Music from a Mass of St Hildegard

Our friend Mr James Griffin of The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music is preparing a full write-up the Institute’s most recent event, a Mass celebrated on the feast of St Hildegard of Bingen this past September 17. In the meantime, we are happy to share these four videos of the Mass, which highlight the splendor of the music.

The Introit, Kyrie and Gloria.

Offertory and Motet

Communio, Interlude and Motets

Salve Regina, Recessional and Postlude

Another Sarum Vespers Described, by James Griffin

Better very late than never, we thank our friend Mr James Griffin of The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music for sharing with us these pictures of a Vesper ceremony in the Sarum Rite celebrated back in March, and for providing the written description of the ceremony.

Faithful readers of this site may recall my photo-essay from February 2020, following the Sarum Vespers for Candlemas Eve in Philadelphia, which was attended by 700 or more persons. For many of the faithful in this part of the country, that event is etched in their memories as a last hurrah before the Covid-related shutdowns brought an end to public worship.

It took four years for the right circumstances to allow my associates and me to put together a second celebration of the Sarum Use, which finally took place on Friday, March 1 at the chapel of Princeton University, New Jersey. Some estimates have the headcount at 800 this time! An excellent reflection was written shortly after the event by NLM contributor David Clayton, who also gave an academic presentation before the Vespers began. But I hadn’t found the time, or the right inspiration, to put my own words to paper until now. As with the essay in 2020, photos here are thanks to the efforts of Allison Girone and her associates. A digital version of the congregational booklet may be downloaded here, and below is a professional video recording.

The clergy and servers are led to the chancel by the verger (as the Sarum Customary puts it, “the sacristan with the rod”). At the beginning of Vespers, the candle-bearers enter in surplices, which are exchanged for full albs partway into the ceremony.

We welcomed many priests from far and wide to attend in-choir. Many wore the black cappa, as did the canons of Salisbury Cathedral, a practical measure for any cavernous stone church in a northern climate. The officiant was Fr. Armando G. Alejandro, Jr., a priest of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, and chaplain for the Durandus Institute.

Just before the officiating priest, the rectores chori — rulers of the choir — make their entrance. Each ruler carries a stave, sometimes called a baculus cantoralis, as a sign of his office. It should be said that the practice of cantors with staves is hardly unique to the Sarum Use, having been practiced in various monastic houses and cathedrals in Europe, and even in some places in Latin America until the 20th century.

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Sarum Use Vespers and Liturgical Art – Heaven on Earth

Some NLM readers will already be aware of the Sarum Use Vespers and Benediction that took place on March 1 at the Princeton University Chapel. Here, I present an account of a talk I gave before the event about the art used in the ceremony, which was commissioned especially for the occasion, explaining the choice of content and style, and how it harmonises with the activity of worship.  

I don’t think I have ever seen a more complete harmony of words, music, art, architecture, and action in the liturgy. The music by 16th-century English composers Thomas Tallis and Robert White was sung magnificently by Gabriel Crouch and the Gallicantus early music group. The spectacular Magnificat by White can be heard at the 39-minute mark in the video below, which I give you now in case you missed it the first time. 

The second video is of the three short talks given before the service. The first, by James Griffin of the Durandus Institute, explained the history of the Sarum Use. I gave the second one about sacred art as a part of worship. In my capacity as Artist-in-Residence of the Scala Foundation - a co-sponsor of the event - I was invited to choose the art which was commissioned especially for this occasion. The third was by Gabriel Crouch, the Director of Choral Activities at Princeton University and the Musical Director of the choir Gallicantus, who spoke about the history of music and its composers. 

Peter Carter, who founded The Catholic Sacred Music Project and is the music director for The Aquinas Institute at Princeton University, was a strong driving force behind the evening. In large part, thanks to his vision and hard work, an estimated 1,000 people attended this incredible event at the Princeton University Chapel, built in the 1930s. I wonder whether so many people have ever knelt in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in this magnificent space. Here is the video of Vespers and Benediction.

...and here is the video of the talks...

