Oh, back to satisfying our ’satiable curiosity about liturgy around the country and around the globe. I’ve always enjoyed these threads because it’s just interesting to see the diversity – welcome and unwelcome. I think it’s also good for us all to see how important liturgy is – skeptics, even in Catholic circles, sometimes dismiss interest in liturgy as mere aesthetics. But threads like this tell us that it simply isn’t so.
I’ll begin.
On Palm Sunday we attended the traditionally German parish in town, the church which has been beautifully maintained, but unrenovated (except for that steeple, which still hasn’t been replaced!), in which you will find, if anything, the least ego-driven liturgy in town. No ad-libbing, no chatting, simply the commitment to serving God through the liturgy and letting God do his work in people’s souls without feeling as if these same people must be manipulated in order for that to happen.
There was no congregational procession at the beginning, simply a very solemn procession of priest and servers up and down the aisles while we sang All Glory, Laud and Honor. It was rather moving – I have never found Palm Sunday processions to be a particularly helpful experience, spiritually speaking. Perhaps no place have been to has ever gotten it – the main problem always being coordinating the singing between the front and the back – I’m sure many places have figured out how to scatter choir members throughout the procession to keep things going apace (and even that is difficult,depending on the size of the crowd), but nowhere I’ve been has yet. Living Stations of the Cross, Corpus Christi processions, Marian processions – all seem to work out better, for some reason. This, however – in this particular setting – was a meditative experience,The Passion was read in parts – the priest and two women. A brief but potent homily about suffering.
Minimal palm swordplay.
Holy Thursday was at the same parish. Again, simplicity. No instrumental accompaniment after the Gloria. No foot-washing (which is optional) and no stripping of the altar. I was fine with the first omission, but think the second was unfortunate. There’s a lot of power in that ritual. The procession with the reserved Eucharist was up and down the aisles of the church to Tantum Ergo in both Latin and English.
I didn’t make it anywhere for Good Friday this year. Michael wanted to go to the Extraordinary Form service and I just wasn’t up to something new (and old!) with the two little ones at that time of day (ie naptime). So he went on alone and has blogged about it – and his attendance at the Extraordinary Form Easter Vigil – here. (the latter went from 11pm to 2am, btw)
Sunday morning, the rest of us heading to Easter Sunday Mass, which was about half full at the beginning of mass and maybe 3/4 full twenty minutes in. Music: “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” “I am the Bread of Life” “Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks”. “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” for the sequence. The horrible “Halle, Halle” for the Gospel Acclamation, a setting that seems most fitting, if you must use it, for a children’s liturgy, and which always sounds to me like something played at a circus. Some things, I just don’t get, and never will. Homily was on the theme of how a busy Holy Week with lots happening and some things going wrong might make you doubt that this really is “the day that the Lord has made” but the presence of the people at the various rituals helps you see that it really is true, that it’s all good.
Anyway.
It was a good Holy Week, if somewhat distracted. My spiritual reading (well, my reading) for the week consisted (go ahead and think this is odd – no matter) first, various blogs I keep running across of people grappling with physical suffering and mortality (beginning with CF Husband and moving on, for some reason I’ve forgotten, to a number of blogs of parents with children diagnosed with Trisomy 18, like this one), in which death, resurrection and the healing love that emerges from sacrifice and suffering are profound realities, right now. Secondly, I was reading Ratzinger on liturgy: Feast of Faith and The Spirit of the Liturgy. I found that my prayer and reflection was bouncing all of that off of what I was experiencing, not in a critical way (in terms of the liturgy) at all, but simply in a way that revealed to me, “There’s more here than I thought.” But at the same time, “Where?”
But more on that later.
No gas cards were given to me anywhere I went though. Bummer.
Church of the Holy Spirit
Charismatic Episcopal Church
Stephens City, VA
Palm Sunday – it’s a small congregation (25 or so people), so our procession works quite well. Very energetic singing, and the kids loved it. Reminded me of what Jerusalem must have been like, with the kids so excited about a parade.
Maundy Thursday – good reverent service, with excellent homily given by one of the parish deacons on the importance of being a servant. We did stripping of the altar and then everyone left the church in silence.
Good Friday – we held Stations of the Cross in the afternoon, which was well attended. The evening service was appropriate somber; the only music was “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts, sung as a congregation before veneration of the Cross. Clergy all in black cassocks and white surplices, which with the bare altar and open empty tabernacle made for an appropriate solemnity.
Easter – lots of great singing! Charles Wesley’s version of “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” “Glorious One” by Fee, and “Worship Christ, the Risen King” by Jack Hayford were the highlights. We’ve been training a couple new acolytes in the last couple months, and yesterday was the first time all three served at once. Plus we had lots of incense, which was terrific!
All in all, a wonderful Holy Week, capped by a marvelous Easter service.
Holy Thursday: a beautiful Mass, followed by the dreaded removal of the Blessed Sacrament out of the church, making not the House of God, but just an empty shell.
Good Friday: the music director did an awesome job with the music selection and preparation of the choir. Too bad the priest chose to start the homily with a joke. Although I don’t think it’s ever necessary, it may be tolerable on regular Sundays, but on Good Friday it’s just inappropriate.
