WHO'S BEEN WORKIN' ON THE RAILROAD?
The Liturgical Marketplace

The summer before my first colloquium Wendy and I decided to visit relatives in North Carolina. We thought it would be quaint to take Amtrak cross-country via the southern route out of Los Angeles. We pony’d up first class. But we didn’t do our research and prep; Southern Pacific owns the single track from LA through NOLA to Atlanta. So, our train was stymied to side tracks time after time out of deference for freight trains. We made the best of it. Got into NOLA fifteen hours past the scheduled arrival. But us both having had wonderful train experiences throughout Europe caused us to wonder why we couldn’t have enjoyed as efficient and pleasurable journey on American soil via an American icon- transcontinental railroads?
A number of articles and commentary here in the Café, at MusicSacra Forum and elsewhere prompted me, once again, to ponder the economy that provides the artistic resources that serve celebrants, ministers, musicians and congregants at liturgies and devotions. Our friend and colleague Chironomo delivers this dart dead center bulls’ eye regarding worship “materials” and aides:

“The drive is on in many Diocese' across the country to implement the chants of the Missal beginning next year. Has there ever been an effort like this on behalf of music in the liturgy, at least in recent history? I don't think so.
My guess is that the likes of OCP and GIA just haven't caught up yet, as the much more agile on-line community that is supportive of traditional music has outmaneuvered them. While they are trying to figure out how to manage their copyright protections, freely downloadable settings of the new translation are making their way into parishes. OCP and GIA will, of course, get their share of the market....but they haven't had to face anything like this before and it appears they are either in denial or just slow to act.”

 I think that popularity in this era is worth less than whatever it costs to get one’s Warhol-ian 15 minutes. The denial mentioned above keeps the publishers mired in a perpetual and irrelevant past in which their CD’s and “albums” cannot keep up with either the pace of the delivery medium and the chicanery of their lack of authentic content. How long can an intransient, hide-bound and bloat-burdened system compete in a rapid and, let’s face it, fickle market? Someone “out there” with some modicum of talent and a unique hook can post their tune on YouTube on Thursday and be a “star” by Friday morning. 

Yet, the editorial staffs of the major, nominally Roman Catholic publishers function in some sort of Olympian monarchy, deliberating and deciding which heavyweight champion to keep in the hymnal rotation and which new upstart will get their big break and make the Show. And, of course, that system redounds to the many good people who provide the skills to keep that system working, from the senior managers, middle managers, and support staff.
But that system in American liturgical realpolitik is fixed not unlike a locomotive and its train of cars upon established networks of tracks. The recent film, “Unstoppable,” (about a runaway freight train) portrays an allegorical paradox where the Big Publishers can move large volumes of certain types of cargo, starting very slowly and with caution to make sure they are on the prescribed rail lines, but once they get up to speed they’re more or less held captive to those routes, period. And, God forbid, left unattended will gain momentum enough that could prove devastating not only to their own enterprise, but to the community in which they move. 

The iconic photograph of the moment the last spike was driven conjoining the monopolistic railroad companies (and its ideological import) through the establishment of a transcontinental means of human and freight transport and delivery, corresponds to a moment in a plenum USCCB convention a few winters ago wherein the issue of defining a so-called “white list” of approved hymn texts by the body of American bishops was tabled, and remains thus to this day, to the Sees of Chicago and Portland. And with the highest of regard for both Cardinal George and Archbishop Vlazny, has there been any evidence that there’s been direct oversight by their chanceries over the editorial content of the various organs of their respective publishing companies since that decision? Not really, the contents of the pulp missal/hymnals shift only in small fractional increments yearly, while the cost to both parish budgets and to the non-consolidation of a worthy liturgical repertoire are unwieldy and burdensome, and in effect useless in many regards. 

Through many other media, hundreds of options that are sourced either from the original Roman musical volumes or from new compositional resource centers (such as MusicaSacra, Corpus Christi Watershed and The St. Louis Liturgical Music Center) are literally moving through the airwaves for the taking. It would be foolish not to imagine that other new sources, not necessarily respectful of the Church’s musical patrimony but fashioned out of love for the liturgy are also being shared and distributed outside of the publishers’ network and clout. Again, if those whom some vilify as the “Liturgical Industrial Complex” don’t even ponder these realities, they risk becoming anachronistic antiques that simply parodied the culture of a bygone era. 

Has this ever occurred before so as to have been a lesson of history that could have reminded us not to tread that way again? Well, I have more than a few St. Gregory hymnals collecting dust amid the People’s Mass Books, the St. Basil, the Pius X, the Mount Mary’s, and a number of others that J. Vincent Higgenson spent years cataloguing. And then, among the non-nationalistic of those, English was the only “foreign” vernacular competing with the Mother Tongue.

The contingencies that will continue to vex the stability of any liturgical repertoire, whether at the national, metropolitan, diocesan or parish levels, will likely necessitate the expedience of a subscription-based missal/hymnal resource. There’s nothing to prevent any capable pastor and director of music/liturgy from opting out of that convenience with the abilities to access huge amounts of license-free, tried and culturally true Catholic music, and present it to congregations in “homegrown” hymnals, weekly pamphlets or visually projected forms. But, I personally don’t see a larger benefit to the whole Body of the Church in these individual opt-outs, either in practical or philosophical terms.


What I do see as possible is a scenario that theoretically pleases both progressive and traditional wings of liturgical music leadership, as well as a means by which the expressed vision of the Church that her bishops directly oversee the liturgical praxis and development within their Sees. 

Could not the USCCB/BCL authoritatively mandate all bishops to appoint diocesan councils of qualified musicians and directors according to a set of universal criteria, whose only duty is the collection, deliberation and indexing of a licit and comprehensive diocesan missal/hymnal that would, ideally, be so dutifully and scrupulously reviewed that it would, without question, receive the bishop’s imprimatur and nihil obstat, whether the resource was published by a yearly subscription or as a fixed hymnal by the very same publishers who offer us only their editions? 

I refuse to accept, until it is explained to me why, that the indexing and ordering of local, commissioned editions of paper or hardbound hymnals could not be compiled and indexed by the union of human editors and appropriate software programs. I formerly dubbed this the “boutique” hymnal. But I’m hopeful that a coalition of our hierarchy, the already “geared-up” publishing giants, the local bishops and their collaborative councils and the “boots on the ground” input from parish DM’s would result in a profound shift both towards the observance of universal standards, and the respect and appreciation for worthy additions of new repertoire from various cultural perspectives.


It is simply a fact that the dynamic tensions that are part and parcel of the options for musical expression at service to the liturgy will seem to most everyone involved as being self-contradictory. Gregorian (and other) chant achieving “principle place” (as opposed to the titular “pride of place”) at service will subjectively always be challenged by those who insist upon qualifying that place by citing the “all things being equal” argument. 

But it seems to me that if I were given an opportunity to serve on a diocesan music council whose tangible objective was the creation and dissemination of a valid, valuable local hymnal, I’d at least have no one to scapegoat for the paucity of repertoire choices in the one-size-fits-all products that have constituted the musical buffets and cafeterias that were “crafted” in corporate think tanks and labs as being the most generically profitable assortment that was consumer friendly, trendy and kept you wanting something “new and improved” every so often, but that was essentially just a variation or reorganization of the same components. It’s time for our trains to start flying.

