On Saturday, July 6th, His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke celebrated Pontifical Vespers at the church of Ss Peter and Paul in Cork, Ireland, and the following morning, Pontifical Mass, as part of the 12th Fota International Liturgical Conference. As always, the liturgies were sung by the Lassus Scholars, conducted by Dr Ite O’Donovan, and we hope to bring you some videos with their wonderful music very soon. Our thanks to Prof. William A Thomas for providing us with these photographs.
St Colman’s Society for Catholic Liturgy is pleased to announce the program for the Fota XII International Liturgy Conference, which will be held at the Clayton Hotel in Cork City, Ireland, July 6-8. The topic of the conference this year is The Ritual: de benedictionibus and the Rite of Exorcism. For information about registration, contact the Secretary of the St Colman’s Society, Terry Pender, at colman.liturgy@yaho.co.uk. The same address may be used to order the Acta of last year’s conference, which will be formally present at this year’s conference, as noted below.
Saturday, July 6
8.15am – Registration
9.30 – Opening of the Conference
9.45-10.45 – Prof. Dieter Boehler, SJ: The Priestly Benediction in the Psalter
11.00-12.00 – Matthew Hazell: A Historical Survey of the Reform of De Benedictionibus, 1959-1984
2.30- 3.30pm – Fr. Ryan Ruiz: Mutual Enrichment and the De Benedictionibus: Revisiting the Scriptural Euchologies of the Usus Antiquor and Their Possible Application in the Ordinary Form Rites of Blessing
3.45-4.45 – Daniel Van Slyke: Exorcism Rites of the Past and Present: Similarities and Differences
4.45-5.15 – Discussion
7.30pm – Pontifical Vespers at the church of Ss Peter and Paul, celebrated by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke. The Lassus Scholars, under the direction of Dr Ite O’Donovan, will sing the Gregorian propers, a Magnificat by Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611), and the Salve Regina by Peter Philips (1560-1628).
The Benedictus from the Missa Papae Marcelli of Palestrina, sung by the Lassus Scholars during the Mass of Holy Thursday at St Kevin’s church in Dublin this year.
Sunday July 7
11.30am – Pontifical High Mass at the church of Ss Peter and Paul, celebrated by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke. The Lassus Scholars will sing the Mass Propers from the Choralis Constantinus of Heinrich Isaac (c. 1450-1517), the Missa Domine Dominus Noster as the Ordinary of the Mass and the Offertory Illumina oculos meos, both by Orlando de Lassus (1532-94) and the Te Deum and Ecce Sacerdos Magnus of de Victoria.
4.00-5.00pm – Fr. Anthony Ward, SM: Aspects of the Psalm Prayers in the de Exorcismis of Pope St John Paul II
5.00-6.00 – Fr. Joseph Briody: A Scriptural Reflection on the Evil Spirit and Saul in 1 Samuel 6.30-7.30 – Launch of Psallite Sapienter: The Liturgy of the Hours, edited by Fr. Joseph Briody, Proceedings of the Fota XI International Liturgy Conference (2018), with contributions by Prof. William Mahrt, Prof. Dennis McManus, Sr. Maria Kiely OSB, Prof. Joseph Briody, Gregory DiPippo, Dom Benedict Andersen OSB, Fr. Sven Conrad FSSP, Matthew Hazel, and Dr Peter Kwasniewski.
8.00: Gala Dinner
Monday, July 8
9.30-10.30 – Prof. Manfred Hauke: What is ‘exorcism’? A critical assessment of terminology
10.45-11.45 – His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke
12.30pm – Solemn High Mass at the church of Ss Peter and Paul; the Lassus Scholars will sing the Gregorian Propers and Palestrina’s Missa brevis.
2.45-3.45pm – Fr. Dennis McManus: Three Significant Reforms in the 2004/5 Rites of Exorcism
4.00-5.00 – Fr. Sven Conrad FSSP: The Apotropaic Effect of the Sacred Liturgy
Please note that speakers and times may be subject to variations.
