Reflections on Singing a Polyphonic Kyrie During Lent

by Jeff Ostrowski, President of Corpus Christi Watershed

The following quote has been attributed to St. Augustine: "The only thing you can take with you to Heaven is music." Whether St. Augustine spoke these precise words or not, it is certainly true that Sacred music has an amazing ability to lift our hearts and minds to God. Sacred music reminds us in a powerful way of the purity of God and the unspeakable beauty of our Creator. Therefore, before I go further, let us listen to a short excerpt of the Kyrie from Messe de Nostre Dame by Guillaume de Machaut (†1377):

This beautiful recording was created by Matthew J. Curtis, who himself recorded all the vocal parts. Since 2010, Maestro Curtis has created more than 650 practice videos for polyphonic choral works, found at ChoralTracks.com. Corpus Christi Watershed has been blessed to collaborate with Maestro Curtis for several years now. Those who enjoyed the excerpt above will be interested in the PDF score, and are encouraged to listen to the complete recording by Matthew J. Curtis.

As the holy season of Lent approaches, many Catholic choirmasters will be searching for polyphonic versions of the Kyrie Eleison. As we know, the Gloria is not said during Lent, so musicians can "get away" with using a slightly longer Kyrie without risking a "heated discussion" with the Pastor after Mass (I wish it were not this way, but in many of our parishes, this is the case). An added bonus would be a Kyrie that also involves the congregation. Even better would be a relatively easy polyphonic setting, so that amateur church choirs could sing with confidence (as it is better to sing a simpler piece very well than to sing a more difficult piece poorly).



One good choice might be Kyrie cunctipotens genitor Deus (Trent Codex 90), which has polyphony for three voices as well as Gregorian sections for the congregation. I strongly recommend that anyone considering Trent Codex 90 read this fantastic article (PDF) by Dr. William Mahrt of Stanford. The article appeared in Sacred Music, Journal of the Church Music Association of America (Summer 2011, Volume 138, No. 2), and managing editor Jeffrey Tucker has done church musicians a tremendous service by providing hundreds of issues for free download in the CMAA archives. Getting back to the Trent Codex 90 Kyrie, Matthew J. Curtis has provided seven (7) practice videos to help your choir members master this piece. In addition to much other valuable information, Dr. Mahrt's article also addresses possible ways to perform this piece.



Another beautiful choice (for SATB choirs) might be this Kyrie after Joan Brudieu (†1591). Just as in the previous Kyrie, a possible format for all three invocations would be: Cantor / Congregation / Choir (polyphony). Corpus Christi Watershed has provided five (5) practice videos to assist choir members who do not read music well.

The first two versions of the Kyrie presented above are based on Kyrie IV (see Dr. Mahrt's article on this). This third version is based on the Requiem Kyrie, so this is the chant provided in the score. However, those who do not wish to sing the Requiem chant during Lent should realize that one could just as easily sing the "Lenten" Kyrie (Mass XVII):



Incidentally, all of these Kyrie chant melodies are provided in the Vatican II Hymnal, which contains more than 100 pages of Mass settings (English & Latin), more than 200 beautiful hymns, and the complete texts of the Sung Propers, readings, psalms, and Alleluias for Sundays and Holy Days during all three Liturgical years.

To go along with any of these versions of the Kyrie, choirmasters might consider this Sanctus & Agnus Dei (PDF). Both are based on the Ave Maris Stella of Guillaume Dufay (†1474), and are practically identical. Here is an audio excerpt: Audio Excerpt of the Sanctus (MP3)

Some might be interested to see how these versions of the Kyrie work in a "real" environment, so here (2010) is the Brudieu Kyrie sung by the Corpus Christi Cathedral choir (directed by Lee Gwozdz), and here (2009) is the Dufay Sanctus sung by the Corpus Christi Cathedral Schola Cantorum (directed by Jeff Ostrowski).