In the “Missal chants” thread in which I cite Chironomo’s observation above, an anonymous commenter after him states,

“We have a rare opportunity at this moment in Church history to undo the collateral damage caused by a false interpretation and implementation of Sacrosanctum Concilium. There is nothing more spiritually powerful than priest and people chanting the Mass, whether in Latin or in the vernacular. That is where one finds both the majesty and simplicity of the Roman Mass.”  

This is the moment that we all must seize, including those who have confined themselves to the tracks and fortresses and economies that will, as all temporal human concerns do, eventually decay or become obsolete and irrelevant. I don’t wish that upon anyone affiliated with our Church, including the good souls working within “the complex.”

AVE VERUM CORPUS

by Charles Culbreth

performed by

Cross Seventh Station

St. Mary's, Visalia CA

Curmudgeonry:

We have met them,

And we are them!

One has to admire curmudgeons. Whether they're the truly crusty ones as exemplified by Walter Brennan as "The Real McCoy," or the blustery windbags like Archie Bunker. You can easily fall in love with them. Who didn't love Art Carney as Harry making his elephant walk journey with cat Tonto in tow? Then comes....Horace Rumpole, or for that matter, any character Leo McKern's ever inhabited. They can become a cottage industry, on the other hand, for good such as Ed Asner's forlorn widower in "Up" or as the ridiculous, scatological William Shatner character on "@#$% My Father Said" that is, if anything, a capitulation to Beavis/SouthPark consumerist zombies.

Well, wake up and if you've never met this priest, you should now. Invite him into your daily routine as if he were Orson Welles coming to dinner and taking up residence in your bed.

 The fetichising of Vatican II distracts attention from the real and significant and valuable actions of the Roman Magisterium, which deserve so very much better than the sneers directed at them by illiterate fools. Humanae vitae and Ordinatio sacerdotalis, slender volumes, are worth more than all the paper wasted at Vatican II. Documents of the CDF, keeping up with the errors proposed in areas of ethics by the World's agenda, represent the locus to which perplexed modern Catholics should turn for teaching and guidance.

Read more at http://liturgicalnotes.blogspot.com/2011/03/councils-4.html

In honor of our patroness, Mother of the World, Mother of God Mediatrix,
Theotokos.
AVE MARIA by Tomas Luis de Victoria
as performed by the College of Sequoias Concert Choir
Jeffrey Seaward, Director
March 1, 2011
St. Mary's Church, Visalia, California

ANIMA CHRISTI Premiere Performance
I composed this setting of the 14th century devotional prayer during
the summer of 2007. My dear friend, Professor Jeffrey Seaward of the
College of Sequoias here in Visalia, offered to take my manuscript and
realize it on March 1st of this year in our parish of St. Mary's. This is a
version inwhich only 8 of the 12 prayer petitions are set. I've had some
interest by some university choral directors since making its YouTube
debut, so perhaps we'll encounter a full realization of the whole piece
down the road. With gratitude and praise to God...

Best Cat Video, Ever!

Only Christ Could Truly Have Loved Us on Wall Street.

This is a post that comes from Left Field. But this isn't the Left Field of Dreams, which for me was an honor if you were chosen to occupy that sacred space beyond the diamond of the infield. This is the left field as in "Elvis has LEFT the building." But in this case, it ain't Elvis; his demise was handled, far away from the terror of the night that is TMZ or CNN. Whatever molecule of human dignity that was endowed to Sheen, Charlie, appears to have, at best, lapsed into dormancy.
I have admired the Sheen saga since I was a teen. I remember the taut, lean emergence of Martin (Estevez) Sheen as Private Eddie Slovak in a made for TV movie. The first of many roles that established this actor as an advocate of nobility among men, even if in the anti-hero or even villain. It's commonly known that as a devout young Catholic actor, Martin assumed the surname of his childhood exemplar, Bishop Fulton Sheen, for his stage name. And the actor has, to a greater extent, managed to exemplify his "on-the-sleeve Catholicism" not only in most of his roles (notably not the least, as POTUS on "West Wing") on screen but also off screen. Whether getting arrested outside the School of the Americas or some other liberal cause celebre, Martin Sheen has fought a good fight and come through the wiser, though scarred. His pivotal scene of self confrontation in real and reel life in "Apocalypse Now" had to be among the most powerful scenes of conversion from decadence and denial to fortitude and perseverence.
Many might have assumed that his younger son, Charlie, after some fitful and fitting burp roles in "Ferris Buellar" bits, might have hit the same gravitas with his performance in the second generation of Vietnam War revisionism, "Platoon." The Sheen charism, for me which extends to this day to Emilio, Martin's eldest son-actor, was in full bloom.
But the narcissist of Charlie's punk druggie in "Ferris" never seemed far from the surface of many of his roles, whether in enjoyable or farcical comedies such as "Major League" or "Hot Shots," or the dramatic roles such as in "Wall Street" or "The Arrival."
And the irony, a truly sad irony, is that Martin's "father figure" and Charlie's "rebel without a clue" was never more evident, though funny at the time, than as depicted by the clip above where they parody real/reel life with the unison gag line "I LOVED YOU in "Wall Street."
Most of the eyes and mouths of the "world" that lives on the carcasses of the demise of celebrity, whether of the Sheen, Lohan, Speers, Jackson or Presley species, won't at all think to bemoan either the loss of distraction and entertainment, or to condemn them to Mel Gibson perdition.
But, I would like to believe that Martin, a prodigal father for these times, has already prayed for the intercession of his namesake's petition to God on behalf of his woebegone son. And I join him in prayer to God in concert with the late bishop's legacy of witness and love, so that God's redemption may be made manifest and reside forever in Charlie's heart, as it appears to have done in Martin's.
May God be praised. May Charlie be saved. Amen.

Two New Terms in My Liturgical Lexicon

The very mention of “my” and “lexicon” generally strikes fear and loathing among my friends and fellowes here in St. Blogs. Why, within a couple of days, one of two dearest of my singing sisters in chant implied that my posts are rife with “hyperbole," (she’s correct, of course!) whilst the other worried that one of my posts at Musica Sacra was so “pithy” that the real me had been abducted!

Well, this post-Winter Chant Intensive article is intended to address a “boots on the ground and let’s chum the still waters” inquiry I made of Dr. Mahrt in New Orleans. (See that, I mixed metaphors already!) I asked whether there existed any historical precedence for having the Entrance Procession begin from the sacristy, as I’ve experienced at EF Masses, but in the OF.

So, here are the terms, courtesy of Dr. Mahrt’s reply: “Circumambulation” and “The Stuffed Mass.

To “circumabulate” according to Dictionary.com simply amounts to “walk(ing) or (to) go about or around, esp. ceremoniously.” It’s origin and source dates around “1656, from L. circumambulare , from circum "around" + ambulare "to walk.

A new agey website Kora Chronicles surprisingly offers a fairly apt (in synch with Dr. Mahrt’s definition)-

“Generally, circumambulation is to walk or move around something, especially as part of a ceremony or ritual. In a religious or spiritual context, circumambulation is performed around a special object, just as a shrine or an altar. A Catholic (celebrant) may circumambulate an alter, other priest or person, gifts etc while swinging a thurible of incense (also known as censing) as part of a blessing or ceremony. The number of times and the method used to swing the thurible is significant and, in some denominations, forms part of the liturgical law.”

