Hymn for St. Teresa

To the tune ISTE CONFESSOR: the hymn tune for Doctors of the Universal Church

This is the feast day of the Lord's true witness,
Lover of Jesus, leading others to Him,
Woman of wisdom, passionate and truthful,
Filled with God's favor.

God gave her grace like water from the heavens.
She drank it deeply, even as she suffered;
Perfectly docile, saint and holy teacher:
Light for the ages.

Mantle around us, Mary, flow'r of Carmel,
Pray to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
That They may give us, with the great Teresa,
Life everlasting.

Kathy Pluth, 2003

The Blessed John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music

I keep hearing the most wonderful things about Catholicism in the UK these days, and this is no exception. The Institute will provide parish-oriented formation for clergy and musicians in truly sacred music. The Birmingham Oratory is known for its fine liturgies, and will be well qualified to teach. Hymn fans like me will be glad to know that the Oratory's heritage includes the hymns of Frs. Faber, Caswell, and of course Newman.

Here is the plan for the first term:

•a practical instruction on singing the Mass;
•the theological and historical background to Church Music;
•the Celebration of the sung Blessed John Henry Newman Pilgrim Mass.

--with "evening sessions for the clergy, offering them the opportunity to know how to sing the different parts of the Mass in Latin and in English. Each of these sessions will be repeated to enable more priests and deacons to attend. There will also be a new choir for children at the Sunday 12 noon Mass for Families at the Oratory."

From the Inaugural Address:"This may well frighten some people. Music, they may say, is for the experts, for the choir or the music group, but not for the priest, deacon, lector, or even the entire congregation. Some may object that it is simply too difficult or too unfamiliar, but if you look closely at the Missal without prejudice, it is possible to see that the music written there is not designed to be sung by experts, but by anybody. It is designed to be an ordinary and familiar expression of the faith of the Church in action. It may seem unfamiliar at first, because we have long since grown to be unfamiliar with the idea of singing the Mass, as opposed to singing during the Mass. What the Church invites us to do in receiving the new translation is to learn to recognise it as something “beyond the prosaic” . Music, even very simple chants, help to achieve that end."

Sounds like a great plan! In the words of Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth, Executive Director of ICEL, the Institute represents "probably the most significant enterprise in liturgical music in the UK since the Council." Best wishes on this new beginning! Please export as soon as practicable.

Hymn to St. Anne

The morning star is on the rise
And soon the dawn will fill the skies,
Foretelling of the coming Sun
Whose light will shine on everyone.

The Sun of justice, Christ, true Light,
And Mary, grace's dawning bright,
And Anna, reddening the sky,
Have caused the night of Law to fly.

O mother Anna, fruitful root,
From you came your salvation's shoot,
For you brought forth the flow'ring rod
That bore for us the Christ of God.

Christ's mother's mother, by the grace
Your daughter's birth brought to our race,
And by her merits and her prayer
May we her favors come to share.

O Jesus, Virgin-born, to You
All glory is forever due.
To Father and the Spirit, praise
Be sung through everlasting days.

Trans. c. 2009 Kathleen Pluth. All rights reserved.

Universae ecclesiae

On July 7, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued the Apostolic Letter “motu proprio” Summorum Pontificum. The Letter gave broad permission for priests and faithful to celebrate Mass according to an earlier form of the Roman Rite, according to the Missal of 1962. At the same time, the bishops of the world were asked to send to the Holy See, after three years, an account of their experiences of having both forms of the Roman Rite, the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary (1962) Form, in their dioceses. Today, taking into account the bishops’ input, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei issued a clarifying instruction, Universae Ecclesiae.

The instruction confirms the permission for the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the rite. The English translation of the Latin instruction may be found here:

http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/27407.php?index=27407&lang=en#TRADUZIONEINLINGUAINGLESE

The Instruction bases itself, first, on the principle of continuity that also underlay Summorum Pontificum, and which has been a hallmark of the current pontificate. Something that was sacred in the past cannot be suddenly harmful in the present. Secondly, there are serious pastoral concerns. Some of the faithful have requested this form of worship. If there is nothing harmful, if in fact it is a positive good, then they should have it.

Today’s clarification is technical. Rather than changing the norms of SP, it generally specifies their implementation. For example, it clarifies which priests should be presumed competent to say the older form. Priests should not only be able to pronounce Latin, but also understand its meaning. However, any priest who has said the Mass in the older form already can be presumed competent. Another example has to do with the groups of the faithful who can request the older form of the Mass. They might come from outside of the parish or diocese. Overall it is a mild document, not earth-shattering. It simply responds to the expressed concerns of bishops regarding sacraments and administration. Its strongest message is the confirmation it gives that this co-existence of the two forms is not going away anytime soon.

