Diaconate Ordination - Part V

Let's see how many people you can name from the opening procession at the June 5 ordination Mass. This video is kind of like a who's who of DoR politicking. I have another video I will upload soon showing the second part of the procession.


On an unrelated note, we will be starting voting in the "Vocatus Es Contest" when we switch over to the new site.

Orthodoxy - the Obvious Choice

The two videos below are from two valid Masses in the United States. However, the one is markedly different from the other. The first one is from a "Teen Mass." I guess a regular "Mass" isn't good enough for some people. When I watched this video, I was struck by how trite the whole thing is. There's more effort going into throwing the slides on the screen than there is in trying to read the Word of God worthily. The second video is from the 2007 Sacred Music Colloquium in Washington. Now when you compare the two, and you measure the reverence, the piety, the tastefulness, the beauty, and the eye appeal, the obvious "winner" is the second video.

Why?

The Mass is a reenactment of Calvary - it is not a talent show, a powerpoint presentation, a chance to socialize, or an opportunity to meet new friends. It is Heaven on Earth, and those who are loyal to the Church, and whose views are orthodox and unfaltering, realize this.

So watch these two videos, and feel free to comment on what you feel is more sacred, and why you feel that way. Bear in mind that these are both Novus Ordo Masses, that is, "Ordinary Form." They are using the same missal, the same rubrics, the same norms. However, one of them is celebrating Mass according to the genuine spirit of Vatican II, and the other is possessed by the impostor spirits of Vatican II, which were not of divine origin.

You Know You're in Good Company When . . .

. . . at daily Mass, the priest sings "Dominus Vobiscum" and every single person responds in flawless unison, "et cum spiritu tuo."

And you also know you're in good company when, on a similar note, every single person can sing the chant ordinaries without picking up a book.

That's the real spirit of Vatican II. The sooner you grasp that, the sooner you become a citizen of reality.

Mozart's Veni Sancte Spiritus

This is the closing portion of the piece - definitely worth a listen.

The Key is Dignity

I had a chat today with a musician at  the Church of the Assumption, whose musical abilities are undeniable and clearly God-given. She was asking about my liturgical tastes, and I explained to her that the liturgy of the Church must be "mutually enriching," to borrow a term from our dear Pope. We must learn from the old when conceiving the new. Continuity is integral to liturgical music, as is seen by many new hymns being published which are in English, but set to the old Gregorian melodies. When I gave her this reasoning, she was very pleasant, but she looked at me, put her guitar down, and said, "well, if you want to go a step backwards, that's okay."

Backwards? This is going a step forward, in the true spirit of Vatican II, which declared that Gregorian Chant have "principum locum," principal, primary place in the liturgy. The Council never intended for guitars and plucky psalm-tones, but alas, that's what we have. And so, I decided to tell her about my upcoming trip to the Sacred Music Colloquium with Choir, Sr. Emily, and two other friends of the blog. I particularly pointed out that we will be singing Latin motets written, not 500 years ago, but 25 years ago, and which are wholly reverent and suited for the liturgy. They are undeniably sacred. Of course, we will be singing the old pieces as well, Tallis, and Byrd, and Victoria among them. Again - this is what the Council had in mind: a refreshing of the old in light of the new.

The debate then turned, most subtlety to the question of dignified music. However, what I said can be summarized in this video just released by the Lalemant Polyphonic channel. Be sure to check out their psalm settings for the Ordinary Form. They are quite beautiful.

Easter Season Marches On

I just wanted to remind all of you that we are still in the Season of Easter, and we will be until Pentecost Sunday. In keeping with the rejoicing spirit of this holy season, I present for your viewing pleasure the following video, recorded at the 2008 Bach-fest in Germany.

The Art of Gregorian Music

The following portion of an essay was written by Dom Andre Mocquereau, a liturgist of the late 19th century. It is lengthy, but definitely deserves at least a partial read.

The most striking characteristic of plainsong is its simplic­ity, and herein it is truly artistic. Among the Greeks, sim­plicity was the essential condition all art; truth, beauty, goodness cannot be otherwise than simple.

The true artist is he who best—that is, in the simplest way— translates to the world without the ideal conceived in the simplicity of his intellect. The higher, the purer the intellect, the greater the unity and simplicity of its conception of the truth; now, the closest interpretation of an idea which is single and simple is plainly that which in the visible world most nearly approaches singleness and simplicity. Art is not meant to encumber the human mind with a multiplicity which does not belong to it: it should on the contrary tend to so elevate the sensible world that it may reflect in some degree the singleness and simplicity of the invisible. Art should tend not to the degradation, but to the perfection of the individual. If it appeals to the senses by evoking impressions and emotions which are proper to them, it only does so in order to arouse the mind in some way, and to enable it to free itself from and rise above the visible world as by a ladder, cunningly devised in accordance with the laws laid down by God Himself. Whence it follows that plainsong is not simple in the sense that its methods are those of an art in its infancy: it is simple consistently and on principle.

It should not be supposed that this theory binds us to sys­tems long since out of date: the Church in this matter professes the principles held by the Greeks, the most artistic race the world has ever known. In their conception, art could not be otherwise than simple. Whenever I read Taine’s admirable pages on the simplicity of Greek art, I am constantly reminded of the music of the Church. Take for instance, the following passage: "The temple is proportionate to man's understand­ing—among the Greeks it was of moderate, even small, dimen­sions: there was nothing resembling the huge piles of India, of Babylon, or of Egypt, nor those massive super-imposed palaces, those labyrinthine avenues, courts, and halls, those gigantic statues, of which the very profusion confused and dazzled the mind. All this was unknown. The order and har­mony of the Greek temple can be grasped a hundred yards from the sacred precincts. The lines of its structure are so simple that they may be comprehended at one glance. There is nothing complicated, fantastic, or strained in its construc­tion; it is based upon three or four elementary geometrical designs.