For those who wish to learn more about the phenomenal singing abilities of Matthew J. Curtis, I encourage you to look at Kevin Allen's Motecta Trium Vocum, as Maestro Curtis provides 56 practice videos for the special collection of 3-voice motets. Kevin Allen recently released an SATB collection, as well, called Cantiones Sacrae Simplices, and Maestro Curtis has recorded more than 140 practice videos for these masterpieces. Watershed was honored when Dr. Mahrt included this Foreword, which is "required reading" for anyone who cares about Catholic sacred music.

Is the Job Market Improving for Catholic Musicians?

Church Music Transgressed is a book on the Catholic music scene published in 1977. It is by Msgr. Francis P. Schmitt, former director of the Boys Town Choir, one-time editor of Sacred Music, major mover and shaker in Church music circles before and during the Second Vatican Council. You can get it from online sellers for $1.

It is short. It achieved very little circulation in those days, and is mostly not talked about today. It is very depressing. In fact, it is almost unbearable to read because the story he tells is so shocking, so alarming, so mind blowing. His famed wit from the old days is barely noticeable through the fire and heat of his nearly despairing prose.

It’s the story of a revolution that began after the Council who words elevated Gregorian chant and sacred music to musical primacy in the Mass. The reality is the story that Msgr. Schmitt tells. Music directors were fired. He was let go of his job. Cathedral musicians with positions lasting back decades were sent packing. Choirs were disbanded. Children’s music programs were defunded. University posts were shut down. Old organizations went bankrupt. Music books were trashed. Whole libraries were hurled into the dumpster. This happened all over the U.S., Canada, England, and even the North American College in Rome.

New publishers, organizations, singing stars, and events emerged to take their place. The ethos was entirely different. Instead of professionalism, amateurism was strangely exalted. Everything old was regarded as outmoded and ridiculous, stuffy, pompous, unsuited to the new age. All that was new, even if it had nothing to do with the Mass, liturgy, or even religion, was given a pass. Choirs in general were put down as elitist and contrary to full participation. Organs were locked and gathered dust.

What caused all this? It was the perfect storm of culture changes, confusions, mania, demographic shifts, rebellion, and a crisis of confidence on the part of bishops and priests. It was a time of intense fear from all those who knew what was right but felt powerless to do anything about it. Those who stuck their neck out to defend tradition were taught a lesson for others to see. They lost every struggle. There were survivors, but they lived lives of isolation and deprivation. They suffered as hardly anyone suffers today.

This is the story that the author tells in great detail. Do you see what I mean that you probably don’t want to read this book? It’s very hard to take. Remember too that no one under the age of 60 even remembers much about these days. Young musicians today know nothing about this period. Probably they don’t care to. I can see why. It’s good to think about the future and not dwell in this past.

However, I don’t want to give the wrong impression about Msgr. Schmitt’s book. He is not entirely one-sided in placing the blame on the goofballs of the progressive camp. He has plenty to say about the sacred music camp too. He blasts their elitism and inflexibility in dealing with the new liturgy, the new language demands, the insistence on the part of the council that the music of the Mass not remain the exclusive work of the choir and organist. In his view, the sacred music camp of this period saw their whole agenda as attempting to prolong the exact model of the before the Council with very little if any thought put to even the smallest adaptions in light of the times. Their bet everything they had on turning back the clock and, in the end, lost everything. (If that description offends you, don’t blame me: I’m just reporting what the author writes.)

But consider that all of this was long ago. Surely we’ve turned the corner. Surely we have. In the last weeks, I’ve been taken aback by all the parishes seeking serious musicians to lead a real reform of the music programs in their parishes. I’ve been contacted by many pastors seeking advice, benefactors looking to help, musicians who report the types of things you want to hear. CMAA programs are filling up early. Scholas continue to spread. January jobs postings are up significantly.

I’ve worried for some years that the successes of the CMAA’s efforts might be leading to an emerging gap in the supply and demand for full-time Church musicians. So many young people feel the call and are making career plans. How tragic for them to spend years in training only to find a barren land when it comes time to turn their vocation into a career! These markets can never be perfectly adjusted, but I’m starting to feel confident for the first time that making this career choice is not a mistake. The jobs are appearing.