The following is what I prepared prior to the occasion, and is a combination of what I said and what appeared in the program:

Choosing Contemporary Art for Sarum Use Vespers Today

St Chad and the Holy Face of Christ were painted by a young artist named Ander Scharbach (https://www.ander-scharbach.com/), from Baltimore, Maryland. The Crucifixion and the Mother of God are painted by an established artist, Ioana Belcea (IoanaBelcea.com), based in Princeton, New Jersey. Their work is for sale, and they take commissions.

St Chad by Ander Scharbach

The Crucifixion and St Chad were painted especially for this occasion. Each artist was asked to draw personal inspiration from the English Gothic style of the 13th century School of St Albans, a period when the Sarum Use Liturgy was at its height. This tradition of sacred art is characterized by the description of form with the elegant flow of line, a limited palette with muted colour, and by having ornate, patterned borders.

The results are contemporary yet traditional. No artist would have painted like this in 13th-century England. Still, everyone in 13th-century England would have been able to relate to the images every bit as much as the worshipers in 21st-century America, who excitedly mobbed the artists after the Vespers were over, to ask about the beautiful icons they had seen. This is because the art conforms to traditional principles of liturgical art, which are universal.

Crucifixion by Ioana Belcea, based on the 12th century Winchester Psalter

Sacred art shows us what we do not see with our eyes in the here and now. It portrays the saints and angels praying with us in heaven eternally. It illuminates the truths behind the actions of the liturgy and focuses our attention on what is important at any given time in the course of our worship.

There is a reason that we follow tradition. The art we chose conforms to a style developed gradually over generations and centuries, going back to the early Church, to fulfil its purpose well, which is to aid us in a deep participation in the worship of God. How would one measure such a thing? It is not primarily by whether people like it, or how we respond emotionally. Instead, the Church, in her wisdom, observes the fruits of that worship. Does the art incline people to go out and serve the Lord and love our neighbors as ourselves? Does it lead to lives of greater virtue? While we always hope that all will like the art and wonder at its beauty, there are other goals than this. The purpose of this art is to influence the lives of Christian worshipers so that they become better Christians. Getting this right takes patience and careful observation of many iterations of style and so once we get it right we mess with traditional forms at our peril. If we arbitrarily change things for no good reason, we are playing with people’s souls.

The sanctuary and altar, with the images forming a temporary rood screen,
in the traditional pre-Reformation Catholic manner

The choice of images

Following tradition, we have placed three images at the core of our schema today. Together, they symbolize the broad themes of salvation history and the mysteries of the Faith made present every time we worship God. In addition, we have added St Chad of Mercia (died A.D. 672), the great evangelist of western England and the Midlands, whom we remember today. May we imitate his Christian faith and good works in our lives.

The three core images are:On the left: the Mother of God with her Son. This image symbolizes the life of the historical Jesus and his human nature, which he received from Mary, and we share with Him.
Center: the suffering Christ on the cross. This image portrays the sacrifice he made for us, his suffering, and his death. It reminds us of our spiritual deaths in baptism. This image gives meaning to our suffering in this life, particularly when placed next to the image of the Risen Christ because it reinforces the message that there is always hope in the Resurrection. Christian hope transcends suffering just as the Light overcomes the darkness.

Right: the Holy Face of the Risen Christ in Glory. The halo of supernatural, uncreated light around his head is prominent, constituting the whole background, which is commonly considered ‘negative’ space but here becomes heavenly ‘positive’ space. This tells us visually that we are looking at a heavenly vision of the Saviour. This image speaks of his Resurrection and victory over death, by death. Through the Church, we ‘put on Christ’ (to use St Paul’s words) and rise with him supernaturally, partaking of the divine nature through participation in the sacraments of confirmation and communion.

We are all people loved by God. Each human life is a unique story that simultaneously and paradoxically mirrors the pattern of the life of Christ and the pattern of the whole of salvation history, the story of the people of God. We share in the life, the suffering, the death of Christ and, as Christians, in His resurrection, partaking in the divine nature. This is a supernatural transformation, a great gift, and is our joy as Christians in this life and the next.