Do you not recognize in this description, Gentlemen, the un­pretentious melodies of the Gregorian chant? They fill but a few lines on paper: a few short minutes suffice for their execu­tion: an antiphon several times repeated and some verses from a psalm, nothing more. They are moreover so simple that the ear can easily grasp them. There is nothing com­plicated, weird or strained, nothing which resembles those great five-act operas, those interminable oratorios, those Wag­nerian tetralogies which take several days to perform, be­wildering and confusing the mind.
The same simplicity is found in Greek literature and sculp­ture. To quote Taine again :—"Study the Greek play: the characters are not deep and complex as in Shakespeare; there are no intrigues, no surprises—the piece turns on some heroic legend, with which the spectators have been familiar from early childhood; the events and their issue are known beforehand. As for the action, it may be described in a few words—nothing is done for effect, everything is simple—and of exquisite feeling.”

These principles, Gentlemen, may all be applied to plainsong. "No loud tones, no touch of bitterness or passion; scarce a smile, and yet one is charmed as by the sight of some wild flower or limpid stream. With our blunted and unnatural taste, accustomed to stronger wine (I am still quoting Taine) we are at first tempted to pronounce the beverage insipid: but after having moistened our lips therewith for some months, we would no longer have any other drink but that pure fresh water; all other music and literature seem like spice, or poison."
You will no doubt ask how so simple an art, from which the modern means of giving expression are systematically excluded, can faithfully interpret the manifold and deep meaning of the liturgical text. Seemingly this is impossible. But here you are mistaken, Gentlemen. In music, as in all art, the simpler the means, the greater the effect and impression produced. Victor Cousin has a telling saying :—"The less noise the music makes, the more affecting it is!” And so simplicity excludes neither expression nor its subtleties from the chant.

What then is this expression, whence does it spring, and what is its nature? Let me make yet another quotation, for I like to adduce the theories of modern authorities in sup­port of the aesthetics of the chant: behind their shelter, I shall not be exposed to any charge of having invented them to suit my case. M. Charles Blanc, in his "Grammar of the Graphic Arts," says that "Between the beautiful and its ex­pression there is a wide interval, and moreover, an apparent contradiction. The interval is that which separates Christian­ity from the old world: the contradiction consists in the fact that pure beauty (the writer is speaking of plastic beauty) can hardly be reconciled with facial changes, reflecting the count­less impressions of life. Physical beauty must give place to moral beauty in proportion as the expression is more pro­nounced. This is the reason why pagan sculpture is so limited in expression.” I am well aware, Gentlemen, that in sculp­ture, more than in any other art, the greatest care must be taken not to pass certain appointed bounds, if the stateliness which is its chief characteristic is to be preserved. I am also aware that in other arts, such as painting or music, it is legitimate to indulge more freely in the representation of the soul's manifold emotions. All this I grant, Gentlemen: never­theless, it must be acknowledged that these distinctions are very fine indeed, and that in every art, the higher laws of aesthetics are the same. The laws of musical expression are analogous to those of plastic expression: there too it may be asserted that pure musical beauty accords ill with the tonal, metrical or rhythmic changes of a melody reflecting the manifold old impressions of the soul in the grip of its passions. There too we may say that the more intense is the expression, the more the beauty of the music as music gives way to moral beauty. How then are we to reconcile beauty, by its very na­ture serene and immutable, with the restlessness and versa­tility which are the essential characteristics of expression? The problem is by no means easy of solution.

Ancient art, with deeper insight, loved beauty so much that it shunned expression: our more sensual modern art endeavors to obtain expression at the expense of beauty. But the Church in her song has found, it would seem, the secret of wedding the highest beauty without any change to a style of expression which is both serene and touching. This result is attained without conscious effort. For as a sound body is the instru­ment of a sound mind, so the chant, informed by the inspired word of God, interprets its expression. This expression is en­hanced both by the smoothness of the modulations, and by the suppleness of the rhythm. And as the melody is simple and spiritual, so likewise is the expression: it belongs, like the melody, to another age. It is not, as in modern music, the result of surprise, of discord, of irregularity or disorder; it does not linger over details, nor endeavor to chisel every word, to cut into the marble of the melody every shade of emotion. It springs rather from the general order, the perfect balance and enduring harmony of every part, and from the irresistible charm born of such perfection. Measured and discreet, ample liberty of interpretation is left to the mind by such expression. Always true, it bears the signal stamp of the beauty of fitness: it becomes the sanctuary, it becomes those who resort thither that they may rise to the spiritual plane. "No defilement shall touch it," no dimness, nor stain but a limpid virginal purity: like the ancient Doric mode, it breathes modesty and chastity.