Easter Vigil: again, I’m sorry to say that the music director did better than the priest, who goofed on the ceremony and chose to cut about half of the readings. Sure, it was a 3h-Mass, with baptisms and confirmations, but why baptize with immersion? yet, throughout I was just joyful for the Ressurrection of Our Lord and the coming of His light to a dark world through His presence in the Tabernacle again.
Austin, TX
Church of Our Saviour
New York, NY
A beautiful week of traditional devotions. At the 9:30am Mass Easter morning there were more people than I have ever seen in the church on a week-end. Usually it’s the 11am Mass that is crowded. Was it because that Mass would be in Latin?
How crowded? Normally, after the 9:30am Mass, Father Rutler leaves the altar and goes down the aisle behind the servers and stands at the door to greet people as they leave the church. But yesterday, there were so many people receiving Communion at the 9:30am that by 11am, when it was time for the next group to enter, Father Rutler was just leaving the altar, the 9:30am congregation was still tightly in place inside, and the 11am-ers were outside in the 30-degree cold.
The singing was in Latin, of course. The choir was excellent. The congregation sang the Latin responses, including the Kyrie, plus the Credo and Gloria, which we have been singing in Latin for as long as I have been a member of the parish, even when the Mass is said largely in English. Throughout the Mass yesterday, the congregation’s Latin responses were robust, albeit not unanimous. I think the last thing the choir sang was Regina Coeli.
I used my brand-new 1962 Latin-English Missal for the first time, following along with ease. What a beautiful celebration.
Happy Easter!
MCG
Here’s my Palm Sunday experience. Here’s my Easter Vigil experience (observer status only, I’m afraid).
Holy Week was all over the place (kinda like my life right now …
).
Palm Sunday: The Cathedral in Milan, Pontifical High Mass with the Cardinal Archbishop, in the Ambrosian Rite. (I have a brief blog post up with photos.) Come to think of it, it’s ubiquitously referred to as “Il Duomo” and I have no idea who it’s dedicated to!
Holy Thursday: parish of the Immaculate Conception, Archdiocese of Washington. A very simple and solemnly celebrated liturgy. Only six “foot washees” however.
Good Friday: Service of the Passion, St. Mary’s, Old Town Alexandria, Diocese of Arlington. A packed service, again, celebrated with solemnity, and incorporating silence and simple music very well. All in English. During the Veneration, the Reproaches were chanted, which was very effective. Some “traditional” Good Friday hymns as well, including “O Sacred Head,” “Behold the Wood of the Cross” and “Were you There” (for communion. Which always gets me.)
Holy Saturday:
Morning, Liturgy of St. Basil, Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek Catholic church, McLean VA. This is very similar to the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom … the chants are slightly different, and the prayers longer. The Melkite tradition follows the custom of Jerusalem (where the Patriarch enters the Tomb of the Holy Sepulchre and lights a candle to signify the Light of Christ that enters the world with the Resurrection). The service started in darkness, with the sanctuary curtained off, and then the serverss appeared from behind the iconostasis with lighted candles.
There were three infant baptisms celebrated as well, which kind of interrupted the liturgy, and most of the congregation went to the baptistery, while in the main sanctuary, Vespers (???) was celebrated, with several readings from the Old Testament. Then the liturgy continued with the Anaphora.
Easter Vigil, Old St. Mary’s, Alexandria: another packed service. Only the catechumens, candidates, and the celebrants gathered outside at the Easter fire. Otherwise it was a normal Roman Rite Easter Vigil (4 readings from the Old Testament), music in English, a very long and beautiful Alleluia at the Gospel procession, and twenty individuals entering the Church — 7 baptisms, 9 professions of faith and 4 confirmations (presumably of previously uncatechized Catholics). What a joy to see their faces and to renew one’s baptismal promises with them!
[It must be the part of me that absolutely loves the Christian East, but I have really come to detest the organ when it accompanies chanting, whether in the vernacular or Latin. They do this at St. Peter's Basilica, and at the Duomo in Milan, and to me, it tends to detract from the beauty of chant, even when done by a congregation.... ]
Palm Sunday – the last day of our vacation, we attended a beautiful parish in Phoenix. No big production with the palms. The Pastor read the Passion entirely himself and no homily was said. Mass was said versus populum with the sung parts from Mass XVIII. So far, so minimal. This made the use of Eucharistic Prayer I more impactful. Started with “All Glory, Laud and Honor” and ended with “Were You There?”
Holy Thursday – Back at our home parish in Denver, our pastor repeated his best homily: I need the real presence because my problems aren’t merely symbolic. We had the “ya’ll come up here” footwashing. I stayed in the pew and visualized leaving a printout of this page in the sacristy. Got one verse of Tantum Ergo in Latin and two or three in English at the end, sadly had “We are the Body of Christ” at the outset (no one, and I mean no one, appreciates that metaphor more than I do, but this is precisely not the time for it).
Good Friday (afternoon) – Annual Stations of the Cross, continuing the use of the parish’s customary format. A narrator at the ambo introduced each station and led the prayers. Each station had two folks come up in to the sanctuary and read brief descriptions (paraphrased from the Gospel according to St. Mark) of their previous encounters with Jesus. Most of the readers were connected with this year’s group of RCIA folks. Very good attendance in comparison with past years.