Gabriel Crouch and Gallicantus are on the left

How to pray with the sacred art

The worship of God, which we are participating in at Vespers, is the worship of the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. Scripture tells us that the Son is the image of the Father, and no one comes to the Father except through the Son. Accordingly, it is a traditional practice to pray to the Father through the Son, who is the image of the Father. This establishes the legitimate principle of praying to a person through their image.

So, each time a prayer is addressed to the Father, let the Holy Spirit draw you in and pray to the Father through the image of Christ. Look at the face in the image and imagine you are speaking to him as he stands before you.

We can use the image of the Son to pray directly to both the Son a much as the Father. So, each time a prayer is addressed to the Son, again, turn to the image and pray to Him through the image. Similarly, each time a prayer is addressed to Mary or St. Chad or is invoking their memory, turn and face their holy icons as the words are sung or recited.

The Magnificat, which the Church sings at every Vespers, is the great hymn of Mary taken from the Gospel of Luke. At this moment, we pray with her, using her words as recounted in Scripture, and it is appropriate to look at Mary’s image when we do so. All the images are incensed during the singing of the Magnificat to draw our attention to them at this heightened moment of prayer.

The censing of the images during the Magnificat

We do not pray to or worship the image itself, as that would be idolatry. Rather, when we pray to anyone other than God, such as Mary or St. Chad, we ask them to join in our prayers and to intercede to God for us, just as we might ask any friend or family member to pray for us.

St Augustine said famously that those who sing their prayers pray twice. In this Vespers, our prayer is not simply two-fold, but multi-faceted: music, art, and incense engage the senses, helping to direct the posture, intellect and will. The heart is the human center of gravity, so to speak, the place where we are, as a person at any moment – the vector sum of our thoughts, feelings and actions. The hope is always that through this multi-faceted engagement, we raise up our hearts to the Lord.

The beauty of the art, the architecture and the music participates in the beauty of the cosmos, which bears the thumbprint of the Creator. This transforming beauty harmonises with the poetic language of the psalms, and of the hymns and the prayers of the liturgy so that the worship stimulates our spiritual imaginations and impresses the pattern of Christ upon our souls. Then we go out and contribute, gracefully and beautifully, in all that we do to the pattern of human life in society. By this, we establish once more a beautiful culture that, like the cosmos, bears the mark of Christ, who did not create it directly but inspired its creation by people.

The Scala Foundation has a mission of transforming American and, hence, Western culture through beauty in education and worship so that we are formed by grace to change society, one personal relationship at a time. To the degree that each of us contributes to this ideal, we will help to create culture of beauty that speaks of the Christian Faith and Western values.

Some may wonder how much an ancient English liturgy such as this might be relevant to Americans in Princeton today. The answer is: a great deal! The American nation emerged out of English culture and the values it incarnated and which were formed by its pre-Reformation liturgy and faith, primarily the Sarum Use of the Roman Rite. It is a truth that worship is the wellspring of culture. These values of English culture were preserved in America subsequently through the liturgical cousins and liturgical descendants of the Sarum Use, and their associated churches formed by them. These are as well as the Catholic Church, the Anglican, Episcopalian and all Christian churches which routinely sang the psalms especially those that used the psalter from the Book of Common Prayer. The Book of Common Prayer developed directly from the Sarum liturgy.

The practice of praying the psalms can, it occurs to me, be a principle of unity for the American nation today. I speak with such hope, and as one who was born and grew up in England and recently became an American citizen. The hope is that the beauty and the dignity of the worship we participate in tonight, may be simultaneously grounding and elevating for us.

On the one hand, it will establish in us in the desire for humble prayer in the home that mirrors, in spirit at least, tonight’s Vespers. We can pray the psalms in the domestic Church. We may not be able to match the great skill and sublime beauty of this occasion, but in our own humble way, we can daily participate in the ideal it presents. This grounding, humble prayer can be elevating in that it inclines us to cooperated with grace and inspire us in our daily activities, contributing to a noble and accesible culture of beauty. Humble prayer and high culture! That is the motto we bring to you.

