Update On My Mom's Situation
Thanks to those who have sent e-mails offering suggestions! I received some good news: I spoke to a gentleman at my Mom's parish who is coordinating some help for my Mom, through the K of C and other parishioners.
Sometimes, in these matters, it is just a question of getting in touch with the right person, who can bring the right people together.
So it looks like my Mom is going to get the help she needs. Deo Gratias!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Bleg! Help Needed For My Mother
I am asking any readers in the Orlando, Florida area if they might be able to do me and my mother a big favor.
My mother, Carole, lives in Deland, Florida. She is 66 years old and disabled, due to a back injury sustained at work about 6 years ago.
She needs to move by April 1, and she needs help in packing up her belongings in her apartment. She doesn't so much need help in actually moving (transporting furniture, etc). We have people who can help with that. But she needs help with physically packing up (boxing, etc.) her belongings in her apartment. She is simply physically unable to do a lot of that. My niece has been helping her out, but my niece has a 3 month old baby, so there's only so much she can do. And my niece's husband works, and as it is will be taking a day off of work to help with the move itself. It is next to impossible that I will be able to get down there before April 1.
We have tried local social service agencies,my mom's parish and the local K of C, and have thus far come up with nothing. And time is running out.
If you would be able and willing to give an afternoon or evening or two in the next week to help my mom out, you would be a Godsend.
Please e-mail me if you can help, or if you have another idea or source of assistance. My e-mail address is:
frrob AT earthlink DOT net
My e-mail address, with link, is also in the sidebar on the right side of the page.
Thank you!
I am asking any readers in the Orlando, Florida area if they might be able to do me and my mother a big favor.
My mother, Carole, lives in Deland, Florida. She is 66 years old and disabled, due to a back injury sustained at work about 6 years ago.
She needs to move by April 1, and she needs help in packing up her belongings in her apartment. She doesn't so much need help in actually moving (transporting furniture, etc). We have people who can help with that. But she needs help with physically packing up (boxing, etc.) her belongings in her apartment. She is simply physically unable to do a lot of that. My niece has been helping her out, but my niece has a 3 month old baby, so there's only so much she can do. And my niece's husband works, and as it is will be taking a day off of work to help with the move itself. It is next to impossible that I will be able to get down there before April 1.
We have tried local social service agencies,
If you would be able and willing to give an afternoon or evening or two in the next week to help my mom out, you would be a Godsend.
Please e-mail me if you can help, or if you have another idea or source of assistance. My e-mail address is:
frrob AT earthlink DOT net
My e-mail address, with link, is also in the sidebar on the right side of the page.
Thank you!
I Consider Everything as Loss...
Sunday afternoon, as I was contemplating the likelihood of the Obamacare Health Care bill's passage, my mind was drawn repeatedly to Sunday's readings, particularly the second, from St. Paul's letter to the Phillipians:
Since the passage of that disastrous legislation, my thoughts have returned to that reading.
I think, as I have written below, that this "Health Care" legislation will lead to the public funding and provision of abortion in a way we have never seen before. If it stands the coming legal challenges, and is not repealed or severely modified, I think it will open up a Pandora's box. It shreds any conscience protection for health care professionals, and thus will serve to further push Catholics to the margins in health care. Furthermore, I think Sr. Keehan and the CHA will find, in the long run, that they have made a devil's bargain. He who pays the piper calls the tune: and with the power of the state behind advancing the abortion license in health care, there will be inevitable pressure put upon Catholic hospitals to line up with the new regime. I think, in the long run, that this could spell the end for any distinctively Catholic (in terms of values and moral principles) identity in health care.
But again, to return to St. Paul: St. Paul lived in an age and society that was far more hostile to the faith than our own. We have to remember that there have been times and places where things were far worse for the Church and her members. And yet the Faith endured, the Church survived, and even sometimes, prevailed. Why, because we have Christ, who has already won the victory.
"I consider everything as a loss..." Everything. That means fortune, property, Catholic schools and hospitals, and yes, even our nation. We will not be saved by America. We will not even be saved through America. I love my country, but I must face the reality that at some point, like every other human institution, it will come to an end. If we realize that our nation itself is destined to be a loss, that puts into perspective a defeat such as Obamacare.
Yesterday, John Derbyshire at National Review Online wrote about the decline of our Republic that Obamacare typifies. If I recall correctly, Mr. Derbyshire is not a believer, and he takes a somewhat Stoic view of things, which comes out in this passage:
I am not sure things are yet as dire as Derbyshire describes. If he is right, we must face that reality unflinchingly, and be ready for what may come. To that extent, the stoic approach is useful.
But even if he is right, we are not mere Stoics. Why? Because we have Christ. That means we have something that the Stoics do not: We have hope. Hope not for America, hope not for some ideal State or Nation or Republic, but hope for Eternity, where moth and rust do not consume, nor do the politicians royally foul things up.
Even if the ship of state is sinking, we have a lifeboat - the barque of Peter. And that lifeboat will carry us safely to the shore. Therein lies our hope.
Sunday afternoon, as I was contemplating the likelihood of the Obamacare Health Care bill's passage, my mind was drawn repeatedly to Sunday's readings, particularly the second, from St. Paul's letter to the Phillipians:
Brothers and sisters:
I consider everything as a loss
because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things
and I consider them so much rubbish,
that I may gain Christ and be found in him...(Phil. 3:8-9)
Since the passage of that disastrous legislation, my thoughts have returned to that reading.
I think, as I have written below, that this "Health Care" legislation will lead to the public funding and provision of abortion in a way we have never seen before. If it stands the coming legal challenges, and is not repealed or severely modified, I think it will open up a Pandora's box. It shreds any conscience protection for health care professionals, and thus will serve to further push Catholics to the margins in health care. Furthermore, I think Sr. Keehan and the CHA will find, in the long run, that they have made a devil's bargain. He who pays the piper calls the tune: and with the power of the state behind advancing the abortion license in health care, there will be inevitable pressure put upon Catholic hospitals to line up with the new regime. I think, in the long run, that this could spell the end for any distinctively Catholic (in terms of values and moral principles) identity in health care.
But again, to return to St. Paul: St. Paul lived in an age and society that was far more hostile to the faith than our own. We have to remember that there have been times and places where things were far worse for the Church and her members. And yet the Faith endured, the Church survived, and even sometimes, prevailed. Why, because we have Christ, who has already won the victory.
"I consider everything as a loss..." Everything. That means fortune, property, Catholic schools and hospitals, and yes, even our nation. We will not be saved by America. We will not even be saved through America. I love my country, but I must face the reality that at some point, like every other human institution, it will come to an end. If we realize that our nation itself is destined to be a loss, that puts into perspective a defeat such as Obamacare.
Yesterday, John Derbyshire at National Review Online wrote about the decline of our Republic that Obamacare typifies. If I recall correctly, Mr. Derbyshire is not a believer, and he takes a somewhat Stoic view of things, which comes out in this passage:
I see plainly that Western civilization, over my lifetime, has been a slow-sinking ship. The few who have known what is happening have worked desperately to seal the watertight doors, repair the fissures, pump out the flooded zones. It's been a losing fight, though. The tilt of the decks is harder and harder to ignore. Last night, a major bulkhead gave way. Soon a funnel will topple over with a great crash and a shower of sparks. Yet still the band is playing, the people are dancing, the food coming up from the galley.
I am not sure things are yet as dire as Derbyshire describes. If he is right, we must face that reality unflinchingly, and be ready for what may come. To that extent, the stoic approach is useful.
But even if he is right, we are not mere Stoics. Why? Because we have Christ. That means we have something that the Stoics do not: We have hope. Hope not for America, hope not for some ideal State or Nation or Republic, but hope for Eternity, where moth and rust do not consume, nor do the politicians royally foul things up.
Even if the ship of state is sinking, we have a lifeboat - the barque of Peter. And that lifeboat will carry us safely to the shore. Therein lies our hope.
Friday, February 05, 2010
The Hillenbrand Lecture at the Liturgical Institute
On Tuesday evening, February 2, Dr. Denis McNamara, assistant director of the Liturgical Institute at the University of St, Mary of the Lake, presented one of the annual Hillenbrand lectures, which is a series of lectures sponsored by the Institute to address topics of serious study related to the Sacred Liturgy. The Hillenbrand Lectures are named after Msgr. Reynold Hillenbrand, a Chicago priest who was one of the leaders of the Liturgical Movement. Among other things, he was an organizer of the “Liturgical Weeks” of the 1940s.
making some introductory remarks.