Good Friday (evening) – Commemoration of the Passion. Dark and haunting. Unfortunately someone had done a nasty PC-oriented rewrite to the intercessions. Back to normal for the veneration of the cross and for communion. Music included a very maudlin song by Bob Hurd called “Behold the Cross” and “Were You There”. Homily: this is what we do to God, but we don’t get the final word.
Easter Vigil – About twenty folks entered in, six or seven of whom were baptized. Three short-lived panics, first as it seemed the new fire was a bit much for its container, then that the furnace would blow out the Easter candle and then noticing that our elder deacon (who has health problems) wasn’ t present. Homily: everything is new again, and we probably learned in Lent that we all need a fresh start; the “hot” sins, even though they’re the ones most mentioned in confession, aren’t nearly as big of a problem as are the “cold” sins – remember that Jesus died for you alright, but He also died for the person you neglect or belittle. Musical highlight: Veni Creator at the confirmations and the Paschal Alleluia. Oh, and the deacon was at the confirmation of a family member at another parish, so that was all good.
Palm Sunday was as usual and was very nice. Our procession was indoors, around the inside of the church. I like this so much better. Besides solving the whole singing issue, I love seeing the processional crucifix raised high and palms raised high with everyone singing All Glory Laud and Honor. Kids were invited to be in the procession and they walked along playing rhythm instruments and noisemakers – which was a strange accompaniment to All Glory Laud and Honor… but I liked it.
Holy Thursday was very nice, I hear. I spent most of it in the church restroom being sick. So I also missed Good Friday.
But, the part of Holy Thursday I was present for was very nice.
We had our guitar/bass vocal trio “leading” the music. I have a love/dislike relationship with their music. I actually think they do a fine job. I just am not a fan of Praise Music, a genre they seem to be very fond of. But, I do love it when they play and sing some old things. They sang a country-ish version of The Old Rugged Cross. It would have made many visitors to this blog cringe or get irritated, but I really loved it. This group also does very well on acapella music, so I wish they’d try some even older, more chant related things. I know they could do it and I think they’d be great at it.
Easter Vigil was poorly attended. It’s never really well attended, but it was pretty low this year. It was probably due to basketball, our other religion here in Kentucky.
Three baptisms – all immersion. Wonderful.
All nine readings. We convinced our pastor several years ago that we should do them all because most people who are at Easter Vigil want to be there, so why not do all of the readings? ‘Course, that could be why we have poor attendance. But I say, “No compromise!!”
Our first reading – the creation story – was read by a lay reader that I like to call “the cowboy lector.” I love his accent and his easy drawl when he reads…“evenin’ came and mornin’ fallahd. The first day.”
Another of our readers is a woman from Texas. She is an excellent reader, but she has an accent as well. She read about “Izrul” and the “Izrulites.” Actually, her reading of the scripture about Abraham and Isaac was very very moving.
Meggan: There was a lot of bolding in this and none of the tags were closed, so I closed them. Don’t know if any of it was supposed to be bolded at all!! Let me know and I’ll fix if necessary
Palm Sunday: My daughter (7) and I were alone because my son was sick and my wife stayed home to care for him. Minimal palm swordplay with the two boys in Little League uniforms in the pew ahead of us. The priest, deacon, and a few others processed with palms around the church while we sang “Sing Hosanna to the King.” The reading of the Passion had no congregational participation, which disappointed my daughter (she was all geared up for it).
Holy Thursday: Son still sick so I stayed home this time while my wife got to go see some of the RCIA candidates she’s been teaching confirmed.
Good Friday: Son still sick, so now it was my turn to go on my own. Service was in the hall not the church because the English and Spanish communities alternate use of the church for the Triduum. Thankfully we have abandoned the custom of the two previous years of venerating the cross by passing it overhead. I found I was able to enter into the reading of the Passion more deeply than on Palm Sunday.
Easter Vigil: Always my favorite service of the year. English and Spanish communities came together outside for the service of light and the blessing of the candles. Deacon and choir alternated singing of the Exultet which was very nice (tough piece for an untrained singer to support all by himself), although they eliminated the “O Happy Fault…” line and a few others to shorten it. I felt the music was a little too uptempo at the beginning (I think the it needs to be slower and more meditative during the OT readings). The baptisms/confirmations (4 adults, 2 children) were wonderful as my pastor is not parsimonious with the symbols (you get very wet and well oiled!). My wife has worked with these folks for a while and it was nice to see them come to the end of their journey together. Service started at 7:30 and we were done by 10, although the post-Mass hospitality for the newly baptized (and assorted hangers on) ran longer.
Easter Sunday: Always a has a bit of a cattle car feeling to it (when we left at 10:30 the folks waiting for the 11 were already lined up at the door). Pastor told us the story of a German soldier during WWII who when recruited into a firing squad that would have executed civilians, threw down his gun and joined the civilians. He suggested that this is what it means to have faith in the resurrection. Also tried to reach out to the C&E Catholics in the congregation, which was nice.
Re: baptizing with immersion
As the Didache said, circa AD 50:
“And concerning baptism, baptize this way: Having first said all these things, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living water [free-flowing water]. But if you have no living water, baptize into other water; and if you cannot do so in cold water, do so in warm. But if you have neither, pour out water three times upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit.”
