Dominican Requiem Mass and Absolution in NYC Next Monday

Next Monday, November 8th, the church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City will have a solemn Requiem Mass in the traditional Dominican Rite, followed by the Absolution at the catafalque; the schola will sing Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem Op. 9. The Mass will begin at 7pm; the church is located at 869 Lexington Avenue.

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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Pontifical Mass with Card. Zen in New York City, February 15

The third annual Lepanto Conference will take place in New York City on Saturday, February 15, beginning with a Pontifical Mass in the traditional rite at the church of St Vincent Ferrer, a Votive Mass of the Chinese Martyrs. The Mass will be celebrated by His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Zen, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, beginning at 11 am., and followed by followed by conferences and a procession; for more information, see the event Facebook page. The church is located at 869 Lexington Avenue. Last year’s conference was a massive success, boasting 700+ in attendance.

Solemn Dominican Requiem in NYC, November 13th

A Solemn Requiem in the Dominican Rite, followed by Absolution at the catafalque, will be offered at the church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City on Wednesday, November 13th at 7 p.m., with a reception afterwards in the parish hall. Fr Sebastian White O.P. will be the celebrant and homilist; the parish’s Schola Cantorum, directed by James Wetzel, will sing the Missa pro defunctis by Italian Baroque composer Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676). The church is located at 869 Lexington Avenue at 66th Street.

A Missa Cantata in the Dominican Rite will also be offered on Friday, November 15th, at 7 p.m. for the feast of St Albert the Great, with the Missa Sancti Wilhelmi devotio by John Taverner (c. 1490-1545).

In the traditional Dominican liturgical calendar, November 13th is the anniversary of All Deceased Friars and Sisters of the Order. This Requiem is sponsored by the Catholic Artists Society, the New York Purgatorial Society, and the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny, and is part of the monthly schedule of Requiem Masses at St. Vincent’s offered by the NYPS.

Holy Week Music at St Vincent Ferrer in New York City

The Schola Cantorum of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City, the professional choral ensemble of the parish, will sing an especially impressive repertoire of sacred music during the rites of the Sacred Triduum and Easter. (Please note that the Dominican Parish in New York City is at two different church, St Vincent Ferrer and St Catherine of Siena.)

April 18, Maundy Thursday: 6:30 pm, Solemn Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper Mass (at St Vincent)

• Messe Solennelle (Gloria) – Jean Langlais (1907-1991)
• Ubi caritas – Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978)
• Panis angelicus, Op. 80 – Pierre Villette (1926-1998)
• O salutaris hostias, Op. 21 – Pierre Villette
• Ave verum corpus – Flor Peeters (1903-1986)

April 19, Good Friday: 12:00pm, Seven Last Words of Christ from the Cross (at St Catherine)

• Salve salutaris victima – Peter Philips (c. 1560-1628)
• Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund – Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)
• Surely he hath borne our griefs (from Handel’s Messiah)
• Have mercy upon me, O God – William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)

3:00 pm Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion (at St Vincent)

• Solemn Passion according to Saint John
• Adoramus te – Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
• Inspice vulnera – Haec quanta sint – Melchior Franck (1580-1639)

April 20, Holy Saturday: 9:00 pm, Great Vigil of Easter (at St Vincent)

• Messe Solennelle in C Sharp minor, Op. 16 – Louis Vierne (1870-1930)
• Sicut cervus desiderat – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)
• Laudate Dominum (No. 4 from Quatre Motets, Op. 9) – Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
• Congratulamini mihi – Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594)

April 21, Easter Sunday: 12:00 pm Solemn Mass

• Mass in F – Charles Wood (1866-1926)
• Haec dies – Herbert Howells (1892-1983)
• Regina caeli , Op. 9, No. 3 – Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

3:30 pm Sung Paschal Vespers (at St Vincent)

The parish of St Vincent Ferrer and St Catherine of Siena in the Archdiocese of New York is served by the Dominican Friars of the Province of Saint Joseph. The church of Saint Vincent Ferrer was built in 1918 to the designs of renowned Gothic revival architect Bertram Goodhue, who considered this his finest building. Now recognized as a National Historic Landmark, it includes a complete set of Charles Connick stained glass windows, carvings by Lee Lawrie, and two instruments by the Schantz Organ Company. The church is located at 869 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan; the church of St Catherine of Siena is located at 411 East 68th St.

The Schola Cantorum of Saint Vincent Ferrer, the parish’s professional choral ensemble, sings the Sunday Solemn Mass at noon, (Ordinary Form), and for weekday feasts during its season, which runs from September through Corpus Christi; it is lead by Director of Music and Organist James D. Wetzel. For more information, including a music list of this year’s repertoire, visit www.svsc.info/music.

Photos from the Second Annual Lepanto Conference in New York City

On Saturday, February 16th, the second annual Lepanto Conference was held at St Vincent Ferrer Church in New York City.

