I’m running this because in conversation on another site, the musical playbook for this weekend became clear:
Opening: “All are Welcome Here”
Offertory: “Here I am, Lord”
Closing: “Sing a New Church”
Others reported “The Summons,” which I confess I’ve never heard.
And what about you?
Boy, that music was terrible. The sad part to me is that the execution was good – well done. Strong voices, good harmonizing and so on. But the Mass part setting was some awful, sing-songy arrangement I had never heard that struck me as sentimental and childish. Immature. And as for the hymns, well. I don’t mind “Here I am Lord,” but the others are just so terrible and beside the point and even a bit against the point in their Celebration of Us – it really is just too bad that the energy can’t go into more substantive pieces, both musically and lyrically.
Now, I hasten to say that apart from those matters, Mass today resonated, even as I fought distractions – that of the inner critic, and that of the complaining 4-year old as well. The woman who read the 1 Samuel passage was an older woman whose Alabama accent was strong, but not twangy, expressive but not overly so. She told the story – for that is what she was doing – without being overdramatic or didactic. Very effective. The homily, by a visiting priest, was brief and pointed, inviting us to hear Jesus’ invitation to “come and see.” He also alluded to reading Letter from a Birmingham Jail as a seminarian and the impact it had on him.
My son, in Rome, said he heard one of the best homilies he’s ever heard at Santa Susanna Saturday night, preached by a transitional deacon, he said. So, Deacon, if you’re out there…good job!
I do love this Gospel. The simplicity of it: What are you looking for….Come and see.
Darkness, at times, can seem comfortable. I can hide, and spend my life asleep. Yet we are not called to darkness, but to light.
Pope Benedict, Easter Vigil Homily, 2008
Olathe, Kansas
Knights of Columbus process in silently and flank the center aisle, swords raised. And then, a procession of people with carrying roses, each rose representing 1.5 million abortions a year since 1972. The people carrying roses were born in every year from 1972 onward. The last two people carrying roses were pregnant women.
Entrance: Glory and Praise to Our God,
Offeratory: Give Me Jesus,
Communion: Pescador des Hombres, Here I Am Lord,
Sending: Companions for the Journey
Mini homily by the pastor to introduce Archbishop Naumann’s recorded homily which included the annual appeal.
Announcement: next week we’re invited to ‘come and see’ the parish school.
Our music director was away, so our lineup was a little more wilted than usual.
I ribbed him about including “Here I Am, Lord” and he said, “Only once every three years, with these readings.” (Which would be about right in our place.)
We had another text set to “Nettleton” – (which “Sing a New Church” uses. Why doesn’t anyone use “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”? I love that text.) I just can’t remember the words that we did sing.
Besides the inevitable “Here I Am”, “Behold the Lamb of God” at communion (which is OK, but not my fave) and “I want to Walk as a Child of the Light” which has bad, satirical memories for me, from our skits in college.
So, I’ve been more inspired.
The homily was not so good, but this priest is leaving, so everyone seemed tolerant – and like the country perhaps, hopeful for changes ahead.
Ditto for “All Are Welcome” and “Here I Am, Lord”. Is there some sort of communication between American priests on what hymns to pick?
The latter least has some connection the OT reading, but the former…I try my best not to be a whiner, but man…is there any way we could outlaw that song?
According to Santa Susanna’s website, the Deacon who preached this weekend was Rev Mr Joseph Previtali from the North American College. He’s a very intelligent and humble man. Kudos, Deacon Joe!
Just so you know, your HTML is showing …
As a church musician who did one of those hymns this morning (Here I Am, Lord), I can tell you that, at this point in my life, the resources needed to throw out the OCP drivel and replace it with something good outweigh the despair I feel more and more as I play the stuff. Just today I was thinking: I can’t stand this song one — more — minute! Yet trying to explain to the choir and congregation why we would be embarking on a new venture in church music, when no one around us is, when that “new” (mostly old) music is hard (though not impossible) to find, when it’s also hard (though not impossible — ever try teaching the verses of “Be Not Afraid”?) to learn, when the current music is all that people know …
I am too tired to face those overwhelming odds. I admire the people who can, but I can’t. For now, I try not to introduce any more drivel than I have to (there are some decent things out there), and I glean what I can of traditional (mainly Protestant) hymns from the OCP canon.