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
“Baptism is performed in the most expressive way by triple immersion in the baptismal water. However, from ancient times it has also been able to be conferred by pouring the water three times over the candidate’s head. “
I went to Palm Sunday Mass at my parish, the usual reverent service. We did process in from the narthex singing “Glory, Laud, and Honor” which is a nice jolt of historic continuity, since it was originally written at the court of Charlemagne. For several years now, the parish has had us sing bits of the Ordinary in Latin during Lent. And the sky has not fallen!
For Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday morning, I attended Mass at the chapel of the Little Sisters of the Poor. The location itself is an automatic meditation on human mortality, moreso this year with three frail/impaired priests concelebrating. They washed the feet of both men and women, the former being in short supply on site. We sang the “Pange lingua” during the final Eucharistic procession. Half the special intercessions were skipped on Good Friday but the crucifix that we venerated was one that had survived the Spanish Civil War, hidden by the family of one resident priest.
After the Via Crucis in Good Friday…on entering the Church I was horrified to see that music was being played (THe Passion..Mel Gibson)..the church was in darkness …and then came the ballerinas…I kid you not….please tell me I am not overacting …I left after the fist two steps of the dancers….I do not know what to do or say here…it seems I am the only one in the parish with a sense of the traditional liturgy…..I was so shocked that I finished the three Holy days in another parish…could someone give me some advice. ?
I like your Blog a lot Amy!
Palm Sunday: Our Lady of Walsingham, Houston, TX
Wife out of town, so I took the opportunity to drive 50 miles to Houston’s Anglican Use parish and hear some of the prayers and soaring language that I used to know in my sleep. A beautiful church, looking like a living house of worship, neither a museum nor a gymnasium. Glorious old-school Anglican hymnody, although I don’t remember the exact ones used. Many of the readings and prayers were chanted, the Psalm using traditional Anglican chant. Lord, I miss it so. If there were any similarly beautiful Mass setting near me, I’d be on it like white on rice. There was a procession of palms from the outdoor Marian shrine into the church, with incense and holy water. Inside, the priest offered the Mass carefully and not fussily, as if it were the most natural thing in the world (for himself and everyone present) to direct his attention to God. Having spotted me as a visitor, afterward he congratulated me on following along (with the Anglican Use); I should have stopped to thank him on behalf of such a wonderful parish, but my belly was at a full rumble by that time and so I beat a quick exit.
Maundy Thursday: St. Paul’s, Nassau Bay, TX
This is my regular parish. The priests here offer Mass simply and reverently, but the music and environment work against them. This parish is on the gymnasium side of architecture, a mid-Sixties naked shoebox with slits for windows and virtually no iconography. The parish is planning to build a new “worship space” but from the plans it will be fan-shaped and thus probably more theatrically- than liturgically-oriented. What a wasted opportunity.
This was my first time ever attendance at a Maundy Thursday service, and this one was bilingual. Readings were done in both English and Spanish, and the prayers alternated between one and the other, leading to a battle-of-the-bands where after one prayer, half the congregation responded in English, and after the next, the other half responded in Spanish, and so on. The pastor’s very good homily was on the gifts of the priesthood and the Eucharist, and how each is intrinsically linked to the other. Incense (what’s that?) made a rare appearance. Feet were washed, more women’s than men’s as far as I could tell.
The music was the usual “hits of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s”; I made my peace with it long ago by simply not singing if they say to open the Gather book (although I do sing along for the Gloria, Sanctus, etc.). But I still have to suppress the Fist of Death every time I hear the lounge-act piano tinkling in the background during the prayers.
Easter Sunday: St. Paul’s, Nassau Bay, TX
9am Mass with the children’s choir. Despite “Halle, Halle”, the music here is better; the kids may be “performing”, but they do so innocently. I still cringe afterward as the deacon urges the congregants to applaud the children. The African associate pastor delivered a fairly emphatic homily on the reality of the resurrection. Holy water made an appearance.
A parish in the Cincinnati area had no washing of the feet either, and another parish washed the feet of every person present. Diversity indeed.
The latter parish (St. Max; one parishioner tells me it’s called that because “we do everything to the max”) is always packed despite 4-hour Easter vigils and 90 minute “regular” Masses. I guess not everyone looks at their watches and gets preturbed by being in church longer than 60 mins.
At the former parish, the priest carried the Eucharist afterward under a tent of some sort, a canopy supported by four poles and held by the servers. First time I didn’t hear the song, “Lord Who At Your First Eucharist” at Holy Thurs Mass.
No fake blood thrown on me, but no gas card giveaway either – I did see an ad for a church that was giving away a Wii
Easter Sunday
Holy Family Church
Chuuk State, Weno Island in the Carolines
Federated States of Micronesia
We’ve been diving in Truk Lagoon this week. I arrived 45 minutes early for Mass and the church was beginning to fill up. We started several minutes late due to heavy rains. Church was packed by the time we started. Mass in the Chuukese language. No air-con, damp breezes from the rain, plumerias and orchids decorated the center aisle and the altar. Our celebrant wore leiis over his chasuble and a floral headpiece. Lovely choirs, adult and youth. Very beautiful..so thankful to be Catholic…CHRIST IS RISEN!
http://www.xaviermicronesia.org/
Sunday afternoon we visited this boarding school run by the Jesuits. Read about this school. It occupies a building that was a Japanaese Naval communications center during WWII.
http://www.micsem.org/home.htm
This is just an interesting website to meander around in.