“The Stuffed Mass,” as defined by Mahrt, is when we bereft directors have to stealthily deploy the proper antiphons (and verses) while maintaining the practice of having congregational hymns sung AT THE SAME MASS. The good professor neither condemned nor endorsed the practice, but simply acknowledged that “on our journey to the kingdom” many of us (like me) are using the Introit as a de facto prelude, wedding an Offertorio to the so-called Hymn of the Day, and chanting the Communio during the quarter hour it takes for the EMHC’s to receive H.C. and the ciboria and chalices, followed by the Communion processional hymn, etc.

In this post I would like you folks to either raise or lower the standard (flag) of proposing the practice of circumambulation for the Entrance Procession as a legitimate way to accommodate the singing of both a hymn and a proper. Isn’t it the standard practice at our churches to have the celebrant and ministerial entourage leave the sacristy to the exterior of the church and re-assemble at the narthex for the entrance? And if that is so, doesn’t that require some sort of “cue” for the congregation to rise? And from that point, all of the strategic issues and disputes about partipatio activa (congregational singing), or antiphonal singing/chanting between the choir/schola and congregation of the Introit, or the congregation visually “taking in” the deeper meaning by actively viewing the procession, or more mundane concerns as to how many verses of a hymn are to be sung, or is it a processional hymn or “gathering song”…. Could circumambulation remediate most of those concerns?

But what is the “special object” being recognized should the celebrant’s entrance begin with the ring of the Introit bell, the procession moving through the sanctuary and into the nave via a side aisle and then without interruption (or a "meet and greet" outside of the church beforehand) proceeding up the main aisle to the sanctuary again, where reverencing, incensation, etc. would constitute an uninterrupted liturgical action? Well, couldn’t that “object” be the “priesthood of believers” called the Faithful? (Well, maybe yeah, Charles. But wouldn’t that mean that only half of the congregation would be so recognized?) Not if you approach the Offertory Procession by using the same procedure for the other half of the congregation!

“Oooohhhh, that’s a BINGO!” (exclaimed Colonel Hans Landa in the film “Inglourious Basterds.) Then we could stuff those two processions with the hymn whilst the ministers are ambulating in the nave, and seamlessly transition to the proper chant/homophonic/polyphonic setting upon their return to the sanctuary.

But really, as everyone knows, I’m not an academic. But I am given the office of fulfilling the Church’s directives for optimal worship. I do know that this, to some, might seem to blur or transgress what are considered to be clearly delineated options in the GIRM. But, as Dr. Mahrt outlined in his wonderful schematic drawing (above)* of his experiences of various types of circumambulation at Salisbury Cathedral, it might just advance among the people a higher appreciation for the function and arts associated with processions.
*Just in case you're interested, I've copyrit the graphic above as "The Munchian Scream of the Presider!" However, Dr. Mahrt believes it more resembles an example of Scott Turkington's method of chironomy. You make the call.

A Hauntingly Beautiful, Singable GLORY TO GOD
by Jeffrey Mark Ostrowski of Corpus Christi Watershed
and Chabanel Psalm Renown.

Gloria in honor of Blessed Ralph Sherwin (†1581) from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Mr. Ostrowski seems to possess an innate sense of how graceful motion and forward movement of a chanted melody can be beautifully mirrored in his sparing harmonic assignments, particularly in the movement of the bass line. Note the rising scale of the bass underneath "and on earth, peace to people of good will," suggesting our human aspiring to be "of good will."  And a likewise arsic "longing" reaching its apex on a-DORE You" seems both human and angelic.
An interest expansion from 2nds/3rds to closely clustered 7th chords that progressively radiate outwards in the organ to richer, tonally cadential chords accompanies "You take away the sins of the world" in the first use of that phrase, and then Ostrowski avoids repeating the same technique with the re-utterance of that phrase. And he uses some deceptive cadences in different ways to beautiful purpose. Instead of resolving to the Mixolydian "final" he prepares a lovely double suspension, and then again uses a D minor deception for "Lord Jesus Christ" instead of an F Major. Very compelling.
I believe that congregations will find enough repetitive melodic phrases to intuit where their "going" if they don't actually ever look at the notes.
I wonder if there might be opportunity, down the road to explore some choral options or variations, particular as they approach more solid cadences. But, as new settings go, this is a huge and high bar he's created.

May choirs of angels lead you into paradise….

“Auntie Em, it’s a twister, it’s a twister!”

Yes, Dorothy, and there will come more, and more, and more after that.

At my friend Todd’s site, Catholic Sensibility, he’s engaged a couple of articles echoing a great deal of rhetoric concerning causality for the “Tragedy in Tucson.” I’m not going there, here.


“Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere,
Aeternam habeas requiem.”

We are mandated to sing well, and thus twice pray according to Augustine, this as we commend the care of the soul of the departed to God’s will.

My father and my wife’s father, to the best our knowledge as we thankfully weren’t present, both took their own lives. Would we, knowing both that their acts were grave, mortal sin, but also knowing that according to our Church’s Catechism their souls are disposed to the mercy of God, sing “In paradisum” for them if we had it in our power to revisit those horrific moments of our young lives? Yes. Amen. So be it.

Beyond that, songs and words of prayer and reconciliation, not derision and condemnation should be the voiced thoughts and feelings from our hearts, minds and souls.

Not just for those directly involved, killed, wounded, recovering and mourning from the inexplicable act, but for the tortured soul of the perpetrator, his parents, his friends, for those who likely will agonize over what more they could have done that could have altered the chronology of events that has catapulted more chaos into our daily clamor.

Prayers for the school administrators, faculty and fellow students of Loughner, who wondered in fear and took tentative steps to mitigate his potential danger. Prayers for his parents, for the police, the Fish and Game warden who stopped him for running a red light Saturday morning, ran his plates according to protocol, and sent him on his way. Prayers for the Sporting Goods employees who processed his federal application for a handgun permit and then delivered it to him for purchase with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and multiple magazines to load, the data entry clerks and officials who process and evaluate those forms for any digital red flags assessing his legal right to purchase a handgun. Prayers for a system so clearly capable of creating digital dialogue among regulatory agencies, but for sundry reasons cannot or will not construct them for our own protection, as has been done in the wake of 9/11 and the Murrow Oklahoma bombing aftermaths with profiling and TSA installations.

We, who remain for now, cannot “requiescat in pacem.” We have to love, forgive, share, welcome, console, visit, feed, and pray.

The following is an article written by my wife, Wendy.Today marks  the celebration of our 37th wedding anniversary, I would like to take a moment to encourage all of us who assist the Faithful with their musical worship to also celebrate and honor our spouses and partners in life who generally do the "both/and" tasks of supporting us with our domestic and family concerns as well as often directly bolstering our musical enterprises with their amazing talents.

Many readers are familiar with my husband, Charles, who spends time with his colleagues here in the Chant Café and Optima Musica discussing, with devotion, our Holy Mother Church and her liturgy. I am an estate administration paralegal by profession but have had the joy of working beside my husband in the ministry of pastoral music since 1974.

