Ember Friday Missa Solemnis

Believe it or not, in all of my years of serving at St. Francis de Sales Oratory, I have never had the opportunity to be Master of Ceremonies for Mass.  For Adoration, yes.  At other churches, yes.  But there?  Not even once.

Today, however, an opportunity presented itself.  For a dear friend who is moving away, the parish came together to have a private, send-off Mass for her, with organ, choir, eight servers and four priests.  (Did I mention this was a private Mass?)

A week or so prior, she had asked me if I could "help organize the altar boys", but then provided me with an already-organised list of servers.  So, did that mean she wanted me to be M.C.?  I decided to seize the opportunity and went for it, using her request as my justification!

The Mass itself was liturgically interesting (albeit exactly as prescribed), in that it was Ember Friday in the Octave of Pentecost.  It is a penitential feast, but the octave compels a Gloria and Credo, as well as a sequence, and the Alleluia verse requires a genuflection.  (A nice, easy set of rubrics for a first-time M.C.!)  Being a first class feast, it could not be displaced, so we had no choice but to use it for her Mass.  For the commemoration we used the Missa Pro Papa, as is the custom of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest.

Other than that, I do not think there was a single person who knew the full details of exactly what we were doing, and of them all I may have been the one with the most knowledge.  The goal was to have a Missa Cantata, with chants provided by some of her friends.  The sacristan, however, was unaware of this and, had I not informed him otherwise ahead of time, was intending to set us up at a side altar for a Missa Lecta.  To further complicate things, less than three hours before Mass was to begin, I received a call informing me that the celebrant had rounded up two other priests, and was intending to celebrate a Missa Solemnis.  Talk about progressive solemnity!

The choir itself presented more confusion.  As we prepared for Mass in the sacristy, the obvious question arose: which Mass setting as we using?  Ten minutes before Mass, no one had informed us!  The sacristan suggested simply using the intonations of Mass VIII (Missa de Angelis), but a server informed us that they might instead be using Mass XVIII (Missa "Deus Genitor alme"), prompting a quick exchange of quizzical looks between us all.  In an attempt to resolve this we called the choir loft, but to no avail.  So the sacristan again suggested Mass VIII, and this is what we used.

However, they were, in fact, using Mass XVIII.  In and of itself this might not have been a big problem, since even with the wrong intonation they could have recovered and used their intended setting.  Another issue arose, though: Mass XVIII is for penitential Masses and contains no Gloria.  None of the choir members (seemingly) having consulted the rubrics for the Mass, they were unaware that there even was a Gloria!  So Father intones from Mass VIII, "Gloria in excelsis Deo".  You could hear the crickets.  And then the pins dropping.  After a very long delay (during which I can only imagine what looks were exchanged, and conversations transpired, in the choir loft) a Gloria finally emerges.  Mass IV (Missa "Cunctipotens Genitor Deus").  Well, okay.  It works!

Now, I was not without blame in the mess as well, since it was my first Missa Solemnis.  Having been prepared for a Missa Cantata, I was given a very quick run-through of the rubrics, and the entire time was only about ten seconds ahead of everything, mentally.  Amazingly I made only a few, minor mistakes, but the biggest of them was certainly with the birettas.  Oh, the birettas.  With no practice, attempting to hold three birettas in one hand whilst still retaining the ability to give signals.  I found a way, but in the shuffle lost track of which belonged to whom!  Thus ensued a rousing game of "Musical Birettas", wherein each time the clerics donned them, they had different ones.  This might not have been too bad, except for the fact that they all had widely varying hat sizes, resulting in birettas either forming a brim over their foreheads, or having to simply balance on top of their hair.

In addition to this, I was also requested to make handouts with the propers for the Mass, which I was all-too-happy to fulfil.  It took some effort with the formatting, but I think it came out well.

In the end, despite many glitches, the Mass went well.  Excellent servers, a beautiful choir, a wonderful organist, and a truly caring parish.  For such a dear friend, she deserved no less.

(Other recountings of this Mass may be found on the Soul and Soil and The Greatest Tragedy blogs, the former of which is run by my aforementioned dear friend.)

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Mass heard: 07:30, St. Clare of Assisi; 19:00, St. Francis de Sales

Serving streak: 1 day

Datum S. Ludovici, die XXVII mensis Maii, in festo S. Bedae Venerabilis Confessoris et Ecclesiae Doctoris, anno MMXIII.