Fr. Francis X. Hezel, S.J. Jesuit priest, author and social anthropologist, is the director of Micronesian Seminar. Interesting reading on the Catholic Church in Micronesia. Some great photo collections as well.
Diocese of Richmond, VA
Very large parish
Palm Sunday: Standing room only. Palms for all.
Holy Thursday: Almost packed. Feet washing for all. Short procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the daily mass chapel. Two songs sung in Latin.
Good Friday: Not so packed. Lights were off except for around the altar. Most people venerated the cross which was then placed on the floor next to the altar with votive candles all over it.
Easter Sunday 7:00am: (Easter Vigil is too late for my little kids.) Full house for so early in the morning. We went to this mass to avoid the circus of the 4 later masses. Good decision.
It was a very joyful mass. The homily had a good message and had an entertaining story about an old woman who was meeting with her pastor to discuss her funeral. She told him she wanted to be buried holding a cross in one hand and a fork in the other. “I understand the cross, but what’s with the fork?” asked the pastor. “Well, I’ve been coming to this parish for years and have been to many wonderful parish dinners. When the dishes are cleared and I’m told to keep my fork for dessert, I always knew that it would be something good, like cake. If we were told to keep our spoon, it would be jello or pudding. When I die, I want people to be reminded that the best is yet to come.”
Someone gave me a copy of the “little black book” devotional booklet published by the Diocese of Saginaw for use during Lent. Now I am beginning the “little white book” for the Easter season. I really enjoyed the devotions in the first booklet and am looking forward to using the Easter version.
Palm Sunday – blessing of the palms of course
Holy Thursday – could not attend
Stations of the Cross – 3 p.m. Good Friday – very well-attended – we need more booklets
Good Friday – excellent homily by deacon, veneration of cross
Easter Vigil – two baptisms and several candidates received into full communion
A highlight for me was watching the broadcast (or re-broadcast) by EWTN of all the major events from Rome. I thought the translation and commentary were excellent. It is so interesting to see how things are done there. (I am so thankful that one of our cable providers decided to add EWTN to the lineup. Now if XM will just do the same. I read today that the Sirius buyout of XM was approved so maybe there is hope.)
I spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with a good friend at a Benedictine monastery in western NY….the simplicity and beauty of the place itself, combined with the monks’ gentle humility, are unforgettable. I can’t wait to go back.
Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday mass all had this in common: our pastor appeared to wish he was anywhere but presiding at liturgies. Services are as brief as possible. He met our RCIA candidates for the first time at the altar Saturday night when he confirmed them (the deacon did the baptisms). He skipped small parts of the mass (prayers after the readings, etc.)–not intentionally, but just because he can’t be bothered looking through the order of the mass before he shows up. The Easter homily was lame…something about a friend of his who collects rocks on the beach. She only selects a few of the thousands of rocks that are on the shore….like us, whom God has selected to be Catholics out of the millions of people on earth. Whatever.
BUT….the music was so magnificent, the church so lovely (a simple, but beautiful, country church), the parishioners so generous, that the pastor’s shortcomings don’t matter. After a difficult Lent for me, personally, the power of Easter seems even more glorious. What a gift it is to be able to share it with so many other wonderful folks, both in person, and in spirit throughout the world.
Suburban New Orleans Parish
Palm Sunday. Lifeteen Mass. Palm available, few took them, no procession. Music typical of Lifeteen masses, included some Greek in the Kyrie and some Latin in the Agnus Dei. After the reading of the Passion, the pastor knelt facing the altar and asked us all to do so. He led us through a short meditation, kneeling at the foot of the cross…look into Jesus’ eyes….. That was it for the homily, but it touched me.
Holy Thursday. Our parish does this sort of like a Seder. There is no entrance procession; the priests deacons and servers come out and sit in the front pew. The oils are described from the ambo and brought up the aisles preceded by incense. Fr. invited us to rise and announced that we had completed 40 days of Lent. The Gloria was sung (sorry no idea who wrote it, but it is the one we always use) and one of the altar servers rang bells the entire time. After everyone sat down for the readings, a child asked why were here tonite. The person doing the first reading got up and stood at a microphone in front of the altar and told the story–she had memorized the reading. After the psalm, another child asked why we Christians celebrate tonite and the second reading was done in the same fashion. I don’t remember the third question, but the answer was given by the deacon in the form of the gospel, again told without reading. I don’t remember the homily. Footwashing was done by pastoral council of anyone who wished. Don’t know the names of the hymns but I think Pande Vida (Spanish and English) was one, and Tantum Ergo was sung when the Eucharist was reposed.