Tonight we can raise our hearts to heaven in yet another way. It is a participation in something yet more beautiful, the heavenly liturgy in which the saints and angels worship God, who is Beauty itself. This is our destiny as Christians. Every time there is a pause in the singing, you will hear a faint echo enriched by harmonics and resonance created by the acoustics of the majestic gothic architecture of Princeton University Chapel. At these moments, imagine that the angels and saints singing with us in heaven and worshiping God in the perpetual heavenly liturgy are whispering in your ear, urging you to join in with their worship, in which they accept the love of God and return it to Him in the perpetual song of praise.

I pray that we may all be inspired to pray humbly and to love God and our neighbor.

The celebrants and 1,000 people were on their knees before the Blessed Sacrament during Benediction. I wonder if Princeton University Chapel – built for Presbyterians – has ever seen this before.

Video of Sarum Vespers of St Chad of Mercia

On Friday, March 1st, the chapel of Princeton University hosted the celebration of First Vespers of St Chad of Mercia according to the Use of Sarum, followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. This event was organized by Mr James Griffin, executive director of the Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music, with the help of a great many people, as you can see in this video of the complete ceremony. This is the second time the Institute has organized a service in the Sarum Rite; the first, on February 1, 2020, was a solemn First Vespers of Candlemas. (I jokingly said to James that I hope this one doesn’t set off another global pandemic.)

As he did with the previous ceremony, Mr Griffin is planning on sharing with us a detailed explanation of the ceremony, which will be accompanied by photos by one of our favorite photographers, Allison Girone, and her associate Regina Jelski. For now, enjoy the video; the texts are given below.

The feast of St Chad is ranked as a “single” feast at Sarum, the equivalent of a semidouble in the Roman system. The psalms and antiphons are therefore taken from the feria, in this case a Friday, with semidoubled antiphons.

Antiphon In conspectu angelorum: * psallam tibi Deus meus. (In the presence of the Angels * will I sing praise to thee, my God.) Psalm 137

Antiphon Domine * probasti me et cognovisti me. (O Lord * thou hast searched me out, and known me.) Psalm 138

Antiphon A viro iniquo * libera me Domine. (From the wicked man * O Lord, preserve me.) Psalm 139

Antiphon Domine clamavi * ad te: et exaudi me. (Lord, I call * upon thee, haste thee unto me.) Psalm 140

Antiphon Portio mea Domine * sit in terra viventium. (Let my portion, O Lord * be in the land of the living.) Psalm 141

This is followed by the Chapter as in the Roman Office, Sirach 44, 17: “ Ecce sacerdos magnus qui in diebus suis placuit Deo et inventus est justus: et in tempore iracundie factus est reconciliatio. (Behold an high priest, who in his days pleased God, and was found righteous, and in the time of wrath he was made a propitiation.”

At First Vespers of all the but the lowest-ranked feasts, most medieval Uses of the Office had one of the prolix responsories from Matins between the chapter and the hymn; at Sarum, this was led by two “the rulers of the choir” wearing silk copes, and standing at the steps of the choir.

R. Miles Christi * gloriose Ceddas sanctissime, † Tuo pio interventu, ‡ Culpas nostras ablue. V. Ut celestis regni sedem valeamus scandere. Tuo… Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto. Culpas… (Glorious soldier of Christ * most holy Chad, † Through thy pious intervention. ‡ Cleanse our sins. V. That we may be able to ascend the seat of the heavenly kingdom. † Through… Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ‡ Cleanse…)

The hymn Iste Confessor and the versicle Amavit eum which follow are the same as in the Roman Rite, but Sarum had a curious custom by which the response to the versicle was not made audibly. The antiphon at the Magnificat is also semidoubled.

Sis pro nobis, * sancte Cedda, rogamus, ad Dominum: ut nos regat et perducat ad celi palatium: ubi tecum et cum sanctis simus in perpetuum. (Be for us, Saint Chad, we ask, unto the Lord, that He may rule us and lead us to the palace of heaven, where we may be with thee and the Saints for ever.)