This year, after attending two Colloquium and listening to Charles’ experience at Chant Intensive in San Diego two years ago, I decided to join the many others this past week in New Orleans in the Beginning chant seminar offered by Scott Turkington. Approaching the seminar facility - a two story building nestled in the courtyard behind the rectory of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, it seemed only fitting that those of us beginning our study of chant, its history and performance, its prayer, ascended two flights of stairs to spend a week learning from our instructor and, often, being supported from below by the strains of chant melody sung by the Advanced seminar members led by Dr. William Mahrt (Charles included...). The week passed in that manner...ascending to learn, descending to reflect and to join with the other seminar attendees to share experiences and, finally, to sing at the solemn celebration of the Mass for Epiphany with Benediction and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. What a glorious week!

Our beginning group gathered from Canada to California, Minnesota to New Mexico, and was made up of professional directors and brand new volunteer directors seeking tools to use in locating repertoire and teaching their choirs; cantors and choir members (new members and experienced members); seminarians, deacons and priests, all there to invest themselves in the beauty of chant as clergy; together with new Catholics without musical backgrounds seeking the beauty of their new faith in the ancient chant of the Church...all of us, together, hoping to gain an understanding of the neumes and nuances of modes and the ictus, propers and ordinaries, solfeggio and lonely punctums, psalm tones and chironomy...word accents...all elements illuminated through Scott’s expertise and dedication.

Ascending those stairs for each session brought all of us into the presence of a master teacher...Scott saw each of us at our ability level and need and was able, in a room of 35-40 individuals, to gather us into the one voice of the chant melody with care and confidence, humor (“Oh...listen to the semiologists downstairs...” Scott would quip) and challenges! Each aspect of chant study was accompanied by authoritative references to Solemnes masters and historical writings, anecdotes offered by Scott from his personal experience of Gregorian chant study and his own writings which informed the instruction along the way. Scott conducted through our stumblings and rejoiced in our successes as we learned Mass IX, the Introit and Communion antiphon for Epiphany, the Te Deum Laudamus and other chants for the Friday celebrations.

Our Beginning seminar, now a familiar ensemble, descended the steps of St. Patrick’s last Friday to take up our journeys with and through Gregorian chant in our own communities. For my part, I have given up Sudoku to spend time with a pencil (with eraser!), my PBC (Parish Book of Chant) and Gregorian Missal, and the rules of chant worksheets now rough-edged and worn. There with me, as I pour over the 2s and 3s and liquescents, is Scott with his smile, lifted palate and pitch to voice the Great Song at the heart of our worship. Deo gratias!

Thank you, Scott, for everything. See you, and hopefully many of our Beginning seminar members, at Colloquium in Pittsburgh!

PS from Charles:
The blue skies above the Gothic beauty of St. Patrick's, the Pro-Cathedral of New Orleans, attest to the notion of recovery and clarity, after tumult and devastation, both things that our liturgy and NOLA/Gulf States residents have experienced accutely over the last number of years. But as is stated in Chant Café's mission statement excerpted from St. Augustine, "singing is for those who love."
Happy Anniversary, my beloved Wendy.

BISHOP JOHN T. STEINBOCK, RIP

Local Television Report and Obituary
click link above

Bishop John Steinbock, leader of the Diocese of Fresno, died this morning at 3:15 a.m. at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno surrounded by family and friends, said Msg. Ray Dreiling at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Visalia. Steinbock was diagnosed in August with Stage 3 lung cancer.
"He went very fast," Dreilng said.
On Saturday afternoon, Dreiling went to Fresno to say his goodbyes to the Bishop.
Although he was unconscious, Dreling said he spoke to him and offered a blessing.
"I told him that I loved him," he said. "I told him 'You're the best Bishop a priest could ever have.'"
Steinbock came to the Diocese of Fresno 19 years ago from Los Angeles, Dreiling said. He was last in Visalia to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation in the spring at St. Mary's.
Memorials for the Bishop and Mass times have not been scheduled yet, he said.
His successor will be appointed by Pope Benedict XVI following an investigative process, he said. In the meantime, a priest will be elected by a board of diocesan priests to run the day to day operations of the diocese which stretches roughly from the coastal mountains to the Nevada border and from Mariposa County to Frazier Park.

 
Bishop was clearly, from day one, a man of and for El Pueblo de Dios. The one affectation of his that I'll always remember was ironically related to another thread going on now about English diction: bishop said the word "believe" always with one syllable- "b'leve." It was an endearing oddity. As a believer, however, he appeared the genuine article. And as faithful a pastor and shepherd in as convoluted, geographically and demographically challenging diocese that one could imagine. He restored fiscal integrity that had eroded. And though not being a particularly interested liturgist, he did always celebrate with evident joy and with, again, genuine faith evident to all. Like all bishops in this era, any detractors fomented secretly and sometimes anonymously on the net and in small, "when sheep attack" cabals to no avail. He always preached and practiced reconciliation and redemption first and foremost, for his people and, when needed, for his priests that needed his counsel, direction and encouragement. If his liturgical savvy wasn't everyone's cup of tea, he more than compensated for that with his unwavering commitment to social justice and gospel values. His tastes were of the people as well. I think that as much as he would love to have presided over one more Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, what the Rock now has dubbed "American Catholicism's primary holiday," he seemed quite prepared to celebrate her feast in her presence personally if that was God's will. And he, even in the last few days, kept a conscious interest in calling some of his pastor priests from his bed and checking up on local projects and interests, which in some cases proved disconcerting for the priest on the other end of the line! But that was typical Bishop John.

He "b'leved" in His Lord and savior Jesus, the Holy Spirit and his Heavenly Father with a ever present smile during his homilies. He also "b'leved" in the essential inclination of his fellow humans towards goodness and charity. And he lived as he "b'leved."

This morning's Masses heard Lloyd-Webber's "Pie Jesu" as a prelude, the Introit Antiphon "Requiem" and a congregational singing of "In paradisum" in Latin at the dismissal and recessional of the pastor.

 Interesting week thus far in St. Blogs-

While being corrected and rebuffed (or “re-Ruffed©,” which I will copyright!) for the umpteenth time at PrayTell, the good (I mean that) monk referred me to a rejoinder earlier in the combox in which he ‘splained his admonition towards those who can’t keep their respective liturgical and gospel values in proportion:

“And for those traditionalists who are too easily offended: there’s really no reason, from a Christian standpoint, for putting down where someone was in the past, or where the Church was in the past.”

It actually occurred to me that, after admonishing me to “calm down,” he was referring me to that post and quote as if it was SOP, Standard Operating Procedure, to typify my objectionable (to him) commentary as justification for plopping “Charles Culbreth” right down into the bin labeled “traditionalists.”

