine starts reviewing Christmas music around Thanksgiving and does extra rehearsals through December. I used to think seeing the retail Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving was tacky. Now I'm numb to it - I'm already obsessing over the music for our Christmas liturgy.
Why obsessing? Because I have a medium-sized choir with very fluid membership. Of 22 regulars, only a few are trained singers and musicians. A few are business executives or lawyers and travel all the time. Most are dedicated and conscientious. But it's a momumental effort to take a group like that and do music like Victoria's O Magnum Mysterium.
Learning notes is usually not a problem. It's making the music sound work with the group I have that's the problem.
I'm in the same situation that hundreds of other choir directors face. I've got folks who can't read music: period. I've got singers who had oddities with their voices that mean it's very tough for them to sing in tune or produce a beautiful choral sound. I've got several people who are approaching old age and just don't have the mental and physical flexibility they used to.
So how do we put it together?
I have no earthly idea. It's a mystery how my choir can sound great on a regular basis with all the challenges we have. We do music from Palestrina forward, and most of it works well. I had one parishoner tell me he thought he was at the Kennedy Center. Too bad he wasn't happy about it. He was part of the "the congregation must sing everything" crowd and really should be going to a different Mass.
Back to obsessing about Christmas. No other season has more repertoire available. Much of it is schlock or in other ways not appropriate for a musical prelude to Mass and the Christmas liturgies. But amoung the thousands of sacred pieces out there I have to pick things that have relatively easy to learn lines, are mostly four-part, have a nice balance in mood and texture, and also include some of the jewels of sacred music.
So this year we're a few Shaw arranagements of Christmas carols "Christ Was Born on Christmas Day" & a piece Eric and his wife will remember: "Good King Wenceslas." We're doing the Andrew Carter "Mary's Magnificat" and an arrangement of "My Dancing Day." We'll do several standard carols during Mass as well as some classic chants like "Of the Father's Love Begotten."
So far it's coming together well. We have some note problems in the Carter piece. And the tempo changes in the Victoria are a mystery to some people even after doing the piece for several years. With most notes learned, I can work on the tuning and the sound and we'll likely have a great liturgy on Christmas Eve. For many, it will be the finale for their Christmas, instead of the start of the season. We'll do that music through the season, as a gentle reminder that Christmas doesn't really start in mid-November. Except for choirs.
Abp. Milingo's attempt to bring married ex-clergy into his Moon-financed anti-celibacy project is not meeting with the success he expected:
Organizers said on Wednesday that 200 married priests have registered to attend the convention -- about one-third the number predicted by Milingo at a press conference last week.
"The hope was to have many more," said Peter Paul Brennan, of West Hempstead, N.Y., one of the four men Milingo ordained as bishops in September.
Existing groups for dissident ex-clergy seem to be snubbing the loopy, but compared to them relatively more orthodox, archbishop.
(HT: CWN)
"Apocalypto [is] a stunning action epic, a gory personal indulgence, and a forthright defense of family, tradition, and local community against the decadence of urban modernity."
In this video from Texas, Chicken Fried Bacon sounds appealing, but you'd better take a low-dose aspirin before eating it, to help ward off any instant heart attacks.
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has told state employees that it's okay to use the C-word this month:
To ensure that there is no confusion regarding our state policy I am directing that each of you inform all members of your department that they should feel at ease using traditional holiday phrases, including "Merry Christmas" and they should have no fear of official reprisal.
I will never understand why some people get offended when other people wish them a Merry Christmas. If somebody wished me a Happy Hannukah or a Submissive Ramadan or whatever, I'd just smile and say, "Thanks." I might not celebrate those holidays, but I'm glad to have people wish me well, whatever the occasion.
Dropped in at Mary Immaculate of Lourdes parish in Newton for the Monday evening Perpetual Help novena, followed by Benediction. Here's how the sanctuary looks (click the picture for a full-size version).
