Monday, March 3, 2008

Laetare in Lafayette

Laetare for me was resplendent again. Excellent hymns and a nice choral anthem. The ordinary was a compilation of well-composed canticles including the Sanctus from the Proulx Community. Hymns were: HOUSTON, RESIGNATION, and SCHMUECKE DICH. The choir sang a setting of Psalm 51 by Fettke. I had never heard the piece before. It was sung and played very well. I was especially happy to hear Soul, Adorn Thyself With Gladness at the communion. My choir used to sing this chorale as an anthem, and I myself had grown up hearing and singing it.

4 comments:

Brian Michael Page said...

Was this at the Episcopal church down the street?
BMP

Jason Pennington said...

Yes, it was Episcopal.

Motherhen said...

Jason, are you Episcopal or Catholic? Just wondering. If you're attending Episcopal services, no wonder you're getting such great music. The rest of us are stuck with Amazing Grace..twice in one Mass.

Jason Pennington said...

No, I haven't joined the Episcopal Church. Still Catholic. It's just that a Roman pastor and a vicar general recently showed me Mother Church's stinking anus and told me it was her beautiful angelic face. Having experienced that view, suddenly the documents of the 16th century reformers took on an entirely new light and provided me an accurate context for their reading. I always wondered why Luther had compared the Roman Church to the Great Whore of Babylon described in the Book of Revelation. Now I do. It seems, when she wants to, Mama Ecclesia can lift the veil and show us this diabolical alter-ego which the clericals can impose upon her. It's sad, since the Church itself is not like that, but is made to appear so by many. I know there are priestly bad seeds and as such don't ALL speak for "the church", however, when the VG speaks in the same tongue to protect his sandbox playmate, the only vision I'm afforded is that of a made-up tart with multiple heads. Then, I see the very tradition -- both musical and liturgical -- that I'm FIGHTING to preserve being peacefully maintained and revered in the Anglican Communion?! The next step is logical. Ironically, so many of the Roman clergy wonder why they loose so many music professionals to the Anglican Communion....it gets triesome getting reprimanded for listening to the Pope.

It's not really a matter of "leaving" but an issue of "there's no room for you in the club. We neither want nor need you." At this point, I'm somewhere north of France in the English Channel.


JP