(all photos may be viewed full-size by clicking on them)
Dr. McNamara is a well-known architectural historian, specializing in sacred architecture. His most recent book, Catholic Church Architecture and The Spirit of the Liturgy, was recommended “wholeheartedly” by Archbishop Raymond Burke and characterized as “ingenious” by Professor David Fagerberg of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy.
McNamara’s lecture was titled “A Jeweled Garden Where the Angels Live: Gothic Architecture and the Inheritance of the Temple”. In it, Dr. McNamara showed how the legacy of architectural symbolism of the Jewish Temple was taken up by the early Christian church and continued to inform the language of Gothic architecture. I was fortunate to have attended his lecture, and present a few excerpts from his presentation here.
McNamara began his remarks by pointing out that the title and inspiration for his presentation comes from Margaret Barker, who used the phrase “a jeweled garden where the angels live” to refer to the Temple of Jerusalem. McNamara’s study of Gothic architecture led him to believe that the architects and builders of the Middle Ages were deliberately using Temple themes to show the fulfillment of the Old Testament and its people in the New Covenant of Christ and his Church.
McNamara asked the question:
Why make a medieval church look like this? Is it just that Constantine dumped all of the imperial court ritual on to the simple fellowship meals that the early Christians are supposed to have had, and ruined the purity of the early Church? That’s the dominant, mainstream thought in architecture for the past 30 to 40 years. Or is there something more? I would argue that there is something more.
Dr. McNamara showed several slides of reconstructions of the Temple, and observed that:
The inside of the temple was in cedar covered with gold, but it was carved: Carved with leaves, vines, palm trees, gourds, vegetables, and flowers. What comes to mind? The Garden of Eden. How can you experience the restoration of the Garden, before the restoration actually happens? Well, here it is, architecturally, in these panels carved with flowers, leaves, and trees. And this is not just some sort of “Walden Pond”, Thoreau-ian kind of garden: this is a glorified, perfected, ordered, radiant garden, overlaid with gold. A garden where gems are in the very walls and floors: It’s an eschatological garden: the image of the world restored at the end of time.
McNamara then proceeded to explain the development of churches in the Patristic age, in which the fathers explicitly adopted Temple imagery and themes:
If you look at someone like the patristic-era church historian Eusebius, you see that he calls the altar the “holy of holies”… he calls the bishop of Tyre, who built a new church, the “new Zerubbabel”, after the governor of Israel who rebuilt the Temple after the Babylonian exile. So the bishop is a new temple-builder and a new tabernacle-builder, and the altar is the new Ark, the place of God’s presence. So the “shadow” [of the Old Testament temple], comes roaring right into the early Church. Note that Eusebius doesn’t say “Wow! That royal imperial court liturgy is so cool and makes Jesus look really important, so let’s do that.” No. He is saying “let’s imitate the temple”.
How we understand these issues is of great import, for how we think about liturgy, and our place in it, depends largely on how we conceive of our relationship with the worship of the Old Covenant:
…Cardinal Ratzinger insists that both the synagogue and the temple entered into Christian life. But what happens to Catholic worship without Temple imagery? The Ark of the Covenant, which is fulfilled in the tabernacle, the abiding presence of God, gets moved to a less prominent place, the church becomes a meeting hall, and the priest becomes a “presider”. And so, you see, a lot of thinking about liturgy “breaks” on what you think of the Temple. It’s not an accident that a lot of reformation denominations said that “the Temple is obsolete.” Read Calvin: for him, [regarding the Temple] “it’s all done, it’s over. It was interesting, It helped the Israelites, but we don’t need it anymore.” And so the church becomes a meeting house and the priest a leader or presider, rather than a sacral image of Christ. So again, our ideas about the church and liturgy “break” on how we think about the Temple.
Dr. McNamara used numerous examples of medieval gothic churches and cathedrals to show how temple themes were used again and again, such as jewels and gold to convey radiance and light:
… So in Gothic architecture builders were able to open up the walls to let in gem-like colorful and radiant light. And they used the colors of the gems, and the very gems themselves, that were used in the temple… They couldn’t cover the windows externally with rubies and other gems, but they used the next best thing – stained glass.
McNamara used the church of St. Denis in Paris as an example of these temple motifs. He quoted from Abbot Suger, who rebuilt the church as the first true exemplar of the gothic style in the 12th century:
Abbot Suger, writing of this church, says that the image (building) is the symbol of the Church glorified…but it’s also the holy of holies where God dwells – this is temple language.
Another example of the gothic use of Temple motifs can be seen in the church of Sainte-Chapelle, also in Paris. Though it was severely damaged in the French revolution and reconstructed in the 19th century, that reconstruction was done after extensive archaeological research and with a serious effort to make the reconstruction as faithful as possible. McNamara said of this church:
The flame-like spires are covered with little leaves and garden-like vines, reaching up into the sky. You walk up into the church, and you see gold, patterns of flowers, leaves, and trees. You see the whole world is a glorious, radiant, colorful interior, with a starry sky above. The apostles are on each of the 12 pillars of the church, and then when you look up close, you see leaves, flowers, angels, rubies, emeralds; then, the view up to the sky above heavenly Jerusalem.
Dr. McNamara persuasively argued that the Gothic church was replete with Temple imagery, particularly that of the restoration of the Garden of Eden. So Margaret Barker’s phrase, which she applied to the Temple, might readily be applied to Gothic churches as well: They are “Jeweled Gardens Where the Angels Live.”
Cultivating Beauty in the Liturgy - Candlemas
This past Tuesday, of course, was the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known historically as Candlemas. Here at the Liturgical Institute we began Mass with the traditional Blessing of Candles and Procession. We then celebrated a beautifully reverent Mass, with incense, and Gregorian Chant. I'm afraid I don't have any photos, but we did record the Gregorian Alleluia for the Mass. Fr. John-Mark Missio, a fellow student of mine at the Institute, and I sung the Alleluia.
Images may be viewed full-size by clicking on them.
Listen by clicking on the player here:
Alleluia for Candlemas
The text might be translated as:
"The old man carried the boy; however, the Boy guided the old man."
At the Liturgical Institute we strive to celebrate the Liturgy with reverence, fidelity and beauty, and I hope this recording illustrates that effort.
This past Tuesday, of course, was the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known historically as Candlemas. Here at the Liturgical Institute we began Mass with the traditional Blessing of Candles and Procession. We then celebrated a beautifully reverent Mass, with incense, and Gregorian Chant. I'm afraid I don't have any photos, but we did record the Gregorian Alleluia for the Mass. Fr. John-Mark Missio, a fellow student of mine at the Institute, and I sung the Alleluia.
Listen by clicking on the player here:
Alleluia for Candlemas
The text might be translated as:
"The old man carried the boy; however, the Boy guided the old man."
At the Liturgical Institute we strive to celebrate the Liturgy with reverence, fidelity and beauty, and I hope this recording illustrates that effort.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Chant Workshop This Saturday!
This Saturday, November 21, Fr. David Grondz of St. Philip Neri House and I will be conducting an Introductory Gregorian Chant Workshop. We have had great success with these in the past, and contiune to attract interest. So far we have about 30 people signed up!
With this workshop coming just before Advent, we will give special attention to chants of the Advent season.
So, Catholics in Michigan and beyond - come and learn the music which is most truly that of the Liturgy!
Chant for Beginners
An Introductory Chant Workshop
Presented by Fr. Rob Johansen and Fr. David Grondz.
Fr. Grondz Teaching at a Previous Workshop
The Workshop will include presentations on:
Reading Chant Notation
History and Spirituality of Chant
Some Fundamental Chants of the Roman Rite
Chants of the Advent Season
No previous knowledge of Chant required - This is truly for beginners!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Hackett Central Catholic High School
1000 E. Kilgore Rd.
Kalamazoo, Michigan.
For more information or to RSVP call St. Philip Neri House at (269) 385-9933, or e-mail to frdavid AT stphilipnerihouse DOT org.
(Hackett Central Catholic High School is in Kalamazoo, just a few minutes from I-94.)
Cost: $30.00 per person (includes lunch and a copy of the Parish Book of Chant).
Sponsored by St. Philip Neri House.
