Thursday, May 31, 2007

SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS

Fr. Russo requested me to write a brief bulletin series regarding sacred music in the Holy Father's apostolic exhortation, Sacramentum caritatis. The first of these will appear this weekend, the following two in the next weeks, so, dear readers, you get a preview of them. I am reprinting them here in their bulletin format, so you will see the bold-face title at the start of each article. Enjoy!
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS: On February 22, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued the apostolic exhortation Sacramentum caritatis. The document discusses a range of topics, one of them sacred music. The holy Father writes:

The liturgy is inherently linked to beauty: it is veritatis splendor…In
Jesus we contemplate beauty and splendor at their source. This is no mere
aestheticism, but the concrete way in which the truth of God’s love in Christ
encounters us, attracts us and delights us, enabling us to emerge from ourselves
and drawing us towards our true vocation, which is love…Beauty, then, is not
mere decoration, but rather an essential element of the liturgical action, since
it is an attribute of God himself and his revelation (35).


We are reminded of much by the words of the Holy Father, that the beauty of the liturgy has nothing to do with us personally, for indeed the liturgy is not at all about us personally, but rahter about Christ and his sacrifice for us. Beauty in the liturgy has been misunderstood by many who seek an encounter with Jesus on their own terms in order to fulfill some pre-supposed need or desire. An approach that seeks to fabricate beauty much like selecting paint and drapes for a bedroom. Beauty is not accidental, but essential to the liturgy, for Beauty is an attribute of Christ himself. Contrary to the cliché, Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder. It is not relative, but absolute. So often we approach Holy Mass as we might a group therapy session to be caressed and affirmed by music, or kind, encouraging words “shared” in a homily. When our expectations are not met, we claim the Mass “had nothing for us”. The truth of the matter, however, was that our own expectations blurred our ability to encounter and be encountered by Beauty. We were called to our true vocation, love, yet we were so distracted by our own noise, we failed to hear the call. When invited to the birthday party of a friend, we should not arrive expecting the other guests should shower us with gifts. What profound disappointment awaits, were this our hope. What selfishness! The liturgy is Christocentric, that is, centered upon Christ. There is nothing we can possibly “get out of the Mass”. Imagining there is or should be is a manipulation of the nature of the liturgy which removes or renders inaccesible its inherent, absolute Beauty which is Christ. Christ exhorts us to “Come, follow me”. Beauty exhorts us to follow and to be ecountered in the process by God’s love in Christ. We must come willingly to the encounter with Christ’s love, leaving behind any personal notions, preferences or expectations. As human beings our perception is narrow and incomplete. God’s vision is just the opposite. He knows what it is we need. Our own suffering can not be compared to His own, who bore the sins of the world. Absolute Beauty pervades the liturgical action, and when we disentagle ourselves from our own wants, we are drawn into it and by it, we encounter the peace which surrpasses all understanding.
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS: The Holy Father comments further regarding the celebration of Holy Mass, particularly that the Mass does not conform to popular culture:

Since the eucharistic liturgy is essentially an actio Dei [action of God]
which draws us into Christ through the Holy Spirit, its basic structure is not
something within our power to change, nor can it be held hostage by the latest
trends. …Saint Paul's irrefutable statement applies: "no one can lay any
foundation other than the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor
3:11)…The celebration of the Eucharist implies and involves the living
Tradition. The Church celebrates the eucharistic sacrifice in obedience to
Christ's command, based on her experience of the Risen Lord and the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit. (37)

Pope Benedict’s comments make plain that the liturgy is nothing of our own making. It is through the activity of God himself whereby we encounter the living Christ, the very foundation of our worship. To be a Christian, and especially a Catholic Christian means oftentimes to be counter-cultural. That is, the Church and her worship do not conform to popular culture -- the liturgy, the Pope observes, can not be held hostage by the latest trends. Thus, Roman Catholic worship, the Mass in the Roman Rite, does not reflect “current fashion”, neither in language nor music. It does not arise from the norms of popular culture nor should it be manipulated to reflect them. This is a challenge to many who wish to worship in a manner which reflects the secular world in which they conduct their day-to-day business. The secular indeed exercises much influence upon the minds of the faithful, so much so, that it may become an easy temptation to follow its false logic that allows no room for the sacred, but which seeks to envelope it, to distort it in order to make it secular and profane like itself. The result is a blatant disregard for the dignity and reverence demanded by sacred worship – concepts inherently foreign to popular secularism, by which all is reduced to a banal casualness: of language, of human interaction, of dress, of art and music. Just as Christ is not of this world, so too is worship of him – the darkness does not comprehend him. Divine worship, divine liturgy does not and can not by its nature conform to the dictates of the secular. In divine worship, the heavens open as the earth-bound liturgy unites with the heavenly, eternal liturgy. Only in the Mass of the Roman Rite do the faithful encounter face to face the true, living, Christ made manifest before us upon the altar of sacrifice. The offerings of the secular miserably fall short. As regards the Roman Rite, secular forms offer nothing better than the sacrifice of Cain, grossly inadequate for worship of so great a God. To introduce secular forms, concepts, and styles into the Roman rite alienates the faithful from the two-thousand year old living tradition of the Church. This is not a matter of personal taste, but a matter of obedience to Holy Mother Church in keeping with her instruction regarding sacred worship, instruction handed to the apostles in unbroken succession from the earliest days. We are called as Catholics to spread the Gospel, in essence, to make sacred what is secular. By insisting on a manner of worship more in keeping with secular forms and styles, we work against ourselves, making exception in the very place where no exceptions should be tolerated. We willingly secularize our sacred worship in sacred space by failing to excerise modesty of dress and by failing to excerise reverence and modest restraint and by acceptance of such music which mimics or imitates secular genres. Regarding music, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council strongly warned against such forms which distract the faithful from divine worship under the guise of solemnity (Musicam Sacram V, 43). The Holy Father further underscored this instruction in his excellent book The Spirit of the Liturgy, “sacred and secular music now are known to intertwine…so that the listener perhaps thinks he is hearing some pop tune in his ears. Clearly the danger here: music no longer results from prayer, but leads away from the liturgy, becomes self-serving…the music alienates the Liturgy from its true essence.”
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS: The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI comments upon sacred music in his apostolic exhortation of February 22, 2007:

In the ars celebrandi [the art of celebrating], liturgical song has a
pre-eminent place.... In the course of her two-thousand-year history, the Church
has created, and still creates, music and songs which represent a rich patrimony
of faith and love. This heritage must not be lost. Certainly as far as the
liturgy is concerned, we cannot say that one song is as good as another. Generic
improvisation or the introduction of musical genres which fail to respect the
meaning of the liturgy should be avoided…Consequently everything – texts, music,
execution – ought to correspond to the meaning of the mystery being celebrated,
the structure of the rite and the liturgical seasons. Finally, while respecting
various styles and different and highly praiseworthy traditions, I desire, in
accordance with the request advanced by the Synod Fathers, that Gregorian chant
be suitably esteemed and employed as the chant proper to the Roman liturgy.
(42)

Pope Benedict makes three main points: the importance of the heritage of Roman Catholic sacred music, the importance of careful selection of sacred music to accompany the celebration of the sacred mysteries, and the pre-eminence of Gregorian chant in the sacred music repertoire. Roman Catholic sacred music arises not only from Holy Scripture, but is linked by tradition to the ancient music of the early church, finding its basis in the music of Hebrew temple worship. Catholic sacred music did not appear from a vacuum. Its origins are clearly traceable from the ancient Israelites to chant forms, to polyphonic music of two and more voices, unison and multi-part hymns and canticles arising from Scriptural models, to contemporary motets and choral works building upon and developing from the tradition of Renaissance polyphonic masters. It is important to note that what is referred to here is not the development of secular song forms, but specifically sacred music forms. In the progression of music history, secular forms develop alongside sacred forms, sometimes, as today, intertwining. When the sacred takes on such attributes of the secular so as the two can no longer be differentiated, the difference traditionally has been pointed out and the correction made. This was true of the parody Masses of the Renaissance, it was true before the Motu Proprio of Pope St. Pius X, and it is true today as contemporary pop styles threaten once again to blur the limits between the sacred and the profane. The Holy Father does not skirt the issue as many have by claiming music is merely a matter of taste. Certainly, he instructs, we can not say that one song is as good as another. “Praise choruses” and much of what we blithely term “contemporary Christian” music has arisen outside living liturgical tradition of Roman Catholicism, and as such, does not comprehend the liturgical seasons and less so the concept of religious mystery. Finding its origins in non-Catholic, non-liturgical surroundings, devoid of mystery, stripped of tradition, often lacking any distinct creed or body of doctrine, the “contemporary Christian” genre is hardly a perfect match for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite. Although often fitted with Scriptural texts or Scriptural paraphrases, the style of music or nature of the paraphrases are not in keeping with the reverence and dignity demanded by the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite. It is a music which in form and style falls short of the profound mystery inherent to Holy Mass. Instead of deepening true devotion and expounding upon sacred mystery, it detracts from the celebration, making itself the focus as a means whereby the faithful are caused to succumb to a primitive emotional response. Sacred music within the Roman Catholic context must enhance worship, enabling a deeper participation in the transcending sacrifice of Calvary made real and present to us in the Holy Mass. Music of the Praise and Worship genre by its very nature is designed as a “stand-alone” worship experience within a context of an assembly of non-Catholics who have no Mass, who have no Eucharist, indeed, who have no Christ, risen and fully present to them Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Music fit for an emasculated, secular God, who can not communicate with his people, who is present to them only in vague symbols: a cross without a corpus, a church year without Advent, Lent, without Christmastide, without Eastertide, indeed also without Pentecost. Use of such music within the Roman Catholic context is in the strictest sense impossible. Holy Mother Church offers the faithful the complete revelation of Christ. The Holy Father concurs with the Synod Fathers that the true proper music for the Mass in the Roman Rite is Gregorian chant. The Church has known this for centuries, hence her two-thousand year history of music which is organically connected to chant, a succession of musical composition which still continues today. Secular religious music is not suitable for use to accompany the Roman Rite. It is entertaining, religious music, but it is hardly sacred music.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