It is, moreover, infinite in its variety. "Attingit ubique propter munditiam suam." What, for example, could be more artless and expressive than the Ambrosian Gloria which was sung to you? It turns upon two or three notes, and a short jubilus. A modern composer would consider it monotonous and insipid, but to me its simplicity is charming, and its frank and wholesome tonality refreshing. That joyous neum has a rustic ring about it that reminds one of the hillsides of Bethlehem and fills me with the joy and peace of Christmastide. It is indeed a song worthy of the angels, those pure spirits, and of the poor shepherd folk.
The same characteristics are found in the little carol "In Israhel orietur princeps, firmanentum pacis." It contains but six short words, yet these suffice to make a melodic composition of exquisite delicacy and expression. In the Introit Reminis­cere, you heard the plaintive accents of sorrowful entreaty, and in the Laetare, those of a joy so sweet and calm as to be almost jubilant. As for the communion Videns Dominus, it has no equal. No melody could express more vividly the Saviour's tears and His compassion for Lazarus' grief-stricken sisters, and the divine power of His bidding to death.

In presence of the masterpieces of Greek art, the most dis­cerning modern artists frankly confess their inability to ap­preciate them at their true value. To use Taine's words:— "Our modern perceptions cannot soar so high." And we may in like manner say of the musical compositions of the early Church that they are beyond the reach of our perceptions: we can only partially and gradually comprehend the perfection of their plan; we no longer have their subtlety of feeling and intuition. “In comparison with them we are like amateurs listening to a musician born and bred: his playing has a deli­cacy of execution, a purity of tone, a fullness of accord, and a certain finish of expression, of which the amateur, with his mediocre talents and lack of training can only now and again grasp the general effect.”

The finishing touch has yet to be added to this brief outline of plainsong; this suavity, or more correctly, unction, the supreme quantity in which all the elements we have been dis­cussing converge. The product of consummate art, it crowns the chant with a glory unknown in all other music, and it is on account of this very unction that the Church has singled it out for her use: It is this quality which makes plainsong the true expression of prayer, and a faithful interpretation of those unspeakable groanings of the Spirit who, in the words of St. Paul, “prays in us and for us."   We sometimes wonder at the secret power the chant has over our soul: it is entirely due to unction, which finds its way into men's souls, converts and soothes them, and inclines them to prayer. It is akin to grace, and is one of its most effectual means of action, for no one can escape its influence. The pure in heart are best able to understand and taste the suavity of this unction. Yet, for all its delectable charm, it never tends to enervate the soul, but like oil, it makes the wrestler supple and strengthens him against the combat; it rests and relaxes, and bathes him in that peace which follows the conquest of his passions.

A last word as to the style of execution best suited to plainsong. There can of course be no doubt that an able and artistic interpretation is eminently suited to music so subtle and so delicate, but I hasten to add that mere technique is not enough: it must be coupled with faith, with devotion and with love. There must be no misunderstanding in this matter. Notwithstanding its beauty, plainsong is both simple and easy: it is within the capacity of poor and simple folk. Like the liturgy and the scriptures, and, if such a comparison be ad­missible, like the Blessed Sacrament itself, this musical bread which the Church distributes to her children, may be food for the loftiest intellects as for the most illiterate minds. In the country it is not out of place on the lips of the ploughman, the shepherd, or laborer, who on Sundays leave plough and trowel or anvil, and come together to sing God's praises. Nor is it out of place in the Cathedral, where the venerable canons supported by the fresh young voices of a well-trained choir sing their office, if not always artistically, at least with the full appreciation of the words of the Psalmist "Psallite sapienter." Very possibly the chant is neither rendered, understood, nor appreciated in precisely the same manner in a country church as in a cathedral. But it would be unfair and unreasonable to except of village folk an artistic interpretation of which their uncultured minds have no inkling, since, after all, their devotion and taste is satisfied with less. But on the other hand, a suitable interpretation may in justice be expected and required of them: the voices should be restrained, the tone true and sustained, the accents should be observed, so too the pauses, the rhythm, and the feeling of the melody. All that is needed beyond this is that touch of devotion, of feeling, which is by no means rare among the masses. With this slender store of musical knowledge, the village cantor will not, I con­fess, become an artist. He will not render the full beauty, the finer shades of the melody: nevertheless, he will express his own devotion and withal he will carry his audience with him. For the simple folk who listen to him are no better versed than he in the subtle niceties of art: neither he nor they can fully appreciate the chant, but they are satisfied with that which they find in it: it contents their musical instincts and appeals to their ingenuous piety.

Is this then all, Gentlemen? Does such an easy victory fulfill the Church’s intentions: is her aim merely to win the approval of our good peasants? Indeed, such is not the Church's meaning: she does not rest content with well-meaning mediocrity: she has her colleges, her greater and lesser seminaries, her choirs, her monasteries, and her cathedrals. Of these she demands an intelligent rendering of the chant so dear to her heart, that it may compel the admiration of the most exacting critics, and be at the same time the most perfect expression of her official prayer. Here indeed is art most necessary: here we may despoil the Egyptians of their most precious vessels, and fairly borrow, without any scruple, from profane artists, the methods whereby to restore to the voice its true sweetness and purity. Art teaches us how to use the voice, to sing the neums softly or loudly as the case may be, to pronounce the words, to give delicacy to the accents, to phrase correctly, to bring out the expression and the true mean­ing of the ideas contained in the words. Art conceals natural or acquired defects, and restores to nature its primitive beauty and integrity. In plainsong, the aim of art is to provide the soul with a docile, pliant instrument, capable of interpreting its sentiments without deforming them. To attempt to sing without training or art; "naturally," as the saying goes, would be as foolish an undertaking as to pretend to attain to sanctity without setting any check upon our impulses. Art is to the right interpretation of the chant what the science of ascetics is to the spiritual life. Its proper function is not to give vent to factitious emotions, as in modem music, but rather to allow genuine feeling complete freedom of expression. It is with intent that I use the word freedom, for freedom is simply the being able to yield without effort to the rules of the beautiful, which become as it were natural.