To be sure, there are plenty of problems remaining. Salaries are too low. There are few serious singers left in any parish. The musical capital is so low that the director of music spends a vast amount of time doing remedial eduction. Sometimes these musicians show up in parish situations with the support of the pastors, but small pockets of parish resistance then shake the pastor’s confidence. An agenda can fall apart quickly under these conditions. Then there is the problem that pastors can get transferred with little notice, replace by someone new who does not share the reformist point of view.

So the whole field is strewn with landmines. These are problems of the transition. It cannot happen all at once. What matters most here are the trendlines. The good news is that times have really changed. The momentum is in the right direction. How long will be rebuilding take? The rest of our lifetimes.

The driving force here are the young pastors. I’ve never met a newly ordained priest who is not very interested in chant and sacred music. My rough-and-ready model for understanding this runs as follows. In the 1980s, the new priests were focused on theology. In the 1990s and 2000s, they started getting interested in liturgy. In our times, the focus is music. This is the way the rebuilding is taking place.

Another important change: that inflexibility of the old guard in the 1960s is changed to a new spirit of liberality. For the first time, we are seeing major efforts toward providing music for English propers and ordinary parts of the Mass. Msgr. Schuler once described the vernacular as a “gift” of the Church to the world. His view on this matter is now being taken seriously. This does not mean that Latin is being forgotten; on the contrary, it is being upheld as a goal and ideal to which we need to transition. But the means of that transition are just as important as the goal.

Truly, it is a different world today for Church musicians from ten years ago. We have tens of thousands of free scores available, dozens of new websites and resources, chant camps occurring nearly fortnightly in places around the country. The enthusiasm and excitement seems to build by the day. Sometimes it looks to me almost like the opposite process that Msgr. Schmitt describes in his harrowing book but it is all happening in a more humane way. This is not a “counterrevolution” but rather a serious, sincere, and loving effort to improve and progress with openness and sensitivity. And it is working toward the benefit of everyone.

NLM Reprint: Some Notes on the Origins and Character of Pre-Lent (Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima)

When you have been running for a number of years as NLM has, eventually one comes to the conclusion that there is not necessarily always a need to 'reinvent the wheel' and because of that, I thought it might be of interest to share some Septuagesimatide posts from two years back. Here is the first such.

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Within the usus antiquior this past Sunday we would have noted violet vestments, no Gloria and no Alleluia. This is because, in accordance with the calendar of the usus antiquior, we have entered the pre-Lenten period, respectively referred to each successive Sunday by "Septuagesima" (seventieth), Sexagesima (sixtieth), and Quinquagesima (fiftieth) -- these numbers being symbolic, tied to the reference of "Quadragesima" (fortieth) which comes in reference to the forty days of Lent of course.

This period of liturgical time is probably that which shows forth the single most noticeable variance between the two Roman calendars because of their respective liturgical character and characteristics.

For Catholics who have only or primarily known the modern form of the Roman calendar -- and perhaps even for some of those who worship within the context of the calendar of the usus antiquior -- it no doubt strikes one as a unique element of the older Roman calendar, and it may invite the questions, "what is it and why is it done?"

Pre-Lent within the Byzantine Liturgical Calendar

While it might seem unique to the older Roman calendar, it is worth noting that within the Byzantine liturgical calendar, they too celebrate a pre-Lenten period of similar duration. Accordingly, the pre-Lenten period is a point of unity between the usus antiquior and the Byzantine liturgy.

Within the Byzantine liturgical calendar, their pre-Lent begins with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee (which constitutes their "70th"), continues through the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, followed by what is popularly known as Meatfare Sunday (after which fasting from meat begins), and finally Cheesefare Sunday (after which fasting from dairy products is observed). Great Lent then begins.

