Dominican Rite Solemn Mass of All Saints, Anchorage AK

Dominican Rite Mass at the Cathedral

I am pleased to announce for those readers up in Alaska, that the Solemn Mass of All Saints will be celebrated at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Anchorage AK at 5:30 p.m. this Friday, November 1, according to the traditional Dominican Rite.

The major ministers will be: Fr. Paul Raftery, O.P., priest; Fr. Mark Francis Manzano, O.P., deacon; and Mr. Michael Rannal, subdeacon.

The choir will be singing music by Franz Joseph Haydn and Tomas Luis de Victoria, as well as the Dominican chant propers.

A Dominican Rite Missa Cantata is sung every Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in the Cathedral. The cathedral is staffed by friars of the Western Dominican Province.

Dominican Rite Server Camp, Anchorage Alaska

A guest report by Bro. Peter Junipero Hannah, O.P.

The Western Dominican Province of the Order of Preachers – of which I am a member still in formation – sends its student brothers to a ministry site for one year of our formation to gain experience “out in the field,” so to speak. I did much teaching and preaching (in various non-liturgical settings) over this period, but one of the most rewarding of my ministries was working to train a group of boys in how to serve the Dominican Rite.

Holy Family Cathedral currently offers the extraordinary form in the Dominican Rite every Sunday, and the servers for this Mass on my arrival tended to be adults. As the year progressed, three boys specifically began to express interest in serving, so I and the other main adult server began to incorporate them into appropriate roles, for example boat-bearer, junior server, and even thurifer. Two more boys came forward shortly thereafter, and I and the other adult trainer began to realize we could use a more “in-depth” workshop to school our growing team of young servers.

I have included here a number of photos from various parts of the week. One will note that in the shots of the Missa Cantata, I acted as “M.C.” out of necessity. The Dominican Rite traditionally does not have a Master of Ceremonies, but due to the newness of the Mass for all the servers, I needed to be on hand to direct the various stages and movements.

Schedule of the Server Camp Liturgies

As we know, extraordinary form masses are not something one can just “pick up” after even a number of tries, especially when frequency is limited to one day a week (Sundays being the day this Mass is offered). So Fr. Vincent Kelber, O.P. (the usual celebrant for the Dominican Rite at Holy Family) and I decided it might be a useful thing to run a “Dominican Rite Camp” some week of the summer, where our team of boys could get the training and repetition necessary to really begin to understand and master the necessary movements and rubrics.

Bro. Peter Junipero and the Participants in the Program

To our delighted surprise, the announcement of the camp quickly generated more work than we had anticipated. I decided, almost as a side thought, to put an announcement in the parish bulletin for the camp, which would run mornings for one week, Monday through Friday, and involve about an hour and a half of catechesis and instruction on basic liturgical theology, the history of the Dominican Rite, and practical aspects of serving, culminating in a Mass served by members of the camp. We would adjourn to a local park afterwards for lunch and recreation. Within a week the announcement had gotten out by word of mouth, “through the grapevine,” as it were, and we had no less than twenty-six boys signed up ranging in age from 7 to 17.

Lunch in the Park near Anchorage Cathedral

We had to cut off sign-ups simply because I and the other trainer could only handle so many boys at one time. Alas, the wonderful problem emerged that, at the close of the week, the original six boys did not get the repetition they needed to feel comfortable with all the movements, since we decided to distribute as many boys as we could to serving roles each day, allotting two servers for each of the Low Masses celebrated Monday and Tuesday (senior and junior), and four servers for each of the Missae Cantatae celebrated Wednesday through Friday (senior, junior, thurifer, boat-bearer).

Study Session on the Latin Responses and Rubrics

Needless to say, the tremendous interest in learning to the serve the Dominican Rite among our Catholic boys and young men was wonderfully encouraging. The training sessions in the parish hall each morning involved everything from memorizing the Confiteor and Misereatur (which slightly differ in the Dominican and Roman Rites), to presentations on liturgical symbolism from Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, to a lesson from Fr. Kelber on the history of the Dominican Rite in relation to other rites, to practicums on the parts and order of the Dominican Rite Mass, to proper posture, movements, vestments and their symbolic significance, etc.

Rubric and Movement Practicum

Other than the sheer pleasure of leading such a week, what was especially fascinating for me was observing was the sense of camaraderie that developed among the boys, and their sense of responsibility for the sacred dignity of the Mass as it was taught and experienced each day.