Oratio Deus, qui sanctorum tuorum meritis ecclesiam toto orbe diffusam decorasti, presta quaesumus: ut intercessione beatissimi Cedde episcopi et confessoris, in sorte justorum tua opitulate pietate censeamur: per Dominum... (God, who hast adorned the Church, spread through the whole world, with the merits of Thy Saints, grant, we ask, that by the intercession of Thy most blessed bishop and confessor Chad, we may be numbered in the lot of the just by the aid of Thy mercy. Through our Lord...)

Pictures of an Ordinariate Mass at the National Shrine in D.C.

Our thanks to Mr James Griffin of The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music for sharing with us these pictures (taken by Mr Alan Lopez) and this account of a Mass recently celebrated at the National Shrine in Washington DC in the Ordinariate Rite.

On August 3, the Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music coordinated a solemn Mass according to the Ordinariate’s Divine Worship Missal at the crypt of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The liturgy was a votive Mass of St John Henry Newman, celebrated to open the 2023 academic conference of the St John Henry Newman Association of America. A music program sung by the renowned DC-area men’s ensemble The Suspicious Cheese Lords additionally commemorated the 400th anniversary of the death of composer William Byrd (July 4, 1623) this year, with his “Mass for Three Voices”, and “Ave verum corpus” sung during Holy Communion.

The Holy Mass was celebrated by a priest of the Ordinariate, Fr Jason Catania, assisted by Fr Christopher Woodall as deacon, and Fr Armando Alejandro, Jr. as subdeacon. Fr Nathan Davis preached the sermon, and the director of the Durandus Institute, James Griffin, assisted as the 1st Master of Ceremonies.

The crypt of the National Shrine is an important site in the life of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, since it was the place where, on the feast of St John Henry Newman, October 9, in 2011, the community of St Luke’s (an historical Anglo-Catholic church in Bladensburg, Maryland) and their rector was received into the full communion of the Catholic Church. The crypt has also been the site for the ordinations of several Ordinariate clerics. However, the Durandus Institute’s event marks the first time that the Divine Worship Missal has been used for a public celebration within the National Shrine.

The entrance procession is led by the verger.

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Augustus Pugin’s Church of St Augustine of Canterbury in Ramsgate, England

Wholly unplanned, this week’s theme on NLM is “friends visiting beautiful churches.” On Sunday, we saw Nicola’s photos of the relics of St Peter Martyr in the Portinari Chapel in Milan (more photos of the chapel will be posted later this week), and yesterday, we saw photos taken by another friend of one of the clandestine Catholic churches of Amsterdam. Another of our frequent guest contributors, Mr James Griffin of the Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music, is in England for the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, and took the opportunity to visit the church of St Augustine of Canterbury at Ramsgate, a project of the great Augustus Pugin, who is buried in the church. When he died at the age of only 40 in 1852, the work was continued by his sons Edward and Peter. Of course, it would take a whole series of posts to justice to any Pugin project; fortunately, you can see the whole complex on the church’s website, which has a superb virtual tour that gives a lot of very good information about it.

Pugin was, of course, an ardent admirer and promotor of style and form of medieval English churches, so of course, the church has a rood screen, and a liturgical choir rather than a choir loft. In 1970, the church was barbarously vandalized by the Benedictines who had charge of it, but much of the vandalism has been undone; the Crucifix was removed in 1970, but replaced in 2019.

Unfortunately, the Benedictines destroyed the high altar installed by their community in 1884; in the recent dewreckovation, a new one was installed. The frontal is a fiber-glass replica of Pugin’s own work from the Jesuit church of the Immaculate Conception in London, showing the Crucifixion in the middle, and various Old Testament scenes of sacrifice.  

The baptismal font is the work of a friend of Pugin named George Myers (1804-75).

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Bish. Schneider Celebrates Pontifical Mass in Pennsylvania

This past Sunday, His Excellency Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Maria Santissima in Astana, Kazakhstan, celebrated a solemn Pontifical Mass at the very full church of St Joseph in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Allison Girone was there, working together with her daughter-in-law Alyssa to take these beautiful photos, and we thank them for sharing them with us. (The full album of about 600 photos can be seen here.) Two of our other frequent collaborators were also present, James Griffin of the Durandus Institute, who served as the subdeacon, and photographer Arrys Ortañez (just attending this time.) As always, it is extremely encouraging to see how young most of the people are who putting in the hard work of preserving and promoting our Catholic liturgical tradition. Meet the guardians of the tradition!