The Origins and Purpose of Pre-Lent

With regard to the origins of the pre-Lenten period, many liturgical writers attribute the beginnings of pre-Lent to the desire to accomplish the 40 days fast -- since there were non-fast days within the weeks of Lent proper which accordingly did not amount to 40 days of fasting. Through piety and devotion, this was extended further still. The specific time of origin is not agreed upon, but various dates surrounding the time of St. Gregory the Great in the 6th and 7th centuries are noted in various respects -- with the devotional extension of the fast being mentioned even earlier. According to Duchesne, the fourth Council of Orleans mentions Quinqagesima and Sexagesima around A.D. 541 -- albeit it by way of disapproval.

The purpose of pre-Lent seems to be the same in both the Byzantine East and more ancient form of the Roman rite; it is a period of progressive preparation and movement toward Lent and ultimately Easter.

Fr. Weiser, in his Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs speaks of it accordingly:

The liturgical preparation for the greatest feast of Christianity -- Easter -- proceeds in five periods of penitential character. As the observance of this preparation apporaches the feast, the penitential note grows progressively deeper and stricter. The first period of this season of pre-Lent, from Septuagesima Sunday to Ash Wednesday; the second extends from Ash Wednesday to Passion Sunday; the third comprises Passion Week; the fourth includes the days of Holy Week up to Wednesday; the fifth consists in the Sacred Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.) In these three days, which are devoted entirely to the commemoration of the Lord's Passion, the penitential observance reaches its peak, until it ends (at the Easter Vigil) in the glorious and joyful celebration of the Resurrection. (p. 154-5)

How do we see this manifest then? Within the Byzantine rite we see the progressive movement from non-fasting to the gradual tightening of the discipline beginning on Meatfare Sunday leading through until the Great Fast itself. Within the Roman rite, we see the penitential character which the liturgical rites take on during pre-Lent, before finally proceeding into Lent itself with its fast -- though a note must be added at this point: since 1966, this has now taken the form of being an optional devotional fast as well, but for Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Fridays generally within Lent when fasting yet remains obligatory; see the 1966 Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul VI, Paenitemini.

Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise

Back in 2008, the NLM published this essay by Fr Aidan Nichols OP on the "Archi-Liturgical Culture Wars". Readers of the NLM may thus be interested to learn that this essay has now been published as part of a larger collection of essays by Fr Aidan on Liturgy and the Arts, entitled 'Lost in Wonder'. The book is available here, and the cover illustration (shown on the right) is of the interior of St Cyprian's church by Sir Ninian Comper.

In the Introduction to this volume, Fr Aidan explains that the title of this collection comes from Wesley's hymn, 'Love Divine, all loves excelling', which ends with a vision of heaven in which we are "lost in wonder, love, and praise". The subject of our wonder, love, and praise is God, of course, but more specifically, God, whose beauty and glory we see in heaven. As such, Fr Aidan says that "wonder testifies to the sheer facticity of the divine beauty; love to its capacity to draw to itself our desire; praise to our recognition of its supreme excellence". This beauty of God "has made itself known not only in creation, but, above all, in the work of salvation, centred as this is on the Cross and Resurrection of the incarnate Word, and in the consummation of creation to which the work of salvation points the way". 

Hence, one can say that we are saved by Beauty, that is, by the splendour of God's truth, his goodness, and his saving work. Indeed, St Thomas says that beauty is appropriated to the Son since it is in Him that we see the form of divine Beauty, and by Whom we are saved. It follows, then, that as Fr Aidan says, "the Liturgy of the Church is the principal act of celebrating the divine beauty". As such, it should be marked in its outward signs by beauty, in as far as is humanly possible. Or, as Fr Aidan puts it: "Hence the disaster which overcomes the liturgical life when Philistia is made to coincide with Zion, for the divine glory needs its analogues in congruent signs".

With such an Introduction, the rest of the book follows in a similar vein with essays on liturgical theology,  ruminations on "what we can learn from the Mass of St Pius V", and various considerations on beauty in architecture, iconography, sacred art, and church music. We should, of course, offer to God worship "in spirit and in truth" that is marked by beauty, care, and reverence. He deserves the very best we can offer him. Nevertheless, I found these words, which concluded one of Fr Aidan's essays, noteworthy: "We can, however, console ourselves: the only perfect Liturgy known to doctrine is that celebrated at the throne of the Lamb".

