MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

at the church that I sent the resume to within the Worcester Diocese
First Sunday of Lent - 10:30 AM Mass - March 1, 2008

The application deadline is 3/31 at this parish, and the position will begin around 6/15.

I did learn that the organ is a two-manual Austin built in the 1960's. The pew books are Seasonal Missalette and (barf!) the maroon Gory and Puke. Fortunately, the latter was not used at all. I did find some negatives, but I also found some positives during Mass today.

The organist played (barf!) Hosea as the prelude. There really should have been no prelude.
The opening hymn was These Forty Days of Lent, O Lord (basically Lord, who throughout these forty days, but with an altered first verse by Omer Westendorf, but with that missing As thou with Satan didst contend verse, which I like for this particular Sunday).
The Psalm response was Your ways, O Lord - setting by Robert Kreutz (choice was not bad at all, but the cantor could have chanted the verses a lot more smoothly)
I've heard the Gospel Acclamation before, but I forgot who wrote it. I've heard it before as the Alleluia on the podcasts of St. Clement's Eucharistic Shrine. Elisabeth, if you're reading this, who wrote that? BTW, the setting is nice.
The offertory anthem by the choir was one that I didn't recognize. Wasn't bad at all.
The Sanctus, amen, and Agnus were from Jan Vermulst's People's Mass. (I would have preferred Mass XVII or XVIII - XVIII if they've never done Latin before - for Lent, but I'll take People's over Creation any day!)
I didn't recognize the setting for Lord, by your cross and resurrection, but I liked it.
What I didn't like, however, was that the organist improved on the first line of John Foley's Peace Prayer during the Exchange of Peace. Too tacky! (Lard, make meeeeeeeeeeeeee a meeeeeeeeeeeans of your peeeeeeeeeeeeeeace!) I think of the cowboy sitting sidesaddle on a horse strummin' this with his ghee-tar, or maybe on a wooden fence (barbed wire would have been better). She also improved on O Lord, I am not worthy as the ministers of holy Communion (ordinary and extraordinary) received the Blessed Sacrament. BOTH of these improvs would cease if I took the reins.
The communion anthem by the choir wasn't bad. Don't know what it was.
The recessional hymn was Now thank we all our God - great hymn, but I would have preferred something more seasonal for today. The other downfall was that she played it in the key of D - too low. I would have gone at least E-flat.

One thing I didn't like was that the cantor began Mass with "good morning" and introduced the "presider" ("celebrant" is a better term - one of the priest bloggers once discouraged the use of the word "presider", but I forgot who it was - Fr. Keyes, maybe?), the servers, who the Mass was said for, etc. Point good, she introduced the "entrance hymn" and not the "gathering song".
The "weekend assistant", who celebrated the Mass, had introduced a couple of his superiors from the religious order he is with (these superiors concelebrated), followed by "let's give them a warm welcome", and applause. In fact, there was applause FOUR TIMES during Mass. Save that for the theater, please.
The other thing that I didn't like (in fact, it rather pissed me off) was that this one rather large family that came and sat behind me would not shut their freakin' pieholes for one minute, from the minute they got into church to the minute they got out the door! All they did was gab, gab, gab! Save that happy horse crap for AFTER MASS!

It DID feel good, however, not to hear the usual Haugen/D'Hass/Jesuits/Landry crap. This COULD work. Opinions?
Peace,
BMP