New Video Promo

Here's a new video promo, plugging both the present


and the future


Sorry for the not-so-hot video quality. It's not the camera, but the software. Rest assured that it will be fixed before cvtv goes live. Enjoy!
Peace,
BMP

You can watch below, or save the file by clicking here. (1:35/6.9 MB)

SO TELL ME, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH FELT BANNERS?

Burn them, of course!

Thanks to the Roving Medievalist, there is a new order, established to do just that - burn tacky felt banners that you can often still spot to this day in churches, banners such as this hideous thing to the left.

What really sucks is that the church that I'm subbing for at a funeral Mass this Friday has crap similar to this on the wall behind the altar - where there was most likely once a reredos. (And the funeral is chocked full of greatest hits requests too - blech! I'm doing it for the money.)

The name of the order: The Militant and Just Bloody Rotten Order of the Torch.
Here's the motto:



Red Sox cap tip to the Curt Jester.

Peace,
BMP

CATHOLIC CARNIVAL 121

...is up and running at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering. Sorry I've been lax in contributing lately (three weeks in a row I've sent them nothing), but the carnivals still make good reading.

Peace,
BMP

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Trinity at the Cathedral

Prelude: Two Settings of "Allein Gott in der Hoh' sei Ehr" (from the Peters "80 Choralvorspiele")

Entrance: Holy, Holy, Holy / NICAEA

Gloria: Andrews (Peter Jones at 9:30)

Psalm 8: Guimont

Salisbury Alleluia

Offertory: Come Now Almighty King / ITALIAN HYMN

Anthem (9:30): Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence -- Holst

Sanctus, etc.: Community Mass

Agnus Dei: Proulx in F

Communion: For the Beauty of the Earth / DIX

Motet (9:30): O Sacrum Convivium -- Remandi

Hymn: Sing Praise to Our Creator / GOTT VATER SEI GEPRIESEN

Postlude: Menuet-gothique -- Leon Boellmann

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Most Holy Trinity - June 3, 2007

NETTLETON - God we praise you
Gloria VIII
Psalm Tone 8G - O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth
Chant, Mode VI - Alleluia
GOTT VATER, SEI GEPRIESEN - O God, almighty Father
Vermulst - Sanctus and Agnus from People's Mass
Danish - Memorial and Amen
Chant - Lord's Prayer/English
ABBOT'S LEIGH - Lord, you give the great commission
NICAEA - Holy, holy, holy

Peace,
BMP

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Pentecost at the Cathedral

Prelude: Prelude on "Come, O Come, O Quickening Spirit" -- Hans Klotz
Entrance: Come, Holy Ghost / LAMBILLOTTE
Sprinkling Rite: Baptized in Water / BUNESSAN
Gloria: Carroll T. Andrews (Peter Jones at 9:30)
Psalm 104: Guimont
Sequence: Traditional Chant in English
Salisbury Alleluia
Offertory: The Church's One Foundation / AURELIA
Anthem (9:30): Every Time I Feel the Spirit -- Traditional Spiritual
Sanctus, etc: Community Mass
Agnus Dei: Proulx in F
Anthem (9:30): Draw Us in the Spirit's Tether -- Harold Friedell
Communion: O Breathe on Me, O Breath of God / ST. COLUMBA
Hymn: Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling / IN BABILONE
Postlude: Final, Choral Varie sur le Veni Creator -- Maurice Durufle

GAS PRICES VARY

Depending on Greed Level

The Crescat found this gas station sign out in her neck of the woods:


Just this morning, my wife Ann sent me this sign that she got from a friend of hers:


Peace,
BMP

THAT 70'S CHECKLIST

From the Catholic Caveman, with my own replies. His post is funny, but on the most part true.

~ Everyone owned Frampton Comes Alive and Cheap Trick Live at Budokan.
Close. I owned Frampton Comes Alive and Ted Nugent Double Live Gonzo.

~ Your high school had a smokers section.
Ours had four outdoor smoking areas.

~ You remember when relief pitchers didn't run on to the field... they rode out in a golf cart.
And as far as I'm concerned, Fenway Park had the coolest looking cart back then. The body was a baseball (cut open for your driving safety, of course) and a Red Sox cap. This thing was way cool!

~ The Ocean Pacific brand constituted most of your clothing.
Never wore them, I don't think.

~ Not only do you know what "three on the tree" means, your first vehicle was a POS that really had a three on the tree tranny.
I'm guessing that was the three-speed standard on the column. I didn't own one, but knew friends that did. My first car: a 1969 Olds Cutlass S (three-speed automatic, or as we called them then, trashomatic, on the column).

~ The Datsun 240-Z was considered the "rich kid" car.
The rich chick at our school had a 1969 Chevy Camaro - mint condition. Her father owned a Chevy dealership.

~ White tube socks with the three colored stripes at the top.
My daughter Jessica, almost 20 now, just told me that they're making a comeback.

~ Ash trays in public restrooms.
When I was smoking, anytime a can didn't have an ash tray, I would use the floor, or lift my right cheek ever so slightly and flick the ashes into the twahlette. My wife and I are now going on sixteen months smoke free!

~ Place kickers kicked the ball straight on. None of that namby-pamby "soccer style" off to the left, stuff. Where have you gone, George Blanda?

~ Rabbit ears. And you only got three channels. Five on a good day.
With our rabbit ears, we got the four Providence channels (back then those were 6, 10, 12, and 36), plus the Boston channels (back then those were 2, 4, 5, 7, 38, 44, and 56). The Boston channels were somewhat snowy, so you had to make some adjustments. For quite some time the parlor TV had a rotary antenna, so we basically would set it at southeast for the RI stations, and anywhere between north and northeast for the Boston stations.

~ Major League Baseball had the ugliest uniforms.... ever.
Come on! Those Astros uniforms were way cool, man! And who could forget those pajamas that the White Sox once passed off as uniforms.

~ "Disco Sucks" bumper stickers.
We had those, and "Iran Sucks" stickers too! Also, "Honk if you love Jesus" was a big one, especially in the mid '70's. But nothing beats that George Carlin sticker: Honk if your horn is broken.

~ 57 cent a gallon gasoline.
That's what it was right about the time I got my driver's license.

~ You weren't sure if that new running shoe was pronounced "uh-dee-duz" or "ahh-dee-daahz".
Not only was I not sure, but I didn't care either. he he he!

~ Rock bands recorded 16 minute drum solos.
I don't know about 16 minutes, but the unforgettable epics for me would be the 11-minute 100,000 Years from the Kiss Alive album, and that 17-minute In a Gadda da Vida, which was an entire side of Iron Butterfly's live album.

~ Those new fangled battery powered calculators that cost well over $100.00
The solar calculators were more than that, weren't they?

~ Frank Frazetta paintings on vans, most done poorly.

~ Good girls had the Dorothy Hamill hairstyle... easy chicks had the Farrah Fawcett 'do.

~ The cops would allow "the least drunk" guy to drive everyone home.
Yup to all of these last three.

Peace,
BMP

SAVE YOUR BREAKFAST!

Don't watch this video!