Cardinal Burke's Lecture: "The Theo-Centric Character of the Catholic Liturgy"

This afternoon I had the privilege of being among a small group of guests invited to hear Raymond Cardinal Burke lecture on The Theo-Centric Character of the Catholic Liturgy. The Cardinal spoke on liturgy from the unusual perspective of a canonist: he spoke about God’s right to our worship.

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke from Province of Saint Joseph on Vimeo.

The Thinking behind the Translating Project

Fr. Jeremy Driscoll, OSB, of the Vox Clara Commission.

Bishop Cupich on the New Translation of the Roman Missal

From Sacramentary to Roman Missal, Part 1 from Diocese of St. Petersburg on Vimeo.

From Sacramentary to Roman Missal, Part 2 from Diocese of St. Petersburg on Vimeo.

From Sacramentary to Roman Missal, Part 3 from Diocese of St. Petersburg on Vimeo.

Aeterne rerum conditor

One of the 4 universally-acknowledged Ambrosian hymns:

Eternal maker of all things
Of day and night the sov'reign King,
Refreshing mortals, You arrange
The rhythm of the seasons' change

The rooster sounds his morning cry
--Throughout the night he watched the sky--
For travelers, a guiding light
To tell the watches of the night.

The morning star that hears the cry
Dispels the darkness from the sky.
The demons, hearing the alarm
Abandon all their paths of harm.

The sailor hears and he is brave;
The sea becomes a gentle wave.
The rooster's call reached Peter's ears:
He washed away his sins in tears.

Our wav'ring hearts, Lord Jesus, see.
O look upon us, make us free,
For in Your gaze no fault can stay,
And sins by tears are washed away.

O Light, upon our senses shine.
Dispel our sleepiness of mind,
That we may sing Your morning praise,
Then, vows fulfilling, live our days.

Translation c. 2010 Kathleen Pluth

The Christ Has Died

Unlike the other translations and unlike the Mortem Tuam, the Christ Has Died addresses no one.

The consecration has just occurred. The Lord is present anew, newly present, has been here all along but has just arrived in a new way--we come into His Presence in a new way, by the will of the Father and of the One who said, "With longing I have longed to eat this Pasch with you before I suffer." (Luke 22:15)

In response to the Lord's moment of sacrifice, to His high priesthood and His love, we can sing to Him, addressing Him, telling Him of our hope.

Or we can sing the Christ Has Died.

Music for a Rainy Sunday

Today's Gospel was the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, which includes the Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son. The Psalm treated so beautiful below was the responsorial Psalm for today, the penitential 51st Psalm: Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness. In the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt, and cleanse me from my sin.

Apostolorum passio

In honor of the liturgical leadership of our Holy Father Pope Benedict, here is my translation of this great Ambrosian hymn. Perhaps it could be nicely sung to the tune Deo gratias.

Apostolorum passio

Blest day by suff’ring sanctified:
Christ’s chosen high apostles died.
Today St. Peter wins renown.
Today St. Paul accepts the crown.

Together, equally, they bled:
Together: the victorious dead.
They followed God and sacrificed
And now their faith is crowned by Christ.

St. Peter holds the highest place,
Yet Paul is not the less by grace.
An equal faith was giv’n to Paul:
The chosen vessel of God’s call.

St. Peter, downward crucified—
To honor God in how he died—
Securely tied, he sees unfold
The death his Shepherd once foretold.

On such foundations Rome may claim
The highest service of God’s name.
His noble blood has dignified
The city where this prophet died.

Let all the world, then, run to Rome.
Let families of nations come!
The head of nations teaches there
Beside the nations’ teacher's chair.

O Lord, we ask that we may be
In their exalted company,
And with our princes sing Your praise
Forever, to unending days.

C. 2010 Kathleen Pluth. May be used only with permission.

"We are the Church of the Eucharist"

Bishop Joseph McFadden: Inaugural Homily from Rocco Palmo on Vimeo.

via Whispers in the Loggia

New Missal Translation Finalized

The new English translation of the Roman Missal has been approved, and will be in use in all Roman Catholic parishes beginning November 27, 2011.

Stabat Mater, in the News

Dominican nuns sang the Stabat Mater as a Sequnce in the late 13th century, much earlier than has been thought, according to this article.

h/t: the NLM

"She must arouse the voice of the cosmos"

A Church which only makes use of “utility” music has fallen for what is, in fact, useless. . . . For her mission is a far higher one. As the Old Testament speaks of the Temple, the Church is to be the place of “glory,” and as such, too, the place where mankind’s cry of distress is brought to the ear of God. The Church must not settle down with what is merely comfortable and serviceable at the parish level, she must arouse the voice of the cosmos and, by glorifying the Creator, elicit the glory of the cosmos itself, making it also glorious, beautiful, habitable, and beloved.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, “On the Theological Basis of Church Music,” in The Feast of Faith, pp. 113–126 (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1986), p. 124.