Art then is necessary, but as I have already said it is not sufficient in itself. To sing the chant, as it should be sung, the soul must be suitably disposed. The chant should vibrate with soul, ordered, calm, disciplined, passionless: a soul that is mistress of itself, intelligent and in possession of the light; upright in the sight of God, and overflowing with charity. To such a soul, Gentlemen, add a beautiful voice, well-trained, and the singing of those hallowed melodies, will be a finished work of beauty, the music of which Plato dreamed, a music which inspires a love of virtue: nay, more, you will have the ideal of Christian prayer as St. Dennis understood it, the realization of the great Benedictine motto :—"Mens nostra concordet voci nostrae." "Let our mind concord with our voice" in the praise of God.

What Is Sacred?

The question of what truly is "sacred" is one which, unfortunately, goes answered only in the hollow ruminations of the liberals or the presumption of religious formation in the minds of the orthodox. Very seldom is it actually palpably set forth for the faithful, and when it is, it is scoffed at, rejected, and blatantly denied. The nature of sanctity is not open for debate.

The sacred must give glory to God, not to those created by him. Far too often, the music and rhetoric at Mass focuses on the congregation, not the sacred mysteries. Why is this? Why do many priests and administrators place over-emphasis on the created in lieu of the Creator? It stems from a basic misunderstanding of the faith. This is not to say that these individuals have no faith - they do, but it is often deformed. The sacred is something about God, not us. It must not focus on our culture, but on the culture of the Church, i.e. timeless and Roman. When we put ourselves into the liturgy, that is, our ideas of music, our ideas of reverence, we push out the dignity of the unadulterated Liturgy, whether we intend to or not.

Whether we like it or not, Gregorian Chant is specific and unique to Roman Liturgy. It belong there just as cars belong on roads and ships belong at sea. We wouldn't say "I like ships, so let's put them on our streets." No, that's ludicrous. We may like boats, but their places are at sea, not in city thoroughfares. So too does secular, folk music, rock music, belong outside of the Liturgy. It may be very good in the eyes of the faithful, but this not mean that it has a "right" to be introduced into Mass simply to make things "more appealing" to us as a congregation.

Just as Gregorian Chant is specific and unique to the Liturgy, so too is the use of Latin and Greek. The Second Vatican Council never said that the Mass must be said wholly in the vernacular, with the purposeful and willful exclusion of Latin. Each and every document regarding the Mass stresses that the absolute and definite role of the Latin language in the Roman Rite. It is the Roman Rite. When we begin to see the use of the timeless language of the Church as a barrier to faithfulness, there is something deeply wrong. Indeed, the use of Latin is sacred, and the use of the vernacular, when utilized for an agenda (such as "inclusivity") is profane. I have mentioned it before that all "profane" means is "outside of the shrine," "outside of the sacred" in other words.

While a congregation must be mindful of its culture, it must not let that same culture subvert the meaning of the Mass. By making the Mass "our Mass" we remove the timelessness of heaven from it. For everything that we can do is merely human - the Mass is something divine. For this reason, it must be approached by reverent faithful, not presuming their equality with God, and it must be celebrated by dignified and pious priests. Sacred Liturgy is not a show - it is a sampling of the celestial liturgy, in which Christ Jesus is the High Priest. Our pastors must reflect Christly virtues in that they know what is sacred and what is profane. Just because something happens in church does not mean it is blessed by God. Remember the moneychangers in the temple, those who profaned the sacred. They were physically assaulted by God in a showing of divine wrath. There is no difference between the moneychangers of 30 AD and the perpetrators or liturgy abuse in the sanctuaries of 2010 AD.

To understand the sacred is to elevate our mind-frame from "here and now" to "forever." The Mass is not just a one-hour show on Sundays. It is the time at which God comes to us and we to Him. He deigns it beneficial to us to make Himself present in the Blessed Sacrament. That is sacred. That is timeless. This timelessness dictates, undeniably, the use of a timeless medium. I ask you - what is more timeless: Marty Haugen's Gather Us In, or the Kyrie from the Missa de Agelis? The former is a manifestation of the congregation-oriented prayer so unfortunately common in our parishes. The Missa de Angelis is an ancient setting of the Mass, never changing and untouched by centuries of religious debate and controversy.

The Mass is timeless. We are not. To respect the sacred, to be a sacred people, means that we cannot take it upon ourselves to make the Mass what we think it ought to be. If we do, we have turned our eyes from God and fixed them upon ourselves at His expense. What tyranny, that the faithful turn worship of God to worship of self.

The Reproaches - Good Friday Meditation.

Taken from the Boston Catholic Journal with music below.

"My People, My People what Have I done to you, how have I offended you, answer me!"

The Sung Reproaches and Veneration of the uplifted Cross on Good Friday are surely the high point of the Good Friday liturgy. The familiar words and the haunting chant seem to penetrate the very marrow of our being as we experience the Suffering Savior saying to each one of us , and directly to our hearts, "My People, My People, what have I done to you, how have I offended you?"

The Reproaches are a set on antiphons and their responses representing the reproaches, the rebukes of Christ to His people.

Christ in the words of the reproaches rebukes us – by His great love he delivered us out of Egypt, out of our slavery and bondage, and how did we repay Him? We nailed Him to the Cross! We repaid His love with hatred and indifference, we repaid His generosity with meanness and spite, how well deserved we are of the reproaches of our God.