The month of May apparently also means that the Poncho Ladies™ are in season, rousing up some more crap! Listen to this "womynpriest" BS's her way into making people believe that the practice of her "community" is ok.
Red Sox cap tip to Argent.
Peace,
BMP

Friday, May 25, 2007

A NEW KIND OF BLEGGING

No, I'm not blegging for any kind of money or financial benefit. I'm actually putting out my plea to all musicians and parish priests in the United States: Please do NOT play Memorial Day music on Pentecost Sunday. Memorial Day is Monday. There is a special Mass that can be celebrated for Various Needs, if I'm not mistaken. You can go to town with patriotic music then. This Sunday is PENTECOST - the BIRTH of the Church (not to mention, our parish's Patron - Holy Ghost).

Last year I did have one person - I will not mention name or gender, leaving no clues - put up a stink to both the pastor and me. This person was begging me to play the Battle Hymn of the Republic. The pastor and I both explained to the person in question that Memorial Day is NOT what was being celebrated on the Sunday (last year it was the 7th Sunday of Easter - well, in this diocese anyways), and that a patriotic hymn would be inappropriate. Yes, I'm saying this, fully aware that my father (+1981) was in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, and my father-in-law (+1999) was in the U.S. Army during that same war.

We stood our ground, "pastorally" - from the Latin word "pastor" meaning "shepherd". Instead of giving in, we teach.

Michael Lawrence of NLM has an excellent post on the topic at hand here. This Sunday, let's greet each other with Happy Pentecost in honor of the Birth of Catholicism.

Peace,
BMP

ST. JOAN OF ARC CHURCH HAS COMPANY

The Midwest has St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis. Out here in the Northeast, there's St. Andrew in Syracuse, NY. Syracuse was the childhood stomping grounds of my dad (1933-1981). My dad was a Methodist, converting two years after marrying my mom. I doubt he ever touched St. Andrew's, even when it was normal. Of course, upon marriage, my parents made Rhode Island home. Even still, the only two churches we've stepped foot in within the Syracuse Diocese are Sacred Heart (now a minor basilica - my cousin Kathy was married there) and Immaculate Heart of Mary in nearby Liverpool. Note that I haven't been in Syracuse since 1982 - almost a year after my father's death.

Anyhoo - Gerald has the goods on St. Andrew's. It started ok, but its evolution isn't pretty. Dig this...

First, let's look at their "mission statement" - nothing beats a good self-definition now:
- To proclaim and Celebrate the Good News of Jesus and share his teachings. (Good)
- To love, support and strengthen each other. (Good)
- To develop our liturgical celebrations in the spirit of Vatican II. (Ruh Roh! This don't sound pretty!)
- To meet the human and spiritual needs of this community and beyond through active ministry and service. (Good, within limits)
- To commit to just peacemaking. (Here's the so-called "social justice" at work!)


Now for a little history...

Time as a traditional parish (You mean "normal", don't you? This, btw, was from the parish's founding in 1952, up to 1963.)
The parish bulletins of those early years were filled with the announcements from the Holy Name Society, Altar and Rosary Society, Legion of Mary, and an adult and children’s choirs. Sunday 9 o’clock Mass was the children’s Mass where Fr. Harrison came down from the altar, stepped outside the altar railing and spoke directly to the children sitting as a group in the front of the church. (They got away with that kind of stuff back then? I'm shocked!) Special religious observances like 40 Hours Devotion, Novena to the Sacred Heart, Stations of the Cross, Benediction, Spiritual Bouquets, and Plenary Indulgences were also part of the parish vocabulary. Social activities included dances, spaghetti suppers, card parties, and a Bowling League of eight teams that met at the Southside Bowling Alley.

With the exception of the priest giving the kiddie homily from outside of the rails, that seems pretty normal to me - at least for then. But now, buckle up because the ride is chocked full of turbulence!

Vatican II changes St. Andrew’s
In the fall of 1963, as the new pastor, Msgr. Daniel Lawler, took his post, revolutionary events were taking place in the wider world. The dramatic decisions of the Second Vatican Council were coming out; Catholics were stunned. They couldn’t believe the changes that were now predicted. Some found it traumatic that the Catholic Church they knew -- with the Latin liturgy, priest facing the altar, and bells rung at consecration -- was going away. Others, equally stunned, found joy in the realization that indeed as Pope John XXIII had predicted, a window into the church was opened and the cobwebs were being swept away.

Little did they know that Vatican II never canned Latin, ad orientem, or Sanctus bells. And as for the cobwebs (those who really knew better), they weren't "swept away", they were "driven away", lock, stock, and barrel. Read on...

A time of firsts
Changes to the Mass came quickly. After a vote of the parish, the first Mass facing the people was offered on January 1, 1965; the first sung Mass in English took place November 7, 1965, followed by the use of English, at first only outside of the Canon of the Mass. Lectors became a regular part the Mass. (I have no problem with lay lectors, provided they read the approved texts of the first two readings and leave the Gospel to the priest or deacon.)
The first homily ever given by a layperson at St. Andrew’s occurred on September 25, 1966 when Robert Landers spoke about the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD), a religious education program in the American Church. Landers’s assignment fit with Vatican II’s call for the laity to enter into “partnership with the priest in the sacred things of God.” (Yeah, but V2 never called for twisting things around, nor watering them down.)
...
At a time of dramatic change in the church and also in the understanding of human psychology and education, there was a desire for new information which the books provided. During this time, the parish added the National Catholic (Distorter, er,) Reporter to its newspaper handouts of The Catholic Sun and The Sunday Visitor.
Prayer of the Faithful was added to the Mass in 1967 as were folk Masses and neighborhood Masses in the home. (Prayer of the Faithful, good; Folk Masses, bad!)
...
Monthly children’s liturgies were held downstairs in the parish hall simultaneously with “adult” liturgies upstairs. Many creative approaches to worship were tried in the downstairs setting that were later adapted to full parish liturgies upstairs. (Sure! Screw up the kids, then try to get their parents to think it's ok to screw them up too!)
Numerous magnificent liturgical banners designed and produced by Mary Spadaro enhanced the liturgies. She set a standard that others followed for many years. (Isn't that defacing property?)
...
The number of the children in the parish declined during the 1970’s (Gee, I wonder why!!!)

More than a neighborhood parish
As early as 1968 the parish began its shift from a neighborhood parish. Today more than 70% of the parishioners live outside the parish boundaries. The impetus that started the trend was the fact that people who moved outside the parish continued to come back to St. Andrew’s.
Fr. (Joe) Kane was presiding over significant changes. He has described himself as “neither liberal or conservative, but open.” He was open to new ideas, to leadership from the laity and was willing to institute new practices about which many of his fellow priests teased and criticized him. (He was probably criticized and teased because his brother priests knew better, that some of these practices were not good for the church, nor for the Church.)
...
But Joe’s openness got him in trouble with some of his parishioners too. The enthusiastic adoption of reforms from (the so-called Spirit of) Vatican II was difficult for many. A pastor who was sharing power with the parish and letting the congregation know from the pulpit that he didn’t have all the answers was too much for some. Slowly, parishioners began to leave for other parishes. Over the next 30 years there was a steady stream of people who left in protest for one reason or another. (Sounds to me like too many righteous got pissed off.)
A dual collection for the wounded in South and North Vietnam was one of the first political controversies that caused people to leave. But at the same time, the parish started to attract new members from all over the county because of these very controversial issues, its commitment of the reforms of (the Spirit of) Vatican II and leadership by the laity. (Out goes the good air, in goes the bad!) Today the parish has members from Homer to North Syracuse and from Cazenovia to Westvale. St. Andrew’s started with about 200 families, rose in the 1960’s to 400 families and gradually dropped back to 200 families by the 1980. Today, there are 175 households on the parish registry, 72% of whom are from outside the parish boundaries.
An elected Parish Council in 1976 strengthened the role of the laity in decisions of the parish. Four committees on education, finance, liturgy and community/social action were formed. (Ah yes, a committee of clueless people telling the pastor what to do! Now I wonder who wears the pants in that "parish family"!)
Communion in the hand began on the Feast of Christ the King in November 1977. By 1978 with one priest and the need to depend on frequent visiting priests, Sunday Masses went from three to two, at 8:45 and 10:45 a.m. (Lower attendance rates were the factor, I suppose - more people pissed off.)
That same year a Human Development Committee was formed and grew into today’s Justice and Peace Committee. (And their job is?)
...
In January 1981 the parish began a serious discussion on whether to remodel the church. Parishioners, in a series of lively meetings, considered a plan to put the altar on the side of the church and change the orientation of the pews. By 1983, a compromise solution allowed the altar table moved forward toward the congregation and the removal of the altar railing. (Another move in the misconceived "Spirit of V2" - and what the sam hell is it with altars being moved on top of the people? Why don't you just put the freakin' altar halfway up the aisle and do table dances? Better still, let's not give them ideas.)
By the 1980’s the parish went through another demographical change. Children from the dozens of large families in the parish had grown up and moved away and were not replaced in equal numbers. (Smart. They didn't miss much.)
...
Change in the liturgy was another issue on which parishioners disagreed. Folk Masses, the move of the organ from the choir loft to the sanctuary, and inclusive language all sparked controversy. (Yup - sparked controversy. Vatican II never called for these things, which explains the controversy.)
...