Fr. Rob Johansen has an extensive background in music, having studied voice, ‘cello, and conducting at the University of Illinois. He studied Chant at the Catholic University of America, and continued his Chant studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary under Calvert Shenk. He has degrees in Religious Studies, Classics, and Patristic Greek and Latin. He is currently pursuing a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in Liturgy at the Liturgical Institute in Chicago.
Fr. David Grondz received his S.T.B. from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained to the Priesthood in 2006. Fr. Grondz has studied Chant for 13 years, and served as assistant organist at the Pontifical North American College. He is currently the Parochial Vicar of St. Mary Church, Kalamazoo, where he regularly celebrates the Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
This Saturday, November 21, Fr. David Grondz of St. Philip Neri House and I will be conducting an Introductory Gregorian Chant Workshop. We have had great success with these in the past, and contiune to attract interest. So far we have about 30 people signed up!
With this workshop coming just before Advent, we will give special attention to chants of the Advent season.
So, Catholics in Michigan and beyond - come and learn the music which is most truly that of the Liturgy!
An Introductory Chant Workshop
Presented by Fr. Rob Johansen and Fr. David Grondz.
The Workshop will include presentations on:
Reading Chant Notation
History and Spirituality of Chant
Some Fundamental Chants of the Roman Rite
Chants of the Advent Season
No previous knowledge of Chant required - This is truly for beginners!
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
1000 E. Kilgore Rd.
Kalamazoo, Michigan.
For more information or to RSVP call St. Philip Neri House at (269) 385-9933, or e-mail to frdavid AT stphilipnerihouse DOT org.
(Hackett Central Catholic High School is in Kalamazoo, just a few minutes from I-94.)
Cost: $30.00 per person (includes lunch and a copy of the Parish Book of Chant).
Sponsored by St. Philip Neri House.
Fr. Rob Johansen has an extensive background in music, having studied voice, ‘cello, and conducting at the University of Illinois. He studied Chant at the Catholic University of America, and continued his Chant studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary under Calvert Shenk. He has degrees in Religious Studies, Classics, and Patristic Greek and Latin. He is currently pursuing a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in Liturgy at the Liturgical Institute in Chicago.
Fr. David Grondz received his S.T.B. from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained to the Priesthood in 2006. Fr. Grondz has studied Chant for 13 years, and served as assistant organist at the Pontifical North American College. He is currently the Parochial Vicar of St. Mary Church, Kalamazoo, where he regularly celebrates the Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
The Use of the Liturgical Tractor
I'd imagine that most of you liturgy-minded folks out there have never considered how the use of certain farm implements might complement the liturgy.
Well, back before I began my studies in liturgy here at The Liturgical Institute, I celebrated a wedding Mass for a couple of my parishioners at my little country parish. The groom, a farmer, had come up with a clever and entertaining way to make use of his tractor for the special day.
The Liturgical Tractor and its Accessory, the Liturgical Cattle Trailer
(all photos may be viewed full-size by clicking on them)
After the Nuptial Mass, the bride and groom made their way to their conveyance:
Madame, Your Chariot Awaits...
OK, so the tractor wasn't actually used in the liturgy, but the phrase "Liturgical Tractor" does have a compelling kind of ring, doesn't it?
The Bridal Party on Its Way
If you can think of, or know of, any other liturgical uses for agricultural implementa, I'd love to hear about it!
I'd imagine that most of you liturgy-minded folks out there have never considered how the use of certain farm implements might complement the liturgy.
Well, back before I began my studies in liturgy here at The Liturgical Institute, I celebrated a wedding Mass for a couple of my parishioners at my little country parish. The groom, a farmer, had come up with a clever and entertaining way to make use of his tractor for the special day.
(all photos may be viewed full-size by clicking on them)
After the Nuptial Mass, the bride and groom made their way to their conveyance:
OK, so the tractor wasn't actually used in the liturgy, but the phrase "Liturgical Tractor" does have a compelling kind of ring, doesn't it?
If you can think of, or know of, any other liturgical uses for agricultural implementa, I'd love to hear about it!
Friday, October 16, 2009
So, Where Am I Now... Or, Fr. Rob's Big Move
As I mentioned in my previous post, this summer I stepped down as pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in Dorr, Michigan, where I had served for almost 5 years. I spent much of the summer in residence at SS. John and Bernard parish in Benton Harbor, and much of my time preparing for the next phase of my priestly ministry.
I am happy to say, that after prayer, discernment, and much consultation with my bishop(s), I am now at The Liturgical Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. The University of St. Mary of the Lake is most widely known for Mundelein Seminary, the seminary of the Archdiocese of Chicago. I am pursuing the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL), with a concentration in Sacramental Theology and Liturgy. The program will take me two years to complete, and consists in foundational coursework in theology, as well as specialized courses in Sacramental and Liturgical Theology. The Licentiate is an advanced ecclesiastical degree, granted by a pontifical ecclesiastical faculty chartered by the Holy See. In effect, the Licentiate is more than a Master's degree, but less than the Doctorate, to which the Licentiate leads. Among other things, the Licentiate is the minimum degree required to teach theology at a Catholic seminary.
I am very grateful to be here. The process that led to me coming here began last fall in conversations with now-retired Bishop James Murray of Kalamazoo. He and I, over the years, had discussed me going back to school on several occasions, but it seemed to me that things were coming together for this now. Over the course of the winter and spring, Bishop Murray and I arrived at the conclusion that I would come to the Liturgical Institute. I am grateful for his openness to see the value my studies in this area could have for the diocese. I am also very grateful to our newly-installed bishop, Paul J. Bradley, for "seeing through" Bishop Murray's decision, and himself being very supportive of my interests and efforts in this vein. I have been impressed by Bishop Bradley's vision for the diocese and church, and for his insight into the possibilities and opportunities that my advanced training in Liturgy could open up for the benefit of our diocesan church.
I am very impressed with the program here at the Institute. The faculty are excellent, and the academic content is solid. I am also very impressed with my fellow students. They are all very accomplished people in their own right, and bring a great deal of ability, insight, and experience to our studies. As many of you may know, the Institute was founded in 2000 by Cardinal Francis George, the Archbishop of Chicago, to provide sound training and formation in liturgy for academics as well as parish professionals. I can say from my own experience that the Institute strives to be faithful to the mind and heart of the Church, and to inculcate a true "Spirit of the Liturgy" in continuity with the whole of the Church's liturgical patrimony. The Institute has been growing in size, visibility, and prominence in recent years, and that growth is, in my opinion, entirely deserved.
As I said before, I'm truly grateful to be here. I'm already learning buckets - I cannot tell you how many times either in class or in my reading I have thought "that's something I could take back to a parish or to the diocese." I have no doubt that I will continue to learn a great deal.
I'll keep you posted on the doings here, and what I'm learning in my studies. In the meantime, pray for me, that I can truly deepen my understanding of the sacred liturgy!
As I mentioned in my previous post, this summer I stepped down as pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in Dorr, Michigan, where I had served for almost 5 years. I spent much of the summer in residence at SS. John and Bernard parish in Benton Harbor, and much of my time preparing for the next phase of my priestly ministry.
I am happy to say, that after prayer, discernment, and much consultation with my bishop(s), I am now at The Liturgical Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. The University of St. Mary of the Lake is most widely known for Mundelein Seminary, the seminary of the Archdiocese of Chicago. I am pursuing the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL), with a concentration in Sacramental Theology and Liturgy. The program will take me two years to complete, and consists in foundational coursework in theology, as well as specialized courses in Sacramental and Liturgical Theology. The Licentiate is an advanced ecclesiastical degree, granted by a pontifical ecclesiastical faculty chartered by the Holy See. In effect, the Licentiate is more than a Master's degree, but less than the Doctorate, to which the Licentiate leads. Among other things, the Licentiate is the minimum degree required to teach theology at a Catholic seminary.
I am very grateful to be here. The process that led to me coming here began last fall in conversations with now-retired Bishop James Murray of Kalamazoo. He and I, over the years, had discussed me going back to school on several occasions, but it seemed to me that things were coming together for this now. Over the course of the winter and spring, Bishop Murray and I arrived at the conclusion that I would come to the Liturgical Institute. I am grateful for his openness to see the value my studies in this area could have for the diocese. I am also very grateful to our newly-installed bishop, Paul J. Bradley, for "seeing through" Bishop Murray's decision, and himself being very supportive of my interests and efforts in this vein. I have been impressed by Bishop Bradley's vision for the diocese and church, and for his insight into the possibilities and opportunities that my advanced training in Liturgy could open up for the benefit of our diocesan church.