And on the heels of that realization naturally rose within me the obvious, “He don’t know me vewy well, do he?” Ergo,

Ego:

*A Christian believer who tries to yield always to God’s will, rather than my own…
*An artist who believes that God endowed to me particular talents…
*A leader of other talented Christians who desire to thank God
  with use of those same talents given them.
*That leader who, over many years, tries to be both
*An example and witness to Christ’s two ultimate commandments and
*An intentional, obedient disciple to Him and the Church He founded
*A failure on numerous, incalculable occasions to manifest that discipleship

*A soul who rejoices in God, My Savior and

*An instrument, like our Virgin Mother Mary, which magnifies Him

*A sinner who is called to repent of misdeeds and ill thoughts

*A joyful spirit, who accepts forgiveness,
  offers reconciliation with confidence in God

*A seeker in mind, heart and soul; who recognizes strangers first as friends

*A singer of songs, a composer of melodies, an instrumentalist in God’s service

*A fellow traveler towards salvation, a host to those in need,
  a listener more than orator

*Not alone, but am of free will to enjoin with other souls in communion with His will.

*And not a category, a diminution, a reduction, a type, a belligerent, an adversary.

*And certainly not whatever another, for good or ill, 
  would make me, save Christ my Lord.

Soli Deo Gloria, Amen.

I suppose I could have employed dynamic equivilency for all of that:
"Don't Fence Me In!"

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should.

What you need to master...
if you want to chant or sing
PROPERLY.

O Quam Gloriosum-
Tomas Luis de Victoria
Dear Schola Members,
Now and then we can thank God for "modernity" when it serves beauty from of antiquity!
Enjoy and learn....

Happy News

Over at the Musica Sacra Forum, I alluded to the LA Guitar Quartet's virtuosity. I've also shared there the encounter I had one summer workshop with Paul Salamunovich, where I gave him a CD containing the following version of his protege, Morton Lauridsen's famous "Dirait on" from Rilke's Flower Poems. Here is a YouTube performance that has the LAGQ version with some shadow imaging.
I would like to dedicate this post to our bishop, John Steinbock, who is ailing.

UPDATE ON BSP. STEINBOCK

November 21, 2010

From our pastor, as well as some published news sources:

Bishop John's blood clotting issues have both presented in his legs, but more urgently in his lungs. By what was said, I infer he is not intibated, but is receiving oxygen constantly in the ICU via mask delivery. He cannot receive any visitations, apparently even from our Vicar General. 

I realize that in the narrow, earth-bound bandwith of the web (apt term, that) that is Satan's playground, there are many who have leveled criticism at our bishop, other bishops as well as the priesthood in general over the last generation for various earned and presumed reasons. But all that aside, we cannot fail to be Christians toward any soul in need of comfort, and particularly those of our ordained clergy.

Who among us has not injured others as well as having been injured? It's very simple, everyday 24/7- we are to love one another as He loved us.

Pray for Bishop John, because he has prayed for us, and we will need the prayers of others as we are put to the test. It is our measure, make no mistake.  

November 15, 2010

Bishop John Steinbock has been hospitalized in critical, but stable condition. A spokesperson for Saint Agnes Medical Center confirmed he is being treated there, but would not say why he was hospitalized. The Bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno announced in August that he had lung cancer.

As we look forward to this potentially momentous week as our bishops convene, one of their brothers will not be in attendance. Bsp. John Thomas Steinbock was diagnosed with a st.3/4 level of lung cancer just over a month ago, and is currently hospitalized at St. Agnes Hospital due to blood clotting issues. He has, according to all sources, remained upbeat and confident that he will come out of this current hospitalization, get in a round or two.

Though he'd likely not describe himself as a particularly liturgically savvy celebrant, he has always demonstrated an obvious love of the Lord as a celebrant, and an ardent advocate for social justice, right to life, youth ministries, R/E and a myriad of ecclesial concerns.

When you have a moment....

Through Christ, our Lord, Amen.

How Do You Solve a Problem Named "Marty?"

This is in response to a new poster over at the Musica Sacra Forum who's taken a DM position and is definitely a Reform of the Reform kind of director, as is his pastor that recently hired him. He has a a program that includes a small, but proficient traditional choir, cantors and.....

However, there is a small group in the choir that forms an "ensemble" that performs once a month at mass. This is a group of four people...three guitars and one bass guitar. They play Haugen and other songs in the same style and only want a piano as an embellishment (sic) to their guitars.


What is the best approach to begin "converting" this group over to more traditional forms of music and get them to accept my wishes for the music program without offending them and having them leave the choir? The prior music coordinator was there for over 20 years and was very loose with her ensembles and allowed questionable practices. I don't want to be the big bad new director who is trying to create emenies.

Has anyone else experienced this problem, and what have you done to slowly move away from this kind of polarization?

Could you provide some additional information? Some questions will follow this response.

I would suggest that the notion of “conversion” is a misnomer. People do “convert” by persuasion or coercion, but mostly people “evolve” as they survive and/or thrive. I also would ask whether you mean to accept your influence and leadership by your credentials as the “coordinator,” or by your taking the time to integrate (take it or leave it, you are now part of the “body” that is your parish and its ministerial groups) your talents as musician, leader and liturgical resource? Two things indicate that your influence might be welcomed, your skills as a keyboardist, and that the pastor supports and shares your “vision.” Whatever you’ve heard inferred about the previous coordinator’s legacy remains a moot point; you are simply on track if you really want not to emerge onto the scene like Moses with some smokin’ new commandments. First of all, you’ll need to remember that these four people likely regard themselves as just as much family, or fellow travelers than just a long-lived ensemble. Whether their musical chops are decent, great, static or insufficient is irrelevant to what your job is: you’re called to help them evolve in their skills of choosing, preparing, leading and performing worship music that is in concert with the mind and laws of the Church, and to lives as prayerful and faithful Christians. So, are you prepared to greet and meet them at their level, and then offer your skills to augment their modalities successfully, and gain their trust, respect and interest in your influence?



Questions:

*Has either the former coordinator or the leader of the ensemble kept a decent catalog of their “Orders of Music” for whatever number of years? You must have a much more thorough knowledge of their repertoire choices for Ordinaries, Psalters and (presumably) songs/hymns that have comprised the majority and preferences of that repertoire. Typifying this aspect as “Haugen” isn’t beneficial. You might find that certain pieces performed regularly are musically, liturgically and textually a cut above, and be able to show them appreciation for those choices with some sort of “attaboy.”

*If there are no such records easily accessible, make the time to meet with the ensemble (leader) and do a thorough inventory of what they have “in stock” based upon the hymnal or worship aide that is used.

*What is that primary music source? GIA Ritualsong, Gather; OCP MI/BB?.....

*Informally assess if they’ve ever ventured, as Kathy suggested, beyond the genre of the sacropop song? Have they interpreted hymns, or even chants with their plucked/strummed guitars and bass?

*Are they first and foremost, competent and capable vocalists and leaders of the sung text? Do they work on basic skills of blend, balance, good tessitura choices for the congregations they lead, etc. Do they insure that the melody voice is pre-eminently necessary without being over bearing? Do they obscure the melody by an inclination towards incessant harmonization or vocal improvisation?

*Are their performance skills relatively similar? Do they all strum? Do they arpeggiate either with flat picks or finger picking? Do they obviously demonstrate that notated chord inversions are observed, if not understood? Does the bass player also understand that such note movement is important towards the artful rendition of such songs; a.k.a. not always playing the root of a given chord? Do the guitarists prepare each song with a variety of interpretive methods: transposition via capoing that adds to the sonorities that support the song melody in wider registers?

*Have they demonstrated interest in expanding their repertoire and modalities, even if only for their own benefit, if not the parish’s?