Now for the biggest bomb of all...

Gay/Lesbian Mass initiated
Another new ministry, one Fr. Kane says he is most proud of, was opening the parish to the Catholic Gay and Lesbian community for Sunday Mass twice a month starting in 1994. (My big question is this: is this "ministry" leaning more toward Courage, which is good, or more toward Dignity, which is bad?)
...
Fr. Kane donated the stained glass window above the altar. The center point that draws in different lines is symbolic of how the diverse people of the parish meet at this place of worship and also someday perhaps in what Teilhard De Chardin called the “omega point.” (Oh puh-freakin'-leese with this so-called diversity crap!)
...
Finally, a loyal band of parishioners has, during these past 50 years, gathered around the altar for daily Mass. Today a new band gathers for weekly contemplative meditation instead of daily Mass. (What next? No Sunday Mass?)

Horrid. And Bishop Moynihan puts up with this kind of crap?
Peace,
BMP

CATHOLIC CARNIVAL 120

...is up and runnin' at A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars. Sorry so late posting.
Peace,
BMP

Thursday, May 24, 2007

VENI, CREATOR SPIRITUS

Does your parish know it?

We're using it at our parish, at all four weekend Masses, like it or not. New Advent's Catholic Encyclopedia describes Veni, Creator Spiritus as the "most famous of hymns". This may be true. But be honest. How many parishes do you think will be singing the "most famous of hymns"?

I say 25% at best. Of that 25%, about 10% of these parishes will enjoy the singing of the Veni, Creator Spiritus by the congregation (as well as the choir). Jeffrey Tucker at NLM figures 10%, maybe 20%.

Yes, even OCP's Today's Missal includes Veni, Creator Spiritus. It's number 84. They're slowly getting better at including MORE actual hymns in their worship aids, including those in chant. Now if we can only get them to clean out the garbage. (GIA's Gather is next!)

Peace,
BMP

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

MATH AND RELIGION

The following is a list that the Curt Jester got from one of his readers. Now, picture this: if Math were taught the same way Religion is taught in many Catholic schools... (warning: I see a bit of leftist so-called social justice issues here --- LMAO!)

- How do you feel about numbers?
- Meditate on your favorite number, then write a paragraph about why it is your favorite.
- Choose a song and identify some of the ways in which numbers are present in it. Play the song for the class and lead a discussion about what the class thinks the song expresses about numbers. (I choose "One" by Three Dog Night, though most liturgeists will choose some "greatest hit" about "us being one".)
- Which number is most present to you in your life today? Which number is most absent?
- We’re going to watch a movie. At the end of the movie we’ll discuss the ways in which numbers are explicitly and symbolically portrayed in it.
- What can you do to be more aware of numbers in your everyday life?
- What are your best and worst experiences involving numbers?
- Make a poster in which you creatively and colorfully depict a number of your choice.
- Although some numbers are called “greater” and others are called “lesser”, in what ways are all numbers really the same? In what ways can the “lesser” numbers be considered greater than the “greater” numbers, and in what ways can the “greater” numbers be considered less than the “lesser” numbers?
- Even though irrational numbers cannot be expressed as the quotient of two integers the way rational numbers can, explain how irrational numbers should be respected and considered to be no different from rational numbers.
- Explain how the traditional classification of integers as either odd or even is merely a social construct.
- Explain how every number has something good about it.
- Do you accept the way that previous generations have used numbers? How do you think numbers should be used? Is there a right or a wrong way to use numbers? What do you consider to be the most personally meaningful way to use numbers?
- How has the way you use numbers changed throughout your life? How do you think you will use numbers in the future?
- Explain why a diversity of numbers is good and what you can do to promote number diversity.
- Explain how multi-cultural approaches to numeral systems (e.g., Mesopotamian, Roman, Arabic) can enrich our appreciation of numbers. Also explain why no numeral system is better than any other system.
- You will have to do a group project in which each person contributes a number. Present to the class all the ways your group can relate the numbers to each other. Your presentation can be a PowerPoint or a video in which you creatively animate the numbers your group selects.
- Write an essay in which you pretend that you are a number. Explain what you think it would be like to be that number.
- If you believe in your heart or in your conscience that 2+2=5, does anyone else have the right to tell you that you’re wrong? Explain why we should avoid judging other people’s mathematical operations. (This sounds like some of the NaPalM people I know!)
- Fractions are divisive. Can you think of better ways to express a quotient, without using divisive fractions? Is division something we should strive to do with numbers anyway?
- Explain why the labeling of numbers as either “positive” or “negative” is discriminatory, hurtful, and a manifestation of the bigotry of value-ism. How would you feel if you were labeled a “negative” number? What can you do to help end this kind of discrimination?
- Create a collage of numbers.


The Curt Jester himself added:
- Make a felt banner showing what numbers mean to you. (Don't forget to hang it in a prominent location in church!)
- Should fractions be written with one number over another one? Explain why this is an unjust heirarchical system where when the operation is carried out it only diminishes the so-called numerator.

Here's my own contribution - this one being numbers in the eyes of a liturgeist...
- Make up a liturgical dance about your favorite number.
- Make up a liturgical dance showing "unity in numbers".
- Make up a song about "unity in numbers" written a la Haugen, Haas, Schutte, Landry, etc.

Yeah, they'll know we are numbers by our love, by our love...

Peace,
BMP

THIS IS SO USCCB

Check out, if you haven't yet, the picture for The Crescat's blog title. So American! So funny, yet so sad but true.
Peace,
BMP

THE EXPANDED PENTECOST VIGIL

Has anyone done this? I just finished reading Gary Penkala's CNP article on the Pentecost Vigil, which can be expanded to compliment the Easter Vigil. Apparently such a Mass has been celebrated in St. Peter's Square by the Pope for quite some time. Gary has an outline of how it was done there in 1993 by Pope John Paul II.

I wonder if it's still the same way under Pope Benedict XVI. :-)

Peace,
BMP

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

BURIED TREASURES THAT ARE BETTER OFF BURIED

Red Sox cap tip to our friend Lyn F. at the RPInet boards. Well, well, well... look what surfaced on Ebay...

Starting bid as I type this post is $15.55, plus $4.55 in shipping. Here's what the seller wrote for a "liner note":

WHAT WE HAVE FOR SALE IS THE 1974 WELL-PRESERVED USED SONG BOOK NEITHER SILVER NOR GOLD OF INCREDIBLE LITURGICAL MUSIC FROM THE ST. LOUIS JESUITS. (SECOND PRINTING, NOVEMBER, 1976) THESE 122 PAGES OF BELOVED SONGS INCLUDE PSALMS, HYMNS AND CANTICLES PERFORMED IN A FOLK MUSIC STYLE. BEFORE FINISHING THEIR STUDIES AND DISPERSING FROM ST. LOUIS, THE SEMINARIANS DECIDED TO CATALOGUE AND MAKE A RECORDING OF THEIR MUSIC SO IT WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO OTHERS. SOME OF THE MUSIC IN NEITHER SILVER NOR GOLD WAS PERFORMED IN THE BASEMENT OF FUSZ MEMORIAL CHAPEL, THE REST AT A LOCAL STUDIO. THIS FIRST COLLECTION OF 58 SONGS, SOME DATING BACK AS EARLY AS 1964, WAS CALLED, "NEITHER SILVER NOR GOLD ".

THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS KNOWN AS THE ST. LOUIS JESUITS WERE DAN SCHUTTE, BOB DUFFORD, ROC O'CONNOR, JOHN FOLEY AND TIM MANION. ALL OF THEM WERE JESUITS. TIM MANION LATER LEFT THE JESUITS BUT CONTINUED TO COLLABORATE UNTIL 1984. BETWEEN 1975 AND 1985 THEY RECORDED FIVE COLLECTIONS OF MUSIC THAT WERE PUBLISHED BY NORTH AMERICAN LITURGY RESOURCES. DURING THIS TIME, THEY WERE PLAYING, LECTURING, AND PRESENTING THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF LITURGICAL MUSIC AT CONFERENCES THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.