I am very impressed with the program here at the Institute. The faculty are excellent, and the academic content is solid. I am also very impressed with my fellow students. They are all very accomplished people in their own right, and bring a great deal of ability, insight, and experience to our studies. As many of you may know, the Institute was founded in 2000 by Cardinal Francis George, the Archbishop of Chicago, to provide sound training and formation in liturgy for academics as well as parish professionals. I can say from my own experience that the Institute strives to be faithful to the mind and heart of the Church, and to inculcate a true "Spirit of the Liturgy" in continuity with the whole of the Church's liturgical patrimony. The Institute has been growing in size, visibility, and prominence in recent years, and that growth is, in my opinion, entirely deserved.
As I said before, I'm truly grateful to be here. I'm already learning buckets - I cannot tell you how many times either in class or in my reading I have thought "that's something I could take back to a parish or to the diocese." I have no doubt that I will continue to learn a great deal.
I'll keep you posted on the doings here, and what I'm learning in my studies. In the meantime, pray for me, that I can truly deepen my understanding of the sacred liturgy!
So, Where Have I Been?
Sorry to have been away for so long. I've been meaning to get back to posting for a while, but have only been able to do now. I've received a number of e-mails over the last few weeks from people asking, "Where are you? And where have you been?" Well, I will answer the first question in my next post, but I'll answer the second question first.
The answer is that I've been busy! I had a busy summer: In late June I stepped down as pastor of St. Stanislaus in Dorr (why will be apparent in that next post), and spent the rest of the summer in residence at SS. John & Bernard parish in Benton Harbor. I also travelled quite a bit. I spent some time with my father in Texas. He was preparing to move from the "Hill Country" area of Texas (northwest of San Antonio), back to Wisconsin, where he lived before his retirement 7 years ago.
My Dad's House in Texas
(all photos may be viewed full-size by clicking on them)
My dad lived on a river, near a large lake, and it was really quite idyllic: lots of waterfowl, good fishing, and other wildlife. It was not at all uncommon to have deer grazing on the property, or have troops of wild turkeys around, etc. But it had become too much for him to keep up with, and the luster of the area had decreased in the last couple of years with the severe drought Texas has been experiencing. The river is reduced to a trickle, and is now unnavigable.
In the photo above, that large outcropping of rock in the foreground was completely submerged two years ago. You can see the river in the background, a tiny trickle of its former self. The effect of the drought is even more noticeable here:
The Effects of the Drought
The portion of my dad's boat launch ramp in the foreground would have been completely submerged as well. You see the dock on the right, now a high-and-dry dock. Across the "river" you can see the neighbor's dried-out boat ramp as well.
So I was down there to help my dad prepare for his move. I also visited some friends out East for a week or so.
But much of my time and energy was taken up by preparing for my big move. About that, in my next post...
Sorry to have been away for so long. I've been meaning to get back to posting for a while, but have only been able to do now. I've received a number of e-mails over the last few weeks from people asking, "Where are you? And where have you been?" Well, I will answer the first question in my next post, but I'll answer the second question first.
The answer is that I've been busy! I had a busy summer: In late June I stepped down as pastor of St. Stanislaus in Dorr (why will be apparent in that next post), and spent the rest of the summer in residence at SS. John & Bernard parish in Benton Harbor. I also travelled quite a bit. I spent some time with my father in Texas. He was preparing to move from the "Hill Country" area of Texas (northwest of San Antonio), back to Wisconsin, where he lived before his retirement 7 years ago.
(all photos may be viewed full-size by clicking on them)
My dad lived on a river, near a large lake, and it was really quite idyllic: lots of waterfowl, good fishing, and other wildlife. It was not at all uncommon to have deer grazing on the property, or have troops of wild turkeys around, etc. But it had become too much for him to keep up with, and the luster of the area had decreased in the last couple of years with the severe drought Texas has been experiencing. The river is reduced to a trickle, and is now unnavigable.
In the photo above, that large outcropping of rock in the foreground was completely submerged two years ago. You can see the river in the background, a tiny trickle of its former self. The effect of the drought is even more noticeable here:
The portion of my dad's boat launch ramp in the foreground would have been completely submerged as well. You see the dock on the right, now a high-and-dry dock. Across the "river" you can see the neighbor's dried-out boat ramp as well.
So I was down there to help my dad prepare for his move. I also visited some friends out East for a week or so.
But much of my time and energy was taken up by preparing for my big move. About that, in my next post...
Friday, June 12, 2009
Cultivating Love for Beauty in the Liturgy
It's not exactly "news" anymore, but last month I took a group of students (7th & 8th graders, as well as some altar servers) to St. John Cantius Catholic Church in Chicago for their celebration of High Mass in the Extraordinary Form for the Ascension of the Lord. We arrived at the church in the afternoon of Ascension Thursday, where we were given a tour by one of the canons of St. John Cantius, followed by dinner at a local restaurant, and then back to the church for Mass.
I believe it is very important that the priest work to instill and cultivate in our young people an understanding and appreciation for the beauty of the Sacred, whether it be in art, music, or architecture. To that end, I have periodically tried to introduce the children at our parish school to different aspects of sacred art and sacred music: for example, I have brought an iconographer to the school to give presentations on sacred art and iconography, and guest musicians to introduce the students to different instruments and kinds of sacred music. This is "on top of" the program in liturgical music that I introduced to the school two years ago, which has produced results like this:
School Children Singing the "Regina Coeli"
But this trip to St. John Cantius is a step to giving the kids exposure to the Sacred beyond their own parish and school. Also, this was, for most of the school children, their first experience of Mass in the Extraordinary Form. I have been gradually introducing the use of Latin and Gregorian Chant over the last 3 years, so these things would not be alien to the children, but to experience these things in the usus antiquior was new for most of them.
And what an experience it was! We arrived and entered the church just as the brothers were beginning Vespers. The children were quite impressed by the church itself, as well anyone should be:
(all photos may be viewed full-size by clicking on them)
I enjoyed watching the kids crane their necks around trying to take it all in. Most of the kids have never been to a church as large, impressive, and chock-full of art as St. John Cantius.
After Vespers, Br. Joshua, one of the Canons of St. John Cantius, gave us a tour of the church.
Br. Joshua Explaining Various Aspects of the Sanctuary
Among the artistic beauties of the church is the Wit Stwosz Altarpiece replica. Done in carved wood, gold, and other precious materials, it is a one-quarter size replica of a famous altarpiece in Poland.
The tour was quite complete, even including a trip up to both lofts. Like many great Polish churches built in this period, St. John Cantius has a double loft - one for choir, one for the great organ. the kids were impressed both by the organ and by the view from the loft:
As I mentioned above, after the tour we went out for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant nearby, and then returned to the church for Mass. I gave the kids a brief introduction to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass before we left the school in the morning, and Br. Joshua gave some "preview" information as well. The kids were already familiar with the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, from our usage at St. Stanislaus, and I prepared for them a little handout with the propers so that they could follow those as well.
The Mass was glorious! The choir sang Tomas Luis de Victoria's Missa Ascendens Christum in Altum, as well as an impressive modern work, Colin Mawby's O Rex Gloriae, during the Offertory. The kids were entranced by the singing - that was one of the things that came up repeatedly in the days after the trip.
I had told the children beforehand that it wasn't so important to try to follow along in the Mass exactly, so much as to "take in" the whole experience and unite themselves in prayer to the priest offering the Sacrifice during the Canon. On the bus ride home, they readily confessed that they lost track of things during the Canon. A number of them wanted to know why the Canon was silent in the Extraordinary Form, which I explained. But none of them seemed unduly bothered by the fact that they lost their place here and there. I think the experience put them on such "sensory overload" that they were borne along by the whole sacred movement.
The Whole Crew after Mass
So, the kids had an experience they will remember, and some were intrigued enough to say that they wanted to go to an Extraordinary Form Mass again. (Yea!) A taste of sacred beauty does indeed inspire the thirst for more!
It's not exactly "news" anymore, but last month I took a group of students (7th & 8th graders, as well as some altar servers) to St. John Cantius Catholic Church in Chicago for their celebration of High Mass in the Extraordinary Form for the Ascension of the Lord. We arrived at the church in the afternoon of Ascension Thursday, where we were given a tour by one of the canons of St. John Cantius, followed by dinner at a local restaurant, and then back to the church for Mass.