On Monday, July 10th, the following papers were presented at the tenth annual Fota Liturgical Conference, focusing this year on the Church Fathers and the sources of the Roman Rite.
Fr Kevin Zilverberg - The Latin Fathers’ Daniel in Antiphons and Responsories
Medieval liturgical texts of the Mass and Office of the Roman Rite preserve many remnants of the Old Latin version of the Old Testament book of Daniel, which in Bibles was gradually replaced by St Jerome’s new, “Vulgate” version. This study considers the importance of a handful of these remnants, all from Chapter 3, the story of the three young men in the fiery furnace. For example, liturgical texts preserve the Old Latin “spiritus - spirit”, where the Vulgate has “ventus - wind”, each of which lends itself to different theological interpretation. Indeed, the Latin Fathers tended to understand this “spirit” to be the Holy Spirit, even well beyond the initial diffusion of the Vulgate revision “wind”. Not only do such liturgical remnants aid our understanding of patristic theology, but they contribute to progress in fields such as philology and Greek and Latin biblical textual criticism as well.
Fr Manfred Hauke - The Holy Eucharist in the Life and Work of Pope Gregory the Great.
St Gregory’s most important texts on the Eucharist are contained in his homilies on the Gospels and in the Dialogues; when treating of St Benedict, he shows the importance of interior preparation to participate at the liturgy and receive Holy Communion. The intercession of St Benedict for two deceased nuns is linked to his participation in the offering which unites itself to the sacrifice of Christ represented on the altar. The last part of the Dialogues is entirely dedicated to the efficacy of Eucharistic sacrifice for the souls in purgatory. Gregory praises the practice of offering the sacrifice of the Mass daily and its relation to the daily offering of our lives to God. His preferred expression when speaking of Eucharistic sacrifice is ‘Missarum solemnia’ which refers not only to solemn liturgies, but also to the ‘simple’ daily Masses.
The risen Christ does not die any more, but is sacrificed in the ‘mystery of holy oblation’; His passion becomes a mystical presence that feeds the faithful in Holy Communion. The Sacrifice of the Mass is not a ‘repetition’ of the Passion, but the ‘sacramental’ presence thereof. The minister of Eucharistic sacrifice is the priest or bishop, but the faithful also participate in the holy action by their offering and by Communion.
In the daily offering of our life to God, every element of the Christian existence is important and reaches its apex in Eucharistic sacrifice.
The paper also examines the influence of St Gregory on the Eucharistic liturgy, distinguishing historical facts from probable influences and mere hypotheses attached to later imagination. The extraordinary form of the Roman Mass can correctly be called ‘the Rite of St. Gregory’, who represents the classical tradition of Roman liturgy, but is also open to pastorally useful liturgical adaptations.
Fr Sven Leo Conrad, FSSP - The Christian Sacrifice according to St Augustine: Prospectives taking into Consideration Joseph Ratzinger`s Approach.
This paper discusses the Christian idea of cultic sacrifice according to St Augustine, focusing on mainstream misinterpretations of the Fathers of the Church, which often totally neglect the dimensions of the clerical back-bone of the Holy Eucharist, its soteriological background and its cosmic dimension. By pointing these out, it refers to Joseph Ratzinger, who is indebted in his entire academic activity to St Augustin for essential insights into cultic theology, which he himself further developed this theology. His central considerations protect us from a one-side reception of the Church Fathers, which would seek to empty the salvific Cross on the altar.
Fr Joseph Briody - As He Promised: Davidic Hope Resurgent - the Message of 2 Kings 25:27-30
This is largely a Scripture-based paper veering in the direction of the Church Fathers and the Roman Liturgy; this direction is natural and organic since the Fathers were steeped in Sacred Scripture and the Roman Liturgy is replete with scriptural and patristic underpinnings. The last four verses of 2 Kings provide not merely the last historical note available to the Deuteronomistic historian after the exile, but rather an intentional and clear note of Davidic hope. After the disaster of 587 BC, a Davidic king is released from prison, exalted and honored. Against all odds, the line of David continues, resilient and resurgent, because of the unconditional promise made by God to David through the Prophet Nathan in 2 Samuel 7, a promise which reemerges at the end of a history of sin and loss as a note of hope and even grace. The paper outlines the resurgence of Davidic hope in 2 Kings 25:27-30 and traces this concern within the broader canonical context, concluding with mention of the Fathers and the Roman Liturgy.