THE SONGS BECAME STANDARD REPERTOIRE IN CATHOLIC HYMNALS SUCH AS GLORY AND PRAISE. BY THE 1980S, THE MUSIC OF THE ST. LOUIS JESUITS, ALONG WITH SIMILAR ARTISTS SUCH AS MARTY HAUGEN, WAS COMMONLY USED THROUGHOUT AMERICAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES. TODAY SOME OF THEIR MORE POPULAR HYMNS IN NEITHER SILVER NOR GOLD HAVE FOUND THEIR WAY INTO PROTESTANT HYMNALS AND INTO OTHER LANGUAGES.

IN 1980, ALL FIVE MEMBERS, ALONG WITH TIM MANION'S WIFE, MOVED TO SEATTLE, WHERE THEY CONTINUED TO STUDY AND COMPOSE NEW MUSIC. TIM MANION LEFT THE GROUP IN 1984, AND GAVE UP COMPOSING MUSIC ALTOGETHER. THE GROUP DISBANDED AFTER THEIR FIFTH ALBUM, THE STEADFAST LOVE, WAS RECORDED IN 1985. DAN SCHUTTE LEFT THE JESUIT ORDER IN 1986, BUT CONTINUES TO WORK AS A LITURGIST AND IS A PROLIFIC COMPOSER.

PLEASE NOTE: IN THE YEAR 2000, SCHUTTE, DUFFORD, O'CONNOR, AND FOLEY WERE ASKED TO MAKE A SURPRISE APPEARANCE AT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PASTORAL MUSICIANS. THIS SPURRED THEM TO WRITE AND RECORD A COLLECTION OF NEW MUSIC TO CELEBRATE THE THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR COLLABORATION. THIS RECORDING ENTITLED "MORNING LIGHT" WAS RELEASED IN 2005 ALONG WITH AN ANNIVERSARY COFFEE TABLE BOOK TITLED, "THE ST. LOUIS JESUITS: THIRTY YEARS" OREGON CATHOLIC PRESS (2006). LAST YEAR THEY MADE A FEW RARE PERFORMANCES IN THE UNITED STATES IN CONJUNCTION WITH RELEASING THEIR ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION. MANION SANG ON THE COLLECTION AND PERFORMED AT A FEW OF THE SPECIAL EVENTS. CURRENTLY, THEY HAVE NO PLANS TO RECORD TOGETHER AGAIN BUT SCHUTTE AND FOLEY CONTINUE TO RELEASE MUSIC INDIVIDUALLY THROUGH THEIR PUBLISHER..

SOME OF THE SONGS FARED BETTER IN TRANSCRIPTION THAN OTHERS. ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR OF THE ST. LOUIS JESUIT SONGS, "BE NOT AFRAID," FARED PARTICULARLY POORLY IN ITS RHYTHMIC TRANSCRIPTION. THE MELODY OF THIS PIECE FEATURES DOUBLE-DOTTED QUARTER NOTES AND SIXTEENTH NOTES, REQUIRING EXTRAORDINARY MUSICIANSHIP ON THE PART OF THE SINGER. BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTY OF THE RHYTHM, THIS SONG IS SELDOM PERFORMED AS WRITTEN.

IN ORDER TO MAKE THE PIECES PLAYABLE ON ORGAN AND OTHER KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS, KEYBOARD ACCOMPANIMENTS WERE WRITTEN, SOME BY THE JESUITS, SOME BY PROFESSIONALLY-TRAINED MUSICIANS. (SR. THEOPHANE HYTREK, OSF, FOR EXAMPLE, WROTE THE ACCOMPANIMENT FOR THE POPULAR "BE NOT AFRAID.") THESE ACCOMPANIMENT PARTS VARY CONSIDERABLY IN QUALITY AND RARELY ARE COMPOSED IDIOMATICALLY FOR THE ORGAN. ALMOST ALL OF THE ACCOMPANIMENT PARTS ARE WRITTEN ON TWO STAVES; THE BOTTOM LINE IS OFTEN MARKED PED., INDICATING OPTIONAL PEDAL FOR TRAINED ORGANISTS.


If I remember correctly, back in the '80's, I don't think the "basic music book" (that's what they called their books back then) and double-record album put together went for $15.55.

Some buried treasures are better off buried.
Peace,
BMP

THE CATS ARE RUNNING AMOK...

...once again!

My wife sent me some more cats to play with! The ones with no descriptions say it all.


On his way to church, this cat knows he has to look his best, so a quick last minute hygiene lick should do the trick.




The latest in LifeTeen stage wear! And it's warm and fuzzy!






Meanwhile, on a cruise ship off Pittsburgh, a new breed of Poncho Lady emerges!






This poor kitty doesn't know what she's in for.






Practicing self-worship







These stowaway cats were squeezed in one large suitcase in order to avoid fares. They later surfaced as the congregation at the poncho lady ordination.
The food at the reception could have been a lot better.






Cat teaches girl new religion - airborne Buddhism.


















To be continued...

Peace,
BMP

Monday, May 21, 2007

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Holy Ghost Church, Tiverton, RI
Pentecost - May 27, 2007

Lambillotte - Come, Holy Ghost
Jubilate Deo - Gloria VIII / Sanctus and Agnus XVIII / Mortem Tuam / Amen
Psalm Tone 8G - Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth
- (Note: verses differ on Saturday, though the antiphon stays the same)
(7:30 and 9:00) Mode I - Come, O Holy Spirit, Come
(10:30) Mode I - Veni, Sancte Spiritus
Mode II - Alleluia from O Filii et Filiae
Mode VIII - Veni, Creator Spiritus (in Latin)
Chant - Lord's Prayer / English
ST. COLUMBA - O breathe on me, O breath of God
LASST UNS ERFREUEN - Creator Spirit, by whose aid

Peace,
BMP

Sunday, May 20, 2007

No Longer If, but When...




Published in the Saturday, May 19, edition of The Patriot-News, of Harrisburg, PA.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A Vatican official has confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI plans to loosen restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass, reviving a rite that was essentially swept away by the revolutionary reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos told a meeting of Latin American bishops in Brazil this week that Benedict wanted to give all Catholics greater access to the so-called Tridentine Mass because of a "new and renewed interest" in the rite.

Benedict is also acting in a bid to reach out to an ultraconservative schismatic group, the Society of St. Pius X, and bring it back into the Vatican's fold, Castrillon Hoyos said Wednesday, according to a copy of his speech posted on the meeting's Web site.

~nb

Friday, May 18, 2007

I OFTEN WONDER...

Has anyone ever gotten this gut feeling that comedian Stephen Colbert really is Catholic and loving it? Or is it just another comic act? The more I watch him, the more I think the former. After all, he once recited the Apostles Creed on his show, knows The King of Glory enough to do a comic dance to it, albeit really goofy, and this quote (Red Sox cap tip to our friendly neighborhood Catholic Caveman):
But I'm not speaking against [Presidential Candidate Gov. Mitt Romney] being a Mormon. In fact, I consider all religions equal. And by equal, I mean they're all tied for 2d place behind Catholicism. (emphasis mine)

The other modern comic I really like these days, btw, is Larry the Cable Guy. IMO, he's THE funniest living redneck. He tells it like it is and will make it perfectly clear that the holiday that falls on December 25th is CHRISTMAS!

Peace,
BMP

THE FEAST OF THE RANT

The Curt Jester and Father Erik have very legitimate reasons to pitch a rant. You see, they've been screwed out of a holy day of obligation this week - the Ascension. Yeah, I've been lucky enough to live in a diocese (Providence, RI) and a province (Hartford, CT) that keeps the holy day, well, holy. If I remember correctly, Nick has the same fortune as I. Jason's not so lucky.

It's almost as if we here on the Ascension Thursday dioceses are screaming TASTES GREAT, while the Ascension Sunday dioceses are screaming LESS FILLING. Yeah - less FULfilling is more like it. If there ever was a feast I'd miss if I were to (God forbid) move out of state for some reason, it would sure be Ascension. It would just not be the same celebrating it on Sunday. I kinda like that closure of having this Sunday be the Seventh Sunday of Easter. But in a theological sense, Fr. Erik rightly states:
It was 40, not 43, days after Easter that our frail human nature was taken up into heaven and lifted above all of creation.
I also like his General Intercessions intention:
That the Solemnity of the Ascension will be returned to its proper day of Thursday, let us pray to the Lord.