This year’s conference began with a Pontifical Mass at the faldstool, a Votive Mass of Pope St Pius V, celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop James Massa of the Brooklyn Diocese, who preached at the Mass (video here), which was well attended by both young people and adults, numbering over seven hundred. The Mass setting was Palestrina’s Missa Tu Es Petrus à 6. From the records that have been searched, this seems to be the first Pontifical Mass celebrated in St Vincent Ferrer Church in recorded history. [Update: a reader has indicated in the comments that a Pontifical Mass was celebrated in 1918 for the dedication of the Church.]

The Mass was completely set up and carried out by local clergy and seminarians — a glowing example of bringing forth the treasure of the usus antiquior of the Roman Rite within a diocesan setting. The subdeacon was Fr Seán Connolly of the Archdiocese of New York, the deacon was Rev. Mr Roger Kwan, a transitional deacon for the Archdiocese of New York who will be ordained a priest this spring. The Assistant Priest was Fr Richard Cipolla of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

A catered conference followed, featuring Fr Gerald Murray, Fr Cipolla, and myself as speakers (links are to videos of the lectures).

The Lepanto Conference is a magnificent testimony to the beauty and power of Catholic Tradition for the renewal of the Church today. I was proud to be part of it and especially impressed with the young people who organized and ran it. If Vatican officials would like to find out someday how to get youth interested and involved again in the life of the Church, they should visit a conference like this, sit in choir, take notes, and go home with a new pastoral plan.

It was almost extremely gratifying to see members of the New York Police Department serving as an honor guard at Mass. They entered in procession, stood to the sides, remained in the front pews for the entire service, and recessed with the dignitaries. It was one of those rare moments when you see a little chink in the wall between Church and State.

A number of photos of the pontifical Mass were sent to me, which I now gladly share.

Vesting of bishop in side chapel

The procession forms

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Photopost Follow-Up: Prayers for the Dead

As a follow-up to our recent All Saints and All Souls photoposts, and yesterday’s photos of Masses celebrated by military chaplains during World War I, here are a few late submissions.

On Tuesday, November 6, the Order of Malta in the Dallas area commemorated the centennial of the end of World War I with Solemn Vespers of the Dead at the University of Dallas’ Church of the Incarnation, celebrated by Fr Carlos Hamel of the Fraternity of St Joseph the Guardian (Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, France). The Schola Cantorum Stellae Solae, directed by Brian Bentley, sang the Gregorian chant. The “Remembrance Day” Vespers drew well over a hundred participants from the university and local area, including clergy of the Dominican and Cistercian orders, as well as a dozen seminarians. (Photos by Anthony Mazur, reproduced by permission.)

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Rorate Masses in New York City

This year, the Church of the Holy Innocents in New York City is holding 10 Rorate Masses, the Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary for Advent, during the first part of the holy season. The Mass takes its title from the first words of the Introit, from Isaiah 45, 8: “Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just one: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior.”; it is celebrated by candlelight, in white vestments are worn instead of violet. In the dimly lit setting, priests and faithful prepare to honor the Light of the world, Who is soon to be born, and offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady. As the Mass proceeds and sunrise approaches, the church becomes progressively brighter, illuminated by the sun as our Faith is illumined by Christ. The readings and prayers of the Mass foretell the prophecy of the Virgin who would bear a Son called Emmanuel.

The Rorate Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Holy Innocents on the following days of Advent, all of them starting at 6 a.m.: Monday, December 4, Tuesday, December 5, Wednesday, December 6, Thursday, December 7, Saturday, December 9, Monday, December 11, Wednesday, December 13, Thursday, December 14, Friday, December 15, Saturday, December 16. The church is located at 128 West 37th Street.

The words of the Introit are used repeatedly both at the Mass and in the Divine Office during the season of Advent, expressing the longings of the Patriarchs and Prophets, and of the entire human race since the fall of Adam, for the coming of the Redeemer. The celebration of this Mass by candle light had originally a more practical reason: for many centuries, no Mass was allowed to be celebrated after noon, and when these Masses were celebrated very early in the morning (before dawn) it was still very dark, especially in winter-time. In the course of time and through the power of religious tradition, a spiritual meaning attached to the custom; the use of candles symbolizes the bright light of Christmas to which Advent leads us.

Before the liturgical revolution after the Second Vatican Council, this Mass was celebrated very early in the morning on all Saturdays, and in some countries such as Poland and Germany, during some or all weekdays during the season of Advent. As the season’s votive Mass of the Virgin Mary, it presents Her as the perfect model to imitate throughout the season of Advent, and teaches us its real spirit as we await the coming of the Messiah. During the nine months of pregnancy, Our Lady lived a hidden life, in silence and intimacy with Christ. During the period of Advent, we should cultivate that same spirit of silence and intimacy by listening attentively to God’s message and by obedience to His word, through devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that, like the shepherds of Bethlehem, we may always find Jesus through Mary “So (the shepherds) went with haste, and they found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger.” (Luke 2, 16).