Interesting…I forget the opening hymn, by we had “Here I am, Lord” for the offertory and “Sing a New Church” – which I can’t stand, for the closing. “Sing a New Church” stood out for me because I haven’t heard it for a couple of years.
I would guess that 90% of parishes in the US probably heard “Here I am Lord” today, considering its close connection with both the Psalm and the first reading. Although it’s a little folksy, it’s an adaptation of scripture so I don’t have too much of a problem with it. I know some people object to the fact that we’re singing God’s words “I the Lord”, etc, but no one would be confused as to Who the words are really coming from. The song is theologically deeper than most others by Dan Schutte.
Santa Susanna’s website says that the Deacon preaching this weekend was Rev. Mr. Joseph Previtali (Archdiocese of San Francisco) from the North American College. I know him to be a very intelligent and humble man. Kudos, Deacon Joe!
Entrance: All are Welcome
Offertory: A different hymn entitled “Here I am Lord” (chorus goes: “Here I am, Lord, Here I am, I come to do your will.”)
Can’t remember the rest.
I really do try to silence my inner liturgical critic the best I can during Mass. Really! But “All are Welcome” is like a psychic vampire that sucks the life out of me. By the third verse, its relentless, peppy semi-Pelagianism renders me weaker and weaker until I’ve lost the energy to stand. The knockout blow is the line about how we are here to “claim the faith of Jesus.” By that point I’m mumbling “please, God, make it stop.”
The tough part is that the people in the choir are friends who have beautiful voices. They are my brothers and sisters in Christ and I love them. They really love this stuff. I wish I could.
Chicago Area
Our pastor preached about how we need to listen, closely, for what God calls us to do. For our vocation.
Luckily, he said that what God calls us to do is almost always what we’re already doing. Phew!
How’s that for laying down a challenge?
We had “All Are Welcome” as the opening hymn. We frequently do. Even if I liked that song I would be tired of it by now.
The much-beloved senior priest in my parish preached on St. Paul today. He is so very gentle that I think the (small because of holiday weekend and heavy snowfall) congregation were a little surprised to hear him retranslate the words of the lectionary to specify the “immorality”. He also directly linked that immorality to abortion, and talked about both the upcoming inauguration and the March for Life this week. Amazing! We were only at that particular Mass because shoveling our had prevented us from attending the usual earlier one, which is the “family” Mass.
I don’t remember all the hymns, but we had a lovely Communion solo and ended with “Lift High the Cross.” Again, much more congenial music than our usual Mass. Maybe time to make a change…
Really?! The Deacon was Joe Previtali? He is a seminarian/deacon for San Francisco and my oldest son’s best buddy from undergrad days at Gonzaga – WE knew he was solid – you go JOE!
Amy,
I just noticed something in your post: the Gospel reading! Ukrainian Catholics don’t have the same Gospel readings as Roman Catholics. I heard Luke 18:35-43 today. Apparently (according to byzcath.org) so did the rest of the Byzantines.
Can’t remember the music, except for “Here I am, Lord,” but the second reading was from St Paul and was all about the evils of fornication. My husband was sceduled to do this reading and read it very well! Our 12 year old daughter was paying extra close attention, because her father was reading and asked, “what’s fornication?”
I explained after the Gospel.
BTW, Amy, this daughter – our eldest – has just finished reading “Prove it: God” and she really enjoyed it. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m enjoying it too. It’s very reader friendly, but doesn’t simplify things. So, thanks for that!
I now wonder what the “music planner” from OCP suggested for this last week.