I believe it is very important that the priest work to instill and cultivate in our young people an understanding and appreciation for the beauty of the Sacred, whether it be in art, music, or architecture. To that end, I have periodically tried to introduce the children at our parish school to different aspects of sacred art and sacred music: for example, I have brought an iconographer to the school to give presentations on sacred art and iconography, and guest musicians to introduce the students to different instruments and kinds of sacred music. This is "on top of" the program in liturgical music that I introduced to the school two years ago, which has produced results like this:
School Children Singing the "Regina Coeli"
But this trip to St. John Cantius is a step to giving the kids exposure to the Sacred beyond their own parish and school. Also, this was, for most of the school children, their first experience of Mass in the Extraordinary Form. I have been gradually introducing the use of Latin and Gregorian Chant over the last 3 years, so these things would not be alien to the children, but to experience these things in the usus antiquior was new for most of them.
And what an experience it was! We arrived and entered the church just as the brothers were beginning Vespers. The children were quite impressed by the church itself, as well anyone should be:
I enjoyed watching the kids crane their necks around trying to take it all in. Most of the kids have never been to a church as large, impressive, and chock-full of art as St. John Cantius.
After Vespers, Br. Joshua, one of the Canons of St. John Cantius, gave us a tour of the church.
Among the artistic beauties of the church is the Wit Stwosz Altarpiece replica. Done in carved wood, gold, and other precious materials, it is a one-quarter size replica of a famous altarpiece in Poland.
The tour was quite complete, even including a trip up to both lofts. Like many great Polish churches built in this period, St. John Cantius has a double loft - one for choir, one for the great organ. the kids were impressed both by the organ and by the view from the loft:
As I mentioned above, after the tour we went out for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant nearby, and then returned to the church for Mass. I gave the kids a brief introduction to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass before we left the school in the morning, and Br. Joshua gave some "preview" information as well. The kids were already familiar with the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, from our usage at St. Stanislaus, and I prepared for them a little handout with the propers so that they could follow those as well.
The Mass was glorious! The choir sang Tomas Luis de Victoria's Missa Ascendens Christum in Altum, as well as an impressive modern work, Colin Mawby's O Rex Gloriae, during the Offertory. The kids were entranced by the singing - that was one of the things that came up repeatedly in the days after the trip.
I had told the children beforehand that it wasn't so important to try to follow along in the Mass exactly, so much as to "take in" the whole experience and unite themselves in prayer to the priest offering the Sacrifice during the Canon. On the bus ride home, they readily confessed that they lost track of things during the Canon. A number of them wanted to know why the Canon was silent in the Extraordinary Form, which I explained. But none of them seemed unduly bothered by the fact that they lost their place here and there. I think the experience put them on such "sensory overload" that they were borne along by the whole sacred movement.
So, the kids had an experience they will remember, and some were intrigued enough to say that they wanted to go to an Extraordinary Form Mass again. (Yea!) A taste of sacred beauty does indeed inspire the thirst for more!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Introductory Chant Workshop!
Last fall, Fr. David Grondz of St. Philip Neri House in Kalamazoo and myself offered an Introductory Chant Workshop. It was a great success - so much so that we're doing it again!
So, Catholics in Michigan - come and learn the music which is most truly that of the Liturgy!
Chant for Beginners
An Introductory Chant Workshop
Presented by Fr. Rob Johansen and Fr. David Grondz.
The Workshop will include presentations on:
Reading Chant Notation
History and Spirituality of Chant
Some Fundamental Chants of the Roman Rite
No previous knowledge of Chant required - This is truly for beginners!
Saturday, March 28, 2008
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Participants will have the opportunity to put to use what they have learned, as we will be singing for the parish 5:00 PM Vigil Mass.
St. Bernard Catholic Church
555 E. Delaware
Benton Harbor, Michigan.
For more information call SS. John and Bernard parish at (269) 925-2425, or e-mail me at frrob AT earthlink DOT net.
(Benton Harbor is located approximately 40 minutes West of Kalamazoo, off of I -94.)
Cost: $30.00 per person (includes lunch and a copy of the Parish Book of Chant).
Co-sponsored by the Diocese of Kalamazoo: Office of Christian Worship, St. Philip Neri House, and SS. John and Bernard Catholic Church.
Fr. Rob Johansen has an extensive background in music, having studied voice, ‘cello, and conducting at the University of Illinois. He studied Chant at the Catholic University of America, and continued his Chant studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary under Calvert Shenk. He has degrees in Religious Studies, Classics, and Patristic Greek and Latin. He currently serves as Pastor of St. Stanislaus parish, Dorr.
Fr. David Grondz received his S.T.B. from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained to the Priesthood in 2006. Fr. Grondz has studied Chant for 13 years, and served as assistant organist at the Pontifical North American College. He is currently the Parochial Vicar of St. Mary Church, Kalamazoo, where he regularly celebrates the Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
Last fall, Fr. David Grondz of St. Philip Neri House in Kalamazoo and myself offered an Introductory Chant Workshop. It was a great success - so much so that we're doing it again!
So, Catholics in Michigan - come and learn the music which is most truly that of the Liturgy!
An Introductory Chant Workshop
Presented by Fr. Rob Johansen and Fr. David Grondz.
The Workshop will include presentations on:
Reading Chant Notation
History and Spirituality of Chant
Some Fundamental Chants of the Roman Rite
No previous knowledge of Chant required - This is truly for beginners!
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Participants will have the opportunity to put to use what they have learned, as we will be singing for the parish 5:00 PM Vigil Mass.
555 E. Delaware
Benton Harbor, Michigan.
For more information call SS. John and Bernard parish at (269) 925-2425, or e-mail me at frrob AT earthlink DOT net.
(Benton Harbor is located approximately 40 minutes West of Kalamazoo, off of I -94.)
Cost: $30.00 per person (includes lunch and a copy of the Parish Book of Chant).
Co-sponsored by the Diocese of Kalamazoo: Office of Christian Worship, St. Philip Neri House, and SS. John and Bernard Catholic Church.
Fr. Rob Johansen has an extensive background in music, having studied voice, ‘cello, and conducting at the University of Illinois. He studied Chant at the Catholic University of America, and continued his Chant studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary under Calvert Shenk. He has degrees in Religious Studies, Classics, and Patristic Greek and Latin. He currently serves as Pastor of St. Stanislaus parish, Dorr.
Fr. David Grondz received his S.T.B. from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained to the Priesthood in 2006. Fr. Grondz has studied Chant for 13 years, and served as assistant organist at the Pontifical North American College. He is currently the Parochial Vicar of St. Mary Church, Kalamazoo, where he regularly celebrates the Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
Thomas More College: Giving New Life to Catholic Culture
Tonight, Thomas More College in New Hampshire will host a lecture on the "Restoration of Gregorian Chant in the 20th Century", by Samuel Schmitt. This is just one of a series of speakers and events that Thomas More has sponsored, all directed at inculcating a broad and Catholic understanding and appreciation of Culture.
Some of you will recall, a few months ago, that Thomas More instituted a program in Sacred Art, headed by English artist and iconographer David Clayton. I had David visit my parish last year, where he gave several presentations to my parish and school. I can say firsthand that David is both an outstanding artist and teacher. I have no doubt that this program, called the "Way of Beauty Art Program" will accomplish great things.
But as I said, these efforts serve a larger and broader vision: the restoration of a living and creative Catholic culture. To be truly Catholic and creative, it must be rooted in the Tradition of the Church, which is the wellspring of all Western culture. To this end, students at Thomas More not only read the "Great Books", but experience the fruits of that Catholic tradition through the "Way of Beauty" program and it's programs at Rome and Oxford.
The President of Thomas More College, Jeffrey Nelson, is the source of the vision which has brought about these initiatives at the College. I've known Dr. Nelson since my graduate school days at Catholic University, when he was working for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He had then, and has brought to his post at Thomas More, a vision of the Liberal Arts as part of the great Catholic tradition of learning, cultivation of beauty, and pursuit of virtue which constitute Catholic culture. These elements all complement one another, and Dr. Nelson and the faculty at Thomas More are working to bring them together in a program which, when it reaches fruition, will be perhaps the finest Catholic Liberal Arts curriculum in the country.
