MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Holy Ghost Church, Tiverton, RI
Sunday XXII - September 1-2, 2008

There's a wideness in God's mercy..."In Babilone"
Gloria VIII...Mode V
God, in your goodness, you have made a home...Tone 8G
Alleluia...Murray (verse: Tone 8G)
For the healing of the nations...St. Thomas
Sanctus and Agnus..."People's Mass" (Vermulst)
Memorial and Amen..."Community Mass" (Proulx)
The Lord's Prayer (in English)...Chant
Magnificat...refrain: Croatian source; verses: Tone 7
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven...Lauda Anima

Peace,
BMP

MY SILENCE HAS ENDED! HO HO HO!

Actually, I have returned with a bang!

Yes, Nick is right - I spent from 12:30 PM last Saturday till 5 PM today in Miriam Hospital in Providence. I went in there Saturday with the nastiest unexplainable stomach pains. I barely, and I mean FREAKIN' BARELY, made it through the 11:00 funeral I had that morning, then making the beeline up I-195 to Miriam Hospital. After all, my wife insisted I get my butt over there after the funeral.

One of the pluses of Miriam Hospital, besides being closer to my family, is that they're well-known for their excellent coronary services there. Of course, when I pointed out to triage where my pains were, I was actually put on a heart monitor that day. Another really strange thing was that the guy in triage did my blood pressure in BOTH arms - - - there was a 30 point difference in blood pressure between the two arms!!! That, to me, just gave a whole new meaning to "bat shit crazy!"

Anyways, it turned out (after a cat scan Saturday, an MRI on Sunday, and endoscopy on Monday) that I had infections in the abdominal area - and they put the right antibiotics in my IV as I was getting admitted.

Right now I'm happy as a pig in $&!+ to be home. Special thanks to Nick for posting my original quick reply yesterday. I'll be doing more later on. I won't be doing a new podcast this week, but I will have one probably Monday or Tuesday or so in the coming week.

Finally, special thanks to all for your prayers.
Peace,
BMP

Prayers for One of Our Own

Dear Readers,

After several days of silence from Brian, I sent him an e-mail. The following just came back.

~nb

Believe it or not, I'm back in the hospital again. I landed up checking in Saturday afternoon after playing an 11:00 funeral with almost unbearable stomach pains. It turns out that it could be mild pancreanitis. However, there is still one more biopsy that needs to be figured out and I won't know that till tomorrow. I'm pretty much on a clear liquid diet for now and the pain has gone down some. Luckily this hospital has an internet cafe, but this is the first chance I've really had to come down here and actually had the strength.
I'll try to keep you all posted as much as I can, but if you could let the nation of snarks know, I would much appreciate it.
Unfortunately there is only a 15 minute limit.
Thanks much,
BMP

CHRISTUS VINCIT SPORTS NEWS FLASH!!!

Bishop Vann's Texas Rangers Does the Dirty Thirty!

SMOKESHOW EDITION
BRIAN MICHAEL PAGE - CV Sports Writer
BALTIMORE (CV) - Bishop Vann's Texas Rangers responded to a third inning 3-0 deficit by annihilating Cardinal Keeler's Baltimore Orioles with 30 (yes, THIRTY) unanswered runs for a 30-3 victory this evening. Texas scored five runs in the 4th inning, nine in the 6th, ten in the 8th, and six in the 9th to finish off the Orioles - in Camden Yards!

The Rangers are the first team to score 30 runs since the Cubs scored 36 runs 110 years ago. On June 28, 1897, the Cubs beat Louisville 36-7. That was a National League game. The Rangers now hold the American League record.

To add to the Orioles' woes, that was just the first game of a twi-night doubleheader. As I write this, the Rangers are leading 3-1 in the bottom of the 3rd inning. (UPDATE: The Rangers won the second game as well - 9-7)

And I thought my daughter's 28-14 win in all-star softball action was nuts!
Peace,
BMP

Ad in British Bulletin

(sent over the diocesan e-mail network by Fr. Trigilio)

BRITNEY SPEARS CONCERT CANCELLED! Unfortunately, our efforts to get pop sensation Britney Spears to perform a benefit fundraiser for the parish have proven unsuccessful. Her calendar is full. Therefore, those who have been arriving at Mass every Sunday dressed like Britney Spears should know that they don't have to do that anymore. Modest church-going attire will do nicely. We will notify you if the situation changes.

CATHOLIC CARNIVAL 133

...is up and runnin' at Daughter of the King. This week's CV contribution is the post about the Latin Mass at Holy Name.
Enjoy!

Peace,
BMP

FOLLOWING SUIT...

...is Puff over at The Spirit's Sword. In light of my nine part review of the 2008 OCP Music Issue (each blue word links to a different section) Puff has started the Canadian review. Yup, she's doing pieces on Catholic Book of Worship III. Keep checking The Spirit's Sword for updates.

Peace,
BMP

My response to the Haugen/Haas/Walker Cow Patties

As I wrote earlier, I related to our happy readers my shock at receiving a sampling of choral (coral?) scores on the wishlist. Here's my snarky response:

"Thank you for forwarding these scores for my review. The nature of the composition and the texts I find are more appropriate for the 5pm Sunday Mass, not the Solemn Mass of Sunday. Since (Mrs. X, youth ensemble leader) specializes in music of this genre, it seems even more fitting, that she use these items (and that sparingly) in her valiant efforts to oust the protestant fundamentalist flavor from the musical offerings of the late Sunday Mass. Although not of the highest quality, save for a few examples of solid hymnody, I still remain firm in my opinion that the Gather hymnal already in the pews be the primary source of repertoire for that Mass.

The only item that caught my eye in the review sampling was the arrangement of the Popule Meus for the liturgy of the Commemoration on Good Friday. It has been our tradition to use either a 3-part polyphonic setting of the Popule Meus or the plainchant setting from the Roman Gradual. This year, I am planning to use an arrangement of the Victoria Popule Meus with verses in English during the adoration of the cross. Perhaps the singers of the 5pm Mass could learn this English Popule Meus with (Mrs. X’s) coaching and sing it for Palm Sunday, at least a few of the verses.

Regarding the “Saints of God”. You should know I am a very outspoken opponent of the “works” of David Haas and Marty Haugen. In fact, I am a member of a society which advocates their works be banned from use in the Sacred Liturgy. The compositions tend to reflect a pedestrian, lax approach to the liturgy and foster the same in the hearts of the faithful. If you prefer the Subvenite to be sung, I strongly suggest the chant setting from the Roman Gradual, with which (my cantor) and a number of my singers are already quite familiar, having used it already several times at funerals of parishioners whose families have requested the Latin Requiem Mass. This setting, without a doubt would be the choice of the Holy Father. As for the Haas setting, I happily relegate it to the eternal fire, if not simply to file 13."

I recieved the memo back along with the scores with a note to discuss this with the boss. That will more than likely be on Thursday or by some slim chance tomorrow, Wednesday. I'll keep you all informed how this one plays out.

A TOP FIVE LIST

This from the Curt Jester - the Top Five Surprising Results of Summorum Pontificum...
(snarky remarks mine)

- Progressive liturgists and others are now finally concerned that priests properly know and use the rubrics. At least for the extraordinary form of Mass in the Latin Rite. (Meanwhile they still innovate ways to screw up the ordinary form!)

- A new concern for the number of people attending Mass. Declining numbers at experimental liturgy did not invoke a similar concern.

- That priests more than adequately know Latin. At least if they want to be allowed to celebrate the 1962 missal.

- The word "extraordinary" is finally coming to a proper understanding of what it means. Now if only they can learn to take the same view towards Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. (Here here!)

- Some bishops are now much more concerned about how liturgy is celebrated in their diocese and even want to test their priests capability in this regard. Maybe even one day the same concern will be applied to the ordinary form of the Mass. (Amen bro!)

Peace,
BMP

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Holy Ghost Church, Tiverton, RI
Dominica Vicesima Prima per Annum - August 26, 2007

Gloria, Sanctus, Memorial, Amen, and Agnus from Jubilate Deo
Go out to all the world and tell the good news - Tone 8G
Mode VI Alleluia (verse - Tone 6F)
Chant Lord's Prayer in English

OLD HUNDREDTH - All people that on earth do dwell
SLANE - Be thou my vision
Berthier - Eat this Bread
NUN DANKET - Now thank we all our God

Peace,
BMP

THE EXTRAORDINARY IN NORTHWESTERN VERMONT

Out of the Remove has very positive review of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass as celebrated last Wednesday at St. Joseph's Co-Cathedral in Burlington, VT, by Bishop Salvatore Matano. RSCT to Argent. Nearly a thousand people were in attendance! They were only expecting 300-400 people.

To the skeptics: Only a few will come, eh? Re-read the last two sentences in the above paragraph.

The bishop comments, "if this is what it takes to fill our Churches, so be it." Good, now maybe he can lose the folk groups that take up two (sometimes all) of the three weekend Masses at the Co-Cathedral. I would hope for a better example coming from a Co-Cathedral.

Peace,
BMP

LATIN MASS SPOKEN HERE

Here's a Providence Journal Article from 7/8 that I totally missed somehow. This involves my favorite former parish, Holy Name of Jesus in Providence, which has done a Latin Mass since 1978 (Novus Ordo 1978-1993, Tridentine 1993-present).

Source

(emphasis and snarky remarks mine)

PROVIDENCE — As pastor of Holy Name Church on the East Side, the Rev. Joseph Santos admits that he is starting to feel nervous.