I think one would have come up with “Here I Am, Lord” by oneself.
But “Sing a New Church”? I’m not totally sure how/why that connected. If it appeared in many places, my guess is the the helpful ‘tips’ in the magazine/on the website suggested it.
Yes, we sang “The Summons.” Yes, it was awful. And if I didn’t hold you in such high regard, I would recommend you do a search and try to listen to a few bars to be able to truly comprehend the definition of “awful.”
Others reported “The Summons,” which I confess I’ve never heard.
You are a very, very lucky woman.
As to “Sing a New Church,” I actually love the tune, which is the old American folk hymn Nettleton (traditionally sung with the words “Come thou fount of every blessing.” It makes the awfulness of the words to “Sin a New Church” just that much more unbearable for me.
I got lucky this weekend, and went to the Saturday Vigil Mass, which has no music (actually, to be fair, I’m happy with the music at my parish at least 50% of the time).
OK: I saw and heard this this weekend, though not church.
For those of you rightfully despairing of OCP products, there is divine light at the end of the tunnel: first, read this important NLM article on The Importance of Inclina Domine. That Inclina Domine is a new CD of the Ordinary (not Extraordinary) Form of the Mass, properly chanted, in Latin. And, heaven help us, it’s from OCP! Yes!
And, there are sample tracks on that page! Go listen!
Jeffrey Tucker’s comments are appropriate here:
“You can try this at home. Put it on with Catholics around. Someone will say, oh yes, that’s the Mass from the old days. You can just respond, no, this is the reformed Mass from 1970 sung in its universal form. You might see a look of shock. For those who are forever decrying the evils of the reform … listening to this will help focus arguments and hone intellectual clarity on precisely what it is that you are for and against, and what precisely it is we are speaking of when we talk of the Novus Ordo Missae.
This is the Novus Ordo Missae. No matter what else you hear in your parish, no matter what else OCP is selling, no matter what else your director of music says, this is the music of the Novus Ordo Missae. When I was listening to this, I asked another parishioner what section of the Mass we were hearing. She didn’t have a clue but she found it very beautiful. Well, it was the Prayer of the Faithful – which is probably the most dreaded part of the Mass aside from the Sign of Peace. Well, in the normative form in which Cantores sings it, it is wonderful.
——
And, since Amy has been on an Eastern Rite kick recently — also heard this weekend: this album, THEOSIS, by the choirs of Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church, Homer Grove, Ill. It’s a wow.
Ling here in Wilmington, DE, the choir at our church is generally much better than what I’ve seen and heard at other parishes in the area. Our director isn’t afraid to add chant occasionally, but we still do have to suffer the 70′s/80′s ‘classics’ as well.
We also sang ‘Here I am Lord’, but…being as we are in Philadelphia Eagles territory… they couldn’t resist doing “On Eagles Wings” as the closing song. I have to admit, I found that selection a bit tacky.
The homily was very strongly pro-life and anti-foca, though.
I was away from my home parish this weekend, and, because I was somewhere where “say the black, do the red” is kind of taken for granted without it being a “big thing”, my usual inner critic was completely silent.
Wow, what a difference. It allowed the space for the first reading and Gospel to just speak for themselves and hit home, hard.
Music? Missa de Angelis.
Entrance: A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing 606
Offertory: Here I Am, Lord 802
Communion: Take and Eat 910
Recessional: Lift Up Your Hearts to the Lord 691
I preached on vocations, and to those who would say, “I’m not called to be a deacon, priest or religious,” I said, then you are “called to be a ‘caller’”–meaning, you have the responsibility to pray for and help inspire these vocations. I included a pitch for a conference we had last night, sponsored by the vocations office, for that very purpose, and also to be part of the vocations committee.