May these ancient words, this ancient liturgy, speak to our very souls, and at the end let us keep silence, for we have no answer, but sin, our sin is the only answer to Christ's cry, "My people, My people!"
And in the silence let us renew our sorrow and marvel at this God who loves us so much that He bled and died upon a Cross of shame that we would have life, life in Him.

The Reproaches



"My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you answer me!

I led you out of Egypt from slavery to freedom, but you have led your Savior, and nailed Him to a cross.

Hagios OTheos, Hagios ichyros,
Hagios athanatos eleison himas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong,
Holy Immortal One , have mercy on us.

For forty years in safety, I led you through the desert, I fed you with my manna, I gave you your own land, but you have led your Savior, and nailed Him to a Cross.

Hagios O Theos, Hagios ichyros,
Hagios athanatos eleison himas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong,
Holy Immortal One , have mercy on us.

O what more would you ask from me? I planted you, my vineyard, but sour grapes you gave me, and vinegar to drink, and you have pierced your Savior and pierced Him with a spear.

Hagios OTheos, Hagios ichyros,
Hagios athanatos eleison himas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong,
Holy Immortal One , have mercy on us.

For you scourged your captors, their first born sons were taken, but you have taken scourges and brought them down on Me.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me!

From slavery to freedom I led you, drowned your captors. But I am taken captive and handed to your priests.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me !

Your path lay through the waters, I opened them before you, my side you have laid open and bared it with a spear.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me !

I led you, held securely, My fire and cloud before you, but you have led your Savior, hands bound to Pilate's court.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me!

I bore you up with manna, you bore me down and scourged me. I gave you saving water, but you gave me soured wine.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me !

The kings who reigned in Canaan, I struck way before you. But you have struck my crowned head, and struck it with a reed.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me !

I gave you a royal scepter but you gave me a thorn crown. I raised you up in power, but you raised me on the Cross.

Hagios OTheos, Hagios ichyros,
Hagios athanatos eleison himas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong,
Holy Immortal One , have mercy on us.

The Passion According to St. John

I found this beautiful gem on the website of Musica Sacra. This is a perfect example of what a continuity of reform, tempered with the richness of Tradition, really truly is. You will find the original, Gregorian chant melody, but the words are in English. It is to be sung with three people, preferably three ordained men, or at least, three liturgical ministers whose roles are legitimate and not made up for political reasons.

Click here to view this piece.

Here is a segment of the original Latin chant for the Passion, Passio Domini Nostri Iesu Christi.

Passiontide - Bach's St. Matthew Passion

As we find ourselves confronting that hideous and blessed reality of Our Lord's passion, we should begin to place ourselves into a deeper realization of what Passiontide is about.

We are but one week away from Holy Thursday, the day upon which Our Lord gave us Himself in the Blessed Sacrament, the day upon which He gave us the priesthood, and the day upon which He was betrayed by Judas, one of his chosen Apostles. Our Lord does not prevent evil from happening to us or to Him, for if He were to intervene in every matter, He would strip us of our free will, which is the source of the sweetest discovery of God. Judas was chosen by God, elevated to his position by His divine will. However, Judas betrayed God, leading Him to that bloody death on the cross, re-enacted each and every day, upon every altar. Evil can be found everywhere, for the Evil One, the Prince of Darkness, uses our human weaknesses to attack us, weaknesses that destroy us and the Church. However, evil cannot win, for just three days after its absolute triumph, Jesus rose from the dead and ransomed our souls.

Sin and corruption are here, yes, but they are fleeting. Our Lord will not permit sin and iniquity to reign in His stead and in His name.

Below is the opening of Bach's masterful St. Matthew Passion, the translation of which is below the video.

German:
Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen,
Sehet - Wen? - den Bräutigam,
Seht ihn - Wie? - als wie ein Lamm!
O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig
Am Stamm des Kreuzes geschlachtet,
Sehet, - Was? - seht die Geduld,
Allzeit erfunden geduldig,
Wiewohl du warest verachtet.
Seht - Wohin? - auf unsre Schuld;
All Sünd hast du getragen,
Sonst müßten wir verzagen.
Sehet ihn aus Lieb und Huld
Holz zum Kreuze selber tragen!
Erbarm dich unser, o Jesu !

English:
Come, ye daughters, share my mourning,
See ye ---(Faithful) whom? --- (Zion, et sim.) the bridegroom there,
See him --- how? --- just like a lamb!
O Lamb of God, unspotted
Upon the cross's branch slaughtered,
See ye, --- what? --- see him forbear,
Alway displayed in thy patience,
How greatly wast thou despiséd.
Look --- where, then? --- upon our guilt;
All sin hast thou borne for us,
Else we had lost all courage.
See how he with love and grace
Wood as cross himself now beareth!
Have mercy on us, O Jesus!

