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Friday 22 April 2011

But not I?

Bloggers to the Vatican....
(I kid.)

Beauty Created for the Mass

The Church [holds] that the rituals of the Mass, or liturgy, puts participants in direct contact with Jesus, and that the beauty and preciousness of the objects and vestments used in the Mass help the spirit raise itself to the beauty and greatness of God.

I may not have gotten all that right, I am finding it harder and harder to read my own scribbled notes to myself, but that is the gist of a card at a museum exhibit called "Splendors of the Vatican" that I was fortunate enough to see.

I assume the words are by the curator, a Monsignor... okay, REALLY cant read it, but begins with a "Z," and ends with an "i."

I am a very fortunate person.

Prayerful and Beautiful

I intended to post about this... oh, let's see -- Annunciation was a month ago, Scelata! --- previously, but when your home phone is cut off even dial-up is out of reach.

Anyway, we paid a visit to the Institute of Christ the King last night
They had Adoration until midnight -- how common is this, I wonder? One parish at which I sing keeps the church open for all of an hour after the Mass of the Lord's supper.
One hour... (so? all He said was "one hour")

The parish where I heard Mass last Holy Week had a stunning, heart-breaking liturgy and procession to the altar of Repose and then all devolved into chattering, photo-taking chaos as the bus tours arrived -- how common is THAT?
(I left more quickly than I would have wished, but like to think one of the priests subsequently, and SOON, appeared like an avenging angel to quash the irreverence.)

At the church the Institute is renovating all was heartfelt, (and, dare I say, active?) silence.

But I was reminded that I never praised the beautiful singing of the Rex Gloriae Schola on the occasion of the Annunciation, ( they were directed by Paul Wierzbowski, whom I know from CMAA activities,) and the Chicago Chorale., which provided the polyphony.

I was sorry not to hear Msgr Schmitz preach (I still wish I had the text of a homily he gave to a group of musicians a few years ago) but the homilist whose name I didn't catch was very good.