It's places like Thomas More College where the "Catholic revival" are happening. It's places like this where we will see the vision of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI for a "new springtime" in the Church come to its fulfillment.
Tonight, Thomas More College in New Hampshire will host a lecture on the "Restoration of Gregorian Chant in the 20th Century", by Samuel Schmitt. This is just one of a series of speakers and events that Thomas More has sponsored, all directed at inculcating a broad and Catholic understanding and appreciation of Culture.
Some of you will recall, a few months ago, that Thomas More instituted a program in Sacred Art, headed by English artist and iconographer David Clayton. I had David visit my parish last year, where he gave several presentations to my parish and school. I can say firsthand that David is both an outstanding artist and teacher. I have no doubt that this program, called the "Way of Beauty Art Program" will accomplish great things.
But as I said, these efforts serve a larger and broader vision: the restoration of a living and creative Catholic culture. To be truly Catholic and creative, it must be rooted in the Tradition of the Church, which is the wellspring of all Western culture. To this end, students at Thomas More not only read the "Great Books", but experience the fruits of that Catholic tradition through the "Way of Beauty" program and it's programs at Rome and Oxford.
The President of Thomas More College, Jeffrey Nelson, is the source of the vision which has brought about these initiatives at the College. I've known Dr. Nelson since my graduate school days at Catholic University, when he was working for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He had then, and has brought to his post at Thomas More, a vision of the Liberal Arts as part of the great Catholic tradition of learning, cultivation of beauty, and pursuit of virtue which constitute Catholic culture. These elements all complement one another, and Dr. Nelson and the faculty at Thomas More are working to bring them together in a program which, when it reaches fruition, will be perhaps the finest Catholic Liberal Arts curriculum in the country.
It's places like Thomas More College where the "Catholic revival" are happening. It's places like this where we will see the vision of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI for a "new springtime" in the Church come to its fulfillment.
Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form!
I will offer a
Ecce Agnus Dei...
Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the
Roman Rite
(Missa Cantata)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Laetare Sunday
(Fourth Sunday of Lent)
1:00 PM
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church
1871 136th Avenue
Dorr, Michigan
I will be the celebrant.
Music will again be provided by the Schola of the Chair of St. Peter
Let us come and worship!
I will offer a
Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the
Roman Rite
(Missa Cantata)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Laetare Sunday
(Fourth Sunday of Lent)
1:00 PM
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church
1871 136th Avenue
Dorr, Michigan
I will be the celebrant.
Music will again be provided by the Schola of the Chair of St. Peter
Let us come and worship!
Friday, January 09, 2009
(Arch)Bishop Vigneron on Liturgy
I'm coming to the party a bit late, but I am very excited and happy that Bishop Allen Vigneron, late of Oakland, California, has been named as the next Archbishop of Detroit.
I know Bishop Vigneron from his days as rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, where I had the good fortune to complete my studies for the priesthood from 1998-2001. He is an outstanding teacher and pastor. He is loyal to the Church and her Magisterium, and patient and generous as well.
Bishop Vigneron is deeply concerned with the state of the liturgical life in the church in the country, and as rector of the seminary tried to inculcate in us seminarians a sense of reverence and a respect for the liturgy as something given. Toward that end he implemented significant reforms of the seminary's liturgical practice, most notably introducing and establishing as normative the use of the Proper antiphons at seminary Masses, and moving away from the use of hymnody. He brought the late Calvert Shenk to Sacred Heart, and one of his specific charges to Cal was to restore the Propers to their rightful place in the liturgy. This move was not at all popular in some quarters of the seminary faculty (though it was quite well received by the overwhelming majority of seminarians), and provoked a storm of criticism and outright attack from certain elements of the Archdiocesan establishment. But Bishop Vigneron persevered and continued these reforms in spite of the opposition.
I am confident that we will see good things happen in the Archdiocese of Detroit, and eventually beyond, as a result of Bishop Vigneron's accession to the see. This is good news for all who want to see the liturgy celebrated according to the authentic vision and mind of the Church, and good news for all who value fidelity to the Church's teaching and discipline.
Back in 2000, while I was still a seminarian, I wrote an article for Adoremus based on an interview I had with Bishop Vigneron. The article, titled "Liturgy as Ecology" discusses the liturgical formation and training offered by the seminary. However, it provides insight not only into Bishop Vigneron's approach to the liturgical life of the seminary, but into his broader liturgical vision as well:
Bishop Vigneron has a great deal more of importance to say in this article, please read the whole thing here.
Pray for him, and for the Archdiocese of Detroit! Ad multos gloriosque annos!
I'm coming to the party a bit late, but I am very excited and happy that Bishop Allen Vigneron, late of Oakland, California, has been named as the next Archbishop of Detroit.
I know Bishop Vigneron from his days as rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, where I had the good fortune to complete my studies for the priesthood from 1998-2001. He is an outstanding teacher and pastor. He is loyal to the Church and her Magisterium, and patient and generous as well.
Bishop Vigneron is deeply concerned with the state of the liturgical life in the church in the country, and as rector of the seminary tried to inculcate in us seminarians a sense of reverence and a respect for the liturgy as something given. Toward that end he implemented significant reforms of the seminary's liturgical practice, most notably introducing and establishing as normative the use of the Proper antiphons at seminary Masses, and moving away from the use of hymnody. He brought the late Calvert Shenk to Sacred Heart, and one of his specific charges to Cal was to restore the Propers to their rightful place in the liturgy. This move was not at all popular in some quarters of the seminary faculty (though it was quite well received by the overwhelming majority of seminarians), and provoked a storm of criticism and outright attack from certain elements of the Archdiocesan establishment. But Bishop Vigneron persevered and continued these reforms in spite of the opposition.
I am confident that we will see good things happen in the Archdiocese of Detroit, and eventually beyond, as a result of Bishop Vigneron's accession to the see. This is good news for all who want to see the liturgy celebrated according to the authentic vision and mind of the Church, and good news for all who value fidelity to the Church's teaching and discipline.
Back in 2000, while I was still a seminarian, I wrote an article for Adoremus based on an interview I had with Bishop Vigneron. The article, titled "Liturgy as Ecology" discusses the liturgical formation and training offered by the seminary. However, it provides insight not only into Bishop Vigneron's approach to the liturgical life of the seminary, but into his broader liturgical vision as well:
The single greatest problem is the tendency to turn the Liturgy into a focus on the self, rather than on God. Bishop Vigneron believes these tendencies are misguided, because they "obscure the Christological and Trinitarian focus inherent in liturgy."
"Liturgy", he says, "is not entertainment, it is not self-validated. Liturgy is the experience of heaven, not something that happens to me in some sort of emotional-personal state."
Bishop Vigneron has a great deal more of importance to say in this article, please read the whole thing here.
Pray for him, and for the Archdiocese of Detroit! Ad multos gloriosque annos!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
People Look East!
As I have mentioned before, I write a monthly column on liturgical matters for the newspaper of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, The Good News.
For this month's column, which appeared this past Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I wrote about the use of Ad Orientem:
(I am indebted to Fr. Cavanna Wallace of Oceanside, CA for some of the material in this column.)
Living the Liturgy
“People, Look East”
One of my favorite Advent hymns is the old French carol “People, Look East”. It has always seemed to me to exemplify the joyful expectation of the Advent season. While I’m not sure what, if any, expert consensus there may be on the matter, I’ve always thought of it as a late Advent hymn – one to sing in the week or two before Christmas, and maybe even on Christmas eve. The hymn urges us to get ready: Love, in the Christ child, is on the way! He’s almost here, as the last verse tells us:
Christ is the light of the world, as Simeon prophesied in the temple (Luke 2:32), and as John wrote in his Gospel (John 1:4-5). He illuminates the souls of those who belong to him. So the Church, from the earliest times, has seen the light of the sun, particularly at dawn, as a symbol and image of Christ. Zechariah refers to the coming Messiah as the “daybreak from on high” (Luke 2:78). At the end of the book of Revelation, Jesus describes Himself as the “bright morning star” (Rev. 22:16). The early Church, reflecting on this symbolism, attached great importance to worshipping Christ at dawn, especially on the first day of the week, which was also the day of resurrection.