*Can they read new material off the page, or are they dependent upon recordings?

*Have they attended any skills improvement events sponsored by their diocese or NPM or such?



These sorts of “information gathering” tasks might provide this group and other musicians the notion that you don’t regard “them,” prima facie, as a “problem” but an opportunity. Polarization is a problem, but not a normal state of being. It is a human reaction to conflict between intractable parties. There is nothing inherently wrong with allotting sufficient time to the task called “getting to know you, getting to know ALL about you.” And that works two ways.

A FATHER DADE CHRISTMAS CONCERT

With full disclosure, our Advent/Christmas Annual Concert title is a misnomer, though it’s meant as a quaint and humble homage to our founder. Though it’s hard to imagine, Christmas music, carols especially, have proven not to be the centerpiece of sacred seasonal concerts of a hundred-years yore.
We have endeavored to reconstruct a facsimile of “American” Roman Catholic music as it was practiced and heard during the years of Fr. Dade’s formation and service in Philadelphia, and what of that repertoire might have eventually emigrated with him to California, Visalia and St. Mary’s. In addition, we have researched period catholic hymnals of the mid to late 19th century for carol texts, Spanish-language “villançicos” and other song forms that would have likely been sung during Fr. Dade’s tenure as Visalia’s pastor.
Virtually the only musical forensic evidence in Fr. Dade’s biography, THE APOSTLE OF THE VALLEY, denotes that “entertainments” that included music and dance benefited the building of the second church building in 1872 and that the parish did have an organist/music teacher for the parish school children. Speculation about exact musical pieces is all that remains from that. However, the book states “, “Music was provided by a quartet who went in a special conveyance from Visalia; they rendered ‘Peter’s Mass in D’ ‘ in a beautiful and impressive manner.”
Thanks be to God, the very pleasant agents of the Library of Congress and the University of Louisville, we were able to locate that very Mass setting and secure copies. Before discussing this work and others, I must also give great appreciation to my colleagues Ed Teixeira (Organist/Director-St. David’s, Richmond CA), Dr. Doug Shadle, (Musicologist at the U. of Lousiville), and Dr. Mike O’Connor, (Musicologist of Palm Beach Atlantic University), for providing veins of sheer gold for me to mine.
The “Peter” of the “Mass in D Major” was composed by Williams Cummings Peters, whose personal history is associated with the great Stephen Foster. Peters was a noted Catholic choir director who also compiled and published a number of catholic hymnals that bore striking resemblance to the forms of denomination hymnals of that era, using the terms “Harmonist” and “Harp,” as in the famed “Sacred Harp” school of shape note singing used for worship and music literacy. Peters’ Mass is grounded in a sort of Hadyn meets Mozart European style. The two movements from the Mass that we will perform are the Gloria (most appropriate as it is the hymn the angels sang to the newborn Christ at His Nativity) and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God.) The Gloria contains a pastiche of melodic “scenes” which could lightly be called “text painting.”
Another great “find” was an emigrant German Philadelphian composer, Albert RoSewig (b.1846) who had many Victorian-era hymns, carols and motets. The choir will sing my arrangement of his setting of the AVE MARIA, as well as his setting of a Communion motet “O Salutaris Hostia” and another period piece for Christmas.
An amazing piece that we will feature is yet another Philadelphian, J. Remington Fairlamb’s “Great” TE DEUM, a hymn of praise sung at the New Year and at great feast days. This piece is significant in that Fairlamb uses English rather than Latin (unusual for the era) and for some compelling musical harmonic devices that are unique to my ear. Fairlamb was designated by Abraham Lincoln to be a consul to Switzerland as well!
More traditional carols such as “Adeste Fideles” and “What Child is This?” we have located in the “Young Catholic’s Hymnal” circa 1870 that contain verse lyrics that are stunningly different than those we sing today. We will enjoin the audience in the singing of these “discovered” texts.
As mentioned earlier, the choirs will also sing Christmas “villançicos.” These are a hybrid form of European polyphonic motets with native (Nahuatal) folk idioms of the post-conquisition and missionary era in Mexico. They are incredibly beautiful Spanish “carols.” Though there is no evidence that this music was sung in St. Mary’s, there is plenty of evidence they were sung daily across the central coast range in the Franciscan missions in this era.
And we will be joined by our own Gregorian Schola of St. Francis, led by Ralph Colucci, for a selection of Advent, Nativity and Epiphany proper chants that were hopefully sung by the children's choir in those pioneer times.
We hope the entire Visalia music-loving community will join us at 4pm, December 18th for our “antique” concert celebrating our history.

Stephen Hawking, Dies Irae and
Lux Aeterna
A Disordered Universe
What do you, me, Stephen Hawking and Christopher Hitchens have in common with every other sentient biological being on this or other planets? We all know not for whom the bell tolls at any given moment, and that at one singular moment that bell will toll for our mortal lives.
What of the differences between Professor Hawking and Mr. Hitchens and most other humans on the planet? Is it their respective contributions to the sciences and literary arts that attest to lives fully lived despite profound encumbrances and virtually intolerable challenges? Is it their shared resolve that “G*d” can be totally dispensed with once and for all; reduced to the status of a frontal lobe or an appendix? Just incise them from the body and we’ll all be the better for it.
Rail on, Dr. Hawking! Rant on, Mr. Hitchens. And more power to both of you if power of thought is the prime mover in your self regard and existence. And when your respective bells toll (none too soon I hope), I pray you greet Carl Sagan, Mark Twain and René Descarte with salutations from the rest of us.

The highly publicized excerpt from Dr. Hawking’s forthcoming
THE GRAND DESIGN:

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing," the excerpt says. "Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to ... set the Universe going."

I wonder if anyone (as I’m too lazy to google and find out actually) noticed that someone capitalized the word “universe” in this excerpt? I am happy to not contend whether there is some specific intent or agenda, either on Hawking’s part or whomever edited the excerpt. But it is likewise difficult to ignore that capital “U” as signifying a mere semantical substitution of one entity, the personal entity that is the invoked “God,” for the impersonal, substantial and observable entity known as the “universe.” But, whether it is mere wordplay, Hawking’s words reverences the laws of his universe in an absolute manner that is not much different than the processes of prayer and ritual. Or so I think.

To Diane Sawyer, he continued “What could define God ... as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that God," Hawking told Sawyer. "They made a humanlike being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible."
When Sawyer asked if there was a way to reconcile religion and science, Hawking told her, "There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works."

At first I thought Hawking was confusing the existence of God with the meaning of religion. Silly me. He linked the two by invoking human industry and authority as being the original creator of “God.” We needed a superior, nee supreme being to made in our image, for what purpose Hawking only implies: because humans have always innately realized “how insignificant an(d) accidental human life is…..impossible…” even. That is some disordered thinking there, yes?! But if religion fails because it is founded upon a human invention, institution and, to Hawking its worst failing, authority, where has science succeeded and won when it, too, is dependent upon human observation, reason, deduction, and (surprise) authority? In the accidental universe, the self created Universe, science may indeed work, but to what end? The ultimate unified theory that explains it all once and for all, amen? And what if whichever scientist, a physicist, a molecular/neurological biologist, an anthropologist, a chemist, a mathematician, whomever lays it all out for us and posterity, where in all that is the meaning of it all? Or is that disordered, flawed human longing disguised as thought and reason, and thus irrational?