The local Right to Life group sold roses at the doors; I intend to have us focus on the life issues next weekend, when we’ll have postcards for everyone expressing opposition to the mis-named “Freedom of Choice Act.” But with the Roe anniversary falling mid-week, and this past Sunday’s readings being so perfect for the conclusion of Vocation Awareness Week, scheduling got a little jammed up.
Being back in Ordinary Time, it was kind of nice just having Mass in a simpler mode.
St. Ignatius Loyola – Manhattan
I was luckily at one of the parishes that didn’t sing “Here I am Lord.” :) This church is always exceptional for music – I think they have a professional schola choir or something. I can’t remember the names of all the hymns but they were beautiful older ones (“In Christ There is no East or West” was one, I think). We sang the Gloria in Latin, which was difficult but good. The choir always chants in Latin before the Mass starts.
The homily was beautiful – he talked about the cost of discipleship, how it requires some suffering. Dietrich Boenhoffer was mentioned along with the early martyrs.
Anniversary of Roe v. Wade was mentioned in the prayers of the faithful.
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~sorem002/hymn_midi.html
For those of you who have missed “The Summons”
I am listening to it in midi, as I type, and I dunno, but ‘carousel at 1890′s amusement park’ seems to be the motif.
Anyway, listen to it, along with reading the lyrics, and you’ll see why “Here I Am, Lord” shines by comparison.
Yes, that bad!
Ah, listening to the midi – I have heard it, actually. For me, it calls to mind “4th grade music book”
I wish we had “Here I Am Lord” — it would have worked with the readings and is one of the few newer ones I like.
We too had “All are Welcome” — sadly I woke up with it in my head this morning still! We had 2 different Servant Songs (or maybe a Servant Song and the Summons).
The recessional was an older one — wish I could remember the title. But it actually included Exaulted!
We had Gather Us In, Here I am Lord, The Summons, and two other insipid hymns which I have thankfully forgotten.
Father preached a strong prolife homily. He also tied in the MLK holiday with the inauguration of Barak Obama and recommended that we read your husband’s column in our diocesan newspaper.
St. Dominic’s
San Francisco, California
11:30 Mass
Beautiful neo-French Gothic church in the heart of San Francisco, administered by the Dominican Friars, with great orthodox outreach to young professionals in the city and the best traditional music in the Bay Area. Organ and schola cantorum.
Introit: Precious Lord, Take My Hand
Procession Hym: All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
Gloria: Missa de Angelis
Offertory Anthem: O Sing Joyfully (A. Batten)
Antiphona ad Offertorium: Cry out to God with Joy
Sanctus and Benedictus: Missa Secunda (Hassler)
Amen: Missa de Angelis
Agnus Dei: Missa Secunda (Hassler)
Communion Motets: Verbum Caro Factum Est (Hassler), Hear My Prayer (M. Hogan)
Closing Hymn: Let All Things Now Living
Homily focused mainly on 1 Samuel, about answering the call. Some discussion of MLK Day and the inauguration tomorrow. No mention of the Corinthians reading about the body as a temple of the Lord.
During Announcements, a call to join the SF March for Life (for those ready to brave the unwelcoming streets of this city). Also a call to participate in the “Landings” program, for welcoming former/wayward/returning Catholics back into the fold.
This is such a terrific church. Very ethnically diverse crowd – white, Latino, Chinese, Filipino, black, young couples with children, old San Franciscans.
No schtick or silliness, just solid Dominican preaching, beautiful artwork and architecture, side chapels and the shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus, and outstanding traditional music (a rarity here in California, at least from what I have been able to find).
We too sang, All Are Welcome, The Summons and Sing A New Church. I can’t even remember the Communion song. I find almost all the music written for the ‘New Mass’ pedestrian at best and pathetic at worst. The Catholic Church had the most magnificent music written for it and summarily trashed it! Most people in their 40s and younger love the drivel of the OCP. It is bad enough the music is insipid, but can anyone tell me why I have yet to see a Catholic hymnal of any kind with the bassline/harmony?