2012 Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference: Solemn Pontifical Mass of Cardinal Burke

Recently, a Solemn Pontifical Mass was offered by His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, for the occasion of the annual meeting of the Society for Catholic Liturgy which took place from January 26-28th on the topic of "Liturgy and Asceticism."

Assisting His Eminence were some of the priests and seminarians of the ICRSS. The Mass was held Saturday, January 28th at St Vincent de Paul Chapel at the Rigali Center in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis -- the former Major Seminary Chapel of the Archdiocese.

Cardinal Burke offered the keynote address for the conference.

Catholic University Students Embrace the New Translation

Further to the matter of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, the Cardinal Newman Society blog has this story:

Catholic University Students Embrace the New Missal

The student newspaper at The Catholic University of America ran an informal poll asking students about their thoughts and feelings about the new missal. The response was overwhelmingly positive.

In fact, according to The Tower, those students who attended Mass regularly seemed to support the new translation more than those students who didn’t attend Mass regularly.

Through interviews conducted throughout January, The Tower found that regular Mass attendees were more likely to support the new translation than those who attended Mass less than once a week.

“It’s a really beautiful way to celebrate Mass,” said Catholic University sophomore Shannon Ballou, who said her Mass attendance as “pretty regular.” She described the new translation as “more authentic.”

Such responses seem typical of the University’s students. Of the recorded responses (of which about 65 percent were from past or present Catholic University students) more than half were positive, while 26 percent were negative and the remaining 15 percent were indifferent.

“I think we’re all settling into hearing things for the first time,” says David Pennington, Associate Campus Minister for Liturgy and Worship at the University’s Office of Campus Ministry. “[The responses] haven’t become part of our DNA yet. We’ll get there.”

In the months leading up to the change, CUA’s Campus Ministry attempted to educate University students on the changes and the reasoning behind them.

Most of the students quoted in the piece were positive including these:

“It’s going to the heart of what the Mass is as the pinnacle of the Catholic faith,” says University student Christina Heifferon.“I love it,” adds James Clement, a sophomore. “It gives us a fuller understanding of what is going on in the biggest celebration.”

In addition, proponents argue that a translation that brings the English text closer to the original Latin brings it more in line with all of the other translations, furthering the Church’s intention of unity.

“If we no longer know the mother tongue of our Church, then a translation is very valuable for putting us in touch with the mind of our Church and of the whole Church,” says Reverend Bernard Mulcahy, O.P., a theologian and contributor to the widespread Catholic publication Magnificat.

University graduate Nedjée Saint-Fleur seems to agree. “My first language is French, so the new translation actually is closer to what we say [in France],” she says.

Solemn Pontifical Mass in Miami

Readers may recall the mention of a Solemn Pontifical Mass celebrated in the usus antiquior in Miami by Archbishop Thomas Wenski this past week on the Feast of the Purification (Candlemas). The full video of the Mass is now available for viewing here:

In addition CBS Miami published this story on the Mass: First Latin Mass In 40 Years Held At South Miami Church.

They report that more than 1000 people attended the Mass. Others who have contacted NLM put the figure around 1200.

The following is the homily preached by the Archbishop:

Today’s Mass, Candlemas, takes place 40 days after Christmas. Thus, this Feast of Lights which recalls our Lord’s Presentation in the temple completes our celebrations of the birth of our Lord: the Word made Flesh, the light that has come into the world.

Mary, purest Mother and Virgin undefiled, goes to the temple to be “purified” in accordance with Mosaic Law. She carries in her arms the true light of the world. Enlightened by faith in her Divine Son, we, too, should carry a light for all to see.

Mary comes with her husband, Joseph, to hand over the child Jesus to the Lord; yet, through the eyes of Simeon, we learn that something even greater is happening here. We learn that it is God himself who has handed over his only begotten Son to us. Today’s Presentation of the Lord is prelude to another, future presentation – to that presentation that will take place on Calvary, in our Lord’s sacrificial death on the cross, of which every Mass is a re-presentation.