Missa Cantata: Waiting for the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar

The older boys tended to take charge of the positions demanding more responsibility (e.g. senior server), the “middle” group of boys got to fill in at other spots and follow the leadership of the older, and the youngest boys (7 and 8 year olds), though they did not get a chance to actually serve, were champing at the bit in anticipation of being able to serve in the near future. A kind of healthy competition developed to memorize the Confiteor and Misereatur first, to remember the moves correctly, and to learn more about the sacred liturgy.

Missa Cantata: Ministers at the Side for Postcommunion Prayer

The final day we seized the opportunity to show the excellent USCCB video Fishers of Men, and speak about vocations, highlighting that every Catholic boy is called to a mature Catholic manhood, which means knowing and living the faith as a father, whether that fatherhood is exercised in leadership and service to a physical family, or in Holy Orders as a spiritual father.

The effort and training required to serve the extraordinary form well is an excellent mental, physical, and spiritual training for this fatherhood. On a basic human level, boys learn etiquette, teamwork, responsibility, seriousness of purpose, and duty to God. On a deeper level, they of course draw near to the font of Fatherhood, the Triune God, as they reverently serve the priest acting in persona Christi at the altar of God.

The Vocations Talk

The fruit of the camp was to produce a list of 10 boys whose families were willing to commit to weekly attendance at the Dominican Rite, and an additional list of about 12 more who were willing to come about once a month. Fr. Vincent and I took the list of servers committed weekly (plus 2), and scheduled three more additional weeks of training, taking 4 boys for a week at a time, and giving them a bit of repetition to better master the movements.

Bro. Peter Junipero with Two of the "Graduates"

It appears indeed that there is a plentiful harvest waiting to be reaped to meet the call of the Holy Father that the extraordinary form be more widely disseminated, and affect in a healthy way the liturgical balance and sensibility of the Catholic faithful. I am deeply grateful to God that I was able to be an instrument in serving Holy Family Cathedral in this ministry over the last year, giving me as it did a deeper familiarity with, and even greater appreciation for, the Rite of my Order which goes back to its very beginnings, and has been an extraordinary (pun intended) font of holiness through the ages.

Sts. Dominic, Thomas Aquinas, and all Dominican saints, Orate pro nobis!

Dominican Rite Server Camp

From the Far North comes this exciting news at Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage AK:

In response to the interest of a handful of young men and boys interested in serving the Dominican Rite here in Anchorage, we are offering a Dominican Rite Server Camp. To our astonishment twenty-five current and potential acolytes have signed up! Br. Peter Hannah, O.P. will be the main instructor in the rubrics. Each day a Mass in the Dominican Rite will be offered by me (Fr. Vincent Kelber, O.P) While the classes are private, the Masses will be public and in the Cathedral. All are very welcome to attend. Please see the schedule below.

Fr. Augustine also invited me to share on the development and growth of the Dominican Rite here in Anchorage. I will be sharing a few photos and some commentary within the next couple of days.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the Dominican Rite
Holy Family Cathedral, Anchorage, Alaska
The Week of June 26, 2011

Monday June 27, 2011, 10:30am
Votive Mass of the Holy Angels
Low Mass (Spoken)

Tuesday June 28, 2011, 10:30am
Vigil of Sts. Peter and Paul
Low Mass (Spoken)

Wednesday June 29, 2011, 10:30am
Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul
High Mass (Missa Cantata)

Thursday June 30, 2011, 10:30am
Commemoration of St. Paul
High Mass (Missa Cantata)

Friday July 1, 2011, 10:30am
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
High Mass (Missa Cantata)

Sunday, July 3, 2011, 4:00pm
The 3rd Sunday After Pentecost (Sunday following the Sacred Heart of Jesus)
High Mass (Missa Cantata)

Dominican Rite at Anchorage Cathedral

I am pleased to present here images of the Dominican Rite Missa Cantata of St. Nicholas of Myra, celebrated at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Anchorage AK last Saturday, December 6, 2008. This Mass begins the regular celebration of the Dominican Rite Missa Cantata at the Cathedral, which will be on the first Saturday of each Month at Noon. These Masses will be celebrated by the Dominican Friars of the Western Dominican Province, with permission of the Provincial, the V. Rev. Fr. Emmerich Vogt, O.P., and the blessing of the archbishop of Anchorage, the Most Rev. Roger L. Schwietz, O.M.I. In the first image we see the celebrant, Fr. Vincent Kelber, O.P., assistant pastor of the cathedral, vesting in the cathedral sacristy.