What next? Assumption Sunday? All Saints Sunday? Immaculate Conception Sunday? (Assumption and All Saints do trump the numbered Sunday of Ordinary Time in the US, but ONLY if the actual dates, August 15 and November 1 respectively, fall on a Sunday. Immaculate Conception is moved if December 8 falls on a Sunday, as that Solemnity falls during Advent.) Christmas Sunday??? LET'S HOPE NOT!!! It's as if instead of teaching people to keep the holy day, we're accomodating for, and promoting, a lazy society. Bad enough the "obligation" part of "holy day of obligation" is gone once one of those holy days falls on a Saturday or a Monday. So you had to make a second trip to church on a given weekend. A little confusion never hurt anyone.

That we as Catholics may regain a sense of "obligation", let us pray to the Lord.
LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER!

Peace,
BMP

Thursday, May 17, 2007

CATHOLIC CARNIVAL 119

...is up and runnin' at Book Reviews and More. No contributions from us guys this week. Got kinda lazy LOL.

Peace,
BMP

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

ALL ABOUT ME(ME)

No tags involved. But I did "intercept" this meme from Fr. Erik.

1. Male or Female: Male
2. Married or Single (or religious): Very happily married
3. Dream vacation: Anyplace that's not in southern New England
4. Birthplace: Woonsocket, Rhode Island
5. Area I currently live in: Providence, Rhode Island - the armpit of New England
6. Someone you wish you could meet: Eric Carmen
7. Biggest "pet-peeve": Hootenanny Masses and people who talk like Marty Haugen, David Haas, and Dan Schutte are the only true liturgical musicians.
8. Favorite Religious devotion: besides Mass? Stations of the Cross
9. Favorite Saint (besides the Blessed Mother): St. Pius X (for obvious reasons)
10. Favorite sport that you play: bowling
11. Favorite food: Scallops, and almost anything in a can that says "Chef Boy-ar-dee"
12. Tridentine or Novus Ordo: I like the Tridentine for its beauty, but I also like a good strong Novus Ordo done right, the way Pope Paul VI visioned it, as opposed to how the progressive "innovative" liturgiest would vision it.
13. Would you (or are you) home school or public school: Elementary in public school. Home school from Grade 7 on (secondary schools in our city are horrendous!)
14. How many kids do you have: 2 sons, 2 daughters
15.Ever been in an auto accident: most recent: some punk cut me off as I was trying to take a left into my driveway. My left directional was on, and that's exactly where he cut me off. His car got slammed. Neither he nor his arrogant little battleaxe he calls a girlfriend were injured.
16.Ever seen a pope in person: Nope.
17.Languages that you know fluently: English (I know enough Latin to do a Latin Mass and lead some really good motets, but don't ask me to hold a conversation in it. My son Brian and I are fixing to study some German next school year.)
18.Last movie you saw in theatres: Talladega Nights
19. Favorite Blog: too many good ones to list.
20.Your thoughts on (1)Barney, (2)the Easter bunny, and (3)Santa Claus: (1) Barney? Can't stand him. Somewhere between his "Oh that's okaaaaaaaaaaaay" and the Teletubbies' "uh-ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh", the truth lies. Probably a bit closer to "uh-ohhhhhhhhhhhhh"! (2) The Easter Bunny is cool. Doesn't say much. Just goes about his business, not bothering anyone. (3) Santa Claus at least has a stipulation when he gives presents at Christmas - you have to be GOOD! If not, you get nothing but a lump of coal. Though fictional, Santa's got the best morals of the three.

Intercept a tag if you wish. I did.

Peace,
BMP

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Holy Ghost Church, Tiverton, RI

Music common to both of the feasts below

ABBOT'S LEIGH - Lord, you give the great commission
(Offertory on Ascension / Introit on Sunday)
HYFRYDOL - Alleluia! sing to Jesus! (Recessional both days)
Chant, Mode V - Gloria VIII
Chant, Mode II - Alleluia from O Filii et Filiae
Peloquin - Sanctus, Memorial, Amen, and Agnus from Mass of the Bells
Chant - Lord's Prayer (English)

Ascension Thursday - May 17, 2007

Yes, our diocese celebrates the Holy Day of Obligation this Thursday. We have two Masses that day - 7 AM and 7 PM. I will be providing music for the 7 PM Mass, along with the choir.

LLANFAIR - Hail the day that sees him rise
Psalm Tone 8G - God mounts his throne to shouts of joy; a blare of trumpets for the Lord
FESTIVAL CANTICLE - This is the feast of victory for our God

Seventh Sunday of Easter - May 20, 2007

Psalm Tone 8G - The Lord is King, the Most High over all the earth
(except 10:30) DARWALL'S 148TH - Rejoice! the Lord is King
(10:30 only) Page - God mounts his throne
UNDE ET MEMORES - Lord, who at thy first Eucharist didst pray
Regina Caeli (Chant, Mode VI except 10:30 / Lotti at 10:30)

Peace,
BMP

Saturday, May 12, 2007

TRUMPETER TURNED SEMINARIAN

I'm very pleased to announce that teen trumpeter Nick Fleming, who joined us for our Christmas concert last Christmas season, has been accepted by Bishop Thomas J. Tobin to enter Our Lady of Providence Seminary for this fall. To boot, Nick will become Holy Ghost's first seminarian in the parish's 94-year history!

Congrats, Nick. Our prayers and best wishes to you. I think you'll make a great priest!

Peace,
BMP

Friday, May 11, 2007

Easter VI at the Cathedral

Prelude: "The peace may be exchanged." -- Dan Locklair
Entrance: Joyful, Joyful / HYMN TO JOY
Gloria: Andrews (Peter Jones at 9:30)
Psalm 67: Michel Guimont
Salisbury Alleluia
Offertory: I Have Loved You
Anthem (9:30): The Holy City -- Stephen Adams
Sanctus/Mem Acc D/Amen: Community Mass
Agnus Dei: Proulx in F
Anthem (9:30): If Ye Love Me -- Philip Wilby
Communion: Unless a Grain of Wheat
May Crowning (9:30): Be Joyful, Mary
Hymn: The Day of Resurrection / ELLACOMBE
Postlude: Plein Jeu (Convents) -- Francois Couperin

NEW PODCAST FROM SALT LAKE

Up in Boston, roughly one hour away from my desk (up to two hours if you hit traffic at its peak), Cardinal Sean O'Malley has his own blog.

Take a little cruise into Salt Lake City, UT, out in the middle of the Mountain Time Zone, where their new bishop, Bishop John C. Wester, has just started his new podcast, His Own Words. Unlike most podcasts (like my own) that use only the .mp3 format for podcasts, His Own Words is available in .mp3 and .m4a formats. Like the weekly Masses from the Madeleine, the podcast is made available by Intermountain Catholic Broadcasting.

Peace,
BMP

Thursday, May 10, 2007

THE BALTIMORE CATECHISM

Revisited "Without a Doubt" by Bishop Tobin

From this week's Providence Visitor, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin writes in his bi-weekly column, Without a Doubt, about the Baltimore Catechism. Enjoy!
Peace,
BMP

PS: Emphasis (and snarky little remarks) mine.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Question: Who Made the World?
Answer: God made the world.
Question: Why did God make you?
Answer: God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.
Question: What is a Sacrament?
Answer: A Sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ to give grace.