Good Friday. The sanctuary was bare except for a stool, the ambo and some microphones. The Passion was done by the priest and Lifeteen members, without scripts. The kids wore all black. Pilate stood on the stool, and turned to face various ways at various times. Very well done, dramatic but not overly showy. After veneration of the cross the daily mass chapel’s altar was moved into the sanctuary, the Eucharist was brought out and, after the normal prayers, distributed. The intercessions were read half in Spanish, half in English. Hymns included “Were You There” and “O Sacred Head Surrounded”.
Easter. Family mass. Everyone was encouraged to bring bells to ring when Alleluia was said. My three year old enjoyed ringing hers. Homily was about the importance of Sunday. Father asked the kids to sit in the center aisle in front of him, and he brought his chair down in front of them and had some questions for them. Music was typical Easter stuff–Ye Sons and Daughers, This is the Day, etc.
Palm Sunday:
Ordinary Form at St. Boniface, Lafayette. Procession from gym to church singing All Glory, Laud, and Honor went very well. Among other things, we sang Palestrina’s Adoramus Te.
Maundy Thursday:
Extraordinary Form at Holy Rosary, Indianapolis. The choir sang a polyphonic setting of the ordinary. Absolutely gorgeous and completely in tune. I’d never heard that done before. Everything else chanted exquisitely. Included my favorite liturgical event of the year, processing out of church singing the Pange Lingua down the street and into the adjacent school, hearing the chant echo down the stone hallways. Always sends chills down my spine.
Good Friday:
Extraordinary Form at Holy Rosary, Indianapolis. Reproaches in de Victoria’s setting. Passion chanting was amazing. FSSP priest there is a former professional opera singer. Solemn and contemplative — no better way to meditate on the passion of Our Lord.
Easter Vigil:
Would have been the same place as your husband, but 11:00 is just really late. So I found myself at the historic German parish you know and love. No nonsense as always, but I appreciated this later when I heard stories from people at other parishes describing altar girls dancing with the Book of the Gospels. Lots of incence, though, and the cantor did a good job chanting the Exultet, even if it did use gender-inclusive language (fault of the arranger, probably, not the parish).
St. John Bosco, Hammond, Indiana USA
Holy Thursday –
The cantors do a nice job individually (woman alto or soprano, male baritone), but the synergy of the two cantors singing together was…well, it worked very very well. The lyrics and harmony were intense. It really felt like ‘This Is Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper.’ (“Here.Now” to quote a book title =^] ) The songs really helped set the tone of the liturgy.
And blog posters, please tell us where the church is located. As I read the many locations you-all list, I can’t help but think of just how universal the Universal Church is. I think it’s “civitatis blogo sphaera, quo venis? ” or something like that.
I entered Holy Week with some trepidation. I was going to have a holy Lent … or else … but instead had a partially distracted Lent. I was afraid there was going to be no recovery, and I was going to just go thru the motions of our most holy season. Thank you God for the beautiful celebrations of the Roman Catholic Church …
Palm Sunday began with a majority of the congregation processing in with Palms from our parish’s large attached multipurpose center. It was a little confusing. It always seems to be. Choir dispersed through the crowd helped keep up the Hosanna melody. It was a full house, which is a nice and not-so-common sight in our large church. (Seats about 1300.) The good sound system let everyone hear everything. Excellent reading of the Passion with congregation participation. Music was good. We’ve had no recessional music during Lent. It’s a nice thing, but no matter how many years it’s been the thing, everyone looks back a the choir loft wondering what the deal is.
Communal Penance on Tuesday. My six-year-old son received the Sacrament for the first time. The look on his face after was priceless.
Holy Thursday was lovely. Altar stripped. Feet were washed. This year it was the RCIA candidates. It’s always done differently at our parish. Sometimes people are chosen at random, other years they are asked in advance. A meaningful ritual. One of my favorites. No processional hymn or any music at the beginning of Mass. The children’s choir sang during the Mass and were very reverent. Sang Ubi Caritas, Adoramus Te and some contemporary songs. They really tried hard to keep quiet and calm. Not always easy for such a young group. No “performances” or solos other than the two children who led the Psalm beautifully. Seeing the youth of the parish participate was a special addition to the service this year.
The church was quite full and nearly everyone processed out to the temporary Adoration Chapel for Tantum Ergo and at least some brief reflection in front of the Blessed Sacrament. The parish sets up a Chapel in a large dining room. They transform the room quite remarkably.
Good Friday started with stations for children at 10 and then again for everyone at 12. Then there was a one o’clock Veneration of the Cross and Communion service. It was good. Tuned out the priest though. He’s usually pretty fearless. Quite plainly speaks the truth. So I’m sure it was good.
Easter Vigil was nice. Moderately full church. Contemporary music group, but still very well done and reverent. Some beautiful musical moments. Not intrusive by any means. Our parish does a decent job balancing that. Although the music director is young and often leans toward the more current sound, he has a good understanding of how music fits in with the liturgy. (Not the other way around, thank goodness.) Our pastor sang the Exultet. His first time. He did a great job. Excellent Homily. The man is truly inspired. I was moved to tears a multitude of times during the Mass. Not because anything was done to manipulate me emotionally, but just witnessing the ritual, hearing the Living Word of God, watching strangers become initiated into our beautiful faith and praying for them and for what lie ahead for each of them.