After years of advocating for more widespread use of the traditional Latin Mass, which has been offered at Holy Name with the express permission of a series of bishops going back to the Most Rev. Louis E. Gelineau, the priest is about to see his dream fulfilled. Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI issued his long-awaited document, a motu proprio titled Summorum Pontificum, which authorizes priests to celebrate the once-suppressed Tridentine Mass publicly — without having to get the bishop’s permission. (Ah, but it was never suppressed to begin with, though the bishops didn't want anyone knowing that, which explains why some bishops, despite clarification by the Motu Proprio, are even trying to make up their own rules to set an anti-Motu agenda.)

With the roadblock removed, will priests who have long grown accustomed to the new Mass, sometimes called the Novus Ordo — which was promulgated by Pope Paul VI four decades ago to bring the Mass closer to people in the pews — dare to open their parishes to the old Mass once again? And if so, how popular will it be? (You'll never know until you try.)

Time will tell, but Father Santos says he estimates there are 30 priests in Rhode Island alone who have expressed an interest in bringing the old liturgy to a younger generation who never had the opportunity to experience the old Mass in all its splendor. (My own pastor went to a workshop recently on the Extraordinary Form. It's great that there are priests in my diocese willing to give it a shot. Our bishop, the Most Reverend Thomas J. Tobin, welcomed the Motu Proprio with open arms.) The old Mass is not simply the present-day Mass recited in Latin. It is more elaborate in both words and choreography.

“There are about 20 priests who have asked me to teach it to them, and I think I’m going to get them all together for classes. I find the most interest among our younger priests, which is remarkable because most priests today don’t even get Latin when they go to seminary.” (That's another thing that will need a foot coming down upon by our Holy Father, I fear. With a good amount of bishops who insist that to do the Extraordinary Form requires those well-versed in Latin but yet shows no intention of having it taught to his priests, that is most likely a sign of discouragement.)

Those who follow the Latin Mass, also known as the Tridentine Mass, know that the nation’s Catholic bishops haven’t all been in favor of allowing the rite in their dioceses, even though Pope John Paul II directed them to be open to it. Many have either refused requests for their churches to have the Latin Mass or have strictly limited it, judging that the use of the Tridentine Mass might be used as a rallying point for those broadly opposed to the changes in the church that were ushered in in the early 1960s by the second Vatican Council, known as Vatican II. For many, the new Mass symbolized Vatican II teachings because it was the most visible sign of change.

Here in Providence, Holy Name’s pastor emeritus, the Rev. Joseph T. Gallagher, got permission in 1978 from Bishop Gelineau to celebrate the new Mass in Latin. (With all due respect to Fr. Gallagher, who I know personally, he could have done the Novus Ordo Latin anytime he wanted without permission from the Bishop.) The parish was given approval 13 years ago for the Tridentine rite after a trusted friend of the bishop convinced him that allowing the older rite would provide hope to Catholics who felt alienated from the church. (The Tridentine Mass has now been done at Holy Name under the approval of three bishops - first Gelineau, followed by Bishop Robert E. Mulvee, then Tobin. Their graciousness in letting this happen is extremely commendable.)

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before he became Pope Benedict XVI, expressed the view that it was a mistake to try to completely suppress the traditional rite. He has suggested that more openness to the rite would restore reverence and show a continuity with the church’s past. It might also bring back Catholics who had always favored the older Mass, he has said. At Holy Name, the attendance at the 11 a.m. Sunday Solemn High Latin Mass has gone from about 125 people as recently as seven years ago to an average of 250 people now from September through June — close to a third of them families with young children and another third older folks who remember the Mass as it once was. (Even in the summer months, when the Latin Mass is Low Mass, the turnout is still quite good. I'd say about 150 in the summer, 225-ish at High Mass the rest of the year, during my tenure as their music director.) Others come for a range of reasons, including curiosity.

Among those at Mass last week were Patrick Fiorillo, 21, a college student from Franklin, Mass., and Edward Evans, 32, who usually makes the trek to Holy Name from Sturbridge, Mass., with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children, Alexander, 5, Amanda, 4, and John Paul, 17 months.

Fiorillo, a student at the University of Hartford, said he knew very little about the traditional rite until a friend invited him to attend a Latin Mass last November in New Haven. (Probably St. Mary's, a parish with very high quality music - run by Dominicans.)

It took some getting used to, Fiorillo said, but by the fifth time there he began to understand and appreciate the Mass in a new way. In the Tridentine Mass, which was codified and promulgated by Pope Pius V in the 16th century after the Council of Trent, many of the prayers are elaborate, emphasizing the sacrificial aspects of Jesus’ death on the cross and man’s need for atonement.

“I just think it offers more, and spiritually it is much more fulfilling,” Fiorillo said. “It goes a lot deeper in many aspects.”

Would he continue to visit Holy Name if he could find another Latin Mass closer to his home? “Yes, if my parish in Franklin began offering it, I would love to go there. But this is a great well-established community here, so I would be definitely coming back here.”

Evans, a systems engineer, said that while he was a lifelong Catholic, he knew little about the Mass until his brother-in-law invited him and his wife to check out an old-rite Mass in Albany, N.Y.

He finds it interesting that the new Mass had been put into place with the idea of making the Mass more accessible and understandable to the people, but thinks the reverse is more true. Unfortunately, he said, the words of the regular Mass have been made to sound so ordinary that the prayers almost sound banal. “There is nothing special, nothing mysterious about it anymore, and people wonder why should they even come.”

It’s not that way with the Latin Mass, he said. “Once people experience it I think they’ll want to come. Here there is more a feeling of being with God.”

I'm very thankful that 1) When I left Holy Name, Fr. Kevin Fisette (the pastor at the time - a wonderful priest, pastor, employer, and friend) hired someone that could keep a good thing going (and even expand on it), in the persona of Jacob Stott; and 2) When Fr. Fisette was assigned to St. Leo the Great in Pawtucket, Fr. Santos kept that good thing going.

Peace,
BMP

Trouble in Paradise?

I just received a packet of "items" sung by the choir at Fr. Russo's previous parish. Among them was an abundance of Haugen/Haas and a couple Christopher Walker ditties (GIA and OCP abounding, and of course the ubiquitous "illegal copies" that generally accompany actual printed muzak from those organizations). Perhaps the best approach will be to cite the publishers' and the come-posers' links to NPM as a starting place to express the fact that such schlock is anathema in the Fatima choir library. Something like saying "he's a Freemason", or "He's a grand wizard of the KKK." At any rate, the music department is broke (hat tip to office renovations), so we won't be purchasing any of these lovely cow patties any time soon, anyway. And this Director of Music is not copying GIA scores of Now We Complain. I'd rather chew Reynolds wrap. Plus, such an action would not be in keeping with my good standing as a member of the Society for the Moratoreum on the Myoozik of Haugen/Haas.

I still laugh, fondly remembering that the local NPMers hosted good Chris Walker a few years ago. They even put together a kwyer for him to conduct to yodle his toonz. They used Fatima Church as their venue (not because it's organist is a member, but just because it's the largest church in the diocese and they wanted to impress their "guest my-strow". The Fatima organist was conspicuously absent for the performance). When the gig was over, the local NPM high priestesses were shocked and dismayed that good Chris actually wanted to sell his CD's and such. They actually thought (does the N in NPM stand for naive? It must!) that Chrisy-pie was in Lafayette not for the money, but because he was such an excellent pastoral (barf!) musician. Zoinks.

The packet of cow dung will remain atop my filing cabinet comprehensively to Gather dust (pardon the pun).

FROM THAT SAME TODDLER WHO GAVE USAVE MARIA AND PATER NOSTER

comes Tantum Ergo (sung to ST. THOMAS)

Check out especially what happens after the "compar sit laudatio". WAY COOL!!!
Peace,
BMP

FAITH OF OUR WHAT???

This reminds me of a conversation I had with J.S. Paluch circa 1987, when I had complained that Faith of Our Fathers hadn't appeared in Seasonal Missalette in over a year. The answer I got was "Oh, the ladies were SCREAMING over that one!" Mind you this was still a couple of years before their green sections included the St. Louis Jesuits' "greatest hits". In recent edition, there is a verse that starts, "Our mothers, too, oppressed and wronged..." HUH???

No, that was from World Library, not OCP, believe it or not. My beef with OCP on this hymn is they forgot the "Our fathers, chained in prisons dark..." verse.

Well, we sang it last Sunday, as did a good number of others. Come on now - you can't keep an good old staple out now, can you?!

Cartoon from the one and only (accept no substitutes) Paul Nichols.
Peace,
BMP

THIS TODDLER CAN READ LATIN

For a little guy, he's quite good. And if the parents are teaching him, kudos a thousandfold.
Grab a six and enjoy this tape. RSCT to Fr. Gonzales.

Peace,
BMP

CHEEZE ON EARTH

Yes, that's "Cheeze" spelt with a "z", most likely to label the kind of music you are likely to hear in most parishes that have the Music Issue with Issues or Gather Apprehensive. Anyhoo, here's a cool parody from Scelata. The tune should be a gimme.

Must there be cheeze in church?
And must it be sung by me?
Cheap, sentiments of which
The focus is I, not He?

Just praise our Creator!
Why is that so hard?
Wallowing in how we feel
Is silly self-regard.