Is there an assumption in the Church that all Catholics are musically challenged? Has it occurred to anyone that one of the reasons so few people sing is that our cantors are for the most part female sopranos and no one can sing in their register? If the bassline were there with the harmony those MIllions of Catholics who can and do read music everywhere else outside of Mass, might be coaxed to sing.
The Breaking Bread song book waters down the music to the point that it is almost unrecognizable. When I go from my husband’s congregational church to my parish, especially when we are singing the same hymns (it happens, really…I mean the ‘real’ hymns) it shocks my eyes to see how pitifully dumbed down the BB pieces are. My son, who has become a Catholic, flat out refused to sing one Sunday while with me at Mass. He shook his head and said, “I can’t sing when I am here. This is ridiculous.”
I would like to know the rational because I can’t find one Catholic hymnal regardless of who produces it, with the whole piece on the page.
Speaking of music in California, does anyone know of a church with decent music in either the LA or San Diego area? I am spoiled here, in Chicago. (There is plenty of dreck, believe me. But there are also about four or five places who do things really well.)
On trips to see family, I have yet to find anything that even comes close. And it often sinks far below even poor performance / selection standards.
So much, that I’m thinking of opting only for masses with no music.
Chula Vista (San Diego), CA
Was visiting missionary friends in Tijuana, Mexico and attended a Catholic Mass in Chula Vista yesterday morning. The homily was excellent, a strong pro-life nurse spoke on a fundraising effort for a local pro-life women’s clinic, and the pastor made a very personal and powerful appeal to support efforts to fight FOCA under the new Obama administration.
But, unfortunately, the music ministry played three of the four worst hymns from the Marty Haugen and hippy-dippy era (after the first two, I predicted the communion hymn, and I was right!)
Entrance: “Gather Us In”
Presentation of the Gifts: “Be Not Afraid”
Communion: “Here I Am, Lord”
I was half-expecting to hear “On Eagle’s Wings” as the closing hymn, but I suppose it’s a bit too slow of a tempo, so they went with a jazzified number I hadn’t heard before. It, too, had banal and self-referential lyrics…
We did “The Summons” in my parish for the first time yesterday. The tune is a folk tune and rather nice, but the words–! Just awful. I just can’t believe the tin ear that writers and publishers have for lyrics. Do they not even read them aloud to hear what they sound like? The second verse of “The Summons” is particularly egregious–I almost laughed out loud the first time I sang it. Yes, I had to sing it several times because I am a cantor and a choir member so I had to help the congregation practice the thing three times. It was my penance over the last couple of weeks.
All Are Welcome. Pescadore de Hombres, something I don’t remember and Sing a New Church. I don’t remember coming across that last one before. I liked the melody, but the lyrics…!
Homily didn’t touch on life issues, but on answering the call. No political shadows, either, which I appreciated.
We have good musicians, they just stick to the OCP stuff. Maybe because the congregation actually does sing they’re afraid to change?
We’ve even had bulletin articles about how the gathering song has a liturgical purpose – I don’t remember the justifications supplied. But I do remember there was nothing about the Entrance Antiphon which is liturgically required while a ‘gathering song’ is not.
Our associate pastor at Nativity in St Paul gave a fantastic homily on Pro-Life Sunday. I’m always surprised and disappointed when priests don’t take the opportunity to speak on this subject with so many in pain.
Our pastor said that the politicization of the pro-life issue is very unfortunate. He said that it has not only divided society but more shockingly even divided Catholics. He said the politicization closes people off, both pro-life and pro-choice and causes the discussion to lack depth. Pro-lifers will mentally check off that he said something about the cause, perhaps saying “it’s about time”, while pro-choicers will simply not listen at all.