The Faithful (?) Remnant

In the comment box for Dr. K's piece on parish attendance at SA, OLOL, SM Downtown, and GS, Bernie mentioned that for as many people that have left, at least doubly so have stayed. Why? In my most humble opinion, those who stay in parishes whose liturgical prowess, not to mention theological basis in reality, fall into the following categories:

1. The Ideological Crusaders - These are the people who try to work from within to kill the beast. These people usually have a love for all things genuinely sacred, a distaste for heresy and dissent, and an underpinning sense of fear. Those whom I know who have stayed in parishes such as St. Anne have only done so because they "are on the music committee," or maybe "the liturgy committee." Whatever the committee, they stay to undo do, or at least, oppose, those evils which have made themselves manifest. However, under this genuine desire to serve the parish that once was, they fear what the parish is. In their minds, the St. Anne (or Good Shepherd, or Our Lady of Lourdes) of the past is not dead, but in hibernation - all they need to do is prevent the hunter from shooting the poor beast in its sleep. Well, perhaps it's true that a parish can revive from adversity - just look at Our Lady of Victory before the refugees. However, there is a difference between shifting demographics and a purposeful scattering of the flock. If a lamb meanders away on its own accord, it can be readily led to rejoin the others. However, if a wolf drives a lamb away, bloodying it and battering it, it is improbable that the lamb should rejoin those in the pasture - it has borne too much injury, and suffered too much pain to go back. Those who fled the parishes made a choice akin to that of leaving the room of a dying parent for one last time. Upon leaving that parish, you will never know it as it once was known. "The old things have passed away," and it is not the working of the Holy Spirit.
2. The Ignorant - These are those poor souls who have never been catechized properly, never been educated by a true lover of the faith, never been exposed to the true beauty of the liturgy. For these people, "Church" is "church." The parish is the faith, as opposed to an instrument of that faith, through which its universality is displayed. These people cling to a parish, no matter what, because they love it. No doubt rests in my mind as to the love people have for their home parish. However, there comes a point when one must make a break from the parish, if it becomes a hotbed of sin and dissent. A child will always, in some way, love her mother. However, if the mother becomes a drug addict, selling her body for money enough for the next snort of cocaine, conscious only between binges of drugs and alcohol, the child must leave that parent and seek refuge elsewhere. There is love for the mother, of course. However, the temporal needs of the child outweigh the love for the self-destructing parent. Rehab is an option, yes. But a child never stays with the parent if her welfare is endangered. So too must the faithful flee from dissent - yes, you will always love your spiritual mother, your parish, but at what cost? Would you rather lose your soul for clinging to error and those professing it, than you would experience a "white martyrdom," voluntarily leaving your parish for the sake of Truth?
3. The Bitter - These are the people who let anger and pain get in the way of practicing Catholic virtues. The Bitter stay at a parish to be a thorn in the side of the administrator - not to rectify a problem, but to agitate and aggravate the problem's creator. This is not right, not at all. One must always have love for one's enemy - as we have love for those whom we discuss here. However, the moment hate enters into the picture, one must flee. This is the doing of Satan, who uses the free will of weak and erring humanity to enter into the Church. I have no doubt that Nancy DeRycke, Joan Sobala, Anne-Marie Brogan are good and loving people. However, through their actions, a demeanor enters the Church, a demeanor which is most definitively not from God. The Bitter are no different - they have a love for the Church, but they let this love turn into a jihad, if you will. It turns from love, to pain, to anger, to aggression.
4. The Opportunists - These are those individuals who enjoy putting on a show. I cannot begin to recount the stories of dozens of individuals, each one focusing around someone who would put up a strong front of orthodoxy, only to swoop in for titles and privilege once the faithful had left. A reader sent an email to us about something along these lines at St. Anne. A woman on the parish council was "grievously wounded" at what Sr. Joan had started doing at Mass. She had resolved to resign her chair on the parish council but, not for the sake of joining another church. No, she intended to convert to the Episcopalian parish on nearby Highland Avenue (which, you will note, is holding ecumenical Lenten services with OLOL). However, once several seats were vacated in several committees, she suddenly had a conversion, and swooped in to save the ailing parish. By the time all was done, she had more titles and duties after the debacle than she had before. This is heinous in its duplicity. This is not loving the Church at all - it is using it to flaunt one's abilities, one's talents, one's name and reputation. "Oh, look, Mr. _______ is on the music committee, the liturgy committee, the finance committee, and the RCIA team. He must be really into the Church." Oh, no, dear friends. The opposite is true. Those who stay at these failing parishes only for the sake of gaining something are more concerned with "self," not the Church.

I can state, with absolute certainty, that losing my parish of 30 years was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. It wiped me out emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally. For several months, my soul wept as it has never wept before. Not for family, not for pets, not for national disasters. No death was as bitter and all-consuming as was the death of my beloved parish. However, if it had not been for this bloody exile, this personal Via Dolorosa, I would never have discovered the unsurpassed beauty of the Traditional Latin Mass, the depth of the faith I had never truly experienced, the transcendence of a Novus Ordo Mass celebrated correctly, without political bias, done right. In losing my soul, I gained it back. Indeed, looking back on those years, I can clearly see the hand of God through it all. Without these things, I would be one of the God-loving apathetic lambs in the congregation. I wouldn't be motivated to assist those in similar situations, I wouldn't be motivated to write to Rome or the nuncio. I wouldn't be motivated to put myself to the spiritual grindstone, as it were. I would be absolutely complacent. A lover of God, yes, and a lover of the Church, but not a defender.

If you, dear reader, are an exile, you will know what I have relayed. You will have wept, you will have suffered. You will also have discovered yourself. If you are one of the faithful who have held on, continuing the good-fight, well aware of the implications, please consider making a break. Do not lose your soul defending a building. Gain radiance of soul by defending the Church.

If you are an opportunist, or a scatterer of sheep, may God have mercy on your soul. You will be in my prayers, and in the prayers of all who read this blog. But never presume that you, dear friend, are worthy to receive God's mercy. Love Him, not yourself. Love the Church, not your self-appointed self-importance. Find the glory of God in the Tradition of His Church, not in the folds of your lay preacher's alb.

Si Iniquitates

The following is from the MusicaSacra YouTube channel.