Let cheeze be banned in church,
Let this be the moment, now,
With every breath we take,
Let this be our solemn vow,
To take our song, and address our song
To Him, eternally!
Ban not just cheez in church,
But ego-centricity!

Peace,
BMP

FINALLY - THE LOOSE ENDS

Part 9 - Numbers 928-943

Yup - the loose ends. These are those Mass "Ordinary" pieces that got thrown in here with no mates. Just 16 of these. Here we go.

STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING (2):
941 Danish Amen (Danish - DEE DE DEE!) / 943 Lord's Prayer (Chant)

STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE (2):
935 Praise His Name (Joncas) (I'd use the alleluias, but I'd use the verse of the day instead of what's provided.)
942 Dresden Amen (Dresden - DEE DE DEE!)

STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE (12):
928 Waters of Life (Dean) / 929 Streams of Living Water (Consiglio)
930 Agua de Vida (Cortez) / 931 Kyrie Litany of Praise (Hurd)
(On both of the last two mentioned is the use of needless bi-lingual texts.)
932 Glory to God (Jones) (The refrain contains an altered text - the one but very important factor keeping me from an otherwise excellent piece.)
933 Glory to God (Hylton) / 934 Gloria (Hurd) / 936 Oyenos, Senor (Hurd)
937 O God, Hear Us (Hurd) / 938 Santo (Hurd/Bridge)
939 Aclamacion Conmemorativa III (Hurd) / 940 Amen (Hurd/Bridge)

OK - here's the final tally, folks:
STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING: 92 (14.3%)
STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE: 118 (18.4%)
STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE: 433 (67.3%)

Peace,
BMP

NOW FOR THE MASS ORDINARY

Part 8 - Numbers 857-927

These last two sections are the Mass Ordinary. This first part consists of complete settings of the Mass, while the second part (which will be posted later and will be the last of this series) will consist of the loose Ordinary music in the last pages of the Music Issue. Please note that not all of a complete Mass setting will fall in one category.

STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING (6):
862-863 / 865-867 / 869 Jubilate Deo (6) (Chant)

STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE (13):
860-861 / 864 / 868 Jubilate Deo (4) (Chant)
871-872 / 874-880 Heritage (9) (Alstott)

STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE (52):
857-859 Pilgrim Church (3) (Foley) / 870 / 873 Heritage (2) (Alstott)
881-885 Creation (5) (Haugen) / 886-896 God's Promise (11) (Schutte)
897-903 Hope (7) (Farrell) / 904-916 Glory (13) (Hurd)
917-927 SL Jesuits (11) (Foley/Dufford/Schutte)

Running total after eight posts:
STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING: 90 (14.4%)
STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE: 116 (18.5%)
STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE: 421 (67.1%)

Last section coming soon. Gotta get ready for my 7 PM Mass.
Peace,
BMP

RITUAL SECTIONS NOW

Part 7 - Numbers 835-856

This small section of 22 titles covers Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Reconciliation, and Funeral Masses.

STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING (5):
840 Lord's Prayer (Chant) / 845 My Soul Proclaims (NEW BRITAIN)
847 Lord's Prayer (Chant) / 855 Song of Farewell (OLD HUNDREDTH)
856 In Paradisum

STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE (4):
838 Blest Be the God of Israel (FOREST GREEN) / 843 O Radiant Light (Mode I)
849 Create a Clean Heart (Alstott) / 852 Grant them eternal rest (Alstott)

STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE (13):
835 Verse and Response (Joncas)
836 O Come and Sing unto the Lord (Joncas) (The tune IRISH is much better.)
837 As morning breaks (Joncas) (Chant style verses - good. Antiphon very weak.)
839 Intercessions (Joncas) / 841 Blessing (Joncas) / 842 Light and Peace (Inwood)
844 Psalm 141 (Inwood) / 846 Intercessions (Inwood)
848 Blessing (Inwood) (Looks like chant style, but sounds like something someone would sing to single strums of the guitar instead.)
850 Lord, Make Us Turn (Alstott) / 851 Penitential Litany (Prendergast/Sullivan)
853 The Lord Is My Shepherd (Alstott) / 854 Intercessions (Walker)

Running total after seven posts:
STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING: 84 (15.1%)
STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE: 103 (18.5%)
STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE: 369 (66.4%)

Next post - complete Mass settings. This should be FUN! Ho ho ho!
Peace,
BMP

BACK TO BUSINESS

Part 6 - Numbers 749-834

Sorry I haven't continued this in a couple of days. Been busy with podcasting, Mass, two birthdays in the family, etc.

Now we have the Psalm section - 86 selections. Many of these will be judged by the melody I have in front of me in the 2008 Music Issue.

STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING (1):
756 Psalm 23 (Gelineau)

STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE (18):
752 Psalm 19 (Joncas) (his best, IMO) / 754 Psalm 22 (Schiavone)
758 Psalm 25 (Manion) (perhaps at Communion, but not as a Responsorial Psalm)
768 Psalm 33 (Dufford) (Antiphon melody isn't bad, but see my note for #758, above)
769 Psalm 34 (Dean) (same rule as 758 and 768) / 776 Psalm 47 (Inwood)
787 Psalm 84 (Joncas) (except as a Responsorial Psalm)
792 Psalm 91 (Joncas) (same rule) / 804 Psalm 103 (Willcock)
811 Psalm 118 (Joncas) / 817 Psalm 128 (Inwood)
827 Daniel 3 (Comaldolese Monks) (This chant-style setting is really good!)
829 Magnificat (Alstott) (except as a Responsorial Psalm) / 830 Magnificat (Mode VIII)
831 Benedictus (Mode VI) / 832 Magnificat (Farrell) / 833 Benedictus (Farrell)
834 Nunc Dimittis (Ridge) (This isn't bad for what appears to be a quick 3/4)

STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE (67):
749 Psalm 16 (Inwood) / 750 Psalm 16 (Soper) / 751 Psalm 18 (Honore)
753 Psalm 22 (Manion) (Refrain melody isn't bad, but the verses are paraphrased.)
755 Psalm 23 (Crandal) / 757 Psalm 24 (Smith)
759 Psalm 25 (Soper) (Sounds too much like that hideous Olawski Lamb of God I had to puke out a lot in parishes around here!)
760 Psalm 25 (Joncas) / 761 Psalm 27 (DeBruyn) / 762 Psalm 27 (Soper)
763 Psalm 29 (Whitaker) / 764 Psalm 30 (Inwood) / 765 Psalm 31 (Talbot)
766 Psalm 31 (DeBruyn) / 767 Psalm 33 (Inwood) / 770 Psalm 34 (Talbot)
771 Psalm 34 (Soper) / 772 Psalm 40 (Cooney) / 773 Psalms 42-43 (Foley)
774 Psalms 42-43 (Hurd) / 775 Psalm 45 (Keil) / 777 Psalm 51 (Angrisano)
778 Psalm 51 (Hurd) / 779 Psalm 51 (Kendzia) / 780 Psalm 63 (Angrisano)
781 Psalm 63 (Schutte) / 782 Psalm 66 (Cooney) / 783 Psalm 67 (Smith)
784 Psalm 69 (Cooney) / 785 Psalm 72 (Cooney) / 786 Psalm 80 (Keil)
788 Psalm 85 (Soper) / 789 Psalm 85 (MacAller) / 790 Psalm 89 (Schoenbachler)
791 Psalm 90 (Smith) / 793 Psalm 93 (Soper) / 794 Psalm 95 (Smith)
795 Psalm 96 (Smith) / 796 Psalm 96 (Cortez) / 797 Psalm 96 (Farrell)
798 Psalm 97 (Cooney) / 799 Psalm 98 (Haugen/Haas) / 800 Psalm 98 (Smith)
801 Psalm 98 (Hurd) / 802 Psalm 100 (Smith) / 803 Psalm 103 (Dufford)
805 Psalm 104 (Walker) / 806 Psalm 104 (Olawski) / 807 Psalm 116 (Kendzia)
808 Psalm 116 (Joncas) / 809 Psalm 116 (Soper) / 810 Psalm 117 (Jakob)
812 Psalm 118 (Soper) / 813 Psalm 118 (Smith) / 814 Psalm 122 (Hurd)
815 Psalm 122 (Walker) / 816 Psalm 126 (Cortez) / 818 Psalm 130 (Soper)
819 Psalm 130 (Smith) / 820 Psalm 136 (Joncas) / 821 Psalm 138 (Cooney)
822 Psalm 145 (Smith) / 823 Psalm 145 (Soper) / 824 Psalm 146 (Farrell)
825 Exodus 15 (Whitaker) / 826 Isaiah 12 (Inwood) / 828 Magnificat (Rubalcava)

Running totals after six posts:
STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING: 79 (14.8%)
STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE: 99 (18.5%)
STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE: 356 (66.7%)

Next batch: Ritual stuff (Hours and Funerals)
Peace,
BMP

CHRISTUS VINCIT SPORTS BOLLETINO

TRANSACTIONS EDITION

VATICAN LEAGUE - has announced that the Charleston River Dogs (A/South Atlantic League) has Bishop Robert J. Baker to the Birmingham Barons (AA/Southern League) for a bishop to be named later. Hopefully that "later" will be quicker than the 27 months that Birmingham had to wait to even get a bishop.

EWTN folk will be extremely happy to see him. Bp. Baker is a friend of EWTN, Domini Sumus reports. That's a good thing.

