The Hope

 
The Extraodinary Form celebrated in the modern church - how we yearn for that to happen one day here.

Usus antiquior in Poland: a local story

Lesson from A Donkey

This story was in my inbox, and I found it quite inspiring:

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Faith

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.

Saint Augustine

The most unexpected consolation can come from the least expected source sometimes. This one came from a Malay colleague in my corporate relations department in the daily news letter - just when I needed it the most. Thank You, Lord.

The Importance of Singing the Mass

The last time a priest chanted the Gospel during Mass in my church, a fellow Catholic asked me, "Why can't he just read it like usual?"

The sad fact is most of us don't know that the Mass, especially on Sundays and Feast days, are supposed to be sung. The sung Mass (Missa in Cantu) remains the normative form in the Roman Rite – but regrettably, it is not the norm in most parishes.

A liturgical service takes on a nobler aspect when the rites are celebrated with singing,
- Constitution on Sacred Liturgy (1964).

For the celebration of the Eucharist with the people, especially on Sundays and feast days, a form of sung Mass (Missa in cantu) is to be preferred as much as possible, even several times on the same day.
- Musicam Sacram, 1967. 

The Christian faithful who gather together as one to await the Lord’s coming are instructed by the Apostle Paul to sing together psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (cf. Col 3:16).Singing is the sign of the heart’s joy (cf. Acts 2:46). Thus St. Augustine says rightly, “Singing is for one who loves.”[48] There is also the ancient proverb: “One who sings well prays twice.”
-GIRM #39

Josquin Desprez - Pater Noster, Ave Maria

Is this Hymn Liturgically Correct?

Here's a question Catholics serving in the choir always ask, including myself.

In the following article the writer talks about how some hymns are bad poetically and theologically: why they are bad food for the congregation...

Bad Poetry, Bad Theology: The Curse of Bad Liturgical Music (Part Two) by Anthony Esolen

Why Is Gregorian Chant the Standard?

• Free rhythm Chant has no fixed meter, so the music can bend to the words of Scripture as it is written, leaving the meaning fully, literally, intact. In this way, Gregorian chant bypasses the narcissistic pitfalls of modern hymns because the music itself obeys the words of Scripture.
• One line of music A single bending line is how a text set to music is most clearly understood by the human ear. Gregorian chant is straightforward and simple in texture. Essentially ornamented spoken prayer, it does not need harmony from a choir or organ accompaniment.
• Variety of form Perhaps the most-cited objection to Gregorian chant is its assumed difficulty. In fact, there exists an amazingly large repertoire of chant, much of it accessible to non-musicians.  
• Timeless beauty Gregorian chant is not bound to any time and place, so it can serve as a unifying form of sung prayer. In one musical style we are offered a bridge among all peoples and generations of the Latin rite. It remains faithful to the original intent of both Jewish and Christian chant, which is to adorn liturgical readings with a beauty and dignity befitting the word of God.

— Mary Ann Carr Wilson

Why Hymns Are at the Bottom of the List

Even under the current General Instruction of the Roman Missal, hymns are listed only as substitutions for the chant Propers in the Roman graduale; indeed, using a hymn for the Entrance, Offertory, and Communion is the fourth option. Why?

Basically, there is an incompatibility between the form of Scripture and the form of hymns. Hymns and songs are metrical and symmetrical; they have a regular rhythm and lines of the same length. Scripture is not usually metrical and symmetrical. That means that Scripture has to be edited, interpreted, or rephrased to fit into verses with a set number of measures. Doing so without changing the meaning of Scripture requires a composer who is both a poetic genius and well-formed biblical scholar.
— Mary Ann Carr Wilson 

The singing at this time is done either alternately by the choir and the people or in a similar way by the cantor and the people, or entirely by the people, or by the choir alone. In the dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Entrance Chant:

(1) the antiphon from The Roman Missal or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual as set to music there or in another musical setting;

(2) the seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual;

(3) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the diocesan Bishop, including psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms;

(4) a suitable liturgical song similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the diocesan Bishop.[55]

If there is no singing at the entrance, the antiphon in the Missal is recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a lector; otherwise, it is recited by the priest himself, who may even adapt it as an introductory explanation (cf. no. 31).

- GIRM #48

Chinese Characters Reveal Gospel

I am in awe of what these chinese characters mean. All those years of 'shen zi' (writing practice of Chinese characters) since Standard 1 yet I didn't know I have been exposed to the Good News of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ even since then.