My 11-year-old daughter summed up Easter pretty well. “Why do people need presents and baskets at Easter? Jesus died for us and rose from the dead. What more does anyone need?” Amen.
I think that’s enough. So in other words … Holy Week was good.
Up here in Boston-
Holy Thursday was pretty good–although our Music Director (TM) has decided to sing the Tantum Ergo in English (really I look forward to the Latin all year, it was quite a disappointment).
Easter Vigil was also OK, minus one or two details. Q: what is the minmum number of OT readings one is allowed? Because we only did 3 and it felt quite inadeqate. Also the congregation did not stand at the Litany of the Saints and only just remembered at the Renewal of Baptismal Vows. And even my mom (so not a purist) noticed that we did not re-light the candles for the vows.
Easter Sunday we went to my husband’s ELCA church. They did that Haugen “Halle Halle” and even they couldn’t make it sound anything but silly.
I do still miss my old (closed) parish…
Boston area:
Spy Wednesday: Tenebrae at Mary Immaculate of Lourdes in Newton. This is the home of the (formerly indult) Tridentine Mass (although there are at least 3 more in Boston now that are regularly celebrated). Began at 7 with an army of altar servers, 3 priests and a schola of 7. We chanted from 7:30 pm until 10:15 pm. It never seems that long, and is my favorite service of Holy Week.
Maundy Thursday: Mass at the Anglican Use Congregation of St. Athanasius. Lots of bells at the Gloria, then clappers during the Mass. No foot-washing, nor a procession at the end (we’re in a convent chapel to start with, and there’s no chapel to process to). Adoration happens at the host church’s chapel. Altar stripped and washed at end, while congregation recites Psalm 22 antiphonally in near darkness.
Good Friday: Passion with the Friars of the Atonement in Brockton. Their chapel is in many ways the refuge for those who for one reason or another haven’t found a home in one of the city parishes. Pastoral sensitivity is the Friars’ keynote, not liturgy, but a respectful and good liturgy with a standing-room only crowd. Homily was good…listed complaints we might have, wondering if Jesus cared, etc., with the refrain at each end, “But he did die for us, so why wouldn’t he…?” I thought it was an effective rhetorical device; so did my son, but my daughter was kind of scratching her head about it. But she did remember it!
Holy Saturday: My son and I trekked to the AU congregation for an Altar Service (liturgy of the Word) in the morning. Day was then spent getting ready for Easter.
Easter Sunday: Once again at the AU congregation. We had a full-to-bursting crowd (which is only 35-40 people in our little chapel), but lots of little ones. All ages, cradle Catholics, Anglican converts, lusty singers! Sang the chant version of the sequence from the Hymnal 1940, and the Regina Caeli at the end of Mass to the tune of “Easter Hymn” (i.e., Jesus Christ is Risen Today). Had a organist friend over for dinner in the afternoon with us, then got our son ready to head back to CUA.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC
Holy Triduum – simply magnificent! Those who are able to catch it on EWTN know what I mean – but there’s something about being there in person.
Would have liked all nine readings for the Vigil though – and missed Archbishop Sambi on Friday and Saturday. I pray he is to full health soon, especially with the Holy Father’s upcoming visit only three weeks away!
Question for Steve Cavanaugh:
“3 more Tridentine Masses in Boston? Where, if you don’t mind? (I’ve been wondering..Newton’s out of the way, as is Chinatown.)
I attended Holy Week liturgies at the University of Saint Thomas in Houston, TX.
Palm Sunday: Began with procession from the University’s library. The music left something to be desired, but it wasn’t awful either. Everything was carried out reverently and the preaching was impressive.
Holy Thursday: The Chapel was packed (250+), again the preaching was solid. A humble procession took place around the Chapel, about 8 priests concelebrated. It was truly quite a sight to see one of the concelebrants, age 94, kneel down with everyone else at the Altar of Repose.
Good Friday: Began with the Way of the Cross sponsored by Communion and Liberation here in Houston. The meditatons were led by Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Fiorenza. I was quite impressed with his reflections. About 150 or so attended, including many young families.
The Good Friday service was simple and well done; the Passion was chanted beautifully.
Holy Saturday: The Vigil was, as it should be, the culmination of the week. The 3 hour marathon included all seven readings read in almost complete darkness. The Gloria was very dramatic with the lights being turned on for the first time as the bells pealed out. 14 young men and women from the University community were received into the Church (7 baptisms). As is a staple of UST, the preaching was lights out.
Palm Sunday- at three of the five weekend Masses we get the teens doing a mime thing about the Passion. Many people are truly moved by this, but I definitely think its rightful place is outside of Mass. The Gospel is a watered-down version and there is no homily. Also, everyone processed up to receive palms (like another communion line). The main choir sang the lovely traditional hymns (All Glory Laud and Honor, etc), but the folk choir accompanied the mime skit with all manner of contemporary Christian tunes.
Holy Thursday- Had to skip this (kids’ bedtime), but from past experience I know there is a foot-washing extravaganza in which the first 12 to get washed by Father then fan out and wash the feet of anyone in the congregation who comes forward. The significance of the Holy Thursday events with respect to the priesthood is completely lost, and the homily is usually a chance to encourage us to serve one another in some parish ministry/committee.
Good Friday- Stations of the Cross in the traditional format. Lovely.