Update on Sacred Music Colloquium XX

When I posted last week about the Sacred Music Colloquium, I was planning on doing a lot of smiling and nodding, not really knowing anyone there, but knowing that we're all basking in the radiance of the true spirit of Vatican II. Remember, "principum locum."

From Sacrosanctum Concilium:

36. 1. Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.
2. But since the use of the mother tongue, whether in the Mass, the administration of the sacraments, or other parts of the liturgy, frequently may be of great advantage to the people, the limits of its employment may be extended. This will apply in the first place to the readings and directives, and to some of the prayers and chants, according to the regulations on this matter to be laid down separately in subsequent chapters.
3. These norms being observed, it is for the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, to decide whether, and to what extent, the vernacular language is to be used; their decrees are to be approved, that is, confirmed, by the Apostolic See. And, whenever it seems to be called for, this authority is to consult with bishops of neighboring regions which have the same language.
4. Translations from the Latin text into the mother tongue intended for use in the liturgy must be approved by the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned above.

 Note that this document of Vatican II, dealing with the liturgy, verified by myriads of bishops and cardinals, let alone the pope, uses the phrases, "some of the prayers and chants" and "whether, an to what extent." This is not the Vatican saying, "We need people music." No, it is saying that we must open up the gift of sacred music in the mother tongue, Latin, to everyone. We weren't supposed to dive into folk songs and guitars, but rather, educate ourselves and others about what the chant really means.

And this is why I was so excited to go to the Colloquium - it's a group of 250 musicians who have the right idea.

However, I'm even more excited now because two of our dearest contributors to this blog are joining me in this quest to rediscover the Novus Ordo, done right. Aside from a handful of priests whom we all know and love, I think we can all agree that the Mass we have no in many churches is not what was envisioned by the Council. Choir Loft and Sr. Emily will be joining me for the trip, from June 21 through June 27. Oh, we're a rowdy bunch. Watch out Pittsburgh - here comes trouble.

Popule Meus by Victoria

This is one of the piece the choir is doing at the Tridentine Mass on Sunday.



Popule meus, quid feci tibi?
Aut in quo contristavi te? Responde mihi.
Hagios o Theos. Sanctus Deus.
Hagios Ischyros. Sanctus Fortis.
Hagios Athanatos, eleison imas.
Sanctus et Immortalis, miserere nobis.

Sacred Music Colloquium XX - Pittsburgh, PA

I have the privilege to attend the twentieth Sacred Music Colloquium, hosted by the people of the CMAA. This year, it will be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, more specifically, the Church of the Epiphany and the University of Duquesne. I'm still debating how I'm actually getting down there, but that's another matter.

This year's Colloquium promises to be absolutely stellar, what with the repertoire including Schubert's Mass in G, Byrd's Gradualia, and tons and tons of pieces by Palestrina, Tallis, Brahms, Bach, Mozart, and more. More information can be found  by clicking the link above.

I strongly encourage you to join me. The teachers will be world-class chant experts, who combine a love for the Magisterium with a love for Sacred Music, following the will of the Second Vatican Council which clearly stated that Latin, more precisely Gregorian Chant, has "principum locum" in the liturgy. This has been translated by several "scholars" to mean, "pride of place," sort of like how Uncle Olaf has a pride of place sitting at the end of the table, head resting in a puddle of drool. No, "principum locum" means "the first place," "the primary place."

If we can infuse our parishes, bit by bit, with a love for the sacred, a love for chant and sacred polyphony, you can be certain that we will see people returning to Mass. The music of the liturgy, the true music of the liturgy, is absolutely transcendent - it is something other worldly. Why go to Mass regularly or at all when you get the same folky and hippie tripe Sunday after Sunday? With chant and sacred polyphony, there is an inexhaustible store of musical treasures just waiting to be unearthed from the rubble of the past few decades.

Please, I know it's an investment, but do consider attending. The Colloquium will last for about seven days - seven days of reverent Masses, perfect music, people of like mind and like action, and a genuine love for all things Catholic.

If you like organ music, save November 14, 2010 - 2 pm

If you truly enjoy organ music, then save Sunday, Novemeber 14, 2010 at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Olivier Latry, titulaire organist of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris and a professor at the Paris Conservatory, will be giving an organ concert. Latry is most noted for his performances of Olivier Messiaen's organ works. Latry is an excellent improviser much like Tournemire and Cochereau. Notre-Dame has two other organist, but Olivier is the head organist.

Here is Olivier playing Daquin's "Noel Etranger"

Media Vita in Morte Sumus

In keeping with our look at Lenten chant and polyphony, I have chosen this piece for your contemplation. It is the "Media Vita" which, according to several sources, moved St. Thomas Aquinas to tears when he heard it. The words are below - feel free to follow along as you play the video.

Media vita in morte sumus:
Quem quærimus adiutorem,
Nisi te Domine,
Qui pro peccatis nostris iuste irasceris?


Sancte Deus,
Sancte fortis,
Sancte misericors Salvator,
amaræ morti ne tradas nos.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Sancte Deus,
Sancte fortis,
Sancte misericors Salvator,
amaræ morti ne tradas nos.




In the midst of life, we are dying:
Whom shall we seek as a help,
If not Thee, O Lord,
Who dost rightly grow wrathful for our sins?


Holy God,
Holy Strong One,
Holy and Merciful Saviour,
Do not hand us over to a bitter death.
Our fathers hoped in Thee,
They hoped and Thou didst save them.
Holy God,
Holy Strong One,
Holy and Merciful Saviour,
Do not give us over to a bitter death.
Our fathers cried out to Thee,
They cried out and were not confounded.
Holy God,
Holy Strong One,
Holy and Merciful Saviour,
Do not hand us over to a bitter death.