This video explains about how the Chinese characters depict the story of creation - Adam and Eve, the temptation of satan, the Flood, the Tower of Babel... and the one that touched me most was the prophesying of Jesus' death on the cross. I am truly amazed by God...

'Yi' = Righteouness

For example, this word here means 'righteousness' in Chinese. The top half of the character is 'yang' which means 'lamb'. Meanwhile, the bottom half of the character is 'wo' which means 'I'. As Christians, we believe that Jesus, the Lamb, was sacrificed for us - Jesus was 'the Lamb who take away the sins of the world' (John 1:29) and this word tells us just that!

In fact, the character 'wo' ('I') is made up of two other characters, namely 'hand' and 'spear'. So we can see that this character in a whole, depicts the Lamb that was speared by hand.

Now everytime I use the word 'wo', I will be reminded of how I contributed to my Saviour's death on the cross. What a painful word!

Yet, we rejoice for the salvation that is installed for us.

The Gloria: bursting into praise for God's mercy

The sun rises over the Sea of Galilee. The Gloria was 
first used in the Liturgy of the Hours during the 
morning prayer as a hymn of praise. CNS photo

A look at changes in the Gloria in the new missal

THE GLORIA was first used in the Liturgy of the Hours during the morning prayer as a hymn of praise for the glory and peace given through Christ’s resurrection (symbolised by the rising sun in the morning).

It began to be used at Mass in the early sixth century and has always marked more festive occasions in the Church.

The Gloria fittingly follows the penitential rite, allowing God’s people to burst into praise for the mercy received in response to our admission of sinfulness. It is a poetic text of numerous scriptural quotes.

The opening lines come from Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests.”

In the new translation, the Gloria slightly alters this biblical phrase to say “peace to people of good will”.

Nolstalgic for an Unknown Past

This is wonderful testimony by Revd. Fr. Christopher Smith on his journey to discovering the Catholic Church and God's calling for him: Why am I So 'Into' The Extraordinary Form?

Psalms tone for 24th Sunday of the Year

Antiphon

1st Verse

Just my life.. and grace

I have been pondering about grace recently. 

For the reason that I’ve come to see the power of grace especially in times of great struggles - that with His grace, I was able to cope with what I went through and am going through.

I experienced God’s blessing yesterday from a seemingly insignificant gesture of kindness as I bought the ‘Word Among Us’ from a mentally challenged man in church after Mass (after much persuasion from him).  

Looking up into the sky and the tiny moon

As I sat down to have my dinner at our usual kopitiam (cafe) and there it was in the first article in the September edition: 'Exploring the Mystery of Grace'. The article gave a deeper insight of the different types of graces I have not been quite aware of before that, which I shall blog about later.

On another note, I’ve not had a meal alone outside in quite a while. And I enjoyed it – just keeping to myself, taking my own sweet time finishing a meal without having to worry of making others wait, and reading something, then absorbing the scenery around me, contemplating about life… more of this in the future!   

Pope: Art is an open door to the infinite

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy  (Catholic Online) - In a General Audience held on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict XVI returned to a theme which has recurred regularly during his Papal Magisterium and is a distinctive part of his theological vision, beauty as a path to God.

He reminded 5,000 pilgrims of the universal human response to beauty as reflected in a sculpture, a painting, a poem or a beautiful piece of music. The Pope said it is "something bigger, something that speaks, capable touching the heart, of communicating a message, of elevating the soul. How many times, then, can artistic expressions be occasions to remind us of God, to help our prayer or the conversion of the heart."

Pope at Castel Gandolfo

The Pope said that works of art "open the door to the infinite, to a beauty and a truth that goes beyond the ordinary. A work of art can open the eyes of the mind and heart. Perhaps sometimes, before a sculpture, a painting, a few verses of a poem or a song, you have experienced deep within an intimate emotion, a sense of joy, that is to have clearly perceived that in front of you there was not only matter, a piece of marble or bronze, a painted canvas, a series of letters or a combination of sounds, but something bigger, something that speaks, capable of touching the heart, of communicating a message; elevating the soul.

"The work of art is the fruit of human creativity, which questions the visible reality, trying to discover its deep meaning and to communicate it through the language of shapes, colors, sounds. (It) is an open door on the infinite (which) opens the eyes of the mind, of the heart.One example of this is when we visit a Gothic cathedral; we are enraptured by the vertical lines that shoot up towards the sky and draw our eyes and our spirits upwards, while at the same time, we feel small, and yet eager for fullness... 

Read more here...