He said the roots of the issue go back to the 16th & 17th centuries. In the wake of the exhaustion at the end of the religious wars there was new thinking among philosophers and others that God was the problem (though it was the opposite case) and so the solution was to remove God from our politics. In order to do so we would become our own god and to that end control of nature was seen as a preeminent concern. We see it today, he said, in the abuse of the environment, in the rapacious attitude towards it. We also see it in those who think that climate change is totally man’s responsibility and make a religion of that such that anyone who disagrees with them is a heretic. Similarly with the life issue. Our desire for control over nature has now extended to taking the lives of the innocent. Cardinal Ratzinger and others have warned us about the trajectory of this mindset.
What I heard (today) while attending 11:40 Mass at St. Peter’s in the Loop (Chicago). Father begins homily by explaining the difference b/n “sermon” and “homily” – the former being a discourse on a cause or issue they feel strongly about. The latter he instructed, is instruction based on the readings of the day and that these readings – and the liturgical calander itself – helped keep us rooted to the teaching of the church in its entirety.
“So,” I thought, “he’s gently telling everyone why the sermon won’t be about Martin Luther King or racism” and instead on ‘not fasting with the bridegroom present’ or ‘new wine in old skins’ (he had begun the Mass by acknowledging the day and praying that we banish all racist thoughts from our hearts).
Nope. He held up the Fransiscan “liturgical calander” and pointed to the “feast day” of MLK and gave a very fine *sermon* on racism. Odd – I thought it was Monday, 2nd week ordinary time.
It really was a fine talk and gave me some things to think about, but had nothing to do with readings of the day.
I went to the Vigil Mass on Saturday evening. The hymns included some mentioned above. Sometimes it is nice to sing familiar lyrics such as those. On Sunday morning I checked out the 10:00 a.m. Mass from Notre Dame streaming on http://www.catholictv.com. Then I discovered that the closing Mass for the 6th World Meeting of Families from Mexico City was on EWTN at the same time so I watched that. The Mass from Notre Dame was a feast day as it was the memorial of Blessed Father Basil Anthony Moreau,, Holy Cross founder. The Mass from Notre Dame is available on demand on Catholic TV anytime one wants to watch it.
I heard the very end of an interview with YOU about your new book on XM 117 this weekend also!
Of course, “Here I am, Lord,” is based on Isaiah 6. Samuel himself only says, “Here I am,” to Eli. If I hum a few bars, could we fake “Speak, Your Servant’s List’ning”?
At the 11:30 a.m. Mass at St. Andrew Apostle in Silver Spring, MD, we didn’t sing “Here I am, Lord,” though I’m pretty sure we did “All Are Welcome” and “The Summons,” both very common for that Mass.
As a Communion meditation hymn, the choir (as is their wont) performed “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” in a very soulful and improper way. (There was scattered applause when they finished, which should have so horrified them that they’ll never do that song in a liturgy again, but probably didn’t.)
The homily was on listening to God’s call in our lives, which might come straight from God or through someone else (as St. Andrew, our patronal saint, called his brother), and how we should take the call and not let it go to voice mail (though it wasn’t as lame as that sounds).
Our pastor began the homily by talking about cell phones, and said something about how he was sure we had all turned ours off.
At the end of the homily, we were invited to fill in postcards for the anti-FOCA drive, to be sent to our representative and senators. While the ushers were collecting the cards, the pastor told a story of meeting someone from Chicago whose parishioners donate, with prompt assistance from the ushers, one hundred dollars if their cell phones go off during Mass.
I still heard two cell phones go off during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, one at the moment of elevation of the Host.
Two versions of “Here I am, Lord”, the well-known one and one with a different tune, and “Come Make Of All, Disciples”. The second reading was done by a woman lector who, in every instance where the text said “immorality” or “immoral” said “immortality” or “immortal”, which put a different twist on things, to say the least.
At Noon at St. Jean Baptiste in Manhattan we had the joint Parish and Staff (i.e., paid) choirs. They did an intoir anthem “Prayer of the Venerable Bede” by Richard Proulx. Opening hymn was “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”. Ordinary was from the “Gather” hymnal (when the staff choir is alone it’s usually Mozart or Hayden). Offertory was an anthem by David Hurd “Teach Me, O Lord”. Communion was “Behold the Lamb of God” from Handel’s “Messiah”. There is no closing hymn at St. Jean’s, just an organ recessional.
