Thursday, June 11, 2009

VBS - CATHOLIC STYLE...

I mean, REAL Catholic style. Not a bunch of protest ant bullspoooooopiedoo..... Check back several articles and you'll see the plans we had made here. Well, I'm here to tell you (and you must want to know, since you're reading on....), that it's been like going to minor seminary for a week!

Yeah, we have the superficial "warm-up" time at 0745 hours.... The "Hallelu" song (where different groups stand for different texts), This is the Day.... BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT....

Hang on ye snarkies all. The O broke with all tradition and TAUGHT a short excerpt (is that an oxymoron? ) of the Mozart Alleluia from the Exsultate Jubilate. Just the opening of it. And the kids (all 80 of them - and the teachers as well), sang it beautifully. We give them time to have their "Loud" time, but then we quickly return to our motto: "Beautifully sung" . The response that these kids have had sorta kinda makes me excited about being in the classroom again...after an absence of a whole lottabuncha years.

Since the VBS has focused on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, tomorrow (Friday), at 1045 hours, we're going to celebrate! Although we're doing a daily Mass, we're doing it in a solemn way.... Procession....incense......chanting.....LAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTIN (Go, God). I know the kids will sing gorgeously. What I really am waiting to see and hear, is just how my boss, the Pastor, Fr. Glen Mullan, is going to condense and expand on all the lessons of the week..... in a ten minute time span!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's good, but this is going to be a fun challenge to watch.

Wait, wait, there's more! Every day, our two priests have been "in costume".... yesterday, the kids were visited by a Rabbi from Old Testament times. Evidently, his name was Rabbi Gleniel. He didn't tell them what his name meant.... and I saw Fr. Glen giving me a "look" (a good one), shaking his head, no. I told them that the name Gleniel meant "the tall one".... Fr. Glen is right at 6', I think. The kids laughed. Today, however, we were in the outer chambers of Solomon's Temple, where they met Zadok the high priest. (I immediately was taken away to the opening of Handel's chorus by that name). Zadok was going through the final instructions with Eleazar, who was going to be high priest later on. Zadok told the kids that when he turned 50, he would have to retire. I have no idea why some of the kids started to turn and look at me.... mesmells something fishy here........

In their music seminars each day, the kids have all worked on vocal technique as well as music.... a short list of that would include....

1. Praise to the Holiest in the Height (the text by Cardinal Newman), and the tune, Newman.

2. All Glory, Laud, and Honor - the old chant. Accompanied variously with finger cymbals, tambourine, tambor AND the organ (registered as a sackbut with piccolo on one manual, and the stinking chimes on the other). An esteemed colleague has penned three new stanzas for our parish, which we can use on Corpus Christi and Christ the King. So now the parish has a hymn which can be sung on those festival days, and those days where we have outdoor processions. A dream come true for our Pastor.

3. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence - the tune, Picardy. Turns out that this is one of the kids' favorites! Am I blessed or what???????? With the older group, prior to their even knowing we would sing this, I had them shut their minds off, to modern things, and visit a time 3,000 years back - when Isaiah had his vision. Woe! The older kids really responded well, and I'm most humbled and thankful.

4. Sanctus, Mortem, Agnus Dei....the Mass XVIII chants (a.k.a., "Jubilate Deo" Mass)

We also sang several other hymn texts at the chapel services, to St. Flavian and St. Anne.

That is how Catholics should be doing VBS... in my mostnotsohumbleopinion. But it's the right opinion, of course. Thus saith the snarkikus coalition. Right? SPEAK UP!!!

More on all that later.

God's blessings.

Oh - and bad note.... when I arrived home last evening, there was a stinking FLYER stuck in the handle of the storm door. And just what is this, I asked???? a bill??? NOPE. A STINKING STUPID, IDIOTIC FLYER inviting me to attend the VBS at a neighboring heretic house. Some about Kingdom Kids..... yeah, another thing we can do to talk down to kids, dumb down to kids....

That you God, for the One, Holy, True, Apostolic Catholic Church.

Yeeeehaw.
SteveO

2 comments:

Motherhen said...

Your wonderful VBS is causing a near occasion of sin for me. (LOL).

Seriously, the argument that we can't sing Latin because no one understands is such bunk. I've seen what my own kids picked up, and that was just once at week @ Mass (notice the term was).

I'm so happy that your vbs was such a success.

Chris C. said...

No VBS would be complete without "This is the Day" on guitar. Brings back memories.

I've actually used the beginning of the Exsultate Jubilate as the Gospel Acclamation before. It goes over well, and sounds great with a simple two- or three-part harmony. Mozart nailed that opening.