We conclude with some nice pictures taken by Fr Briody’s brother John of the Pontifical Mass celebrated by His Eminence Raymond Card. Burke during the conference on Sunday July 9th, at the Church of Ss Peter and Paul in Cork.
St. Colman’s Society for Catholic Liturgy is pleased to announce that the Fota X International Liturgy Conference, to be held in Cork, Ireland, July 8-10, will be opened by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Military and Hospitaler Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. The subject of the conference is Resourcing the Prayers of the Roman Liturgy: Patristic Sources. His Eminence will deliver a paper entitled Early Sources of the Church’s Liturgical Discipline.
Card. Burke celebrating Pontifical Mass at Fota IX
The other speakers at the conference are:
Dieter Böhler SJ : Jerome and the Recent Revision of the German Einheitsübersetzung Bible. Joseph Briody : As He Promised: Davidic Hope Resurgent - the Message of 2 Kings 25:27-30. Markus Büning : Panis animarum – The Eucharist in St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Sven Conrad : The Christian Sacrifice according to St. Augustine: Prospectives taking into Consideration Joseph Ratzinger`s Approach. Gregory DiPippo : The Patristic Sources of the Roman Lectionary in Lent. Manfred Hauke : The Holy Eucharist in the Life and Work of Pope Gregory the Great. João Paulo de Mendonça Dantas : The Eucharist in the thought of Nicholas Cabasilas Johannes Nebel : The Paradigmatic Change of the Post Conciliar Liturgical Reform from actio to celebratio in the Light of the Latin Fathers.
Mark Withoos: “ad audiendum silentium narrationis eius” (Ep. 147): Silence and Liturgy in St. Augustine. Kevin Zilverberg : The Latin Fathers-’ Daniel in Antiphons and Responsories.
The Lassus Scholars under the direction of Dr. Ite O’Donovan will provide the sacred music for the ceremonies to be held at Ss Peter and Paul’s Church in Cork City. The schedule is as follows:
Pontifical Vespers, Saturday, July 9
Magnificat (Tomas Luis de Victoria 1548-1611)
Salve Regina (Peter Philips 1560-1628)
Pontifical High Mass, Sunday, July 10
Propers from the Choralis Constantinus (Heinrich Isaac c. 1450-1517)
Offertory - Benedicam Dominum (Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina 1525-1594)
Ordinary: Missa Vinum bonum (Orlando de Lassus 1532-1594) Te Deum and Ecce Sacerdos Magnus (Tomás Luis de Victoria 1548-1611)
Solemn High Mass, Monday, July 11
Gregorian Propers
Ordinary: Qual donna (Orlando de Lassus 1532-1594)
We have recently received photos of two different EF Confirmation ceremonies, one from Ireland and one from England. On Tuesday, November 3, His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation and offered Pontifical Benediction at St Kevin’s Church on Harrington Street in Dublin, Ireland, the home of the Latin Mass Chaplaincy of the Dublin Archdiocese. Photos courtesy of Mr John Briody; the complete set can be seen here on his flickr account.
We choir directors have a duty to pass on the REAL treasures of church music to the next generation ... and impart the musical skills which will enable them to continue this wonderful tradition... It is their rightful inheritance. Musicians and liturgists of the Catholic Church throughout the world of
the duty and responsibility we all have to pass on to a new generation
the treasures of church music protected by Vatican II and by
many papal documents. Let the young singers experience and come to love
this music. They are the Future … they are wonderful and highly talented
young people! Do not deprive them of their heritage by offering them
less than the best!”