Pastoral Visit of Bishop Ferenc Cserháti, Hungarian Mass

Despite doing almost everything entirely in Latin,  St. Mary of Victories Chapel is technically a Hungarian ethnic parish.  On Sunday mornings, a freestanding altar is erected for a single versus populum Mass for this community, and then quickly removed afterwards.

Which brings us to tonight's interesting topic.  Enter Bishop Ferenc Cserháti, Auxiliary Bishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary.  He is charged with the pastoral care of the Hungarian diaspora, and has been travelling the United States visiting Hungarian parishes.  So naturally, being the fluent Hungarian speaker (cough), I was requested to serve for this Mass.  Upon meeting the bishop, my conversation with him, as you can imagine, was very in-depth and extensive:

    Me: "Hello, your Excellency!"

    HE: "Do you speak Hungarian?"

    Me: "No."

Ahem.  Anyway.  The Mass was a Votive Mass in honour of St. Stephen of Hungary, the secondary patron of the chapel.  Since the bishop does not speak English, it originally was going to be said in English by another priest, with the bishop concelebrating.  However, by this evening it had switched to having the bishop as celebrant, with the propers and most of the Mass of the Catechumens in Hungarian, parts of the ordinary in English, and the Mass of the Faithful in Latin.  Juggling that many missals, you can imagine how the altar looked!  (Though it is encouraging to see Latin being used to unite the different groups.)

Ah, the joys of serving Mass in a language you do not understand!  Trying to implement GIRM n. 275a when you cannot even decipher names from the prayers being chanted.  The percutiens mihi pectus ter was still manageable however, by paying very close attention to the pace and flow of the Hungarian Confiteor and anticipating the proper spot to percussum.

Present at the Mass besides for the bishop were the current chaplain as well as three former chaplains.  Since half of the clergy knew Hungarian and all but the bishop spoke English, you can guess which language was used in the sacristy to communicate amongst everyone.  That's right: Italian.  Italian.  As well as the other two.  And German.  The clergy had it under control, but the altar servers were, needless to say, rather confused.

Unfortunately I am not aware of any pictures from the Mass, but I will update this post if I happen to obtain some!

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Mass heard: 08:30, St. Nicholas; 18:00, St. Mary of Victories

Serving streak: 2 days

Datum S. Ludovici, die XXVII mensis Maii, in festo S. Bedae Venerabilis Confessoris et Ecclesiae Doctoris, anno MMXIII.

Avec Tonnerre

What do you get when you cross a pipe organ, an altar server and a piece of lumber?  Why, my morning, of course!

For the Solemnity of Pentecost, I was requested to accompany the 9:00 Sunday Mass at St. Mary of Victories Chapel as organist.  After hearing a 7:00 Missam Brevissimam at St. Ambrose Church on the Hill, I headed over to the chapel, stopping quickly along the way at St. Francis de Sales Oratory to eat breakfast in their basement.*  Since I was alone, I decided I would sit in choir during Mass, so grabbing my vestments and a plank of wood, I made my way into the church.

Yes, a plank of wood.  You know things are getting serious when the organist shows up to play with a plank of wood in tow!  The postlude for Mass, Michel Corrette's Grand Chœur avec Tonnerre, actually specifies for a plank of wood to be laid across the bottom octave of the pedalboard, enabling you to play all of the notes simultaneously.  Discordant, much?  It's intentional.  The idea is that the dissonance on the 16' and 32' ranks will imitate the sound of thunder ("avec tonnerre"), and I thought this piece fit nicely with Acts 2:2 ("suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming").  For the prelude, I played Mozart's Adagio in C-Dur für Glasharmonika (K.356, K.617a), and for the recessional, Come Holy Ghost.

From there, I made my way back to the Oratory just in time for the Consecration, waiting in the vestibule until it ended, and then boldly going up into my front pew as if I weren't totally walking into Mass an hour late!  Thus ending my liturgical adventure for the day.

*The true motive was hope of hearing the Veni Creator Spiritus chanted before the 8:00 Mass, but they did not do so.  It was used during the Offertory at St. Mary of Victories, however!

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Mass heard: 07:00, St. Ambrose; 09:00, St. Mary of Victories; 10:00, St. Francis de Sales

Serving streak: 3 days

Datum S. Ludovici, die XIX mensis Maii, in festo Pentecostes, anno MMXIII.

Polish Liturgicals

Day two provides me with yet more material to discuss!