The other Masses were to have the same opening, but Offertory was to be “Here I Am” and Communion “Behold the Lamb of God” from “Gather”.
At Noon the homily was about shutting up and listening to God. Unfortunately, two people with mental illness issues were seated in the front pews and were ‘acting out’ which caused the priest to lose his train of thought several times, to the point that he had to apologize.
One petition in the Prayer of the Faithful asked God to guide the new president and administration in protecting all, ‘especially the weakest among us’. Announcement of the March for Life and that buses are available to go was made at the end of Mass.
We had “All Are Welcome” too, but the worst thing was the closing song: “Go Make a Diff’rence.” We had never sung it before but I am sure we will be singing it again. :-(
Opening: “Songs of thankfulness and praise” (v 1, 2)
Offertory: “What Child is This”
Communion: “O Salutaris Hostia” (just the choir; to a melody I didn’t recognize, not the usual one)
Closing: “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise” (v 3, 4)
Epistle: Romans 12
Gospel: The wedding feast at Cana
I guess one thing I do miss about going to the TLM nearly always, now, is that I don’t hear the same Scripture readings as most other Catholics on a given Sunday. We’re still in an Epiphany groove, seeing Christ manifest Himself now in His first miracle.
And I don’t consider myself a traditionalist. I’m liberal politically (exc. life issues, where oddly ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ seem to have reversed their ideologies). I like Commonweal.
But you know what? I’m just tired. I need peace at Mass, not the constant cringing at The Next Dumb Thing. Not ham-fisted attempts at moving me emotionally through music. Not Father narrating every part of Mass as if I just entered the Church and am slow on the uptake, or as if Father doesn’t trust symbols to do what symbols are supposed to do without narration (“And now we will do X as a symbol of Y because we as a community believe Z”). And absolutely not the constant grating intrusion of Father’s personality. This aging liberal is so glad to have Father “turn his back on the people” at the start of Mass each Sunday. If only the writers of most Catholic music would be that considerate.
Entrance hymn was first 2 verses of HOLY, HOLY, HOLY and closing hymn was last 2 verses of same. You can’t beat the classics.
Amy, I’m betting the Cathedral didn’t follow the playbook this weekend, Fr. Donohoe wouldn’t allow it.
And at my usual parish (way up north) I don’t think we heard any of those hymns. We opened with “The Church’s One Foundation” and closed with “Lift High the Cross,” with some mercifully forgettable music in between. And, as usual, the St. Louis Jesuits Mass (a great setting for discouraging the faithful to sing along with the choir).
I’ve no ida what the Cathedral did…
In the Atlanta cathedral, the music is generally getting better. The organist tormented us before the 9am Mass with variations on “Here in this place a bad song is starting,” but we sang normal hymns from the red hymnal.
We also met our new pastor, and he is impressive! 40 years old, from County Galway in the West of Ireland, founding pastor of a mission parish in the northern Atlanta suburbs (eight families in 1998, 2800 now). He seems content within himself, willing to lead the staff and school, devoted to adoration, pro-life and Our Lady.
We celebrated the 70th anniversary of our parish’s dedication Mass, so the OT reading was changed to the consecration of Solomon’s temple.
I sang in the choir for the Governor Manchin’s inauguration Mass at 12 noon at Sacred Heart co-cathedral in Charleston, WV. He is Catholic and was present at the Mass. The choir was accompanied by organ, brass instruments and drum. The prelude was “Te Deum Laudamus” by Sanford. Entrance hymn was “God of Our Fathers.” The sung Mass was Peloquin’s Mass of the Bells. Bishop Michael Bransfield was the celebrant.