Thanks to Mr Eddy Toribio for the text above, and to one of our most faithful photopost contributors, Diana Yuan, for these photos of the Rorate Mass celebrated at Holy Innocents yesterday morning:

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Dominican Mass of Our Lady’s Nativity in NYC

Our thanks to Arrys Ortañez for these photos of a Dominican Rite Missa cantata celebrated on Friday, the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, by Fr Innocent Smith at the church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City. Below them are two photos sent in by Diana Yuan of Solemn Mass for the same feast at Our Lady of Mt Carmel, offered by Fr Stephen Saffron for living and deceased religious; after Mass, there was the traditional blessing of flowers, herbs, and seeds.

Preparation of the Chalice, which is done before the Gospel.

The acolytes stand facing the wall for the Gospel.

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Upcoming Masses and Parish Study on Sacred Art at St Vincent Ferrer, NYC

On Friday, September 8th, the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mass will be celebrated in the Dominican Rite at the Church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City, starting at 7 pm. The gentlemen of the Schola Cantorum will sing Maurice Duruflé’s Messe cum jubilo, Andrea Gabrieli’s Nativitas tua Dei Genitrix á 7, and Vincenzo Bertolusi’s Ego flos campi. The church is located at 869 Lexington Avenue.

On Monday, September 11th, in commemoration of the 16th Anniversary of 9/11, the New York Purgatorial Society will sponsor a Dominican Rite Requiem Mass at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, starting at 7 pm.

On Thursday, September 14th, for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, there will be a special Solemn Mass in the Ordinary Form at the Church of St Catherine of Siena at 6:30 pm. The Schola Cantorum will sing Sebastián de Vivanco’s Missa Crux fidelis, Jacob Handl’s Adoramus te á 6, and Pierre de Manchicourt’s O crux splendidior – Nobile lignum exaltatum. Exposition will immediately follow Mass and an All Night Watch before the Blessed Sacrament will be kept until Benediction and Low Mass the next morning, Friday, September 15th, at 7:00 am, for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. The church is located at 411 East 68th Street.

The parish entity which comprises these two churches will also hold a study course this fall entitled “The Arts as Paths to God: Secular and Sacred Art and the Spiritual Life,” each Tuesday evening in the parish hall of St Vincent Ferrer. Details in the poster below.

Dominican Rite Corpus Christi in New York City

On Thursday, June 15th, at 7 pm, a Dominican rite Missa Cantata will be celebrated for the feast of Corpus Christi at the Church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City, (located at 869 Lexington Avenue), followed by a Eucharistic procession to the Church of St Catherine of Siena. The Schola Cantorum will sing the Missa Papae Marcelli of Palestrina; the procession will be followed by a parish party at St Catherine’s.

Pentecost at St Vincent Ferrer in NYC

On Saturday, June 3rd, there will be a Solemn Mass for the Vigil of Pentecost at 7:30 pm at the Dominican church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City, located at 869 Lexington Avenue. This Vigil Mass, similar in form to the Easter Vigil, includes readings and prayers added by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. The readings will be chanted and accompanied by chants from the Dominican Graduale. The Schola Cantorum will sing Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s Missa Dum complerentur, Hans Leo Hassler’s Dum complerentur, and Giovanni Gabrieli’s Jubilate Deo á 8.

On Sunday, June 4th, Solemn Mass for Pentecost Sunday will be celebrated at 12:00 pm. The Schola Cantorum will sing William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices and his polyphonic settings of the Propers for the Mass. That evening at 5:30 pm, Solemn Vespers will be celebrated with chants from the Dominican Antiphonarium.

Dominican Mass in NYC for the Feast of St Vincent Ferrer

In honor of the patronal feast of St Vincent Ferrer, a Solemn Mass in the Dominican Rite will be offered on April 5 at 7:00 p.m., at the church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City, located at 869 Lexington Ave. The church’s Schola Cantorum will sing a very nice selection of polyphony, the Missa Sancti Wilhelmi devotio by John Taverner (c. 1490-1545), In dedicatione templi by Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594), and Quod autem cecidit by Manuel Cardoso (1566-1650).

Parish Study on Participating in the Mysteries of the Mass

This spring, Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P. and James Wetzel will present a series of talks on the theme “Pray with Understanding: Participating in the Mysteries of the Mass.” The presentations will take place in the parish hall of the church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City, located at 869 Lexington Ave; the first will be held this coming Tuesday, January 17th, from 6:45-7:45 p.m., and the series will continue until April 4th. Throughout the twelve sessions, they will delve into the mysteries of the Mass, explaining the history, symbolism, theological and musical dimensions of the liturgy.