I found the following encouragement from both Popes most personal as I contemplate about taking a second degree in architecture:

Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI are encouraging the flourishing of all the arts in a great renewal of humanity for our age. Rather than withdraw from the arts they call Catholic artists to lead the way to their renewal and recovery. John Paul addressed his letter to "To all who are passionately dedicated to the search for new "epiphanies" of beauty so that through their creative work as artists they may offer these gifts to the world." ...

It is time to get this relationship right for this Third millennium. We need Catholics, other Christians, other people of faith and good will to respond to the call of Christ the Divine Artist and take their place in creating new "epiphanies' of beauty." Pope Benedict's words to the pilgrims at Castel Gandolfo should be taken to heart by all of us. In an age mired in ugliness, materialism, and a disdain for true beauty, Christians should lead a resurgence of the arts and create new epiphanies of beauty which draw all men and women to the source of all that is beautiful, the living God. 

Pope's Prayer Intentions for Sept 2011

General Intention: That all teachers may know how to communicate love of the truth and instill authentic moral and spiritual values.
 
Missionary Intention: That the Christian communities of Asia may proclaim the Gospel with fervor, witnessing to its beauty with the joy of faith.

The Book of Love

22nd Sunday Ordinary Time - Ps 62

Here's the psalm tune we'll be using for Mass this week. Hope to make a weekly post for those who are interested in using gregrorian chants for psalms!

A Dog's Letter to God

Dear God,
How come people love to smell flowers, but seldom, if ever, smell one another? What are they thinking?

Dear God,
When we get to Heaven, can we sit on your couch? Or is it the same old story?

Dear God,
Excuse me, but why are there cars named after the jaguar, the cougar, the mustang, the colt, the stingray, and the rabbit, but not one named for a dog? How often do you see a cougar riding around? We dogs love a nice ride! I know every breed cannot have its own model, but it would be easy to rename the Chrysler Eagle the Chrysler Beagle!

Dear God,
If a dog barks his head off in the forest and no human hears him, is he still a bad dog?

Dear God,
Is it true that in Heaven, dining room tables have onramps?

Dear God,
More meatballs, less spaghetti, please.

Dear God,
When we get to the Pearly Gates, do we have to shake hands to get in?

Dear God,
We dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent IDs, electromagnetic energyfields, and Frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand?

Dear God,
Are there dogs on other planets, or are we alone? I have been howling at the moon and stars for a long time, but all I ever hear back is the beagle across the street.

Dear God,
Are there mailmen in Heaven? If there are, will I have to apologize?

Dear God,
When my family eats dinner they always bless their food. But they never bless mine. So, I've been wagging my tail extra fast when they fill my bowl. Have you noticed my own blessing?

Dear God,
I've always lived at the shelter and I have everything I need. But many of the dogs here have names and I don't. Could you give me a name please? It would be good for my self-esteem.

Dear God,
The new terrier I live with just peed on the Oriental rug and I have a feeling my family might blame me 'cuz they think I'm jealous of this stupid dog. Since they have no sense of smell, how can I convince them I'm innocent? Does PetsMart sell lie detectors?

Source: http://www.gloria.tv/?media=186429

Farewell

A farewell gift from my prayergroup

My last day at work would be next Thursday. It has been 2 years and 2 months in this engineering consultant firm.

After 3 weeks break I'll be moving on to a developer instead. Am rather tired and disinterested in all the design work, so want to try out more of management now.

Architecture seems to be behind my mind still. Let's see how this new work turns out for me first.

The right timing for a new change of environment after all that has happened in the last one month or so... goody.

Anyway, the prayer group at work where we meet every Friday during lunch hour to pray and read the bible, gave me a farewell party last Thursday. Ah... I was touched by the trouble they took to get lunch, cake and even a gift! I didn't expect the latter.

Turning the calendar to the day I dread, consolation came to me with this verse, Matthew 28:3.

And why worry about clothing? Think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin; yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his royal robes was clothed like one of these.

Now if that is how God clothes the wild flowers growing in the field which are there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more look after you, you who have so little faith?

So do not worry; do not say, "What are we to eat? What are we to drink? What are we to wear?"

It is the gentiles who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on God's saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well.

Prayer of Saint Catherine Laboure

Whenever I go to the chapel,
I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to him
"Lord, I am here.
Tell me what you would have me do."

If he gives me some task,
I am content and I thank him.

If he gives me nothing,
I still thank him
since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that.

And then, I tell God
everything that is in my heart.
I tell him about my pains and my joys,
and then I listen.

If you listen, God will also speak to you,
for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen.

God always speaks to you
when you approach him plainly and simply.

Schumann: Dreaming

Playing on the strings of my heart.