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Divine Worship Mass for St John Henry Newman in Philadelphia

On Thursday, October 7, the Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music assisted the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter in organizing a Pontifical Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, celebrated according to the Divine Worship Missal in honor of St John Henry Newman. The Mass was offered by Bishop Steven Lopes, presiding from the faldstool in the presence of the Most Rev. Nelson Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, who attended in-choir on the throne, and preached the homily. The Philadelphia Oratorians brought a relic of St John Henry, which was placed upon the altar for this Mass. This event was the beginning of a triduum of celebrations in honor of the great cardinal, continuing in Washington DC on October 8 with choral Evensong in the presence of Bishop Lopes at Saint Luke’s Ordinariate Church, and concluding on the feast itself, October 9, with a pontifical Mass and Te Deum, also at Saint Luke’s.

Fr Armando Alejandro, Jr. (who celebrated the recent Divine Worship Mass in New York City) served as deacon, and Josue Vásquez-Weber, Chancellor of the Ordinariate, as subdeacon. Seminarians of St Charles Borromeo Seminary and the Philadelphia Oratory served as ensign-bearers, while clergy of the Ordinariate acted as chaplains to Abp Pérez at the throne. James Griffin, director of the Durandus Institute, served as Master of Ceremonies. A number of distinguished guests joined in choir, including Fr Roman Pitula, rector of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Philadelphia, Fr Robert Pasley, rector of Mater Ecclesiae Chapel and Chaplain of the Church Music Association of America, and priests of the Philadelphia Oratory.

The choir of St John the Baptist Ordinariate Church in Bridgeport, together with associate choristers of the Durandus Institute, sang Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices, Purcell’s “O God, thou art my God” at the offertory, and a gradual psalm in Anglican chant, under the direction of visiting conductor Dr Kevin Clarke (director of music at St Theresa’s Catholic Church in Sugar Land, Texas). The choir of St Charles Seminary, under the direction of Dr Nathan Knutson, attended in the chancel stalls and assisted with the singing of the Proper chants from the Graduale Romanum, as well as Heinrich Isaac’s “O food to pilgrims given” at Communion.

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Divine Worship Mass of Our Lady of Walsingham in NYC

Last Friday, the Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music--which debuted with the Sarum Vespers of Candlemas Eve in Philadelphia, and assisted with the recent Pontifical Latin Mass of the Assumption in the Philadelphia cathedral--organized the first-ever Mass celebrated in New York City according to the Divine Worship Missal of the Ordinariates, formerly known as the “Anglican Use.” An assortment of Ordinariate, Dominican, and diocesan clergy, and about 250 of the faithful, came to the church of Saint Vincent Ferrer in Manhattan to attend this historic celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, enhanced by a special program of sacred music--including the Communion Service from Herbert Howells’ Collegium Regale, Alec Redshaw’s “I sing of a maiden”, Anglican chant psalmody, and proper chants from the Plainchant Gradual by Burgess and Palmer. (The complete program can be see here.) We are happy to share a video of the complete ceremony, and pictures by one of our favorite photographers, Mr Arrys Ortañez. (Arrys informs me that he used a grainier filter than usual to give the photos a more dramatic feel, one which suits the Gothic style of St Vincent’s very nicely. Thanks also to Mr James Griffin of the Durandus Institute for the write-up).

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A Description of Sarum Vespers, by James Griffin

On Tuesday, we shared a video of the First Vespers of Candlemas which were recently celebrated in Philadelphia according to the Use of Sarum. The organizer of the event, Mr James Griffin, has very kindly provided us with us with a detailed description of the ceremony, which we are very happy to publish, together with photos by Allison Girone.