As Christians, we believe and profess that our own salvation and sanctification is our sole purpose in life. On so many levels, that revealed truth has ordered human existence and conduct: throughout history, among all societies and peoples since the proto-human creature had developed the capacity to comprehend that he did stand alone among all other creatures, and that he also understood that he couldn’t have been self-created. He was not alone, or an accident. There was, for him, Another. A Greater. A Creator. And in most of human hearts throughout time, that compelled a longing within the human creature. To be united with his Creator.

But likewise, there have likely always been a few human “hearts” a lack of longing that can only be filled by that which will ever remain a mystery while those hearts beat. That mystery must be explained only by what can be observed, tested, proven to the best of the intellect’s capacity. In the good professor’s circumstances, it is surely sensible and lamentable that given the genius and brilliant intellect with which he was endowed, to overcome the ironic gaol of his human condition and share his gifts with his profession and the world, he would also feel it necessary to finally choose to travel a path to his destiny alone. If that is his comfort and succor now, finally, we should bid him God’s speed and safe journey. It has been said that Mother Teresa said that God presents to each of us daily someone who is disfigured, but remains the very image of Christ. And we are thus daily provided with a sacred time to minister to that soul and its disorder as if it were Christ. By accepting that discipline daily we prepare ourselves for our own, ultimate and real encounter with the Risen Christ. In encountering those who reject us, we are provided the opportunity to receive God’s grace by our response to them, or to likewise lose His grace if we squander or ignore that opportunity in that very moment.

We believe that creation is ordered in, among other things, time. We have recognized the sacral nature of time in the rituals God has revealed and articulated for us. But within that order remains free will and randomness. Mark those moments with small professions of humility, the saints have told and shown us over centuries. “I love You, Lord Jesus….have mercy on me a sinner, Lord Jesus…….I thank You, Lord Jesus, for my life….” Keeping our “eye on the prize” means knowing we ultimately and only desire salvation and sanctification before our Maker, our Creator, our God.


Introit
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Te decet hymnus Deus, in Sion,
et tibi reddetur votum in Ierusalem.
Exaudi orationem meam;
ad te omnis caro veniet.
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
A hymn becomes you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall a vow be repaid in Jerusalem.
Hear my prayer;
to you shall all flesh come.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them

Libera Me

Libera me, Domine, de morte æterna, in die illa tremenda:
Quando cæli movendi sunt et terra.
Dum veneris iudicare sæculum per ignem.
Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo, dum discussio venerit, atque ventura ira.
Quando cæli movendi sunt et terra.
Dies illa, dies iræ, calamitatis et miseriæ, dies magna et amara valde.
Dum veneris iudicare sæculum per ignem.
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Deliver me, O Lord, from death eternal on that fearful day,
when the heavens and the earth shall be moved,
when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
I am made to tremble, and I fear, till the judgment be upon us, and the coming wrath,
when the heavens and the earth shall be moved.
That day, day of wrath, calamity, and misery, day of great and exceeding bitterness,
when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord: and let light perpetual shine upon them.

In paradisum
In paradisum deducant te Angeli:
in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,
et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem.
Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat,
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.

May Angels lead you into paradise;
may the Martyrs receive you at your coming
and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem.
May a choir of Angels receive you,
and with Lazarus, who once was poor, may you have eternal rest.

To me, that is the “stuff” of stars. Amen.

In the solemn recreation of the ancient traditions and rites of the Hebrew Passover, the Christian Church integrates the chronicle of God’s creation of the universe, time, our earth and, of course, His people and the Covenants He established with us, and the progress of salvation history in much the same manner as the ancient Jews marked time during Passover while in exile, namely the re-telling of those sacred stories from what we now call the Old Testament. The night before the pre-eminent holy day in the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday, we celebrate the Great Vigil, in which moments of God’s interaction with His Chosen People are sequentially ordered and re-called from the scriptures. And this accounting begins with Genesis, chapter one, a virtual timepiece of our creation. The Great Vigil of Easter proceeds from this sacralized recounting of epochs of time to other liturgies (“works for the people”.) But I mention this to make crystal clear that ritually “marking time” has been integral to God’s plan of salvation from day one.

On September 8, 2010, the Catholic Churches of Visalia will mark the occasion of the birth of the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patron saint of our parish, by celebrating a Solemn Vespers Service in the evening. This ritual event will also serve to initiate a year-long observance of the 150th year since the founding of St. Mary’s Church in Visalia by Father Daniel Dade. The Solemn Vespers Service will be an occasion when not only Roman Catholics, but Christians of all denominations who profess the ancient Christian creeds are most welcomed to attend and join in full participation. In the modern era, this service will also restore a practice of marking the hours of the day that Jesus himself, His apostles and followers of the Way practiced in apostolic times. Most adult Catholics of our times might only have a slight knowledge that our clergy: bishops, priests and deacons mark certain hours of each day by the recitation of the office, or the Liturgy of the Hours. But more and more laity are coming to know that this practice is not, in any way, restricted to ordained clerics through the spreading of information in media like EWTN Television, Immaculate Heart Radio, periodicals such as “Magnificat” and internet and smart-phone applications. And the daily office of hourly prayers isn’t a uniquely Catholic enterprise as well.

The order of worship of a vespers service is in union with this account from Acts 2:42- those baptized in Christ, after his resurrection “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the community, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” And from whom did this devotion proceed? From Jesus Christ, the very model and ideal of prayer to God. He provided us with the epitome of prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, as well as commanding us throughout His Ministry to “pray, ask and seek.” He taught us that not only is prayer necessary, but that it should be humble, vigilant, persevering, confident, single-minded and in conformity with God’s nature. In so many words, we Christians are called by our Savior to integrate prayer into each and every day’s regular activities, and consecrate our time and actions to the glory of God. This also serves to recognize Christ as both bridge and fulfillment of the Old Covenant with that of the New. The apostle Simon Peter, or Cephas, to whom Jesus entrusted His Church and three times exhorted to “feed my lambs, tend my sheep,” is also documented in Acts as having “went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.” This practice evolved among the early apostolic Churches with traditional and common practices, including the custom of assigning common prayers to particular times, e.g. the last hour of daylight when lamps were lit and the daystar waned. The testament to this ancient Christian practice was documented by the Roman, Pliny the Younger, at the beginning of the 2nd century, where he speaks of liturgical reunions of the Christians in the morning and in the evening: "coetus antelucani et vespertini" (Ep., x, 97). Vespers is, therefore, together with Vigils, the most ancient Office known in the Church.
Vespers opens with the singing or chanting of the words. “O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen. Alleluia.” It is interesting to note that along with the ancient Greek, Phos Hilaron, which declares Christ as God’s eternal light, the Trinitarian “Glory be…” is also one of the most ancient hymns of the primitive church. After that a hymn pertinent to the holy feast day, in this case, the birth of Mary, is sung by the congregation. It is important to note that this exaltation of the mother of the Lord has never, nor does constitute worship of her person. It is in concert with the essential creed of belief in the sacred communion between souls awaiting Christ’s Second Coming (in heaven, for example) and those of us alive on earth in this moment. Then two psalms and a New Testament canticle or song are then sung or recited, which then concluded with the doxology (Glory be to the Father….). The psalms are preceded and followed with an antiphon, a common scriptural refrain sung or recited by all as well. After the psalms, there is a reading from the Bible. Then a short responsorial consisting of a verse, a response, the “Glory be…” follows the scripture reading. Then the congregation sings the Magnificat — the canticle from the Gospel of Luke I:46-55. Prayers are then offered, followed by the Our Father, and then the closing prayer.
It is clear to see that the Solemn Vespers, as do all liturgies, have as their source, Holy Scripture from both Testaments. The community of Christian-Catholic believers of Visalia hope to see people of all traditions on September 8th filling the pews of St. Mary’s in Christian solidarity.