Peace,
BMP

BISHOP PROVOST ON THE MOTU PROPRIO

Bishop Glen Provost of Lake Charles, LA (Jason's pastor until the appointment to the See of Lake Charles just last spring), has a very gracious letter here regarding the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. RSCT to Gerald.

I'll refrain from commenting within the text of the letter. The good bishop said it very well here.
Peace,
BMP

My dear People of God, there are two matters that I wish to address. Some of you have posed questions concerning two recent Vatican documents. The first is the Holy Father’s Motu Proprio allowing for greater freedom in celebrating the Latin Mass and the other is the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s “Responses to some questions regarding certain aspects of the doctrine on the Church”. Documents from the Vatican often involve fine points that the popular press, in the interests of simplicity and ease, find difficult to convey. I cannot presume to answer all of the questions that have surfaced, but I would pray that what I say offers some clarification. I would address them in order.

THE TRIDENTINE MASS
A Motu Proprio is a document of great importance issued by a pope on a matter that adjusts a practice in the Church. In this case, the Motu Proprio is entitled “Summorum Pontificum” and states clearly that the Mass promulgated by Pope Paul VI (as celebrated today in our parish churches) and the Mass of Pope St. Pius V, reissued by Blessed John XXIII (typically called the Tridentine Mass and celebrated at present only with special permission) are, and I quote, “two usages of the one Roman rite.” In Pope Benedict XVI’s letter to the bishops, he writes, “It is not appropriate to speak of these two versions of the Roman Missal as if they were ‘two Rites.’ Rather, it is a matter of a twofold use of one and the same rite.” At a practical level, beginning September 14, 2007, any priest, competent in Latin and in the rite itself, can celebrate the Mass of Pope St. Pius V, in the form published by Blessed John XXIII. No further permission is needed. The role of the bishop is to insure “that all is done in peace and serenity” (the Papal Explanatory Letter to Bishops of July 7, 2007). This, of course, I intend to do.

Is this a return to the past? Pope Benedict XVI does not think so. Nor do I. “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too,” the pope writes. If one studies the history of the Church carefully, one finds that the Church has always found room for multiple usages in the Roman Rite. I recall as a child encountering the “Dominican Rite” with its slight variations while serving Mass or learning about the ancient “Ambrosian Rite” celebrated in Milan, Italy. The history of the Church is rich, and the Church is universal. It is much broader than anyone can possibly imagine. In effect, what Pope Benedict XVI has done is respond to a need. In providing for the normal celebration of an older form, the pope is answering the need many have expressed. There are those for whom the older usage of the rite is expressive, uplifting, and prayerful. Why not provide for this need without prejudice to the newer rite? As the pope states, “Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows” (the Papal Explanatory Letter to Bishops of July 7, 2007). As bishop, my role is to act as moderator for the liturgy in the diocese. For that reason I must insure that the Mass of the Roman Rite is celebrated authentically and reverently, whether in the form promulgated by Pope Paul VI or the form of Pope St. Pius V promulgated by Pope Blessed John XXIII.

THE VOSKO STORY

Robert Kumpel has caught the infamous Dick Vosko in the building of a new airport terminal, er, church. Let's look at this project - Blessed Sacrament in Warren, Ohio...

First, here's the latest of airport terminal designs. The only difference is the lack of security checkpoints in the narthex (or the bastardized PC term, "gathering space").


Now, here is the new interior (the bastardized PC term, "worship space"). Check out especially the large open window in the background. It tempts me big time to run outside and make funny faces through the window, point to some random people that are inside and laugh, then RUN!


Catholic Culture has a story on the serpent that is known as Fr. Dick Vosko.

Simon Peter, thou art Rock. And on this rock, Christ has built his church. The gates of hell (er, Vosko) shall not hold out against it!

Also, there is a book out, called The Renovation Manipulation, which exposes Vosko and similar ilk and how to defeat it. It's the antidote to wreckovators everywhere!

Peace,
BMP

NEW SONG PARODY

Faith of the Grannies

This isn't mine, but comes from someone who is known as "M Anon" and is a good friend of ours on the RPInet boards. If you check out this thread and scroll down, you'll find the source text. This is the best one I've seen since my friend Jay on another board wrote "Faith of Our Relatives". Dedications range from Poncho Ladies™ to NaPalM to Becker's Litany of Saints.

Tune: ST. CATHERINE or SAWSTON (slightly irregular here)
Faith of the grannies, priest-wannabes,
Faux ordinations on the high seas,
In the procession, three gifts are seen:
Bread and wine, and, thank God!... Dramamine.
Their day's long gone, they grasp at straws
Strive to make sense of menopause.

Faith of the Dinosaurs, double-knit clad,
Dreaming of whate'er "edge" they once had,
And of their glory days, now long gone.
Would they let go, the Church could move on.
Lumb'ring and desp'rate, it is plain
Soon naught but fossils will remain.

Faith of the NPM, (not really "faith")
Quoting for gospel what V. Funk saith
Ah, how mistaken the poor sad things are,
And how they've lowered the aesthetic bar.
Years saying "Ave"s might make amends
For the misdeeds of Funk and Friends.

This he added in a later post, but in the same thread:
Faith of Castrati, don't leave them out!
Some holy men live "with," some "without."
Becker says Origen should be giv'n heed,
When we ask "saints" to intercede.
(Who knew that Becker had the juice,
To decide what's bound and what's loose?)

Faith of myself, and similar cranks,
Carping at motes, no doubt missing planks.
What could the greatest Lit-abuse be?
(Hat tip to Chesterton), why, it's ME!
So here my snarking finds its end,
Contrite, lest some I did offend.

Peace,
BMP

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Holy Ghost Church, Tiverton, RI

In Assumptione Beatae Mariae Virginis
August 15, 2007, 7 PM

SALVE REGINA CAELITUM - Hail, holy Queen enthroned above
Psalm Tone 8G - The queen stands at your right hand...
Schubert - Ave Maria (solo by soprano Julia Anthon, age 9)
Croatian - Magnificat (with verses in Latin to Psalm Tone 7C)
LOURDES HYMN - Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing

Dominica Vicensima per Annum - August 19, 2007

ST. ANNE - O God, our help in ages past
Psalm Tone 8G - Lord, come to my aid
ERHALT UNS, HERR - Take up your cross, the Savior said
BICENTENNIAL - You satisfy the hungry heart
IN BABILONE - There's a wideness in God's mercy

Music for the Ordinary on both days same as last Sunday.

Peace,
BMP

MERV GRIFFIN (1925-2007)

Merv Griffin, entertainer and entertainment entrepreneur extraordinaire, died today of prostate cancer. He was 82.

Full story at WJAR-TV Channel 10 (Providence).
Peace,
BMP

USE THIS SIDEBAR ORNAMENT INSTEAD

When I got back from Holy Mass this morning, I got an e-mail from Nick with a really cool suggestion... how about:



This would work for me, since Franklin (MA) High School already has "got Latin" on a t-shirt. Yes, I still encourage the sale of their product, in support of the School AND the Latin Mass. I'll be fixing the sidebar to reflect the new ornament, and how you can get yours.

Here's the NEW code:

<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh264m9KRupQQZFLq0O5IstArpt2W3ZenmbLDAcAb6TrkTJQSK6aTeSnSr8Y2p2KG0knQqKUK5IU0OP4xmorr1JIYPtBnjlS0lxgh7jNzq5edPGuTCnRvEqX6GHcbOtGqHBqQ2cgw/s1600-h/got_snark.jpg"><br/><a href="http://christusvincit.blogspot.com/2007/08/something-for-bumper.html"><b><i>Get yours today!</i></b></a>

Enjoy!
Peace,
BMP

THE PONCHO SPREADS TO WISCONSIN

Dad29 has the goods on a Poncho Lady™ from West Bend, Wisconsin being ordained in Minneapolis. Thankfully Archbishop Dolan of Milwaukee has enough sense to call such "ordinations" "simulated and invalid".

Dad29 also rightfully states, "Poncho Ladies can be identified because they wear ponchos (pretending that they are chasubles, which are worn by priests.)" I must add that these very ponchos could very easily be acquired at your neighborhood job lot, dollar store, Building 19, and maybe even Goodwill.

He also reminds us, There is also a typo in the article. Ms. Iaquinta did not "discern a call." In reality, she suffers from "delusions of a call." You would think someone her age would have outgrown playing pretend.


As you can see above, these ladies did something even more economical - think bed sheets and tie dye! I'm sure we all wish them well in founding their own religion, because it sure as hell ain't Catholic! BTW, this pic came from Dad29. However, he credited CV for other poncho pics. We're not alone. You can find these in several blogs if you're good at searching. On our blog, just scroll down in our sidebar, look for "Poncho Ladies™" under "Categories" and you'll find stories, pics, and plenty of HT's and RSCT's where there are even more stomach-wrenching stories and pics.

As Brittany (my daughter) says, Poncho ladies, poncho ladies, poncho ladies, ewwwwwwwwwwww!

Peace,
BMP

DO I SENSE A DISOBEDIENT BISHOP?

This directive from Bishop Cooney of Gaylord, MI, in spite of the directives pointed out in the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum (RSCT to Fr. Rob Johansen):

At a gathering of priests of the Gaylord Diocese in late June (on the eve of the MP's release), the bishop of Gaylord, Patrick Cooney, issued a directive stating:

Until other law is promulgated, all liturgies in the Diocese of Gaylord are to be celebrated entirely in English by the presiding celebrant.