Last September, photos of Vespers according to the Sarum Use celebrated at Balliol College, Oxford were posted on New Liturgical Movement. As a student of the Sarum Use for many years, I was immediately captivated by the photos and closely studied the Schola Sainte-Cecile’s program for the service; but I didn’t think any further about the article until a friend asked me if I could organize a liturgical event like it for our own community in the Philadelphia area, where I now live.

Many people expressed skepticism about this idea, but they couldn’t shake me from the opportunity I saw at hand. What if I could invite all the university students and scholars of early music in this city to a rare celebration of Vespers with just the kind of music they’ve been learning in concert hall environments, but in the original context for which it was composed? What if we could invite Catholics with an appreciation of sacred music to an event which would expose them to the broader treasury of our musical patrimony outside of the Mass? The possibilities for evangelization and outreach seemed endless. After speaking with the archdiocese’s office of worship, and asking the Dominicans of St Patrick’s Church in center city Philadelphia to host at their parish, I spent the next two months on a promotional campaign: Sarum Vespers for Candlemas Eve, 2020. On the night of the event, in a church with no free parking anywhere nearby, for a liturgy which fulfilled no Mass obligation, over 700 people poured through the doors of St. Patrick’s, telling the whole world that there was a hunger for beautiful, traditional worship. I’m privileged to be able to share with you the official video and photos of this historic occasion below.

The congregational service booklet may be viewed at this link. The full photo album, taken by Allison Girone, may be viewed here.

The verger (called “the sacristan with the rod” by the Sarum Customary) makes way for the procession. In the medieval Church, before the introduction of pews defined a central aisle, it was necessary for large churches to have someone bearing a rod to clear the way for the clergy. While an entrance procession is certainly not necessary for celebrations of the Divine Office—the clergy and choir at Salisbury likely took their own places individually before the start of the Hours—it was a practical necessity for such a large group in this space to enter the church in a more formal manner.

As in the traditional Roman Rite, the hours are preceded by several prayers recited in silence. The officiating priest begins with Deus in adjutorium meum intende, to which the choir answers with Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina and Gloria Patri. The Sarum Use directs the choir to turn to the altar at several points in the rite, including whenever the doxology is sung. Strictly speaking, the Sarum Use also envisions that the entire hour of Vespers—with the exception of the Responsory—is said while standing. We allowed the clergy and congregation to sit for the psalms, but no chairs were set out for either the singers or the altar servers.

The “heart” of Vespers is five psalms; however, the group used for First Vespers of the Purification in Sarum is different from that of the Roman Rite. As in the Dominican Use, Sarum assigns the Psalms of the Christmas octave: 109, 110, 111, 129, and 131 (in the traditional numbering). Each psalm is preceded by a semi-doubled antiphon, intoned by five different clerics in descending order of seniority. Each cleric is individually approached by the Precentor, who pre-intones for them as needed. We assigned the antiphons in advance to four priests and one deacon, all from different dioceses, religious orders, or the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter. It was hoped that this would visually signify how all the clergy sustain the universal Church by their obligation to pray the Hours daily.

After the cleric intones the first portion of the antiphon, the four rectores chori—rulers of the choir—go straight to the first verse of the psalm, followed by the rest of the choir. We sang all odd-numbered verses of the psalms in unison with the organ, with the verses fully notated in the programs for the congregation to join in singing. The even-numbered verses were sung by the choir alone to 3 or 4-part harmonies called fauxbourdon or falso bordone. The complete antiphon follows at the end of each psalm.

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Video of Sarum Vespers of Candlemas

On Saturday, February 1st, the Dominican church of St Patrick in Philadelphia hosted a celebration of Solemn First Vespers of Candlemas according to the Use of Sarum. This remarkable event was organized by Mr James Griffin, executive director of the newly founded Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music, with the help of a great many people, as you can see in this video of the complete ceremony. We are very pleased to congratulate everyone who offered their time and effort for such a beautiful rite; the church was absolutely packed, a hopeful sign for similar initiatives in the future, both here and elsewhere.

Later this week, we will offer a detailed explanation of the ceremony written up by Mr Griffin, and some photos from one of our favorite photographers, Allison Girone. For now, enjoy the video; the texts are given below.