EWTN today

A version of this video will be aired at 2 pm Eastern (11 am Pacific) on EWTN.

Is this the most provocative blog post title of all time?

First Things asks for your opinion on the ten worst hymns of all time.

On the translation of collects: the "qui" clause

When I hear the “qui” clause in a prayer I feel engaged with God. It acts on me like a preface does, or the Creed when I’m paying close attention. Instead of addressing a vague deity (just “God”), a collect with an appositive qui expresses that this God has a history with me. I realize the sentence construction is like nothing in common use, but the activity of expressing the historic reasons for mutual trust is a part of communication in all relationships. It can be as simple as “thanks for your kind words” or as complex as “you have been my best friend for thirty years.” It’s a kind of appreciation.

In a collect, the qui clause roots the petition of the prayer in the history of the relationship. To my ears, although it has a formal sound, it adds to the intimacy of the prayer because of its meaning.

If the qui clause is divided from the petition (as usual in the 1973), although a reference is made to the history, the causal connection between the history and the hoped-for answer to the petition is weakened.

Here is a lightly meant example of how a divided qui strikes my ear, and a contrasting, appositive qui:

Dear Dad, you have always been supportive of my education. Please send money.

-or-

Dear Dad, in light of your steadfast support of my education over the years, please send money.

The second is a more complex sentence but I feel it expresses a more engaged relationship.

The Definitive English Text of the Third Edition of The Roman Missal

30 April 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Bishops of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy [ICEL] join me in welcoming the announcement of the approval by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments of the definitive English text of the Third Edition of The Roman Missal. This news ushers in the final phase of preparation for the publication and implementation of the Missal in our eleven member Bishops’ Conferences and the many other territories where the sacred liturgy is habitually celebrated in English.

It also brings to a conclusion the long and complex process by which the translation has been prepared, a process in which the Bishops of the Commission and the Bishops of the English-speaking world, together with the members of the Roman Missal Editorial Committee, the ICEL Secretariat and the translators and consultants who are our closest collaborators have worked together with national conferences and the various organs of the Holy See to ensure that we have a text of the highest quality that can truly be called a work of the Church.

Upon receipt of the definitive text and in accordance with established procedures, the ICEL Secretariat will prepare the electronic files of the Missal, which will assist Conferences in the task of communicating the text to their publishers. ICEL has also produced an interactive DVD 'Become One Body, One Spirit, in Christ' [www.becomeonebodyonespiritinchrist.org], which will be of great assistance in the catechetical process that will accompany the reception of the new text. The date for the publication of The Roman Missal and its implementation in our territories is a matter to be determined by Bishops’ Conferences in conjunction with the Holy See.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have put their gifts at the service of the Church in the great endeavour of producing the new translation, men and women whose faith is matched by the refinement of their scholarship.

+Arthur Roche
Bishop of Leeds
Chairman

h/t The New Liturgical Movement

Sursum Corda: The Youth Classical Schola

Last Saturday before the historic Pontifical Mass at the National Shrine, I had the honor of directing the children's schola which chanted during Bishop Slattery's vesting. The schola combined my own Alexandria, VA, St. Louis Church's Youth Classical Schola and the Chorus from St. Ann's Academy in DC. In the weeks leading up to the Mass, I spent a good deal of time on the road, rehearsing with St. Ann's, to produce a unified sound.

The children sang Veni, Creator Spiritus, Adoro Te devote, and Regina caeli. I think they sang their best--which, many say, is beautifully--and under challenging circumstances.

The event was marked with controversy and strife. The originally planned celebrant did not say the Mass, for reasons that have been widely publicized. From my perspective, the Mass had certain less-than-optimal earmarks of any inaugural event. There were little glitches here and there, and some problems communicating. My guess is the communication issues had most of all to do with everyone's relative uncertainty. It is difficult to do something complex and new, because there is no established routine. Meanwhile, everyone's goodwill and effort was evident, and the pleasure of collaboration can make little glitches seem unimportant. The second time will be much easier, and, God willing, under much less public pressure and scrutiny.

From the time when the discussions of my schola's involvement first began, the organizer who was my principle contact spoke of his strong sense that children's voices would be essential at this Mass. While I agreed, I had no idea at the time that his sense would turn out to be quite so prophetic and urgent. Given the publicity, and given the scale of the atrocity of crimes that have been committed against children, the sweet sound of children's singing, which always lifts my heart, can be a balm for all of us. Their pact with the Church, after all, is unbroken. They are safe, they serve, they learn. Our experience in working together has been not only positive but joyous, a microcosm of the excellent ecclesiology of Catholicism as it is played out in so many ways around the world.

I hope that joy was evident in their sound.