That far away dream.

The sadness.

The longing for that which seems to beyond my grasp.

And all I can do is

... dream.

Launching the Missal: Chant-anxiety

Jaymie Stuart Wolfe
Posted: 8/12/2011

Implementing the new English translation of the Roman Missal is beginning to cause -- and will continue to cause -- a bit of a stir. That's understandable. After all, reasonable people would expect that not every change will be received enthusiastically. And, that when it comes to the prayers we pray, change itself is likely to be a hard sell. For most of us, praying from the heart also means praying by heart. The prospect of being missal-bound, even for a brief period, is probably not something your average Catholic is looking forward to.

Read more here...

I know that everyone can chant because I have heard our own two-year-olds do it. I also know that only a very strange mother would teach her kids Gregorian chant. Maybe so; but chant has been part of our admittedly too-brief family prayers for years. Our kids learned how to chant because they heard it. I used to sing the Gregorian "Ave Maria" to them as a lullaby. (It makes a very good one, by the way.) Over the years, we've expanded our repertoire. Lately, we've been practicing the chants of the new Roman Missal together at home.

As I read this part, I remembered of when my little cousin chanted. And it is true, that it’s not too hard and easily followed even by the little ones.

Ah… when I have a family next time I would like to chant them to sleep too and teach them chants as they grow up. That would be so beautiful – a gift of God for the Catholic family.

Pope's prayer intentions for August 2011

VATICAN CITY, 29 JUL 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for August is: "That World Youth Day in Madrid may encourage young people throughout the world to have their lives rooted and built up in Christ".

His mission intention is: "That Western Christians may be open to the action of the Holy Spirit and rediscover the freshness and enthusiasm of their faith".

Portiuncula Indulgence - 2nd Aug

Today - August 2nd, is the day of the Portiuncula Indulgence.

An indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven.

The Portiuncula Indulgence refers to the plenary indulgence originally granted by Pope Honorious III to those who visit the chapel of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi on August 2nd. (This small chapel is now enshrined in a large basilica.) The indulgence has been extended to Franciscan churches the world over. Father Marion Habig, OFM, explains the history of the Portiuncula indulgence:

A special impulse led St. Francis one night to go to the chapel. There he saw our Lord and His holy Mother surrounded by a great host of angels. Filled with astonishment and reverence, the saint prostrated himself upon the ground and adored the Divine majesty. Then he heard the voice of our Lord urging him with ineffable tenderness to ask some special favor. Nothing was so near to the heart of Francis as the salvation of souls, and so, after a few moments of reflection, he asked for the grace of a full pardon for all who, being contrite and having confessed their sins, would visit this little sanctuary. Mary cast herself upon her knees before her Divine Son, and repeated the petition of her faithful servant. (The Franciscan Book of Saints, Franciscan Herald Press:1979, 570.)

One can obtain a plenary indulgence on August 2nd by visiting a parish church and doing the following:

1. Devoutly carry out the indulgenced work and devoutly pray the required prayers (if there are any) that go along with the action. In this case, visiting a parish church and reciting the "Our Father" and the Creed.

2. Say one “Our Father” and one “Hail Mary” for the intentions of the Pope on the day you perform the indulgenced work.

3. Worthily receive Holy Communion, ideally on the same day on which you perform the indulgenced work or at least within a few days of performing the indulgenced work.

4. Make a Sacramental Confession within a week of (before or after) the day on which you perform the indulgenced work.

5. It is also required that one be free from all attachment to sin, even venial sin.

Read more about the history of the Portiuncula Indulgence here.

Prudence and Fortitude

CCC 1806  
Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; "the prudent man looks where he is going." (Prov 14:15) "Keep sane and sober for your prayers."(1 Pet 4:7) Prudence is "right reason in action," writes St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle.  It is not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides the judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid. 

CCC 1808  
Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. "The Lord is my strength and my song." (Ps 118:14). "In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (Jn 16:33)

These are 2 of the 4 cardinal virtues mentioned in the Cathecism of the Catholic Church (CCC). Learning about prudence and fortitude helped me especially during this time of discernment.

The 4 cardinal virtues, namely: prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance are human virtues that can be achieved by anyone - Christians and non-Christians. 

The other 3 theological virtues, namely: faith, hope and charity, on the other hand relates directly to God.

Read more here...   

I dreamed a dream

This was played on the radio a while ago and it took me back to the December of 2005 when I sang this song during a Christmas Musical:

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed. 