It then goes on to say:

The use of other languages in songs and hymns...can be used occasionally, but must never overshadow the use of English.

Any variance from this policy must be requested on an individual basis from the Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord using the form that can be obtained from the Secretariat for Worship & Liturgical Formation or the Office of the Bishop.

This Policy takes effect immediately. [Bold text in original.]

The form mentioned above asks the person making such a request to explain the "reason for requesting this variance from Diocesan Policy on the Use of the Vernacular when Celebrating Liturgy."

(Scans of these documents can be downloaded here, here, and here.) (note from BMP: these are .tif images)

So, let's see... we have liturgy documents saying that the use of Latin is to be preserved, a Motu Proprio stating that the Extraordinary Form of the Mass was never done away with, but a bishop who disregards these points from the Second Vatican Council, and Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI. This to me says disobedience by the Bishop of Gaylord to the Church he is a servant of. The double standard, of course, is that if you do a Latin Mass in the Gaylord Diocese (even in the Ordinary Form) without permission, you're in disobedience to the Bishop there.

BTW, according to MassTimes.org, St. Joseph's in Traverse City (in the Gaylord Diocese) has a Spanish Mass. But that's ok (and Latin isn't)??? I have a big frickin' problem with that!

Supplementary RSCT's to Fr. Z and Gerald.
Peace,
BMP

TWO BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEKEND

Happy b-day to both of my daughters - Jessica, who is 20 today, and Brittany, who is 10 tomorrow!
Love ya xoxoxoxoxo
Dad

THE LAST OF THE HYMN SECTION

Part 5 - Numbers 701-748

This is the last of the hymn section of the 2008 Music Issue. Later posts will include the Psalm section, rituals, and Mass Ordinary.

STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING (18):
707 Sing of Mary, Pure and Lowly / 721 All Praise and Glad Thanksgiving
722 O God, Almighty Father / 723 On this Day, the First of Days
724 All Hail, Adored Trinity / 725 Jesus, the Very Thought of You
728 Take Up Your Cross / 729 Lift High the Cross / 730 For All the Saints
731 Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones / 733 Blessed Feasts of Blessed Martyrs
738 Rejoice! the Lord Is King / 739 To Jesus Christ, Our Sov'reign King
743 Hail, Redeemer, King Divine / 744 The King of Kings, Christ Jesus Reigns
746 Crown Him with Many Crowns / 747 Alleluia! Sing to Jesus
748 At the Name of Jesus (King's Weston)

STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE (13):
701 Ave Maria (Mode I) (Currently I had inherited an "Ave Maria/As I Kneel before You" by Maria Parkinson. We also have a 9-year-old soprano who has the Schubert Ave nailed - she'll be singing it next Wednesday at the 7 PM Mass - Assumption Day.)
704 Song of Mary (Schutte) (Not bad at all, but I'd lose those four instrumental measures at the end of each verse.)
712 Mary, Woman of the Promise / 713 O Holy Mary (I like the chant style - nice!)
715 Hail Mary, Our Icon (One of Scot Crandal's far better works)
717 Come Now, Almighty King / 718 How Wonderful the Three-in-One
719 O Trinity of Blessed Light
732 How Firm a Foundation (an excellent alternative to Be Not Afraid)
734 O Lord of Darkness and of Light / 736 O Lord of Life / 737 Christ is the King
741 All Hail the Pow'r of Jesus' Name

STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE (17):
702 Mother Dearest, Mother Fairest / 703 Holy Is His Name (Talbot)
705 Ave Maria (Norbet) / 706 Hail Mary-Gentle Woman (This melody hits rock bottom!)
708 On this Day, O Beautiful Mother (The one Lambillotte tune I'm not crazy over. Sorry!)
709 Mary's Song (Reith) / 710 There Is Nothing Told
711 Mother Dear, O Pray for Me (more proof that even music written before Vatican II can be gross!)
714 O Mother of Jesus
716 Pilgrim Prayer (The tune isn't bad, but I'm not crazy on the text.)
720 On this Day (Manalo) / 726 Glory in the Cross / 727 Song of the Cross
735 Litany of the Saints (Becker) / 740 Jesus the Lord
742 The King of Glory (though Colbert's dance on it is a hoot!)
745 At the Name of Jesus (Walker) (another Home on the Range resemblance! Blech!)

This is the best ratio of any of the portions I've done thus far. In fact, this is the ONLY portion I've done where the "Stuff We Do" and "Stuff I Don't Mind" combined actually outweighs the "Stuff I Won't Touch with a 39-1/2 Foot Pole".

Running totals after five posts:
STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING: 78 (17.4%)
STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE: 81 (18.1%)
STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE: 289 (64.5%)

Psalms/Canticles Section on next post.
Peace,
BMP

STILL MORE TO GO

Part 4 - Numbers 601-700

STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING (17):
606 The Strife Is O'er / 608 Festival Canticle: Worthy Is Christ
623 Let All Things Now Living / 624 For the Beauty of the Earth
636 Morning Has Broken / 642 This Day God Gives Me
645 America the Beautiful (when appropriate; see my commentary on Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, #600)
646 Eternal Father, Strong to Save
647 America (when appropriate; see my commentary on Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, #600)
655 O Breathe on Me, O Breath of God / 659 Baptized in Water
674 Hear Us Now, Our God and Father / 675 God, Who Created Hearts to Love
680 Keep in Mind / 692 O Salutaris (to the Werner tune, though Melcombe is good too)
699 O Sanctissima (in Latin) / 700 Salve, Regina (in Latin)

STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE (15):
612 I Know that My Redeemer Lives (Duke Street) / 625 Thanks Be to God
628 I Have Loved You (As long as it's not done as a Responsorial Psalm, as I've sadly seen happen)
637 Canticle of Zachary (Joncas) (One of his far better works!)
639 O Come and Hymn Our Mighty Lord / 640 Abide with Me / 641 Day Is Done
643 God of Our Fathers
644 This Is My Song (when appropriate; see my commentary on Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, #600)
667 Remember Your Love (the only Dameans song I actually white list!)
677 When Love Is Found (O Waly Waly) / 679 Song of Farewell (Sands)
688 Yes, I Shall Arise (Alstott) (Deiss' responsory of the same title is better, but this isn't bad either.)
696 Be Still My Soul (my favorite of texts set to Finlandia)
697 Healing River of the Spirit

STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE (68):
601 Worthy Is the Lamb (Manalo) (very weak, sappy tune for triumphant text)
602 In the Day of the Lord
603 Soon and Very Soon (was overkilled at the Roundhouse I once worked)
604 Lord of the Dance / 605 Go Forth
607 Join in the Dance (all this dang dance stuff! Sheesh!)
609 This Is the Day (Fisher) / 610 Let Heaven Rejoice
611 This Day Was Made by the Lord / 613 Alleluia No. 1
614 Stand by Me (The best setting I heard was sung by Timon, to Pumbaa, as a prelude to Little Giants on VHS.)
615 Beatitudes / 616 I Will Not Die / 617 Blest Are They / 618 Lead Me, Lord (Becker)
619 God's Love Is Everlasting (Tomaszek) (You can tell the blatant going out of the way to make sure God isn't referred to as the Father figure that he is!)
620 All My Days (Good text, on Psalm 8, horrid melody)
621 Give Thanks to the Lord / 622 With All Our Hearts
626 All Good Gifts (I'd much rather have Wir Pflügen) / 627 Your Grace Is Enough
629 Come to the Water / 630 If God Is For Us / 631 I Will Lift up My Eyes
632 Lord of Glory (This one even has BANJO!) / 633 Isaiah 49 (Uber-Blech!)
634 Rain Down / 635 Like a Shepherd
638 Now All the Woods Are Sleeping (Much better with the tune Innsbruck)
648 Wade in the Water (the setting in GIA's Lead Me, Guide Me hymnal is better)
649 Flow River Flow / 650 May the Word of God Strengthen You
651 Come to the River / 652 You Have Put on Christ / 653 You Have Called Us
654 One Lord / 656 River of Glory (tempo reminds me of Home on the Range)
657 We Belong to You / 658 Go in Peace / 660 Signing of the Senses
661 Enter the Journey / 662 Save Us, O Lord
663 Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling
664 Change Our Hearts / 665 Turn to Me / 666 Seek the Lord / 668 With the Lord
669 You Alone / 670 Loving and Forgiving / 671 Hosea
672 Where Love Is Found (Schutte) / 673 May God Bless You
676 Wherever You Go (...I shall go, unless you're going to hell, well, maybe not.)
678 Where There Is Love (Haas) / 681 Go in Peace / 682 Restless Is the Heart
683 O Loving God (Hint: it's to the tune of Danny Boy, aka Aire of County Derry, aka Londonderry Air, aka London Derriere)
684 The Lord Is My Light (Walker) / 685 Parable
686 I Know that My Redeemer Lives (Soper) / 687 I, the Lord (Kendzia)
689 How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place / 690 Give Me Jesus
691 Fly Like a Bird (because Steve Miller already did a killer Fly Like an Eagle)
693 O Jesus, Healer of Wounded Souls / 694 Healing Waters
695 Precious Lord, Take My Hand / 698 Let It Be Done to Us

Running totals after four posts:
STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING: 60
STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE: 68
STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE: 272

Still more to come!
Peace,
BMP

THE REVIEW CONTINUES

Part 3 - Numbers 501-600

STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING (10):
506 Christ, Be Our Light (did it once for Confirmation - not bad for coming from Bernadette Farrell's pen)
510 Adoro Te Devote / 548 O God, beyond All Praising
550 All Creatures of Our God and King / 552 Praise the Lord, Ye Heav'ns
556 Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee / 564 Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
576 Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow / 597 Sing with all the Saints in Glory
600 Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory (but only when most appropriate; the Sunday around secular holidays doesn't cut it - the feast/solemnity you are celebrating MUST dictate your music selections, just as in Latin and Latin-based languages the adjective and noun declensions must agree.)

STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE (24):
508 O Christ, Our Teacher / 509 O Christ, You Speak the Names of God
512 Jesu, Joy of Our Desiring (but using the more authentic Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring)
519 Out of Darkness (Chris Walker's best work I've seen, IMO)
520 Those Called by Christ / 523 Pescadore de Hombres (in English)
526 Only This I Want (Not bad in the devotional category at all)
531 Holy Wisdom, Lamp of Learning
533 Now My Heart (not bad at all for John Foley)
538 From North and South (The team of Colgan and Kelly - two of the best Benedictine composers in this age; this one is from Colgan.)
541 In Christ, There Is No East or West
546 Revelation (Brown) (I'd have to see the verses first, but till then I'll give the benefit of the doubt.)
549 O Bless the Lord, My Soul / 557 From All that Dwell below the Skies
560 Come, Christians, Join to Sing / 565 Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise
573 Laudate, Laudate Dominum (Latin refrain, English verses)
580 The Word of God Was from the Start / 585 O Silence
587 God of the Hungry (Soper has a decent 87 87 D structure going here, one of his better works.)
588 The Cry of the Poor (Foley's best from this book!)
589 Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service / 594 Jerusalem, My Happy Home
596 Shall We Gather at the River

STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE (66):
501 Jesus Christ, Inner Light (Sr. Toolan seems to be concentrating on imitating the Taize style a little too much.)
502 Your Light Will Come, Jerusalem
503 We Are the Light of the World (That they may see the good that we do... Need I say more in terms of self-conceit?)
504 I Am the Light of the World / 505 You Are the Light / 507 The Light of Christ
511 Jesus Christ, You Are My Life / 513 Earthen Vessels
514 Women of the Church (Nothing like promoting Feminism. Send it to NOW Headquarters. They might like it.)
515 We Have Been Chosen (another dreaded self praise song!)
516 Go, Make a Difference (Would be a great Ad Council jingle, nothing intended against the Ad Council)
517 My Heart Belongs to You/Te Doy Mi Corazon / 518 Unless a Grain of Wheat
521 Anthem (the original self praise song!) / 522 All that Is Hidden
524 Now We Remain / 525 We Have Been Told
527 Just Like You (Last time I heard a song with a similar title, it was in the movie Jungle Book)
528 The Eyes and Hands of Christ
529 Renew Us (Pro: In Babilone is the tune. / Con: way too irregular, and the "pickup notes" kill it.)
530 I Will Choose Christ / 532 Voice of Christ / 534 To Serve Is to Reign
535 Come Unto Me / 536 Father of Peace (sappy, typical Michael Lynch fare)
537 O Beauty, Ever Ancient
539 We Are Many Parts / 540 They'll Know We Are Christians (more self-praise! yuk!)
542 Companions on the Journey / 543 Somos El Cuerpo de Christo
544 Many and Great (Manalo) (I am so sick and frickin' tired of the Eucharist being interpreted as "gathering for a meal" or "being one with each other" with no interest of perhaps "being one with Christ"!)
545 Gloria (Anderson) / 547 We Ever Will Praise You / 551 Lift Up Your Hearts
553 Sing, O Sing (Not a bad tune, but lose the "dancing")
554 Sing to the Mountains / 555 O Bless the Lord
558 Abba Father (I had this B-movie soundtrack sound-alike and Peace Is Flowing rammed down my throat at my own Confirmation, thus losing my appetite at the party back at the house!)
559 Sing Alleluia / 561 He Is the Lord / 562 Sing a New Song (Brown)
563 Sing a Joyful Song / 566 Sing a New Song (Schutte) / 567 A Ti, Dios
568 All the Ends of the Earth (Dufford) / 569 We Praise You (Dameans)
570 I Want to Praise Your Name
571 Sing of the Lord's Goodness (Hey, what's that tune from Jesus Christ Superstar with the similar rythym/time (5/4)?)
572 Sing Out, Earth and Skies
574 Alle, Alle, Alleluia (Fr. Lung just wrote the next Chiquita Banana jingle!)
575 Who Shall Sound the Air with Song / 577 Sacred Silence
578 Glory and Praise to Our God / 579 In the Land there Is a Hunger
581 Speak, Lord / 582 Praise to You, O Christ Our Savior
583 Your Words Are Spirit and Life / 584 With One Voice
585 God of Day and God of Darkness / 590 Whatsoever You Do / 591 We Are Called
592 Alleluia! Raise the Gospel / 593 Community of Christ (too people-centered)
595 Where My Father Lives / 598 Let the Heavens Be Glad / 599 Love Has Come

Running totals after three posts:
STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING: 43
STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE: 53
STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE: 204

Next round will be 601-700
Peace,
BMP

OK - HERE'S SOME MORE

Part 2 - Numbers 401-500

Part 2 of the classification review of the 2008 Music Issue begins now.

STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING (20):
405 Church of God, Elect and Glorious / 406 The Church's One Foundation
412 I Sing the Mighty Pow'r of God / 416 There's a Wideness in God's Mercy
417 Ubi Caritas (Mode VI) / 419 God is Love (Abbot's Leigh)
424 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
436 Amazing Grace (I'm STILL not afraid to say I'm a wretch!)
438 A Mighty Fortress (the Hedge verses, not the Schuller verses)
439 Seek Ye First / 442 O God, Our Help in Ages Past
448 For the Healing of the Nations / 453 Come, Holy Ghost
473 I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say / 477 The King of Love My Shepherd Is
483 Prayer of St. Francis (in English) / 487 Psalm 42 (O Waly Waly)
488 Faith of Our Fathers / 490 O Lord, I Am Not Worthy
493 We Walk by Faith (but to St. Anne, not Shanti)

STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE (15):
407 All the Earth
408 Word of God, You Spoke Creation (one of Gael Berberick's better tunes - Ms. Berberick's parish, btw, isn't far from mine)
413 For the Fruits of this Creation
415 Where Charity and Love Prevail (Dom Paul Benoit may be most famous for this hymn, but he is also a great composer of works for organ.)
425 What Wondrous Love Is This / 439 You Are Near (Believe it or not)
450 Spirit of God within Me (Not bad at all for a Soper tune!)
452 Come Down, O Love Divine / 467 Like a Child Rests
468 There Is a Balm in Gilead / 479 The Living God My Shepherd Is
489 There Is One Lord (Alstott) / 492 Hold Me in Life
497 We Walk by Faith/In Times of Trouble (Barbara Bridge text - two tunes involved here: Jesu Dulcis Memoria for the refrain, Ave Maris Stella for the verse. Her best work!)
500 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light

STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE (65):
401 One Spirit, One Church (The classic wreckovation of Come, Holy Ghost with a refrain whose text is so self-centered, and whose melody is so weak to the point where I hear it being tinkered on by a kid on a toy piano)
402 All Are Welcome / 403 Sing a New Church (both self-praising)
404 Gather and Remember (I love Finlandia, but the text speaks too much of that "Spirit of Vatican II")
409 How Great Thou Art / 410 Canticle of the Sun / 411 God, beyond All Names
414 God Is Love (Chiusano) / 418 Ubi Caritas (Rosania) / 420 Bless the Lord
421 Christians, Let Us Love One Another / 422 In Perfect Charity
423 All I Ask of You / 426 Love One Another
427 Though the Mountains May Fall / 428 Be Not Afraid (in English or Spanish)
429 Sweet Redeemer / 430 To You, O Lord / 431 My God, My All
432 We Will Rise Again / 433 On Eagle's Wings (in English or Spanish)
434 For You Are My God / 435 Yahweh / 437 Only a Shadow
440 How Can I Keep from Singing / 441 Only in God (Talbot)
443 Blest Be the Lord / 444 O God, You Search Me / 445 Here I Am (Booth)
447 Behind Me and Before Me / 449 Hear the Prayers that Rise
451 Spirit of God / 454 Come, O Spirit of God / 455 The Spirit is a-Movin'
456 Send Us Your Spirit (Schutte) / 457 By the Waking of Our Hearts
458 Send Out Your Spirit (Schoenbachler) / 459 Holy Spirit / 460 Spirit, Come
461 Envia Tu Espiritu (again with the bi-lingual/Spanish stuff)
462 Send Us Your Spirit / 463 Holy Spirit / 464 Come to Me / 465 Holy Darkness
466 The Lord Is My Shepherd (Blakeley) / 469 You Are Mine / 470 Eye Has Not Seen
471 In Every Age / 472 Shelter Me, O God / 474 Because the Lord Is My Shepherd
475 Shepherd Me, O God / 476 The Lord Is My Hope / 478 Psalm 23 (Conry)
480 Litany of Peace / 481 This Is Our Cry / 482 Peace (dude!)
484 Peace Is Flowing Like a River / 485 Let There Be Peace on Earth
486 Dona Nobis Pacem (Norbet) / 491 Center of My Life / 494 Age to Age
495 Those Who See Light / 496 Jesus, Lord / 498 We Remember
499 Radiant Light Divine

Running totals:
STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING: 33
STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE: 29
STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE: 138

More to come!
Peace,
BMP

I'S ME GOTS ZE 2008 MUSIC ISSUE

Part 1 - Numbers 301-400

I have a copy of the 2008 music issue here at my desk. Here's the first part of my review. Mileage amongst readers, supporters, opponents, and even fellow CV snarks Nick and Jason, may vary.