For some time I have been accumulating a list of liturgicals to purchase, and on Sunday I finally went ahead and ordered some of them.  In quest of good quality and low prices I went internationally and ordered some beautiful liturgicals from Ars Sacra of Demlin, Poland.  On Tuesday morning, they had been shipped.

Now, two days later at 11:50, a Polish package shows up on my doorstep.  In two days the package made its way from Poland, through Germany, to my doorstep.  My compliments to DHL for their super-efficient shipping!

Contained within: a biretta, two sets of altar linens, and a vestment bag.

Beautifully embroidered!

I have ordered from this company in the past, and they certainly have my recommendation!

Other than that, not too much of liturgical interest to report today.  I did not even get to ring the bells, or serve!  (I was about to do the latter, but then some students from the school were recruited in my place.)

Oh yeah.  I did graduate from my old college tonight, though . . . again!  (Two degrees, two ceremonies.)

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Mass heard: 08:35, St. Clare of Assisi

Serving streak: 0 days

Datum S. Ludovici, die XVI mensis Maii, in festo S. Ubaldi Episcopi Confessoris, anno MMXIII.

Dies Unus

Fittingly, my first day of having a blog provided me with ample material about which I could write!

My day started early, serving a private EF Mass at 07:00 at St. Mary of Victories Chapel downtown.  Following Mass, I quickly made my way to St. Francis de Sales Oratory where I had been requested by the sacristan to assist with "making" three altars.  So up into the convent we went, to la chapelle where the two of us quickly got to work.

Our goal for the morning was simple: by 11:00, to turn this:

into this: 

Only the best, right?

Two hours of work (over fascinating liturgical discussions) and four sacristy trips later, we had finished!

Looks pretty similar, right?  Though in actuality, I think it looks very nice!  You almost cannot tell it is a temporary altar made out of plywood.

Completed altars, now awaiting priests!

Finishing around 10:30, I gathered my two new altar missals and departed from the Oratory.  What was that, you ask?  Yes, I said two new altar missals!  Two weeks ago, some unknown person left behind in the church two altar-sized 1965 Missalia Romana ("Missale" is a 3rd declension i-stem neuter noun, right?  Right.), and the same, aforementioned sacristan (who was happy to be rid of them) generously gave them to me!

The smaller of the two is interesting, because near the middle an additional section was inserted into the binding with the 1970 MR additions.

That sounds like a full day, right?  Wrong!  I arrived home at 11:30, with just enough time to catch my breath before going down to St. Clare of Assisi Church (pictured in the blog header) to ring the bells for the noon Regina Cœli, and simultaneously to be photographed for the local newspaper in its feature article about the church, its bell tower, and all which pertains to it!

Later, we met again at 18:00 after the evening bell for a group photograph of all three bell-ringers.  More details of this shall be forthcoming!

Et factum est vespere et mane, dies unus.

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Mass heard: 07:00, St. Mary of Victories

Serving streak: 13 days

Datum S. Ludovici, die XV mensis Maii, in festo S. Johanni Baptistae de la Salle Confessoris, anno MMXIII.

In initio . . .

. . . erat primum scriptum (quod scriptum est a ministro itinerante).

After months of consideration (and some ecclesiastical peer pressure), I have decided to set up a blog to chronicle the many unique and interesting liturgical situations which I frequently encounter.  First, a brief introduction of myself:

I am a 22-year-old university student of Philosophy, an ICRSS-trained altar server, a daily bell-ringer, and an aspiring organist.  In addition to being de facto caretaker of a church, I am known and involved in many other churches of the area.

A sampling of interesting experiences I have had recently includes:

• Serving as Master of Ceremonies for Holy Mass for Bishop Peter J. Elliott, author of The Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite and The Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year, in both forms of the Roman Rite.
• Arranging and serving as Master of Ceremonies for a series of Missæ Cantatæ sung by a newly-ordained monastic priest, in a non-Roman liturgical rite used regularly in, at most, five churches in the entire world.
• Authoring a rubrical guide for this same rite.
• Serving alone for a Pontifical Chrism Mass in the Maronite Rite.
• Training a Monsignor to say the Traditional Latin Mass.

My plan is to recount here some of these experiences, as well as others stories of interest or amusement from the day-to-day routine of an itinerant altar server (minister itinerans).   I hope you enjoy it!

Datum S. Ludovici, die XIV mensis Maii, in festo S. Bonifacii Martyri, anno MMXIII.