The early Church attached great importance to facing towards the dawning light in its prayer as well. Early churches were built so that, when the assembly gathered for prayer, they faced the East. When Mass was celebrated, priest and people faced not each other, but together faced the altar, toward the East. St. Clement of Alexandria (150 – 216 AD) explained:
Even when, as the Church grew, it was no longer possible to build every church so as to have the altar facing eastward, the custom remained of having priest and people together face the altar during the Eucharistic liturgy, facing the Daystar who came to be with His people on that altar.
This posture of priest and people facing the altar is known as ad orientem, which is the Latin for “toward the East”. Most Catholics who are aware of this posture would probably associate it with the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, that is, the Mass as it was celebrated before the liturgical reforms of the 1970’s. Indeed, one of the liturgical changes most associated with Vatican II is that of turning the priest around so that he faced the people. Many Catholics would probably imagine that this change was mandated by Vatican II, and that the former posture of ad orientem had been abolished. But this impression, widespread though it is, is incorrect. In point of fact, no document of Vatican II and nothing in the rubrics of the modern Roman Rite either requires the priest to celebrate Mass facing the people or abolishes celebrating Mass ad orientem.
Our Holy Father Pope Benedict, while he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, wrote of the desirability of returning to the ancient practice of ad orientem celebration, expressing himself very strongly:
As Pope, Benedict has gone so far as to publicly celebrate Mass using the ancient ad orientem posture. And many priests and parishes, all over the United States and indeed, the world, are beginning to take up the Pope’s lead in restoring this tradition. At my own parish we have begun using it from time to time, and several other parishes in the Kalamazoo diocese have adopted ad orientem, some even doing so entirely.
What this ancient posture underscores is the essential message of the liturgies of Advent: We are all to be turned toward the Lord, waiting for His coming. For some two millennia the people of Israel waited for the coming of the Messiah. He has come, but we still have the experience of waiting expectantly for Him, every time we celebrate the Eucharist. And if we are turned towards Him, if we are oriented in the direction of His coming, then we can have blessing which was given to the shepherds on the night of His birth – the glimmer of a faint purple light in the East, growing to the ray of light from the Daystar. A light shining not from the sky, but from an infant, who is Himself the Light of the World. People, look East! Love, the Lord is on the way!
As I have mentioned before, I write a monthly column on liturgical matters for the newspaper of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, The Good News.
For this month's column, which appeared this past Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I wrote about the use of Ad Orientem:
(I am indebted to Fr. Cavanna Wallace of Oceanside, CA for some of the material in this column.)
“People, Look East”
One of my favorite Advent hymns is the old French carol “People, Look East”. It has always seemed to me to exemplify the joyful expectation of the Advent season. While I’m not sure what, if any, expert consensus there may be on the matter, I’ve always thought of it as a late Advent hymn – one to sing in the week or two before Christmas, and maybe even on Christmas eve. The hymn urges us to get ready: Love, in the Christ child, is on the way! He’s almost here, as the last verse tells us:
Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ, who brings new life to earth.
Set ev’ry peak and valley humming
With the word, “The Lord is coming.”
People look East, and sing today:
Love, the Lord is on the way!
Christ is the light of the world, as Simeon prophesied in the temple (Luke 2:32), and as John wrote in his Gospel (John 1:4-5). He illuminates the souls of those who belong to him. So the Church, from the earliest times, has seen the light of the sun, particularly at dawn, as a symbol and image of Christ. Zechariah refers to the coming Messiah as the “daybreak from on high” (Luke 2:78). At the end of the book of Revelation, Jesus describes Himself as the “bright morning star” (Rev. 22:16). The early Church, reflecting on this symbolism, attached great importance to worshipping Christ at dawn, especially on the first day of the week, which was also the day of resurrection.
The early Church attached great importance to facing towards the dawning light in its prayer as well. Early churches were built so that, when the assembly gathered for prayer, they faced the East. When Mass was celebrated, priest and people faced not each other, but together faced the altar, toward the East. St. Clement of Alexandria (150 – 216 AD) explained:
... And since the dawn is an image of the day of birth, and from that point the light which has shone forth at first from the darkness increases... In correspondence with the manner of the sun’s rising, prayers are made looking towards the sunrise in the east. (Stromata Book IV, ch. 7)
Even when, as the Church grew, it was no longer possible to build every church so as to have the altar facing eastward, the custom remained of having priest and people together face the altar during the Eucharistic liturgy, facing the Daystar who came to be with His people on that altar.
This posture of priest and people facing the altar is known as ad orientem, which is the Latin for “toward the East”. Most Catholics who are aware of this posture would probably associate it with the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, that is, the Mass as it was celebrated before the liturgical reforms of the 1970’s. Indeed, one of the liturgical changes most associated with Vatican II is that of turning the priest around so that he faced the people. Many Catholics would probably imagine that this change was mandated by Vatican II, and that the former posture of ad orientem had been abolished. But this impression, widespread though it is, is incorrect. In point of fact, no document of Vatican II and nothing in the rubrics of the modern Roman Rite either requires the priest to celebrate Mass facing the people or abolishes celebrating Mass ad orientem.
Our Holy Father Pope Benedict, while he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, wrote of the desirability of returning to the ancient practice of ad orientem celebration, expressing himself very strongly:
...A common turning to the East during the Eucharistic Prayer remains essential. This is not a case of something accidental, but of what is essential...What matters is looking together at the Lord.
(Spirit of the Liturgy, p. 81)
As Pope, Benedict has gone so far as to publicly celebrate Mass using the ancient ad orientem posture. And many priests and parishes, all over the United States and indeed, the world, are beginning to take up the Pope’s lead in restoring this tradition. At my own parish we have begun using it from time to time, and several other parishes in the Kalamazoo diocese have adopted ad orientem, some even doing so entirely.
What this ancient posture underscores is the essential message of the liturgies of Advent: We are all to be turned toward the Lord, waiting for His coming. For some two millennia the people of Israel waited for the coming of the Messiah. He has come, but we still have the experience of waiting expectantly for Him, every time we celebrate the Eucharist. And if we are turned towards Him, if we are oriented in the direction of His coming, then we can have blessing which was given to the shepherds on the night of His birth – the glimmer of a faint purple light in the East, growing to the ray of light from the Daystar. A light shining not from the sky, but from an infant, who is Himself the Light of the World. People, look East! Love, the Lord is on the way!
Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form In January!
I will again offer a
Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite
(Missa Cantata)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
(Feast of the Holy Family)
1:00 PM
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church
1871 136th Avenue
Dorr, Michigan
I will be the celebrant.
Music will again be provided by the Schola of the Chair of St. Peter
I hope that Catholics from Michigan and beyond will come and participate in this beautiful offering of the most perfect Sacrifice of worship and praise.
I will again offer a
(Missa Cantata)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
(Feast of the Holy Family)
1:00 PM
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church
1871 136th Avenue
Dorr, Michigan
I will be the celebrant.
Music will again be provided by the Schola of the Chair of St. Peter
I hope that Catholics from Michigan and beyond will come and participate in this beautiful offering of the most perfect Sacrifice of worship and praise.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Catholics and Politics: A Faustian Bargain
My article "Our Faustian Bargain: Catholics Caught Between Parties" appears today over at Inside Catholic. The article is the fruit of my observation of, and growing impatience with, Catholics seeming to accommodate the principles of our Faith to the two dominant political parties. We, and the faith, are the losers in this process:
It seems to me that we are giving up too much in our willingness to play the political game by the rules the two parties give up. Rather than transforming our parties and politics, as our faith teaches we should, we are compromised and co-opted, and end up transformed (and not in good way) by our politics.
It seems to me that if we were serious about transforming our parties and policies by making the gospel the starting point of our politics, things would look a lot different:
Where are the Catholics in politics? We have Republican Catholics, and Democrat Catholics. How many of us are willing to be Catholic, first, foremost, and without compromise?
Read the whole piece.
My article "Our Faustian Bargain: Catholics Caught Between Parties" appears today over at Inside Catholic. The article is the fruit of my observation of, and growing impatience with, Catholics seeming to accommodate the principles of our Faith to the two dominant political parties. We, and the faith, are the losers in this process:
Many of us are volunteering to cooperate with evil, because we see no way out of the dilemma of aligning ourselves with one party or the other. In essence, faithful Catholics are forced to accept whatever bones the major parties and candidates throw us: If we think the Democrats offer more compassionate social policies and the prospect of ending the war in Iraq, we must tolerate their embrace of abortion and same-sex unions. If we think the Republicans offer the best hope of eliminating abortion-on-demand and defending marriage, we have to be willing to tolerate their embrace of "preventive" war and so-called enhanced interrogation techniques. Catholics, it would seem, are being forced to make Faustian bargains every time they enter the voting booth.