STUFF WE SING AT HOLY GHOST, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SING (13):
313 All People that on Earth Do Dwell / 320 O Sacrament Most Holy
322 Gift of Finest Wheat / 328 Taste and See (Moore)
338 I Am the Bread of Life (a questionable tune with one of only two John 6-based texts in this book; unfortunately both are vox Christi in persona prima)
345 Eat this Bread (the other John 6-based text)
360 Panis Angelicus (Lambillotte) (The choir also does the Franck.)
363 Shepherd of Souls / 365 Lord, Who at Thy First Eucharist
369 Sent Forth by God's Blessing / 371 Lord, You Give the Great Commission
384 Be Thou My Vision / 389 Lord of All Hopefulness

STUFF WE HAVEN'T DONE AT HOLY GHOST BUT I WOULDN'T MIND INTRODUCING IN THE FUTURE (14):
306 Let Us Go to the Altar (music isn't the greatest, but the text is kosher)
311 Gather Us Together / 316 Our Eyes Are Turned to the Lord
335 Ubi Caritas (Hurd) (one of his better works; his Missa Ubi Caritas is probably his best)
351 I Received the Living God / 352 Anima Christi (Toolan)
359 See Us, Lord, about Your Altar
362 Ave Verum (Mode VI) (The choir already does Mozart's - I wouldn't mind introducing this chant setting to the people as well, and perhaps throw Byrd's and Mawby's to the choir.)
364 Jesu, Dulcis Memoria (in Latin)
382 The Spirit Sends Us Forth (raise the key to G, however)
386 These Alone Are Enough (Schutte's setting the St. Ignatius' Suscipe - better written than fellow St. Louis Jesuit Foley's, IMO. Even better is Peloquin's Prayer of Self-Offering)
387 Christ Be Beside Me (Tune isn't all that bad.)
393 God Be in My Head (One of Grayson Warren Brown's best works I've seen.)
398 Jesus, Remember Me

STUFF I WON'T TOUCH WITH A 39-1/2 FOOT POLE (73):
301 O Love of God / 302 Gather Us In / 303 What Is this Place
304 Gather the People / 305 Our God Is Here
307 Come to the Feast (Why the sam hell do we have Spanish music in an English hymnal is totally beyond me!)
308 In this Place / 309 Now as We Gather / 310 Table of Plenty
312 Here at this Table / 314 Come, Worship the Lord / 315 Gather Your People
317 One Love Released (Kevin Keil has this nasty habit of killing a hymn tune and adding his own stuff to it. One Spirit, One Church is another classic example of this practice.)
318 Bread of Life (Farrell) / 319 Song of the Body of Christ / 321 To Be Your Bread
323 Lord, by Your Cross and Resurrection (Foley)
324 Bread, Blessed and Broken / 325 As Grains of Wheat
326 Bread of Life (Cooney) (This is the infamous You and I are the bread of life...)
327 Bread that Was Sown
329 Let Us Break Bread Together (There are Spirituals that are good - not that one.)
330 When We Eat this Bread (Joncas)
331 In the Breaking of the Bread / 332 Behold the Lamb
333 Amen, el Cuerpo de Cristo / 334 The Bread that We Share
336 The Supper of the Lord / 337 Look Beyond / 339 Come to the Lord
340 Pan de Vida (I had to play this with a cantor a few years back for a funeral. I felt I was playing a Cinco de Mayo party instead of a Requiem Mass.)
341 Taste and See (Hurd) / 342 I Am the Living Bread
343 Seed, Scattered and Sown / 344 Bread for the World
346 Unless a Grain of Wheat / 347 One in Body, Heart, and Mind
348 Lord, to Whom Shall We Go / 349 Our Blessing Cup
350 Call Us to Your Table / 352 That There May Be Bread
353 Come to Me and Drink / 354 Ang Katawan Ni Kristo (Huh???)
355 One Bread, One Cup / 356 One Bread, One Body (now with Spanish)
358 Jesus, the Bread of Life / 361 Bread of Life (Fisher)
366 Irish Blessing (Fabing) / 367 May God Bless and Keep You / 368 Benediction
370 Take Christ to the World (Remember the earlier issues when the words "dedicate our lives to him" were in all caps? Nothing like expressing stress, eh?)
372 Stand Firm / 373 Servant Song / 374 City of God
375 The Servant Song (Gillard) / 376 God Has Chosen Me / 377 Vayan al Mundo
378 Here I Am, Lord (The one people want to wheel their loved ones' coffin down the aisle to, dontcha know?)
379 Celtic Alleluia (But I wouldn't mind watching the Celtics win a few games for once.)
380 The Summons / 381 Take the Word of God with You / 383 Take My Hands
385 You Are the Healing / 388 Fill My Cup, Lord / 390 Jesus, Come to Us
391 This Alone (like One Bread, One Body, this song could serve as a better sleeping pill than Sominex.)
392 To You, O God, I Lift Up My Soul / 394 There Is a Longing / 395 In Faith, in Hope
396 Open My Eyes / 397 Lead Me, Guide Me
399 How Long, O Lord / 400 We Are the Church

#'s 401-500 will be in the next post.
Peace,
BMP

A FRIENDLY REMINDER

I wanted to wring some throats at the 4:30 Mass last Saturday. Three times I heard a cell phone go off. The first two times were at moments that didn't involve music (and the ring tone was hip hop - probably both times the same phone, to make matters worse). The third time the ring tone was closer to an actual phone ring. But since this was at the offertory, the hymn was finished, and I was giving Father a little bit of walking music, once it started ringing, I opened up the organ considerably.

When I'm at Holy Mass, my phone stays home because I'm always afraid I'd forget to shut mine off, and I don't like leaving it unattended in my van. Although my church is in a rather quiet town, it's still just blocks from a very busy city (with very busy police).

So, on behalf of the entire CV staff, I leave my friendly reminder for those who enter the house of God:
SHUT THE DANG CELL PHONE OFF OR LEAVE IT HOME!

Friendly enough?
Peace,
BMP

HOW FAST CAN YOU NAME ALL 50 STATES?

2m 21s

Click here to try the quiz.

RSCT to Amy Pawlak, who did it in 1:45. I went error-free, but just can't type as fast, I guess. Oh well. -P

Peace,
BMP

BRINGING BACK OLD TIMES

OK - a little into off-topic land, but...

Can you believe there is only one of these left in all of Rhode Island? I took the wife and kids there tonight for a treat. I was going to put the lights on for service (yup - they still do car hops there), but Ann had a better idea - we ate at one of the outdoor tables. Considering I got to watch some really nice classic cars pull in, the wife's idea was a charm. After we ate we got to check out some of these nice street rods - a couple of Vettes, a couple of Dodge Coronets from 1967 or so (one was a Coronet 440, the other a Coronet 500), a 1970 Coronet that had a "For Sale" sign on it (dang - didn't have the $12,500 they were asking), a 2006 or so Mustang Cobra (yeah, the ones that replicate the 1969 'Stangs quite nicely), a nice cherry red 1967 'Stang parked right next to the '06 'Stang, and finally, a late 70's Pinto wagon which didn't look to bad for, well... a Pinto. And the food still kicks butt!

As for classic restaurant chains - this A&W we went to, like I mentioned is the only one in RI - it's on US Route 44 in Smithfield. There is only one Dairy Queen in RI - at the last place in RI you'd ever catch me in: the Providence Place Mall (or as I call it, Providence Waste). I keep seeing Sonic commercials on TV, but the nearest one from here is in Ohio. I did, however, visit one in October 2004 in Indianapolis. We (wife, kids, yours truly) met up at the Indy Sonic with Chris Sedlak, a good friend of the CV Snark Trio who is music director for a parish (SS. Cecilia and Philomena) that is dedicated to the Extraordinary form of Holy Mass. At that time I was en route to an interview at a church in Southwest Missouri, only to get a phone call from Holy Ghost on my way home on I-70.

As I write this, I clicked on the Sonic website and lo and behold!

Yup! I showed that to Ann and I had her taste buds doing flip flops!

Incidentally, Rhode Island also has only ONE drive-in movie theater left - the Rustic. Back in the '70's when there were still a bunch of drive-ins, the Rustic, located on RI Route 146 in North Smithfield, was dedicated to X-rated films. Now the Rustic has three screens and plays everything EXCEPT X-rated films. And they're usually very good about keeping two R-rated films on one screen, a couple of PG's on another, or even a G and a light PG on one screen, so that you can take your kids to see a cool Disney/Pixar flick and not having to worry about F-bombs and nude scenes abounding in the next flick.

So - our consumer needs in Rhode Island are as follows: more A&W's, more Dairy Queens, bring Sonic to southern New England (it WILL succeed here - I'll see to it, ho ho ho!), more drive-in theaters, and dang it - let's get some candlepin bowling houses put up here. The last RI joint to have candlepins was in Middletown. It had both candlepin and tenpin (normal big balls) bowling, but was sold, sadly, and became tenpin-only.