Plain Chant - in English

For those of you who voted in the poll (at right) to keep Gregorian melodies, but translate them into English, I present to you a gift on this Lenten Wednesday.

From our friends at the New Liturgical Movement:

I'm very excited to present to you four books that have nearly been lost to history, at least for Catholics, or perhaps just lost to me. In any case, I've looked for these for years and not found them. They were given for scanning by a generous benefactor to be given in turn to the world - and now they will be useful for Anglo-Catholic parishes and also the bulk of the Catholic world that uses Mass in English. They are authentic Gregorian Graduals in English notated with traditional neumes, put together by the geniuses G.H. Palmer and Francis Burgess, published variously between the 1930s and the 1960s. There are many aspects to these books that will be exciting. They are expertly prepared in every way and include the full Roman Gradual with sequences and Magnificats and Hymns of all sorts, including event Tracts in English (authentic tracts!).

I would like to note also that credit for this project goes to Owen Burdick, formerly of Trinity Wall Street. It is he who had the vision of making these books available to the world. The books belonged once to Beale Thomas of the Church of the Ascension and St Agnes Church, who left them behind when he retired.

Credit also goes to Haig Mardirosian, Burdick's predecessor at Ascension for not throwing the books out. Most all Anglican congregations that use these books have long relied on photocopies, generation after generation of increasingly fuzzy and crooked editions. This has been the standard way for many long years. To have them digitally available is only the next step in the process but now the editions are 500 dpi and perfect in every way. Thank you to Maestro Burdick, benefactor to humanity.

Golden Images did the scanning.

Finally, I would like to offer a special note of thanks to the Community of St. Mary the Virgin in Wantage for their liberal permissions and encouragement in the posting of these editions.

Feast your eyes:

The Plainchant Gradual Vols 1 and 2

The Plainchant Gradual Vols 3 and 4

The Salisbury Antiphoner

Introits of the Sarum Rite

Instaurare Omnia in Christo

Pope St. Pius X is the recipient of much devotion in circle like our own. His motto, which titles this post, translates to "to restore all things in Christ." This theme of restoration is one which the Church is realizing, universally, especially during this reign of Pope Benedict "the Great." One of the most precious things which Pius sought to restore was an "active participation" in so far as the congregation joining the cantor, schola, or choir in singing the chant for the day, more precisely, the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.

Pope Benedict, too, yearns for us to realize the integral nature of chant to our worship. The melodies, many of them, can be traced back to chants used by the Jews in the Temple. Many have subsequently been written by saints, Doctors of the Church, masterful theologians, and even popes. Indeed, the term "Gregorian" chant comes from Pope Gregory the Great who, as tradition holds, was moved by the Holy Spirit to transmit these chants and preserve them for all ages. The restoration of chant, which began in the early 20th century, has been slowly gaining more and more momentum, even through the days of the Council and its often incorrect interpretation and implementation. When one reads the documents as they are written, and does not put into them any tinge of political bias, one clearly and definitively sees that the move was not towards the wretched folk tunes plaguing our parishes, or the use of non-denominational hymns - we were supposed to keep our Tradition, not trample upon it for the sake of something new and exciting.

The following comes from Sacrosanctum Concilium, my emphasis added:

Accordingly, the sacred Council, keeping to the norms and precepts of ecclesiastical tradition and discipline, and having regard to the purpose of sacred music, which is the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful, decrees as follows.

113. Liturgical worship is given a more noble form when the divine offices are celebrated solemnly in song, with the assistance of sacred ministers and the active participation of the people.

As regards the language to be used, the provisions of Art. 36 are to be observed; for the Mass, Art. 54; for the sacraments, Art. 63; for the divine office. Art. 101.

114. The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care. Choirs must be diligently promoted, especially in cathedral churches; but bishops and other pastors of souls must be at pains to ensure that, whenever the sacred action is to be celebrated with song, the whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute that active participation which is rightly theirs, as laid down in Art. 28 and 30.

115. Great importance is to be attached to the teaching and practice of music in seminaries, in the novitiates and houses of study of religious of both sexes, and also in other Catholic institutions and schools. ( I know several priests who were ordained in the 70's and 80's, and who said that they never even studied Latin, let alone Gregorian Chant.) To impart this instruction, teachers are to be carefully trained and put in charge of the teaching of sacred music.

It is desirable also to found higher institutes of sacred music whenever this can be done.

Composers and singers, especially boys, must also be given a genuine liturgical training.

116. The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services. (This does not say "do away with it" or "just let the choir sing it." It says that it is unique and wholly intended for use at Mass - "it should be given pride of place." Now how many liberals do you see spreading this "Spirit of Vatican II?")

But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, so long as they accord with the spirit of the liturgical action, as laid down in Art. 30.

117. The typical edition of the books of Gregorian chant is to be completed; and a more critical edition is to be prepared of those books already published since the restoration by St. Pius X. (Restore all in Christ - take the books of the past, edit them, and make them extant. The Council did not say that we should turn from Traditional music, from chant and polyphony, in favor of what Sr. Sobala calls "People Music." No - "people music" is for outside of Holy Mass. It is secular, aka "profane." This doesn't mean "profane" as in vlugar, but it comes from the Latin "profanum," or "outside of the shrine." Sacred music within, profane music without.)

Let's celebrate the Spirit of Vatican II, and "restore all things in Christ."