Musical by: Les Miserables 

In the Bleak Midwinter‏

This song came to my mind as I wrote my last post:

 

In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan, 

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, 

In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and Seraphim thronged the air;
But his mother only, in her maiden bliss, 

Worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give him: Give my heart.

Alas, as Jesus said, "In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

The winter of my life

The coldness and bleakness of winter

The snow flakes falling onto the ground

The loneliness in the shades of white

But beyond the horizon

The sun dawns

And shows her glory

Soon the snow will melt

To give way to spring

When flowers will bloom again

Hope

A new beginning

 Where in God's hands I am

Janice Tan, 2011

Nuts for buttons!

What's the worst problem today?

Blessed Mother Teresa said, "Further it is the custom in our Society, and my known wish, that the Sisters receive Holy Communion on the tongue, which to my knowledge they are doing everywhere" (Mother Theresa, India 1995; Athi Thoothan Editor, Aquinas, p. 13, Vol 2, No 1 March 2000).

"Not very long ago I said Mass and preached for their Mother, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and after breakfast we spent quite a long time talking in a little room. Suddenly, I found myself asking her -- don't know why -- 'Mother, what do you think is the worst problem in the world today?' She more than anyone could name any number of candidates: famine, plague, disease, the breakdown of the family, rebellion against God, the corruption of the media, world debt, nuclear threat, and so on. 

"Without pausing a second she said, 'Wherever I go in the whole world, the thing that makes me the saddest is watching people receive Communion in the hand.'" 

(Father George William Rutler, Good Friday, 1989 in St. Agnes Church, New York City, a precise transcript taken from a tape of his talk available from St. Agnes Church. Note: Fr. Emerson of the Fraternity of St. Peter was also a witness to this statement by Blessed Mother Teresa)

Is bread and wine really Christ?

  
John 6: 53-58

 Jesus replied to them: In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day.

For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person. 

As the living Father sent me and I draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will also draw life from me. This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.

And this is the reason why we, Catholics, believe that the Holy Communion we receive is the True Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. It's so important that Jesus mentioned it 3 times in a row!

Ave Regina Caelorum

This is the first attempt of Companions of the Bride's recording. Pray that there'll be more to come!

We have sung the last part on a lower note to give it a more reverential finish.

Ave Regina Caelorum is one of four Marian antiphons, with following versicles and prayers, traditionally said or sung after each of the canonical hours of the Liturgy of the Hours. The prayer is used especially after Compline, the final canonical hour of prayer before going to sleep. It is said from the Feast of the Presentation (February 2) through Wednesday of Holy Week

Latin text with translations as below:

AVE, Regina caelorum, Ave, Domina Angelorum: Salve, radix, salve, porta, Ex qua mundo lux est orta:	HAIL, O Queen of Heav'n enthron'd, Hail, by angels Mistress own'd Root of Jesse, Gate of morn, Whence the world's true light was born.
Gaude, Virgo gloriosa, Super omnes speciosa, Vale, o valde decora, Et pro nobis Christum exora.	Glorious Virgin, joy to thee, Lovliest whom in Heaven they see, Fairest thou where all are fair! Plead with Christ our sins to spare.

Totally adorable!

The ‘Simple English Propers’—a Sacred Music Revolution?

by Denys Powlett-Jones on June 20, 2011
...

In order for readers to understand why the Simple English Propers are so important, a brief introduction to some technical aspects of music in the Catholic Mass is in order.


The experience of most  Sunday massgoers in America has for decades been one of music as something added to the Mass but not integral or essential to it—so while the words of the liturgy itself are prescribed by the Missal, and the psalms and readings for every day of the three-year cycle are dictated by the Lectionary, one generally gets the sense that when it comes to music, the Catholic Mass is a blank canvas, an empty decorative space to be filled up by the wits and talents of the parish music ministry.

With four such hymn “slots” to be filled each Sunday—from the entrance and offertory, through the communion to the recessional—American Catholics’ experience is that songs at Mass are something freely chosen by the music director.  From choir-and-organ arrangements of “Soul of My Savior” to rockin’ Matt Maher tunes to “Gather Us In” to “God Bless America” or other special numbers on holidays, what we get week in and week out can be, like radio programming, interesting, varied, eclectic, coherent, or not.  This programming model of music as a freely chosen, extraneous addition to worship is nearly universal, and, from what authorities like Thomas Day, author of Why Catholics Can’t Sing, tell us, it is deeply rooted in pre-Vatican II American Catholicism.  We might have a lot more choices now than we did in 1959, but the model is the same—picking tunes off the nickel jukebox, downloading the playlist.

Read more here...

 

Free download here.