Presentation hymn was “The Kingdom of God.” Communion hymn was Franck’s “Panis Angelicus” followed by Lutkin’s “The Lord Bless You and Keep You,” and the recessional was “My Country Tis of Thee.”
Following the Mass we had the conclusion of the Santo Nino Novena with Benediction. We sang “O Salutaris Hostia,” “Tantum Ergo” and “Holy God We Praise Thy Name.”
Following the novena we had a most wonderful feast of Filipino food in the parish hall.
Unfortunately we too had “Here I am Lord”. I call it the Barney Song. Phooey.
Looking forward to a TLM on Feb.1.
11:30 a.m.
Church of St. Francis Xavier
New York, NY
I live near Xavier but have made the Church of St. Paul the Apostle (uptown near Lincoln Center) my parish. But, with the AFC Championship game in the evening, I wanted to get to a nearby morning Mass — and the 11:30 at Xavier was it.
They didn’t do the Schutte “Here I Am, Lord,” which I actually like and missed. They opted for the “… I come to do your will” version. (Surprising, since it’s a Jesuit parish.) I don’t think anyone can really quibble with “Here I Am Lord” for last Sunday considering how closely it goes with the First Reading and Psalm.
They did do “Pescador de Hombres” for Communion (half in Spanish, half in English). I love this one.
For the recessional, I think it was “I Want to Walk …”. Eh … I would have preferred “The Summons.”
The homily was a glass half-full or may three-fifths full. Fr. Joe bit off a lot — Week of Christian Unity, Martin Luther King Day, the Inauguration, and, yes, the Roe anniversary on Thursday. I really appreciated that he talked about abortion and took a pro-life perspective on it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he made some of the ’60s and ’70s crowd at Xavier uncomfortable. I only wish he had done more with the readings.
I have to say though that the most memorable thing at the Mass occurred during the Prayers of the Faithful.
There was an intercession praying for the new president. The last phrase before “Lord, hear our prayer” ended with something like … “so that we may all know that ‘Yes, we can’.”
Even the lector couldn’t pull it off with a straight face.
9:00 AM
EF Missa Cantata
Church of St. Matthew
Dix Hills, N.Y.
Asperges me
Introit: Inclina, Domine*
Kyrie VIII
Gloria VIII
Gradual: Misit Dominus
Alleluia: Laudate Deum
Credo III
Offertory: Jubilate Deo, universa terra
Sanctus VIII
Agnus Dei VIII
Communion: Dicit Dominus: Implete hydrias**
Marian Antiphon: Alma Redemptoris Mater, simple tone
* All proper chants done to their Gregorian melodies; not psalm-tone reductions.
** Such a colorful chant, it’s almost like a miniature opera.
Homily: The pastor, Fr. John J. McCartney, gave a homily about his least favorite four-letter word, “luck,” which amounts to a denial of God if one thinks about it (“luck” replacing “blessing” in common parlance). He did mention the other four-letter words and how the saintly Cure of Ars would announce to the faithful, “These are the words you cannot say,” and then rattle them off. During the homily. From the pulpit. He also mentioned the story of how a student asked him why he ought not to swear; how he prayed to the Holy Spirit for a quick response; the response being to the effect of, remember that the mouth you would use to utter those words is the same mouth with which you receive our Lord; and the student getting it almost immediately.
The reason why he mentioned “luck” was that the woman who weaned him off the usage of the word “luck” kept at it for a year, reminding him that there’s no such thing. This same woman would pray in front of an abortion clinic constantly. When she told a would-be abortion victim that she would personally take care of her baby until she finished high school, the girl disbelievingly too her offer. Long story short: the baby was born, the woman took care of the baby until the mother was ready, and now the would-be abortion victim has joined the prayer line and has returned to the practice of the Catholic faith.
There was more, but this is what I remember. This homily was delivered extemporaneously, without notes as far as I could tell. This is usually the way he delivers them (he was a lawyer before he became a priest).