These are the words of Dr Ite O’Donovan, director of the Dublin-based Lassus Scholars, whom we have featured many times here on NLM. She writes this à propos of a program which she led last week at St Kevin’s Church in Dublin, (home of the Dublin Latin Mass Chaplaincy,) the Orlandus Summer School for Choir and Organ; she was joined by vocal coach, Dr Imelda Drumm, and organ tutor Dr Paul McKeever. The program is geared towards young people from ages 14 to 26, with a view to introducing them to the glorious treasures of church music when they were young; as Dr O’Donovan writes, too often the parents take their children out of choir when they reach age 13/14 for the sake of sports and other activities.
The teachers were assisted by some of the older and very committed members of the Piccolo Lasso (Little Lassus) singers, who could all read music but who had not yet been singing polyphony - the Lassus Scholars of the future! As you will see from the series of 4 videos they really did very well - they even sang Isaac for the Communio. On Thursday August 11th, they began work on ALL the music which they were able to sing only 4 days at Mass on August 14th, as you can see in this video; some singers from the outside had never sight-read choral music before, though most had some experience in playing an instrument.
Below are the videos for all 4 days of the summer school, (3-5 mins each) with a little commentary by Dr O’Donovan on what was done each day.
These show the progress made from the very first session on Thursday morning to the performance at Holy Mass on Sunday. They also gave a concert - extra motets including Allegri Miserere - and organ pieces!
Day 1: Twenty-two young singers from many parts of Dublin, Co Meath and Co Louth gather together at the Orlandus Summer School 2016. While about half have them have had an excellent musical training as members of Piccolo Lasso, very few of them have performed polyphony before and almost all the repertoire is new to everyone. This video is taken from the very first session.
Day 2: Much progress was made in learning Palestrina’s Missa Brevis in the choral sessions. Other new pieces included Tallis’ If ye love me, Lassus’ Benedictus from the Missa Ecco amor colei, Panem de caelo from Isaac’s Choralis Constantinus and Allegri’s Miserere. Motets learned on day 1 were revised, including Pitoni’s Cantate Domino and Victoria’s Ave Maria. Many of the young participants availed of the opportunity of having individual singing lessons with Dr Imelda Drumm and organ tuition with Dr Paul McKeever. Excellent progress was made by all!
Day 3: All the participants had an intensive rehearsal schedule during the morning. One cannot praise them highly enough for their concentration and commitment which enabled them to bring 10 new pieces of polyphony to performance standard in 3 days. On top of that, the young singers had to learn to read/sing the Gregorian Chant Introit and Alleluia, short psalm-tone settings of the other Propers and regular chants such as the Asperges and Credo III. And to crown it all we were working on Allegri’s Miserere to sing at the Sunday afternoon concert. Amazing!
Day 4: The culmination of three days of rehearsals with two performances given by the participants at the Orlandus Summer School 2016 – morning Mass and afternoon concert. We have a saying in Ireland - “Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí - Praise the youth and he will come.” On Sunday Morning, August 14th, the Orlandus Summer School Choir gave stunning performances of Gregorian chant and Polyphony during the Mass for the 13th Sunday after Pentecost at St Kevin’s Church, Latin Mass Chaplaincy in Dublin.
The annual Fota Liturgical Conference in Cork, Ireland, is not only an important scholarly gathering, but includes a number of ceremonies celebrated at the highest level of our Catholic liturgical tradition. This year, on Saturday, July 9th, the conference’s keynote speaker, Cardinal Raymond Burke, was the celebrant of Pontifical Vespers for the eve of the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, after which he confirmed several young parishioners of the hosting church of Ss Peter and Paul. The wonderful Lassus Scholars, conducted by Dr Ite O’Donovan, sang the Gregorian chants for Saturday Vespers, and the Magnificat Septimi Toni of their patron musician, Orlando di Lassus. (Listen here on a previous post.) Our thanks to Mr John Briody for sharing these photos with us; the full set may be seen on his flickr account, along with those of a good many other liturgical events.