If you're a Catholic over a certain age, let's say about 50, you probably remember these questions and answers. Yep, they come from the venerable Baltimore Catechism, the collection of simple questions and answers that served as the singular religious education textbook for Catholics in this country for many generations. (Yeah! What the hell ever happened to that book?)
The Baltimore Catechism was recently honored during the annual meeting of the National Catholic Education Association held, fittingly enough, in Baltimore! Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, one of the prelates taking part in the ceremony said of the Catechism, "The strength of it is that it stayed with you . . . The weakness of it was that sometimes you didn't always understand what you memorized."
While acknowledging both the strengths and weaknesses of the Baltimore Catechism identified by Cardinal McCarrick, I think that on balance it was an extremely valuable catechetical tool and I am convinced that the effectiveness of religious education programs has suffered since its disappearance. The Baltimore Catechism helped us to learn the basic elements of our faith - it gave us a solid foundation on which to build our Catholic lives. And that's an important starting point in any field of endeavor.
You want to be an accomplished musician? You need to learn basic music notation and practice the scales over and over again. You want to be a master chess player? You need to learn how the pieces move and understand fundamental strategies. You want to be a great golfer? You've got to learn the intricacies of a good swing and practice the routine until it's as natural as breathing. And, you want to be a good, well-informed Catholic? You need to learn the basics of the Faith ­ doctrines, commandments, sacraments and prayers ­ and then practice them throughout your life. The Baltimore Catechism helped us to do that!
Sadly, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, the Baltimore Catechism was unceremoniously dumped and replaced by, well, almost nothing. The catechetical programs in our parishes and schools, nationwide, became an exercise of fun and games, heavy on style but lacking in substance. (I wouldn't blame that on Vatican II, but those acting in the so-called "Spirit of Vatican II". From watching my kids go through CCD over the years, the good Bishop has this right on the money, especially the "lacking in substance" part.)
I remember visiting one of our Catholic high schools in Ohio and discussing with the students the importance of their faith and the relevance of their religion classes. One bold and articulate young guy challenged me and said something like, "Bishop, in this school we're learning computer skills, advanced calculus and honors chemistry, but when we go to religion class we're singing songs, drawing pictures and making collages. I know that there's more to my faith than that! I want to learn about my faith so I can live it and explain it to others." I couldn't have said it better myself! (WOW! In a Catholic high school, mind you - religion class dumbed down to elementary level or worse! Oy Vey! Kudos to the student for speaking up. I hope he didn't get disciplined by the teachers or principal for it. You know some of those places - God forbid you speak the truth!)
As a result of the deficient catechetical programs of the last thirty years, we've raised at least one generation of Catholics, maybe more, who don't know or understand the Catholic Faith. And because they don't know or understand the faith, they fail to appreciate its importance in their lives. We've produced a whole flock of well-meaning humanists for whom the truths of the faith and reality of the Church are either incomprehensible or irrelevant, or both. The Baltimore Catechism wasn't perfect to be sure, but I'll put my generation of Catholics, raised on the Catechism, up against subsequent generations of Catholics, nurtured on "modern catechetical methods," in the knowledge and practice of the faith any day!
By the way, this critique of the historic changes in catechetical methods shouldn't be construed for even a moment as a negative reflection on the dedicated catechists in our schools or religious education programs. Those who have taught the faith over the years and continue to do so today have done exactly what the Church has asked them to do with the tools we've given them. Our catechists have served with generosity and love. They are true heroes of our Church and deserve our support and affirmation.
Nonetheless, it is important that we redouble our efforts to hand on the basic knowledge of our faith to children and young people. It is my hope and expectation that every youngster in the Diocese of Providence can name the seven sacraments, the Ten Commandments and recite the basic prayers of our faith. Catechists, teachers,­ it would be a good test to give your students. (Sounds like a dang good challenge to me!)
And parents, you have a responsibility too. Even if you've dutifully enrolled your children in a Catholic school or religious education program, you're not dispensed from being the first teachers, the best of teachers, in the ways of faith. If your kid doesn't know the sacraments, the commandments and their prayers, whose fault is it? But this isn't about finding fault. It's about renewing our commitment to teach our children and young people our Catholic Faith so that they can come to "know God, love Him and serve Him in this world and be happy with Him forever in Heaven." (AMEN, good Bishop!)

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

CATHOLIC CARNIVAL 118

...is up and runnin' at Postscripts at the Catholic Spitfire Grill. Our submission was the Sanctuary Improvement post.

Peace,
BMP

THE GRINCH STOLE THE MOTU PROPRIO


You're a vile one, Mister Grinch!
You got grass stains on your face!
You're the cause of hideous liturgies
across the human race,
Mister GriiiiiiiiiiiiINCH!

(spoken) You're the liturgical combination of Mahony, Trautman, and Brown, all wrapped in one
(sung) PACKAGED DISGRACE!

Cartoon from our good friend Paul Nichols.

Peace,
BMP

WHY THE %^(& AM I NOT SURPRISED?

This was found in the website of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis (Red Sox cap tip to Argent).

In the next two years, the way that many people experience liturgy in the archdiocese and across the United States will undergo significant changes.
A new text for the Mass will be implemented, and a new Directory for Music and the Liturgy will guide bishops in their review of texts for songs used in the liturgy.
Included in the directory will be a list of standard hymns and songs that will be required to be in all future hymnals and missalettes.


The next few paragraphs go to tell about the infamous "what makes you sing" surveys and such, then goes on to the awards that will be given:

Father J. Michael Joncas, a liturgical music composer and a faculty member at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., will receive the NPM’s Jubilate Deo Award, which is given annually to a person who has made a significant contribution to the development of pastoral liturgy or music on the national or international level.
The NPM’s Pastoral Musician of the Year will be awarded to well-known liturgical composer Marty Haugen, also of Minnesota.


Sure - the composer of that lush love song Eagle's Wings and the one single solitary non-Catholic composer who has done more damage to liturgical music programs with his pen than any of the Catholic composers (though a few of them come damn close)! Oh wait - these awards are coming from NaPalM. Why should I be surprised?

(Note: Fr. Joncas does have a good share of very good, but underrated and underexposed, pieces - namely Lord, You Have the Words and As the Watchman, but has instead gained his reputation as a composer with the highly overrated and overplayed Eagle's Wings.)

Peace,
BMP

A TRILLION DOLLAR REWARD

Yes, that is one dollar times 10 to the 12th power...

...that is posted as the reward that will be given by Ma Beck "If anyone can produce any document from the Second Vatican Council which encourages church songs to be sung in English and/or accompanied by popular instruments". I wouldn't count Liturgical Music Today or Music in Catholic Worship, that's for dang sure. Neither are from the Second Vatican Council. At best, the latter is from "an ad hoc subcommittee comprised of 6 lay songwriters and 3 Bishops appointed by a Bishop’s Committee from the Conference of Bishops" (that Conference of Bishops being none other than the USCCB / source of quote: Chironomo).

The reward actually comes from Ma Beck's post about a ditty she found on the St. Louis Jesuits. I'm guessing it was right around the time of their reunion - you know - that big news down at OCP about a year or so ago. That most likely explains why there was hardly anything decent added for the 2007 music issue (except for Sing with all the saints in glory). They were doing pretty good for 2005 and 2006, adding some better (and much needed) titles for the first time (though I'm still pissed that they pulled some good hymns out - Christ is made the sure foundation and Come, my way, my truth, my life, to name two, in 2006).

The author of Catholic Pillow Fight makes this little food association (I found this via Ma Beck's trackback):
"Here I am, Lord" is a twinkie. "Ave Verum Corpus" is broccoli. We don't like broccoli, even though it is filled with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that a body needs to grow strong. Adults usually know they need to eat broccoli and steak and carrots.
But yet, broccoli is said to kill cancer. Twinkies, if you're not careful, can kill good health.

As for the trillion dollar reward? I'll pass. I can't find anything. Besides, Ma Beck's got a baby to feed. She can't afford no trillion dollars. :-)

Peace,
BMP

SUNDAY EVENING MASS/ROCK CONCERT/HOOTENANNY

The Crescat learned her lesson about the infamous Sunday night Mass, at least as we know it today. It does seem like a lot of parishes that have the Sunday late afternoon/evening Mass these days resort to contemporary pop/rock/folk/hootenanny music, some even calling it their "LifeTeen" Mass.

Even up my way, there's one very large church in Fall River who has an excellent organist (even at 80 years old, well, next month) primarily traditional music for both Saturday Masses and all three Sunday morning Masses (one is in French), the Sunday night Mass (from what I was told) is the one guitar Mass. My last parish, a roundhouse church in Warwick, had a Sunday late afternoon Mass. Guess what --- the "organist" the pastor hired to play that Mass was one who specialized in those "CCM" styles of music. One church I auditioned at in Springfield, MO, before ultimately coming to Holy Ghost, also has a Sunday night "LifeTeen" Mass.

A couple of decades ago, it wasn't like that. At least not around my neck of the woods. Most parishes that had a folk Mass had it at the later Saturday Mass (back in those days - 70's and 80's - when lots of parishes had TWO Saturday Masses - like, 5:00 and 7:00 - the guitars would have the 7:00). The Sunday late afternoon/night Mass in most places had either the organ or no music at all. In fact, I played three churches with Sunday night Masses. My program was no different from the rest of the Masses - primarily traditional. Many parishes now, at least in my diocese, have done away with that "second Saturday Mass", so I guess the Sunday night crowds become the "new suckers". St. Augustine's Church in Providence STILL uses primarily traditional music at their 5:30 Sunday Mass, played on the 1996-built III/30 Peragallo pipe organ. However, although it was the norm back in the 70's and even some of the 80's, it's definitely the exception now. (I call it leading by example and wishing others would follow suit.)

Now, if it were Mass with standard music at 5, concert in the hall at 6, it may not be so bad. :)

Peace,
BMP

Monday, May 7, 2007

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Holy Ghost Church, Tiverton, RI
Sixth Sunday of Easter - May 13, 2007 (4:30 Sat./7:30, 9:00 Sun.)
First Communion - May 13, 2007 (10:30 Sun.)