Here is a photo of the schola, under the direction of Mr. Tim Main, assembled in the choir loft ready to sing the Officium (as we call the Introit).


Fr. Kelber has here arrived at the High Altar and is opening the corporal. He still has his amice-covered capuce up as the Mass proper has not started. Below the steps we see his two acolytes, Jacob DeZarn and Richard Whitney. Normally, the acolytes would wear surplices, but on major feasts, and here pro causa solemnitatis, they wear albs. In the Dominican Rite the proper attire for servers on major feasts is an alb. You can also see the unlighted Sanctus Candles on the ends of the altar.


Father has here lowered his capuce and descended for the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar. The acolytes have turned in to make the responses.

Father has now gone to the book to recite the Officium and the Kyrie.


Following the Collect and the Epistle, while the schola sings the intervening chants, the celebrant prepares the chalice. He then proceeds to the "north" end of the altar to sing the Gospel, as we see in this next photo. The acolytes are present with their lighted candles; they have made way for the censer-bearer and boat-bearer, so we have just begun the dialogue before the Gospel. Incense was used at this Mass pro causa solemnitatis, as provided in the Caeremoniale (1866) of the Order. It will also be used at the Offertory and the Elevation. We do not use incense in the processions.

Fr. Vincent preaching his sermon on St. Nicholas.


Here is the Offertory. You will notice that the Host and Chalice are offered together in a single oblation. The acolytes are waiting to wash the celebrant's hands.

The censer and boat have arrived for the incensing of the gifts and altar. It is not the Dominican practice to remove the book during this rite.


Incensing the gifts. This is done with a simple cross, no circular motions are made in our rite during the ceremony, nor do we swing the censer or clank the chains.

Here Father has reached the Communicantes in the Roman Canon as he has now extended his hands (note the position of the Dominican position of his palms). The senior acolyte will soon ring the bell and they will both kneel for the Consecration. You can see that the acolytes have now lighted the Sanctus Candles, which will burn until the Ablutions.

Out of reverence, the photographer was asked not to take pictures during the Consecration. Here we have reached the Per Ipsum at the end of the Canon. The acolytes have been standing since the elevation. It is interesting that there is no minor elevation at the Per Ipsum in the Dominican Rite. The celebrant simply makes the five Signs of the Cross over the chalice.


The Ecce Agnus Dei. This ceremony is a Roman practice and was never part of the Dominican Rite. It was introduced in 1961 when the use of the Dominican Confiteor at Communion was dropped. As the norm is now to celebrate Mass according to the rubrics in force in 1962 (in conformity with the norms for the Extraordinary Form of the parent Roman Rite), it is now part of our Communion preparation.

The servers receive Communion:


The Communion of the Faithful at the steps of the sanctuary. The Cathedral does not have a Communion Rail, but that does not seem to have presented any problems for a reverent Communion. And, yes, you can just see the end of Father's long maniple sneaking out from under that very full chasuble in this photo.

Another view of Communion. And, no, that was not posed. The people all actually had their hands folded that way without any instruction from the clergy. God bless the parishioners of the cathedral and the friars who have over forty years trained them in the faith!

Here we see the Cathedral at the end of Communion. I include it so that you can give an idea of the size on the congregation, over 270. The junior acolyte is moving the book.

And here is a closing photo showing the Celebrant singing the Post-Communion Collect. Those with sharp eyes will notice that one of the candles had a wax leak from the back of the follower and went out--this is not part of the Dominican liturgical tradition.

In the Western Dominican Province, this monthy celebration of Dominican Rite Mass in the Anchorage Cathedral now joins the celebration on First Saturdays and feasts at Holy Rosary Church in Portland OR, monthly celebration at St. Francis Xavier Mission in Toledo WA, and the weekly celebration at San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura CA. Regular celebration is also soon to begin at Blessed Sacrament Church in Seattle WA. Other Western Dominican churches, including St. Albert the Great Priory in Oakland CA (the House of Studies), St. Dominic's Church in San Francisco CA, St. Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula CA, and the Monastery of the Angels in Hollywood CA, have also had occasional celebrations. I will keep readers posted on any new occasional celebrations. For the times of the regular Masses, please contact the churches involved.

My thanks to Fr. Vincent Kelber, O.P., for providing these photographs. The full set may be seen here.