Sleepy Sundays

My sleep cycles have been all out of kilter this weekend, with me sleepless last night until 4 a.m., so when one friend called me at 9:20 to go to the 10 o'clock Latin Mass at St. Matthew's, I sleepily had to decline, since it would take longer than 40 minutes to shower, dress, and walk downtown to the cathedral. Then, Robert contacted me and insisted on going to the 11:15 at St. Paul's K Street, and that was an hour and a half and only three blocks away, so I didn't really have any excuse not to go; thus, away we went.

This was an exciting Sunday at St. Paul's, since the cute new curate was there for his first Mass. He seems to be an interesting sort, average height and slightly built, and I noticed in his bio he went to Yale Divinity School, so I suppose he's not stupid. He was the celebrant today, so I got to hear him chant and he did ok (we need to work a bit on his incensations). Next week, I think, he'll be giving his first sermon, so that will be interesting, especially since the rector is always such an entertaining preacher.

Even though I'd passed on the Latin Mass at St. Matthew's, I got my dose of it at St. Paul's, since the choral Mass setting was the Latin Missa quinti toni super "Pilons pilons lorge" by Roland de Lassus (1530—1594), and the two anthems were both sung in Latin, Hans Leo Hassler's "Cantate Domino" for the offertory and Everett Titcomb's "O sacrum convivium" for communion. The Psalm setting was the Anglican chant by Alan Gray. Hymns were Cwm Rhondda, Monk's Gate, and Langham, plus a non-hymnal insert I didn't know, Spes Mundi written in the 1950's by Healey Willan with words (Hope of the world, thou Christ of great compassion) by Georgia Harkness.