Easter Sunday- Notably, no comments from Father about how “we’re open every Sunday.” This was a beautiful, joyful, prayerful Mass for everyone not in the cry room, where we were sadly seated.
Queen of Peace, Ocala, FL
Good Friday services in the Extraordinary Form. Schola of two men and the most beautiful singing of Crux Fideles I have ever heard in my entire life. Very strong sense that this wasn’t a ceremony about “me and my feelings.” Instead, there was some enormous cosmic act being commemorated in a way that utterly transcended time.
Holy Faith, Gainesville, FL
I was one of the musicians brought in for the Easter vigil (used to work there as Asst. Music Director before I moved out of town). Only three readings, but that seems to be increasingly the norm. While there were additional instrumentalists imported (violin, two flutes, me on the harp and salterio), it never became “entertainment.” I was also impressed that all the to-and-fro of baptisms and confirmations was smooth. The church was full. At 10:30, I packed up my equipment and raced south on the Interstate to
Queen of Peace, Ocala, FL
for the Vigil in the Extraordinary Form. When I arrived at 11:30, they were finishing the fourth reading and going into its chanted canticle. Men’s schola with four members, FSSP priest who comes over from Sarasota. Good turn-out, but I couldn’t tastefully count heads in the dark. Interestingly, I didn’t have a missal with me and coming late, I didn’t pick up a program. Nonetheless I could follow the action (well, I do work in the church business now and again). I think we finished Mass and Lauds around 3 a.m. The servers didn’t get home until 5 a.m. because they were cleaning up the wax. God willing, next year they will buy better candles (these weren’t designed for the long haul of the EF) with tighter holders.
The latter parish (St. Max; one parishioner tells me it’s called that because “we do everything to the max”) is always packed despite 4-hour Easter vigils and 90 minute “regular” Masses.
Nice to know that hasn’t changed; that was our parish a dozen years ago. And it’s packed because it’s located in one of the fastest growing suburbs in the state of Ohio. Unless you’re willing to drive an extra twenty minutes (minimum), there’s nowhere else to go.
Our parish thumbed its nose at the norms for foot-washing on Holy Thursday (as it always does) with the express consent of the archdiocesan worship office. We attended St. Rose instead, an oasis of sanity in these parts. No footwashing. Chanted ordinary. Three concelebrants. Wonderful homily on the Real Presence. It too used the tent/canopy for the procession (unless it’s the same church described by TSO.)
Easter Sunday at our parish. Decent selection of hymns sung by our wonderful choir. A crowded sanctuary with a … superextraordinary minister distributing communion in the sanctuary to about twenty extraordinary ministers for at least five minutes. Chalices that appear to have been picked up at the discount table at Pottery Barn and a homily with sung verses from two pop tunes. Nothing here will change until 2009 when Archbiship Pilarczyk reaches the mandatory retirement age.
Cathy:
There’s a First Friday Mass at St. Columbkille’s in the EF (aka Tridentine) (once per month)
On Monday nights at 7 pm there’s an EF Mass at Sacred Heart in East Boston.
On Sundays there’s Mass at 9:00 am at Holy Trinity in the South End/Chinatown.
Also, regular Masses in Nashua and Portsmouth in NH, and at Holy Name in Providence, RI.
Thanks, Steve–St. Columbkille’s is pretty close!
Made my first Communion at Easter Vigil. I am FINALLY in full communion with the church, 30 some years late. I thought the Vigil was lovely, and as I watched my RCIA bretheren being confirmed, tears came to my eyes. (I don’t get confirmed until next month) The experience was both intimate and humbling.
Holy Week at St. Joseph’s parish, near Philadelphia is always a good time. Sure, it’s Novus Ordo, but, our pastor and assistant pastor always seem to make sure the liturgy is correct to standards, reverent, or at least tasteful. (No dancing in the aisles, no clowns, no laypeople who aren’t serving crowding around the altar during the canon, etc., thank God.) Palm Sunday, we had the procession with palms in hand. Holy Thursday was great, as usual. I was one of twelve volunteers in the foot-washing; this practice was actually brought back I think seven years ago– it was cool. The procession of the Blessed Sacrament was awesome, as always– the choir and congregation sang the Pange Lingua, in Latin, no less. This was only marred by our organist moving over to the old upright piano and playing along– out-of-tune pianos SHOULD NOT belong in church– period. And then the Easter Vigil; Mass from the lighting of the fire was done well and with reverence. The Liturgy of the Word with the three readings and Epistle was also well done (I’m not just saying that because I was one of the lectors), as was Father’s singing of the Exultet. The Gloria was sung with great joy– dare I say it, I really did feel the love. And the Gospel, hey, it was great. The rest of the Mass was nicely done. And Easter Sunday was awesome. As usual, Easter Mass was a packed house. The music was great. Father’s homily made sense, because he talked about what Easter is and what it should be. Saw people I don’t usually see in church, but it’s all right… It’s Easter. Alleluia, He Is Risen!
I saw thousands of people line up outside the church in hopes of getting a seat inside – not something you see everyday.
For Holy Thursday we visited 7 churches. http://dymphnaroad.blogspot.com/2008/03/night-of-seven-churches.html