There are some aspects that could be improved, of course. It would need a sanctuary rail for the distribution of Holy Communion; and, yes, the ambo on the left looks cheap and blockish compared to the dignity of the altar and the reredos. Still, in general this is a decently well-preserved parish church.
If you've ever attended a celebration of the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, you'll be familiar with the Litany of Peace which begins the service. A deacon sings the (more or less) twelve petitions, and the people join in each intention by responding, "Lord have mercy".
Since it is not unusual for the Latin church to borrow some of the beauties of the Eastern liturgies, I've wondered whether this litany has ever found its way into Western church books; and it has: at least recently. The 1981 Psalterium Monasticum (Monastic Psalter), p. 518, presents this Latin version of the litany (reduced to nine petitions) and authorizes its use in the Office, before the Our Father.
V. Dicamus omnes ex tota anima et ex tota mente: Kyrie eleison. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. Pro pace orbis universi, prosperitate sanctæ Dei Ecclesiæ, omniumque christifidelium unitate, Dominum rogemus. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. Pro papa N. et omni sacerdotio, Christi ministris et ascetis, cunctoque fideli populo, Dominum rogemus. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. Pro aerum temperie, fructuum terræ copia, tranquillisque temporibus, Dominum rogemus. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. Pro salute infirmorum, incolumitate viatorum, ac sublevatione pauperum et tribulatorum, Dominum rogemus. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. Pro liberatione omnis animæ christianæ a furore persecutorum et a vexatione dæmonum, Dominum rogemus. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. Pro conversione peccatorum et illuminatione errantium a fide vel non credentium, Dominum rogemus. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. Pro requie eorum qui iam dormierunt patrum fratrumque nostrorum et omnium ubique in Christo defunctorum, Dominum rogemus. R. Kyrie eleison.Et simul his qui domum hanc sanctam, cum fide, pietate, et timore Dei sunt ingressi, nostram ad Dominum precem compleamus.
Pater noster...
Here, off the cuff, is a somewhat free English version:
V. Let us say with our whole soul and our whole mind: Kyrie eleison. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. For peace in the world, the well-being of the holy Church of God, and the unity of all Christians, let us pray to the Lord. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. For Pope N. and all the priesthood, for those who serve Christ and are consecrated to Him, and for all His faithful people, let us pray to the Lord. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. For favorable weather, an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. For the health of the sick, the safety of travelers, and relief to the poor and suffering, let us pray to the Lord. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. For all Christian souls, that they may be freed from the persecution of men and the vexation of evil spirits, let us pray to the Lord. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. For the conversion of sinners and the enlightenment of those who err in faith and of unbelievers, let us pray to the Lord. R. Kyrie eleison.
V. For the repose of our fathers and brothers who are now asleep and all who have died in Christ, let us pray to the Lord. R. Kyrie eleison.And also for those who enter this holy house with faith, reverence, and fear of God, let us complete our prayer to the Lord:
Our Father....
(Update: fixed three typos)
Every Advent, I get a little impetus to start saying the Office regularly, though I don't usually last long. Since it's time this evening for Vespers of the first Sunday of Advent, I figured I'd pull out some books I bought recently and give it a go.
It turns out that it's not totally easy yet, because the chant books for the Office have been published in an piecemeal fashion over the past 25 years: the psalms are in one volume (Psalterium Monasticum, 1981), the antiphons are in another (Antiphonale Monasticum, 2005), the hymns are in a third (Liber Hymnarius, 1983), and the collects are, as far as I can tell, to be sought over in the Gregorian Missal. Putting it all together requires a bit of flipping around and determination.
It's a fitful observance of Vespers, as I have to pause at times to work out the unfamiliar tunes on a keyboard. It pays to remember that the good of praying the Office does not depend on how easily it goes for us, but on the simple aims of adoring God who is worthy of all our love, and of praising him in union with Christ's mystical body, the Church present throughout the world.
I suppose that makes it, ahem, a Roman Catalytic Converter....