The Psalms of Christmas Vespers (109-110-111-129-131) are sung with the antiphons from Lauds of the Circumcision, which are semidoubled. (The fifth of these antiphons, Magnum hereditatis mysterium is sung at the Benedictus on the Circumcision in the Sarum Use)
   Aña 1 O admirábile * commercium:  Creátor géneris humáni, animátum corpus sumens, de Vírgine nasci dignátus est; et procédens homo sine sémine, largítus est nobis suam Deitátem. (O wondrous exchange! the Creator of the human race, taking upon Him a living body, deigned to be born of a Virgin: and coming forth without seed as a man, bestowed in us His Divinity.)
   Aña 2 Quando natus es * ineffabíliter ex Vírgine, tunc implétae sunt Scriptúrae: sicut pluvia in vellus descendisti, ut salvum fáceres genus humánum: te laudámus, Deus noster. (When Thou wast born ineffably of a Virgin, then were the Scriptures fulfilled; like the rainful upon the fleece thou camest down, to save the human race; we praise thee, O our God.)
   Aña 3 Rubum, * quem víderat Móyses incombustum, conservátam agnóvimus tuam laudábilem virginitátem: Dei Génitrix, intercéde pro nobis. (In the bush which Moses saw unconsumed, we recognize the preservation of Thy praisworthy virginity: Mother of God, intercede for us.)
   Aña 4 Germinávit * radix Jesse, orta est stella ex Jacob: Virgo péperit Salvatórem; te laudámus, Deus noster. (The root of Jesse hath budded, the Star hath arisen from Jacob, the Virgin hath borne the Saviour: we praise thee, O our God.)
   Aña 5 Magnum * hereditátis mystérium: templum Dei factus est úterus nesciéntis virum: non est pollútus ex ea carnem assúmens; omnes gentes vénient dicéntes: Glória tibi, Dómine. (The great mystery of heirship; the womb of Her that knew not a man is become the temple of God; in taking flesh from Her, He was not defiled; all nations shall come, saying: Glory to thee, O Lord!)

The Chapter (Malachi 3, 1) Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple.

As in almost all medieval Uses, one of the responsories from Matins is sung between the chapter and the hymn.
R. Vidéte miráculum matris Dómini: concépit Virgo virílis ignára consortii. * Stans oneráta nóbili ónere María. * Et matrem se laetam cognoscit: quae se nescit uxórem. V. Haec speciósum forma prae filiis hóminum castis concépit viscéribus: et benedicta in aeternum, Deum nobis prótulit et hóminem. Stans oneráta. Gloria Patri. Et matrem. (See the miracle of the Mother of the Lord; a virgin conceiveth who knoweth not the company of man. Mary remains entrusted with a noble charge, and knoweth herself to be a joyful mother, who knoweth not herself as a wife. She concevied in her chaste womb Him that is beautful above the sons of men, and being blessed forever, brought forth unto us God and man.)

There follows the hymn Quod chorus vatum, a composition of the Carolingian era which was written for the feast of the Purification, but never adopted at Rome. (It has been incorporated into the revised Latin hymnal of the Liturgy of the Hours.)

V. Responsum accepit Symeon a Spiritu Sancto. R. Non visurum se mortem nisi videret Christum Domini. (Simeon received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.)

The Antiphon of the Magnificat Homo erat in Hierusalem cui nomen Symeon, homo iste justus et timoratus, expectabat redemptionem Israel: et Spiritus Sanctus erat in eo. (There was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; this man, just and God-fearing, awaited the redemption of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was in him. - As in most medieval Uses, the antiphons of the Magnificat and Benedictus were doubled for major feast days.)

The Prayer Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, majestatem tuam supplices exoramus: ut sicut unigenitus Filius tuus hodierna die cum nostrae carnis substantia in templo est praesentatus, ita nos facias purificatis tibi mentibus praesentari. Per eundem. (Almighty and everliving God, we humbly beseech thy Majesty, that as thy Only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in substance of our flesh, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts. )