Guided by and filled with the Holy Spirit, Simeon embraces the Child. His hope fulfilled by the presence of Promised Messiah, he begs the Lord to release him from earthy cares and to go from this life in peace. For his eyes have seen “salvation”, “light” and the “glory of Israel.” These prophetic words uttered by Simeon and repeated by the Church in prayer at Compline give us a brief catechesis on the mystery of Jesus: he is the salvation of humanity, a light to the nations and the glory of Israel.

Yet, as we are reminded in the reading of the Last Gospel at the end of today’s Mass: The true light has come into the world “yet the world knew him not.” Or, as Simeon would tell Mary, “This child is destined for the fall and rise of many… and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Mary’s life – and our own lives – if we, like her, follow Jesus to the end, will be lived under the sign of the cross. For in a fallen world, in a world that has turned its back on God, those who live “ad orientam,” that is, looking, in joyful expectation, towards the coming of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, inevitably will encounter opposition and resistance. Such was the life of Christ – and such was the life of his mother who at Calvary shared in his sufferings; such is the life of the Church.

The “thoughts of many hearts” have been revealed in the betrayals and apostasies of the Church’s sinners but also in the constancy of her confessors, in the purity of her virgins and in the courage of her martyrs. Blessed John Paul II, when as Karol Wojtyla he preached a Lenten retreat to Pope Paul VI, said that “sign of contradiction” maybe be the “distinctive definition of Christ and his Church.”

Today, the witness of the Church on behalf of the dignity and right to life of the human person from the first moment of conception till natural death is itself a “sign that will be contradicted” – and is in fact contradicted in the present mandate of the Obama administration’s Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate to deny a religious exemption to Catholic institutions and thus force us to violate our consciences and to make us accomplices in evil.

Today’s feast of the Presentation of the Lord – thanks to the initiative of Blessed John Paul II – is also observed as the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. Those who live their Christian baptism through vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as religious sisters, brothers and priests, should see the oblation of the Son of God presented today in the temple as the model for religious life. We pray for them – may their perseverance in seeking first the Kingdom of God above all else inspire all of us to seek to live holy lives in fidelity to the promises of our baptism.

The lighted candles carried in procession this evening are a sign of the divine splendor of the Christ who comes to expel the dark shadows of evil. May our lives as Catholics reflect the light of Christ to all who meet us; and may that same light guide us, as it guided that righteous and devout man, Simeon, when we go forth from this life to meet Christ.

And finally, here are a few of the photos that were sent our way.

Author Amy Bonaccorso on the EF, OF and the Sacred Liturgy Generally

It is always gratifying (and more than just that, it is important) to see interest in the sacred liturgy spreading and as such, I was quite pleased to be contacted a few weeks back by Amy Bonaccorso, author of How to Get to ‘I Do’ – A Dating Guide for Catholic Women, who wished to speak about the sacred liturgy and about NLM's work in relation to it.

In her article, Do You Have Access to Both Forms of the Mass?, she speaks about the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum and the two forms of the Roman liturgy. She also speaks of her contact with the Benedictines of Norcia, the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, and the Canons Regular of St. Augustine:

I spoke with religious communities that are striving for renewal, in part by restoring the use of the extraordinary form of the Mass. The Holy See entrusted the Monks of Norcia in San Benedetto, Italy, the birthplace of St. Benedict, with the special apostolate of celebrating the Eucharist in both forms. Their Novice Master, Fr. Benedict Nivakoff, referred to the first aim of the Motu Proprio when he said, “Well, monks are those who care for the treasures of the Church. So it seemed most fitting.”

The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, an order in Chicago, Illinois, celebrated both Masses before the Motu Proprio. Their founder, Fr. Frank Phillips, said, “Years ago in the initial formation of our community, I happened to meet ‘Cardinal’ Ratzinger and briefly spoke to him about our charism and he said – not exact words – ‘finally a community that does both.’” This order desires to “Restore the Sacred” and seeks to nurture a continuing renewal of the Christian life as fed by the liturgy.