His Excellency Peter Elliot, Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, Australia, who also spoke at the conference, and Mons. James O’Brien, one of the principal organizers, attend in choir.
Dr Ite O’Donovan, the director of the Dublin-based Lassus Scholars, has posted some more videos of the music for the Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Cardinal Raymond Burke for the ninth annual Fota Liturgical Conference in Cork, Ireland, at the church of Ss Peter and Paul. I was present for the conference and this Mass, and I just cannot praise the quality of the music highly enough. Particularly noteworthy was the use of Heinrich Isaac’s polyphonic settings for the propers of the 8th Sunday after Pentecost, from his famous Choralis Constantinus. (Click here for more from Fota IX, or visit Dr O’Donovan’s Youtube channel.)
Introit Suscépimus, Deus, misericordiam tuam in medio templi tui: secundum nomen tuum, Deus, ita et laus tua in fines terrae: justitia plena est déxtera tua. Ps 47 Magnus Dóminus, et laudábilis nimis: in civitáte Dei nostri, in monte sancto ejus.
Gloria Patri. Sicut erat. Suscépimus.
Creed from Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli
Sanctus and Benedictus from the Missa Papae Marcelli
Communio Gustáte et vidéte, quoniam suávis est Dóminus: beátus vir, qui sperat in eo.
I recently attended the ninth edition of the Fota International Liturgical Conference in Cork, Ireland, which is organized each year by the St Colman’s Society for Catholic Liturgy. The theme of the conference this year was Liturgy and Scripture, and the paper I delivered was about the relationship between the Ambrosian Rite (which our regular readers know is one of my favorite topics) and the post-Conciliar reform of the Roman lectionary. I will post a full account of the conference soon; suffice it to say here that all of the papers were very interesting, and I was quite sorry to be unable to stay for the final day.
While I was at the conference, many people were kind enough to express to me their appreciation of what we do here NLM, and on behalf of our publisher, Dr William Mahrt (who also gave a paper at the conference), and all of our writers, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their very kind words of praise and support; in particular, His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Burke, His Excellency Bishop Peter Elliot, and Monsignor James O’Brien, who invited me as a speaker.
The music for the liturgical events was provided by the marvelous Lassus Scholars, directed by Dr Ita O’Donovan, who excel in both chant and polyphony; on Saturday, July 8, Cardinal Burke celebrated Pontifical Vespers, and the next day, Pontifical Mass. Enjoy these excellent performances of the first Psalm of Saturday Vespers (the first part of Psalm 143), the Magnificat Septimi Toni by Orlando di Lassus, and the Kyrie and Gloria from Palestrina’s Missa Papee Marcelli.
Here is our second report from the Fotoa conference, which concluded today. The first six photos are of Pontifical Vespers celebrated on the evening of Saturday July 4th, and the second six are of Pontifical Mass celebrated the following morning. Below is the report of the activities of the third and forth session. The liturgies are celebrated in the church of Ss Peter and Paul, with music by the magnificent Lassus Scholars, conducted by Dr Ite O’Donovan. (Photos by Mr John Briody.)
His Eminence George Card. Pell attending Vespers in choir.
Our good friends the Lassus Scholars have posted a number of videos from their recent visit to Rome on Gloria.tv. Here they are singing the Ave Maria at the Offertory.
You can see more of their superb work by following this link to other videos on Gloria, which also includes Cardinal Burke’s excellent homily on the true marriage of the Virgin Mary and St Joseph. You can also check out their website (dublinchoralfoundation.ie), follow them on both Twitter and facebook. In the meantime, here are a few more photographs of the Mass.
A number of videos have been posted on Gloria.tv from the FOTA VII Liturgical Conference recently held in Cork, Ireland, with some excellent performances of sacred music by the Dublin-based Lassus Scholars. Here they are heard singing the Magnificat octavi toni by Tomás Luis de Victoria, as His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke incenses the altar during Pontifical Vespers. Click here to enjoy the rest. We will be posting reports from the conference shortly.