Fr Innocent writes in the parish bulletin: The Church’s liturgy sometimes feels mysterious. On one hand, this is fitting for what is at heart a participation in the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. On the other hand, when we are mystified by the words and actions employed we can at times be distracted from the task at hand of entering into that Mystery more deeply—mysteries can obscure the Mystery. By learning why the liturgy employs the words and gestures that we encounter from week to week or from day to day, we can enter into the Mass with the conscious and active participation that Church desires for each member of the faithful.

This spring, our Parish Study program aims to help members of our parish to come to a better understanding of the Mass so that we may more fully follow St. Paul’s exhortation to “pray with understanding” (1 Cor 14, 15). ... the twelve week class will give an overview of the parts of the Mass that we encounter each week: ... The class will be taught by me together with our director of music, James Wetzel. Each week we will consider different aspects of the words, actions, and music we encounter in the Mass. ... You are most welcome to attend each class or to drop in from time to time as your schedule allows. By participating in this Parish Study program, we hope that you may come to experience a deeper participation in the liturgy of the Church.

Solemn Requiem Mass in the Dominican Rite in NYC, November 7th

The Catholic Artists Society will have its annual Solemn Requiem Mass for deceased family members, friends, and fellow artists, on Monday, November 7th, at the beautiful church of St. Vincent Ferrer in New York City. The Mass is co-sponsored with the New York Purgatorial Society and the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny. The Schola Cantorum of St. Vincent Ferrer, accompanied by period instruments and conducted by James Wetzel, will sing Manuel Cardoso’s Missa Pro Defunctis a 6. A reception will follow in the parish hall. Detailed information in the poster.

Once again, it is a very encouraging thing to see not only the continual and growing interest in the Dominican liturgy, but also the cultivation of the rite in company with such excellent music.

Regular Sunday Vespers with the Dominicans in Manhattan

The Dominican parish of Ss Vincent Ferrer and Catherine of Siena in New York City is beginning an excellent new initiative to promote what should be one of the most important aspects of the Catholic liturgical life. Beginning on Sunday, September 18, they will celebrate Vespers every week in the Ordinary Form. These celebrations will draw on the Dominican chant tradition as well as the contemporary Antiphonale Romanum, using a combination of Latin and English: Latin for the ordinary chants, the psalm and Magnificat antiphons, and the short responsory, and English for the hymn, psalms, readings, intercessions, and collect. (See the parish website at this link.)

Each week there will be a singing class at 4:30 pm covering the chants for the week, and Vespers will then be sung at 5:15; the booklet for the first Sunday can be consulted here. The priest who prepared it, Fr Innocent Smith O.P., has been mentioned here on NLM several times in connection with his interest in Dominican chant and various talks that he has given about it. I have known Fr Smith for many years, and I know that he will certainly do a great job in making this a worthy and beautiful celebration of the Church’s evening prayer. The parish evening Mass, sung with Gregorian propers in English, follows at 6 pm.

The choir of te church of St Vincent Ferrer.

Upcoming Lecture and Solemn Mass in NYC: “Musical Life of English Catholics under Elizabeth”

The Society of St Hugh of Cluny is sponsoring an event in New York City, (details in poster below), which will explore the riches of English Catholic musical and religious culture under the Tudors. The lecture by Dr. Samuel Schmitt will describe the musical life of recusant Catholics in the time of Elizabeth, with live examples provided by Grant and Priscilla Herreid and Charles Weaver.

The Mass which follows, in the traditional Dominican rite, features the Missa Regali of Robert Fayrfax, essentially in its original liturgical context, in the English Gothic Revival setting of the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer. The contrast in musical styles will serve to highlight what was lost and what was gained in sacred music in the tumultuous passing from the age of Fayrfax to that of Byrd.

Introduction to Dominican Chant at St Vincent Ferrer in NYC

Beginning on Sunday, February 7, 2016, the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer and St. Catherine of Siena will offer a three-part series of workshops on Dominican chant, the dialect of Gregorian chant used by the Order of Preachers.

Led by Fr. Innocent Smith, o.p., the workshops will take place on three successive Sundays, February 7, 14, and 21, from 3:00–3:50 pm in the Parish Hall of the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer (in the undercroft the Church, accessible from Lexington Ave. to the right of the front steps of the Church). On February 14 and 21 the workshop will be followed by Vespers at 4:00 pm in the Church, giving participants a chance to sing some of the chants they have studied in the workshop.

To RSVP for the workshops, please email parish@svsc.info.

A leaf of a Missal decorated by Saint Fra Angelico, the famous Dominican painter, from the museum of the Dominican church of San Marco in Florence, ca. 1430.