Just in from Easter morning Mass at St. Stephen Martyr, my little neighborhood R.C. parish. As expected, it was jam packed in the pews and there were probably over a hundred people standing in the side aisles and in the narthex in back. You would think that these Catholics would know after all these years that if they show up at 10:59 for an 11 a.m. Easter Mass, they're just not going to get a seat!
Finally found a church with Easter lilies! You can see the handful they had at the altar; there were also about a dozen of them grouped under the ambo (pulpit).
I shall be exceedingly holy for the next year, as I got a face full of holy water as monsignor walked down the aisle with the aspergillum "sprinkling" the congregation and hitting me straight on. Good thing he's not my Father Confessor or he'd have dumped the whole bucket on me.
They rented an electronic organ for the Triduum and the Easter season, which was a much welcome addition! (This is the place with the broken pipe organ that's trying to raise a million dollars to install a new symphonic Spanish pipe organ) They also had a small string orchestra with French horns to help out with some of the music. The strings played a bit of a prelude after the choral Lauds that preceded the service.
They did a sort of oddly juxaposed Gloria with the Gloria from Mass in B Minor by J. S. Bach (choir and orchestra) and the Gloria from the Hurd New Plainsong Mass. Other Mass setting music included the Hughes Mass of the Divine Word during the consecration and the old Gregorian Agnus Dei.
Hymns were Easter Hymn for the processional, Festival Canticle during the offertory, and Hymn to Joy for the recessional. The parish's organist-choirmaster Christopher Candela wrote an antiphonal hymn "Those Who East Your Flesh" which they sang as communion music and he also wrote the Gospel Acclamation setting. They used the Proulx antiphon for the responsorial psalm.
Anthems included a Gregorian Mode 1 "Christians praise the pascal victim" as a sequence, a plainsong "I Saw Water Flowing" during the asperges, "Surgens Jesus" by Peter Phillips (1561–1628) at the offertory, and the Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah during the ablutions.
The orchestra did Allegro from Concerto IV by Johann Melchior Molter (1696—1765) for a postlude.
Fun morning, and it was beautiful and sunny this morning, though it looks a bit overcast now. Leo is waiting on me so we can go shopping and then to Easter brunch somewhere, so I must away. Happy Easter!
No comments:
Post a Comment