It seems to me that we are giving up too much in our willingness to play the political game by the rules the two parties give up. Rather than transforming our parties and politics, as our faith teaches we should, we are compromised and co-opted, and end up transformed (and not in good way) by our politics.
It seems to me that if we were serious about transforming our parties and policies by making the gospel the starting point of our politics, things would look a lot different:
If Catholics were really serious about "transforming" our parties and politics, things would look much different than they do today. For example, where is the Congressional Catholic Caucus? There is a Congressional Black Caucus, a Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a Serbian Caucus, and even a Congressional Boating Caucus. So where is the caucus devoted to bringing Catholic representatives and senators together across party lines to promote, defend, and advance Catholic teaching on matters of justice and the common good?
Where are the Catholics in politics? We have Republican Catholics, and Democrat Catholics. How many of us are willing to be Catholic, first, foremost, and without compromise?
Read the whole piece.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Extraordinary Form Mass a Success!
Last Sunday, as previously mentioned, we offered a Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form here at St. Stanislaus. I am happy to say that it was a wonderful occasion: We had a good turnout - approximately 80 people assisted. The Schola of the Chair of St. Peter sang very well, and my servers, who have been working to learn the Mass since the beginning of August, acquitted themselves wonderfully. I'm also happy to be able to report that, while I made a few mistakes, they were relatively minor ones (for example, once I raised my arms in the orans posture when I shouldn't have). I found celebrating the Mass an exhilarating experience.
Unfortunately, in my busyness in preparing for the Mass, I forgot to bring my camera over and have someone take photos! So I have no pictures of the Mass. I'm hoping that some of those in attendance took pictures.
Starting next Sunday, November 9, I will begin offering the Extraordinary Form regularly, on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. So in November, we will have Masses on the 9th and the 23rd. Masses on both dates will be at 9:30 AM.
As I mentioned, my servers worked for a couple of months to learn to serve the Traditional Latin Mass. And they did a superlative job on Sunday, due in large part to their preparation and work. Last Friday, October 24, we had our final practice and run-through for the Mass. Fr. Scott Haynes and Br. Robert of the Society of St. John Cantius in Chicago came up for the evening and helped me with rounding out their training. Fr. Haynes has also been good enough over the last month or so to work with me and give me some advice and criticism in developing my own ars celebrandi. I'm very grateful for all their help.
So, while I don't have any photos of the Mass, I do have some photos of our server training marathon from last Friday, which I hope will be of some interest:
Fr. Haynes and I work with the boys on the Gospel Procession
click on the photos to enlarge
One of the things that really pleased me about my servers was their ability to deduce for themselves some of the principles of serving the Mass without having to be told every detail repeatedly. For example, once they were shown how to move around the sanctuary for the incensation of the altar at the beginning of Mass, they simply went right into applying the same patterns for the incensation at the offertory. To see them thus anticipating and truly learning how the Mass works was a real pleasure.
Fr. Haynes demonstrates the use of the communion paten
Here's the whole crew of us:
I am very proud of my guys!
Last Sunday, as previously mentioned, we offered a Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form here at St. Stanislaus. I am happy to say that it was a wonderful occasion: We had a good turnout - approximately 80 people assisted. The Schola of the Chair of St. Peter sang very well, and my servers, who have been working to learn the Mass since the beginning of August, acquitted themselves wonderfully. I'm also happy to be able to report that, while I made a few mistakes, they were relatively minor ones (for example, once I raised my arms in the orans posture when I shouldn't have). I found celebrating the Mass an exhilarating experience.
Unfortunately, in my busyness in preparing for the Mass, I forgot to bring my camera over and have someone take photos! So I have no pictures of the Mass. I'm hoping that some of those in attendance took pictures.
Starting next Sunday, November 9, I will begin offering the Extraordinary Form regularly, on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. So in November, we will have Masses on the 9th and the 23rd. Masses on both dates will be at 9:30 AM.
As I mentioned, my servers worked for a couple of months to learn to serve the Traditional Latin Mass. And they did a superlative job on Sunday, due in large part to their preparation and work. Last Friday, October 24, we had our final practice and run-through for the Mass. Fr. Scott Haynes and Br. Robert of the Society of St. John Cantius in Chicago came up for the evening and helped me with rounding out their training. Fr. Haynes has also been good enough over the last month or so to work with me and give me some advice and criticism in developing my own ars celebrandi. I'm very grateful for all their help.
So, while I don't have any photos of the Mass, I do have some photos of our server training marathon from last Friday, which I hope will be of some interest:
click on the photos to enlarge
One of the things that really pleased me about my servers was their ability to deduce for themselves some of the principles of serving the Mass without having to be told every detail repeatedly. For example, once they were shown how to move around the sanctuary for the incensation of the altar at the beginning of Mass, they simply went right into applying the same patterns for the incensation at the offertory. To see them thus anticipating and truly learning how the Mass works was a real pleasure.
Here's the whole crew of us:
I am very proud of my guys!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Update on Extraordinary Form at St. Stanislaus
As previously announced, next Sunday, October 26, I will celebrate a Missa Cantata at my parish of St. Stanislaus. This is my first public celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, and the first such celebration at my parish in nearly 40 years.
I am very happy to announce that, starting on Sunday, November 9, I will begin offering the Traditional Latin Mass on a regular basis. I will offer the Mass twice a month, on the Second and Fourth Sundays of each month.
On Sundays when Low Mass is celebrated, Mass will be at 9:30 AM. On Sundays when Mass is sung, Mass will be at 1:00 PM.
The Masses on November 9 and November 23 will be Low Masses, and therefore will be offered at 9:30 AM. Complete schedules of Extraordinary Form Masses will be published periodically in the parish bulletin, on the parish website, and here at Thrown Back.
I hope, eventually, to be able to offer Mass in the Extraordinary Form every Sunday. If we develop good turnout and support for this effort, that will certainly move things along! I hope that many people, both from St. Stanislaus parish and beyond, will avail themselves of this opportunity to participate in the worship of the Church as it has been experienced by countless generations of our ancestors.
As previously announced, next Sunday, October 26, I will celebrate a Missa Cantata at my parish of St. Stanislaus. This is my first public celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, and the first such celebration at my parish in nearly 40 years.
I am very happy to announce that, starting on Sunday, November 9, I will begin offering the Traditional Latin Mass on a regular basis. I will offer the Mass twice a month, on the Second and Fourth Sundays of each month.
On Sundays when Low Mass is celebrated, Mass will be at 9:30 AM. On Sundays when Mass is sung, Mass will be at 1:00 PM.
The Masses on November 9 and November 23 will be Low Masses, and therefore will be offered at 9:30 AM. Complete schedules of Extraordinary Form Masses will be published periodically in the parish bulletin, on the parish website, and here at Thrown Back.
I hope, eventually, to be able to offer Mass in the Extraordinary Form every Sunday. If we develop good turnout and support for this effort, that will certainly move things along! I hope that many people, both from St. Stanislaus parish and beyond, will avail themselves of this opportunity to participate in the worship of the Church as it has been experienced by countless generations of our ancestors.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Extraordinary Form Coming to St. Stanislaus!
After much prayer, study, and preparation, I am pleased to announce that:
In Joyful Accord With the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum
of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI,
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church will offer a
Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite
(Missa Cantata)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
(Feast of Christ the King)
1:00 PM
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church
1871 136th Avenue
Dorr, Michigan
I will be the celebrant.
Music will be provided by the Schola of the Chair of St. Peter
I hope that Catholics from Michigan and beyond will come and participate in this historic event! This will be the first time in almost 40 years that the Traditional Latin Mass will be offered publicly at St. Stanislaus.
After much prayer, study, and preparation, I am pleased to announce that:
of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI,
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church will offer a
Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite
(Missa Cantata)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
(Feast of Christ the King)
1:00 PM
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church
1871 136th Avenue
Dorr, Michigan
I will be the celebrant.
Music will be provided by the Schola of the Chair of St. Peter
I hope that Catholics from Michigan and beyond will come and participate in this historic event! This will be the first time in almost 40 years that the Traditional Latin Mass will be offered publicly at St. Stanislaus.
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