I visited the Canonry of St. Leopold in Long Island, New York to talk to them about these developments. They are a new foundation of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine, a very old order in Europe. Their Prior, Fr. Daniel Nash, said, “We give everyone a little bit of everything. We want to open the treasury of the Church, so people get everything that is theirs….not just what has been on the common market for the past 40 years.” Fr. Elias Carr said that it should be “normal” for both Masses to be available, and believes that when the Pope’s words are really heard, this is the direction we’re being led in.

Equally important are the following observations:

...after all of the interviews I did to understand this new phenomenon, I noticed some resistance. Some religious orders view this shift as a calling for some to embrace, and not others. Some Catholic media people I’ve spoken with view too much emphasis on liturgy as misguided. Liturgical renewal, they say, won’t solve all of the problems in the Church, so the emphasis doesn’t quite make sense to them.

When you speak to a priest, it becomes clear why so much energy is spent on liturgical issues. Fr. Daniel said, “Well, what does it mean to be a priest? To help people, to serve God? That’s vague. It’s to say Mass – to celebrate the liturgy.”

The central importance of the sacred liturgy, the formal worship of God the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit, is indeed something which can (strangely) meet resistance, and this despite all that the Church teaches us in this regard, and despite being "the privileged place for catechizing the people of God." (CCC 1074)

We need more and more apostles of the sacred liturgy.

Do go over and read her entire article: Do You Have Access to Both Forms of the Mass?

The Liturgy of the Hours and the New Missal Translation

The closing prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours for Lauds and Vespers is generally the same as the collect of the Mass.  With the implementation of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, those who wish to pray the hours in English are left with two alternative versions of the same prayer: the new and improved translation as found in the missal, and the obsolete translation as appears in the breviary.  Eventually, a new English translation of an updated Liturgy of the Hours will be published and indeed is already in the works.  Until then, it is permissible to continue using the obsolete collects when concluding the hours.  It seems advantageous, however, to use the new translation, not only for the sake of fidelity to the official Latin prayers but also to reinforce the connection between the Liturgy of the Hours and the Liturgy of the Mass, which together form the basis of the Church's public worship.  Toward that end, Newman House Press (publisher of Bishop Athanasius Schneider's Dominus Est—It is the Lord!) has produced a 400-page volume containing the collects of the Roman Missal, in Latin and English on facing pages: Oremus—Let Us Pray sells for $25 (US) + $5 shipping and is available directly from the publisher.

5th Sunday of the Year, Simple English Propers

The Simple English Propers, now fully in stock (with a ribbon!!)

Two Icons by Kathy Sievers

Kathy Sievers teaches at an icon painting teaching program that takes place regularly at Mt Angel Abbey in Oregon (close to where she lives). She also teaches in Illinois and Florida. You can see more of her work at her website, here and more about the Mt. Angel program here
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A few things caught my eye about these two icons is the lovely rhythm and grace of the lines. As well as have that calligraphic flow in the abstract, they do describe form well (without deviating from the iconographic style); so that, for example, we can read the folding of the cloth and how it relates the form underneath very easily. This is the mark of a good draughtsman. Also, look at how she has modelled the form. She appears to do a base layer in quite mottled paint - probable quite a thin single layer of paint (I'm guessing) as a wet puddle of quite dilute paint. This evapourates unevenly an so creates that mottled effect as the white gesso underneath shows through more in some parts than others. Then she paints the mid-tones and highlights on top of that. These are much denser, opaque layers of paint. The overall effect is very attractive, I think. I am painting a large Christ in Majesty at the moment and want to paint a blue robe. I have been looking at different ways of doing this, and Kathy is giving me some pointers through her work.

Dominican Rite Celebrated at Thomas Aquinas College on the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas

This past January 28th, the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, a Mass in the Dominican rite was offered on the high altar of the chapel of Thomas Aquinas College.

The Mass was celebrated by the chaplain of TAC, Fr. Paul Raftery, O.P.

The following complete video recording of the entire Mass was made by Joe Haggard.