(ALL Masses)
Psalm Tone 8G - O God, let all the nations praise you
Chant, Mode II - Alleluia from O Filii et Filiae
Peloquin - Sanctus, Memorial, Amen, and Agnus from Mass of the Bells
Chant - Lord's Prayer (English)
Parkinson - Ave Maria/As I kneel before you

(EXCEPT 10:30)
Lambillotte - Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest
Chant - Gloria VIII
NETTLETON - God, we praise you! God we bless you!
ST. COLUMBA - O breathe on me, O breath of God
HYFRYDOL - Alleluia! sing to Jesus!

(10:30 ONLY)
Toolan - I am the Bread of life
Peloquin - Gloria of the Bells
SALZBURG - At the Lamb's high feast we sing
UNDE ET MEMORES - Lord, who at thy first Eucharist didst pray
NON DIGNUS - O Sacrament Most Holy

Peace,
BMP

Sunday, May 6, 2007

LET'S PLAY "TEN QUESTIONS"

Ten Questions posed by the Recusant Cricket Club, directed to folk-pop-rock-hippie-soft and cuddly-warm and fuzzy music groups, followed by answers given by Dad29 and yours truly:

1. Why, when many churches have perfectly adequate choir lofts, do you have to stand in full view in front of/in the sanctuary?
Dad29: (take your choice) A: Because the Liturgeist said so. B: Because we cannot imagine leading from the rear, contrary to the experience of actual musicians over hundreds of years. C) These are really concerts with a Mass in the background.
BMP: Because we're so cute that we need to be looked at and adored.

2. Why should a ‘folk’ group have a sound system roughly the size of a Rolling Stones tour ca. 1976?
Dad29: We have no understanding of acoustics, and even less of taste.
BMP: Because Mass should be as big as Woodstock.

3. The GIRM provides for periods of silence in Mass. Have you read this?
Dad29: What's a GIRM? And besides, don't you know why Muzak was invented? (Hint: It was NOT to enhance intellectual nor spiritual faculties.)
BMP: Because Music in Catholic Worship gives us everything we need. Besides, weren't rules meant to be broken?

4. Why are folk groups nearly always ‘led’ by a woman - not very inclusive is it? (and if you are so keen on actuosa particpatio why is everything pitched for castrati?)
Dad29: We don't care that you can't sing this stuff. We can't, either, or haven't you noticed? See also #1 above.
BMP: I've seen my share of guys running folk groups (not that it's any better). As for pitch? Hey, it's our gig, man!

5. Why do folk groups dress for a midweek trip to the pub rather than an encounter with the Lord God Almighty?
Dad29: You mean Fuzzy Wuzzy Jesus? We suppose you actually go to Confession, too!
BMP: Because Sunday Mass is supposed to be a big tailgate party with Jesus, Our Buddy.

6. Why does every intro start “Dum-dum-dum-dum-chinga-dum-chinga-dum-chinga….”?
Dad29: Ignorant slut. Some of our stuff starts "Chinga Chinga dum dum dum Chinga."
BMP: Over here it's "jing jing-a-jing jing, jing jing-jing a-jing".

7. Is there no folk setting for Faith of our Fathers or Sweet Sacrament Divine? (It’s always Eagle’s Wings and the like)
Dad29: No.
BMP: Nope. Too sacred.

8. Given that proper folk artists like Kate Rusby produce music which is by turns melodic, plaintive or joyous, how come most folk groups sound like The Wurzels?
Dad29: This is WORSHIP-folk, not real-folk. Stupid question.
BMP: Yeah, Worship-folk's SUPPOSED to sound bad.

9. Do you really have to start loud conversations immediately after Mass in/in front of the Sanctuary as you dismantle your equipment and as other people are making their thanksgiving after Mass?
Dad29: That's not "conversation." That's our planning and rehearsal for next week. And what are you giving thanks for, anyway?
BMP: Wrong, Dad! It's us telling each other how great we sounded, and how I baffled Jimmy with those bar chords.

10. How do I get rid of you?
Dad29: Find another pastor--preferably one who actually knows that Church history began before 1965. (You might also have to find a new Bishop.) In the meantime, shut up and take it.
BMP: Until a real pastor comes to our church, you're kinda screwed!

Peace,
BMP

Saturday, May 5, 2007

CHIRONOMO!

Rhymes with Geronimo!

A new blog has come to town - Chironomo's Podium. Although the Podium was intended to begin with the Motu Proprio that the world has been anticipating, Chironomo has a couple of excellent posts on Reforms to Come (part 1 // part 2). Well worth checking out. Welcome, Chironomo, to the CV Definitive Blogroll!

Red Sox cap tip to Jeffrey Tucker at NLM.

Peace,
BMP

Thursday, May 3, 2007

SANCTUARY IMPROVEMENT

Thanks to our pastor, Fr. Finelli, the hard work of our parishioners, and the generosity of anonymous donors, the back wall of our sanctuary has transformed over the last few years from this:

to this:

Photos courtesy of Holy Ghost Church.

Nice work, eh? Not bad for a church that was built in 1987 (replacing a church that burned to the ground). Notice that the sanctuary carpet was also removed.

Peace,
BMP

THIS SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT

Jeffrey Tucker on the NaPalM convention:
"It seems that the authentic music of the Church that is intimately linked to the Mass itself is making a brief and hesitant appearance as part of a vast range of options, like one of a thousand side dishes in a massive all-you-can-eat buffet."

Yup - in other words, pretty like a cameo. Jeff's about got that right. Supposedly they do workshops on chant, but you hardly ever hear about it because they're buried behind cantor (read: arm flapping) and guitar workshops, as well as showcases by the publishers and composers of the "greatest hits" fare.

In fact, the NPM "Institutes" posted at this time at their site are:
"Cantor Express"
"Choir Director Institute"
"Music with Children"
"Guitar and Ensemble"
"Pastoral Liturgy"

No chant. No organ. And I shutter to picture their definition of "Pastoral". Considering I used to post on their message board (for about six years), I am NOT sold.

Peace,
BMP

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Easter V at the Cathedral

Prelude: Meditation No. 2 -- David Barton (b. 1983)
Entrance Hymn: Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds / LASST UNS ERFREUEN
Gloria: Andrews (Peter Jones at 9:30)
Psalm 145: Guimont
Salisbury Alleluia
Offertory Hymn: Alleluia, Give Thanks to the Risen Lord / ALLELUIA NO. 1
Anthem (9:30): Behold, the Tabernacle of God -- William H. Harris
Sanctus/Mem. Acc. D/Amen: Community Mass
Agnus Dei: Proulx in F
Anthem (9:30): Salvation is Created -- Pavel Tschesnokoff
Communion Chant: Ubi Caritas -- Bob Hurd
Hymn: Let All Things Now Living / THE ASH GROVE
Postlude: Trumpet Tune in E-flat Major -- William B. Fuhrer

FAVORITE HYMNS MEME

Tagged by PBXVI, the Catholic Warrior

Five Latin hymns
1. Ave Maria (Victoria)
2. O Salutaris Hostia (Werner)
3. Ave Verum (Mozart)
4. Panis Angelicus (Franck)
5. Adoro Te Devote (Mode V)

Five English hymns
1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Lobe den Herren)
2. God, We Praise You (Nettleton)
3. For All the Saints (Sine Nomine)
4. All Creatures of Our God and King (Lasst uns erfreuen)
5. Beautiful Savior (St. Elizabeth)

There are many others equally beautiful, but these are the first five of each I could think of.

Consider yourself tagged if you are reading this.
Peace,
BMP

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

CATHOLIC CARNIVAL 117

...is up and runnin' at 50 Days After. This week's CV contribution is the BIBLE acronym post.

Enjoy!
Peace,
BMP

CALISTHENICS AND A NEW VIDEOCAST

6. If you stand during the Consecration instead of kneel because standing displays "fuller participation", that doesn't mean you're a Roman Protestant. But it does mean you should consider doing calisthenics during the Consecration. Could you even imagine how "full" your participation would be then? - Catholic Caveman, 2007

That reminds me of something the iPadre played for me yesterday when I stopped at the rectory: Greg and Jennifer Willits of Rosary Army fame now have a new videocast called That Catholic Show. You can watch their debut episode below (via YouTube), but you can get a better quality by subscribing to their show. This debut features some real calisthenics also.

Enjoy!
Peace,
BMP

CORE HYMNODY

Gary Penkala has an excellent article at the CanticaNOVA site on core hymnody, listing 150 ecumenical hymns and a list of 35 additional hymns (in English) that every Catholic should know. Notice that these are hymns that every Catholic should know and not "greatest hits". Those are two different things, you see. Even Christmas carols (the assumed "gimmies") made the cut on these lists.

Kudos as usual Gary!

Peace,
BMP