What I’ve found ironic and interesting is that both here and on the MS Forum we’ve engaged in a fair amount of chatter about……what? Chant? Polyphony? Orchestral Masses? Nope, the ironic part is that due to the “FIRST THINGS” Casey Kasem Top Ten article, we’ve bandied about a large amount of discussion about so-called “Contemporary Worship Music.” As regards that specific article, I’ve said my peace.
However, in light of continued discussion in other threads, I’d like to offer some suggestions for DM’s who must wrestle with the yearly concerns of subscription missal/hymnal publications, and also who are charged with overseeing the programming responsibilities of subordinate musical personnel, such as organists,cantors, ensembles and choirs, to whom license is provided to make their own weekly decisions as to repertoire.
First of all, as a relatively still new member of CMAA, (with four decades of service under a very oversized belt) I absolutely recommend those obvious strategies outlined by Dr. Mahrt, Fr. Keyes, Jeffrey Tucker, Mary Jane Ballou and others have addressed at colloquia, intensives and in “Sacred Music” articles. Namely, hold sessions for musicians and other interested parties (like PRIESTS) that clarify the necessity of familiarization with liturgical legislative documents; prioritize and disseminate information about the role of the proper processional antiphons; clarify the variety of roles that the constituent parties engage in at Mass, such as the responsibility of celebrants to sing their orations versus recitation whenever possible, or which portions of the liturgies have options as to who, what, where, why and how a choir or cantor should be the primary performer of select “movements” and which demand total active participation by the whole congregation. This is Liturgy 101. We can all think of other aspects that must be in place prior to engaging your colleagues with your expertise and direction as advice worthy of their consideration to put into practice.
In another thread I mused that there’s another dimension in the universe where we DM’s could dial in our hymnal content to THE BIG THREE and they would obligingly, gleefully print our boutique annual hymnals. Well, that’s likely not going to happen soon. So, if you are a DM or responsible for choosing repertoire from a subscription or seasonal newsprint hymnal I suggest you get used to this notion: You must plow through that book with a fine toothed comb not only when the first perusal copy hits your mailbox, but virtually each week. Much that I’ve garnered through anecdotal and direct observation is that second-tier music leadership relies upon- A. a personal stable of favorites that they simply trust will always be in each year’s issue; and B. the publishers’ shill periodicals that enable the musician to do the Chinese Restaurant menu choice method of programming. Neither of those strategies benefits a parish’s growth towards enhanced music that is sacred, beautiful and universal.
So, in my case, two years ago, when our parish merged with three others, I created a basic informational tool for my musical corps- a spreadsheet review of literally every enumerated musical item in the OCP Breaking Bread Hymnal. In addition to the fields of title, composer/hymn tune, seasonal/general assignment, etc., I applied MY own overall grade of worthiness to each selection using the A to F curricular adjudication. I then had another field in the spreadsheet if I felt a need to explain the grade. If I wanted to push a tune with an A grade, I would give short phrase reasons, the same for poorly graded pieces. This is a fair amount of work, but it accomplishes a few obvious goals, and some others that are oblique. Obviously, such a document provides your crew with benchmarks that clearly state how the DM values or regards the hymnal content, piece by piece and in toto. If I grade “Blest Be the Lord” as a “D” with a small mention that its genre is dated or simply hokey, a cantor at least knows that if s/he employs it, it is not in concert with what I consider ideal. A more subtle benefit is that by providing a comprehensive, simple review, a DM is communicating to all, “I know this book and this publisher backwards, forwards and in my sleep. Elaine R. McQueeny and Fred Moleck have their tents in Portland and Chicago. Charles’ office is next to the church.” All the CD/Itunes recordings done in studio or cathedral environments for demonstration purposes have all sorts of lipstick and façade product slathered within that won’t be there with the lonely guitar player or lead-sheet pianist looks at a cantor’s choice and says “How does this go?” Your musical staff must know that you know your stuff and are willing to place a tangible value upon some of their “favorites” that will discomfort them, or more hopefully encourage them to expand their “stable.”

Another strategy is scheduling parish reading sessions open to musical staff and parishioners in general. Scheduling is a real problematic issue, not just because of personal issues, but seasonal demands. But, OCP (for example) ships in annual hymnals well in advance of Advent I. Even if you have tremendous rehearsal or administrative demands preparing for Advent/Christmas/Epiphany, I believe the DM review process can be accomplished as soon as perusal copies come in advance of the shipment. And then try to schedule the public reading session for items in the mid-autumn with about an hour and a half of selections that are new to the yearly issue and most worthy of consideration; it doesn’t matter what genre of style. Worthiness (sacred, universal and beautiful) is the highest priority. If this cannot be accomplished in autumn, then it must happen in the first weeks of Ordered Time prior to Lent. I also recommend that you use the most basic of accompaniment instruments, no frills in the exposition. Personally, I never listen to demo recordings. I don’t ever read the keyboard accompaniment scores. I make my decisions after simply auditioning text and melody alone, period. So, the DM can then determine whether it is most appropriate for a piece to be accompanied solely by an organ, a piano, a guitar or combination of those three.
Then, after you’ve premiered these, your selections, poll your musical personnel as to which selections of their preference they would like “demonstrated” at a subsequent reading session. And have another session, perhaps post Pentecost through Trinity Sundays into summer ordinary time.
In both types of reading sessions, it is of paramount necessity for the DM to articulate in much more detail the aspects of each selection that make it either worthy or unsuitable for common usage. If you are diplomatic, no one will huff and puff at these sessions over your pronouncements because time is at a premium. They want to get through reading all the items on your program. And, of course, within your explanations, there must be the constant and consistent threads of how each selection adheres to “the paradigm” in terms of theological orthodoxy, relationship to the psalter and to propers, aesthetic issues inherent in both text (“Yeah, Your Grace IS ENOUGH, yeah…) and music (Somos el Cuerpo de Cristo, Oob la dee, Oob la da, life goes on…..br*, oh nevermind, let’s not go there.)
I’ll be doing my summer session soon, and one thing I will do is measure my own enthusiasm with my comportment. I will likely strive to deliver the direction of the session more with the quiet surety of Professor Mahrt, rather than the blowhard “Vince, the ShamWow Guy- You Gotta Hear Dis Great Song, You can’t live wit’out it!”
And remember rule number one: don’t talk too much. Keep them singing 95% of the time.
In the next installment of this article, I’ll demonstrate my approach to selecting pieces for reading sessions.