Thus far, the consumer demands of John Q. Public of RI.
Peace,
BMP

LITTLE DID I KNOW

...that before I made the "got Latin?" sidebar ornament, someone else had the "got Latin?" idea put on a t-shirt at Franklin High School's (Franklin, Massachusetts) Classics Club. This public high school teaches more Latin than the Catholic high school that my niece just graduated from does (the only foreign language her school offered was Spanish).



Franklin HS is selling the shirts at $13 for the school's Classics Club members, $15 for non-members. Heck, I might just buy one if they're still available this school year. They're about a half hour north from me.

The school's contact info can be found here. Let's get some of these shirts and support two good causes - a) Latin in the liturgy, b) a really good public high school.

Again, I ask -


(Incidentally, when I was in high school, the big question was "got a cigarette?")
Peace,
BMP

NaPalM STRIKES AGAIN

Leave it to those guys to twist things around - like the demands of a liturgy document such as Liturgiam Authenticam. This from Chironomo:

The most recent edition of Pastoral Music (August-September 2007) is a fascinating read for those who are accustomed to the usual fare given in this publication. Nearly the entire edition is concerned with musical reform, however the concept of musical reform is never mentioned…not even once! Instead, there seems to be a movement here to make it seem as though all of these innovative ideas are coming from the minds at NPM. (Yeah, and maybe screw a few more things up in the process while they're at it!)
Michael McMahon, President of NPM, pens a curious look at the Directory for Music suggested by the Bishops in November of 2006 in “Establishing Criteria for Liturgical Songs”. From the outset, he misses the point entirely…. Liturgiam Authenticam doesn’t call for establishing criteria for liturgical songs… it calls for establishing a fixed repertoire of liturgical texts to be used for singing. There is a huge difference, which apparently the Bishops missed as well. (OK - so who started it? The Bishops or NaPalM?)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Also, a big RSCT to Dad29, who not only points out Chironomo's post, but adds:
Given the inclinations of the current Pope, NAP(AL)M might be ceding membership to the Church Music Association of America over the next 10 years, because CMAA actually gets it.

The CMAA, however, would have to keep those faithful NaPalM'ers on a short leash.
Peace,
BMP

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Holy Ghost Church, Tiverton, Rhode Island
Dominica Undevicensima per Annum - August 12, 2007

ST. CATHERINE - Faith of our fathers, living still
Tone 8G - Blessed the people the Lord has chosen...
KING'S WESTON - At the name of Jesus
BICENTENNIAL - You satisfy the hungry heart
ICH GLAUB AN GOTT - To Jesus Christ, our sov'reign King

For all the other stuff, it's the same as in this list.

Some things coming up - September 4 will be the first choir rehearsal of the 2007-08 season. Also during September, we'll be teaching our congregation the Sanctus, Memorial, Amen, and Agnus from Richard Proulx's Community Mass and the Gloria from John Lee's Congregational Mass. Essentials for an excellent English Mass.

Peace,
BMP

IF THAT HAND HOLDER STILL PERSISTS?

Those who have a hard copy version of the Adoremus Bulletin get something you can only find on the hard copy version, and that is the Letters to the Editor. After reading one letter titled Posture During the "Our Father", I felt the need to improve a good product.

INTRODUCING the NEW DELUXE edition of the Our Father Holding Hand, with new improved gadgetry. You can now stifle your oppressors not only with the standard joke buzzer and fake hand, but with insertable splinters, a bracelet that indicates you have bird flu (Jason mentioned an "I have bird flu" t-shirt via comment when I introduced the original product), and a rub-on fake rash.

Pick up the new deluxe edition of the Our Father Holding Hand, and in no time, your oppressors will stop pestering you - QUICKLY!

UPDATE: If all else fails, consider the origin of hand-holding during prayer --- yup, AA meetings. So, if push really comes to shove and someone wants to hold your hand during the Lord's Prayer, simply tell them, "Sorry, I don't drink."

Peace,
BMP

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

For those still stuck in the Responsorial Psalm syndrome (like myself and many others), Jeff Ostrowski has a WAY COOL FAR OUT EXCELLENT complete Responsorial Psalm project for the entire three-year liturgical cycle. What's nice too is that they are free (but please give the guy proper credit, ok). The Psalms are extremely well-written, with accompaniment (intended for ORGAN, not piano or keyboard) - metrical refrain (some with multiple melodies and/or multiple harmonies) with Psalm Tone verses.

I very highly recommend these and may start programming these for some Sundays of the 2007-2008 choral season at Holy Ghost Church.

RSCT to Jeffrey Tucker/NLM.

Peace,
BMP

SOMETHING FOR THE BUMPER

UPDATED! PUT IT ON YOUR SIDEBAR TOO!

I did this myself just last Tuesday!



Any blogger who wishes to put this on his/her sidebar, feel free to copy this code:

<img width="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzE2XqwRJDjMBusqiL-1o3h05Tj7HZFrnAIQemjQ1Vl4XiHxOU6Gp0Zo-n8EpM-QsjRVW5qoCCPt53DrketDAydjOAMVQe3jsMD7fo4SdaaO0H-bNt836oIZa3PVMg7JEXCDjnw/s400/got_latin.JPG"><br/><a href="http://christusvincit.blogspot.com/2007/08/something-for-bumper.html"><b><i>Get yours today!</i></b></a>

If it turns out to be a little too big for your sidebar, you can always change the "190" in the code (at the beginning where it says "img width="190") to a smaller number, like "150". The original, as you see it above, is "203", but I used "190" to fit in my sidebar. Pass it on to your friends, too!

Peace,
BMP

RIP, KAREN MARIE KNAPP

Karen Marie Knapp, author of the blog From the Anchor Hold, has died in her sleep last night. More info at Mark Shea's blog. We at Christus Vincit pray for the repose of her soul.

UPDATE: Here's her obituary from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Knapp, Karen Marie Age 51, died unexpectedly August 2, 2007 while visiting her family in Akron, OH. Karen was born and raised in Akron and had resided in Milwaukee the past 33 years. She retired as library clerk for the Milwaukee County Library and was a member of St. John the Evangelist Cathedral Parish in Milwaukee. She was a Hamm Radio operator and avid blogger (From The Anchor Hold). She was preceded in death by her mother, Janet "Mary" and is survived by her father, Lawrence E. Knapp and brothers and sisters, Thomas, Michael, James, Laura (Randy) Alderman, Susan (Jim) Spangler, Victoria (Craig) Brechbuhler and Christine (Mark) Litteral and 8 nieces and nephews. Friends may call from 5:00 to 8:00PM Sunday in The Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home, 1930 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221. Mass of the Resurrection will be 10:00AM Monday in Immaculate Heart of Mary. Final resting place Holy Cross Cemetery. Memorials may be made to your local food bank in Karen's name. Clifford-Shoemaker 330-928-2147

Peace,
BMP

OK - SO THIS IS JUST FOR LAUGHS...

I really thought this Jeff Harmon article at Agnus Daily was serious until I saw it posted by Argent under the humor category.

With Pope Benedict the XVI’s Summorum pontificum and Motu Proprio, the preconciliar Tridentine Mass seems as though it will be resurrected despite the concerns of many Catholics. Is the return of the Latin mass good for the Church? I disagree, and I’ll give you three reasons why it’s not, and why its implementation is doomed to fail.

1. Nobody understands Latin (and we're too damn stupid to simply pick up the Latin/English Missal that's most likely provided to us when we enter the church proper)
While many Catholics today attend mass in a zombie-like stupor even with a liturgy in their own language, imagine would happen when their common vernacular is ripped from them as a pacifier is torn from a newborn baby’s gummy mouth. Utter chaos my friends. Zombie-Catholics will turn into vegetables (which is still better than turning into fruits), and parishioners will have to be pulled out of each mass on stretchers. (Their souls are just too fixed to the Lord, dontcha know?)

I grant the argument that most Catholics don’t understand the mass as it is today anyway is valid, but that’s only because there is not enough liturgical guitar to guide them into spirit-filled worship. (No, but they do understand Mass, with a capital "M". "mass" with a small "m" is a term meaning how many molecules are in someone or something.)

2. The Latin Mass lacks guitar
The most beneficial change that came to the Church via “The spirit of Vatican II” was God’s ordained instrument of worship, the guitar. Light, portable, and made of wood, it’s beauty was finally recognized as a means of musical worship (by the folks at NaPalM, of course).

The Latin mass will deny us of this, bringing back organ drenched melodies that the parishioners simply cannot participate in, or relate to. Give me a woman who learned to play guitar last week (or perhaps a habitless nun), and I’ll give you some music to praise the Lord.

3. The Latin Mass is old
Anything that is old has to be bad, or else it wouldn’t be old. To go back to the Tridentine liturgy would be like going back in time, and nobody’s successfully done that except for Michael J. Fox. I am pretty sure he didn’t give the Church a flux capacitor or a DeLorean. The only way you can go back in time.

People want something new. Liturgical dancing, liturgical boxing, and liturgical cooking (and maybe a few other new liturgical innovations censored by the FCC) are the wave of the future - and are among the only means we can reach the parishioners of today who are starving for something more.

Quo Vadis?
We need to keep pressing forward. No more of the backward crazy talk. There are many different additions to the current liturgy that have yet been tried. If we do not at least experiment in new liturgical arenas, then we will never know if they will be successful.

Humor, folks! Humor!
Peace,
BMP