Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Luck be a Lady

I finally get to share a video of me swing dancing! This was from Saturday night, April 26, 2008. I am so excited to have a video of Alex and I swing dancing! We are the two that the camera is mostly focused on (yellow shirt and striped dress). I am really going to miss swing dancing in the Philly area...

Friday, April 25, 2008

Faure's Requiem

Well, I got to hear Faure's Requiem mass for the first time tonight. And guess where I heard it? The spring music festival at my Protestant University. Go figure. It definitely is one of the most beautiful settings. I have heard of Catholic Churches last year on All Soul's day who sang this setting for the mass. I am not sure though how they would do that since, the Sanctus is missing the last half of the text, and the Agnus Dei is followed immediately by the communion chant. I'll have to ask some other musicians how they handle that. The only thing that would have made it more complete tonight was if the men in the university choir sang the Dies Irae " :-)
I would like to point out that doing the actual chants of the requiem mass, or a choral setting of them on All Soul's Day, is a wonderful way to introduce people to a more solemn funeral mass. I do not doubt that most people would be deeply moved by its beauty and start to ask why such music is not done regularly for funeral masses. The chants for a requiem mass are certainly known for being some of the most beautiful in the Gregorian repertoire. Just pointing out that this is something I hope as a musician, to do someday. Feasts like All Souls, Corpus Christi, Candlemas, etc. are wonderful opportunities to reestablish liturgical and musical traditions and expose the faithful to their beauty in a non-coercive way.

As a side note, I do have other interests besides liturgy and its music ;-)
I am so excited for tomorrow night! I will be going to the grand reopening of the Sunnybrook Ballroom in Pottstown PA for an awesome night of swing dancing and socializing. I plan to take pictures and maybe I will post some here.

Friday, April 18, 2008

The Pope's Visit

I know there are already so many postings all over the internet about the Pope's visit to the U.S., but I just wanted to share my own thoughts.
It truly is a grace to have him here in our country, no matter how the liturgies turn out or what anyone else does, etc. I am not saying that such things do not matter, but there is still much joy in just having the Holy Father here with us. I have been praying for him. May his presence as the voice of Christ on Earth instill greater hope in Christians and draw all people to Christ.
On specifics, I was able to watch the last half of the papal mass at Nationals Park, and I truly felt sorry that the Holy Father had to endure the performance style, self-focused, overly-multicultural display of music that happened. He did not look very pleased or comfortable at times. However, EWTN made it quite amusing with its witty and forthright comments about the music being completely unsuitable considering all the Holy Father has written about concerning liturgy and music. Rather than doing great harm, I firmly hope that the mass live on EWTN with such comments will be a turning point in liturgy for the church. I think it will end up being helpful to the new liturgical movement in the long run, and I am glad the Holy Father got to see the state of much of the liturgical life of the church up close and personal! I pray that it prompts him to shepherd with even greater clarity and firmness against liturgical abuse.
From what I have heard, I am glad I didn't hear the responsorial psalm. I was a little surpised at the lack of modest dress of a couple of the women bringing gifts up to the Holy Father for the offertory as well. If there's a dress code even at St. Peter's in Rome, why shouldn't one be enforced at papal masses for those who will visibly be part of the ceremonies? The women's dresses were visibily well above knee length, which I just find inappropriate, ESPECIALLY on such an occasion as a papal liturgy! I am not blaming these women, they probably don't even consider it immodest in our culture, but I would have thought those in charge of the ceremonies would make sure all involved understand appropriate dress and posture. Which brings me to my next point: I know they were all carrying gifts to the Holy Father, but is it not customary to genuflect/kneel before the Holy Father and kiss his ring, as the tenor did after singing Panis Angelicus? This might not be the case during the offertory, I'm not sure. I would gladly appreciate it if someone knows the custom concerning this. It just seemed odd to me they wouldn't at least kiss his ring. Also, if women having a private audience with the Pope are still required to veil their heads (which from what I've heard, they are), then why wouldn't they veil their heads if they are involved in the ceremonies of a Papal mass? Seems inconsistent to me.
Besides the music, the altar setup was nice, and the sanctuary area did not turn out to be as awful as I thought it would be from a computer image I had seen of the plans before he came. The rest of the liturgy seemed quite nice (the last half anyway), except for maybe all the people recieving communion in the hand from the Pope himself, of all people!

I also listened to the address to the UN today, which was good. As always, words of wisdom from our Holy Father. It was received very well by the UN, with a standing ovation. I look forward to watching the mass with clergy and the meeting with youth tomorrow, as well as the Mass at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. These liturgical functions promise to be more in continuity with directives from Rome. I'm glad that these celebrations will end the Holy Father's visit.

I also think I am rather glad that I am watching it on EWTN rather than being there myself. I would never get to see him so close up in person attending mass in a stadium as I can on EWTN. I like being able to get the "better view" of everything going on. Maybe I will still get the chance to see Pope Benedict XVI up close before he dies. It would be such an honor! Ad Multos Annos, Papa Benedict!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Sunday, April 6, 2008

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Here is the church my previous post was about, situated in Manayunk, PA a suburb of Philadelphia. I wish I had been able to take more pictures, but the priest turned all the lights out in the church before I could. If I get the chance, I'll go back there sometime when it's sunny to get more pictures before the semester is over.



Thursday, April 3, 2008

I keep asking: WHY?!

There is a church in the Philly suburbs that I could see from the highway every time I went by with a huge steeple, and made me curious to go down into the town and check it out. I thought, it has to be a Catholic Church, since I could also see other church buildings next to, so it must be a school and rectory and convent. Sure enough I was right, but the church was locked that Sunday afternoon, so I found out on the internet that the parish has a choir and wed. night rehearsals, so i went to observe the choir as part of an assignment for one of my classes.
The beauty of this church almost floored me! The only church in Philadelphia that I have seen that is more beautiful is the Cathedral, but this one comes pretty close! And it's huge! It has tertiarys(?), I think that is what their called. Basically 3rd level balcony seating. the choir loft is the second level. And a huge organ with four manuals! (When I go again and take pictures, I'll post them here).
I write about this though because the more I learned about this parish, the more sad the story becomes. Here's the basics: The church has been there 175 years. was rebuilt right before 1900. Was THE Catholic Church in the area. Had an elementary school, a High school for girls and a High school for boys. There's an old cemetary as well. It had a thriving convent (to teach all the kids, as usual), a three story rectory for 12 priests! And they even had a house right across the street from the church for the music director! Then Vatican II came. They were the last parish in the archdiocese to dismantle their boy's choir, the last parish to do away with the Latin Mass, and the last parish to pull it's high altar away from the wall. Thank God they never destroyed the decoration on the inside though! The organ they have is their second one. The first one was probably smaller. The one they have now though was almost destroyed. In the 70's the poor ignorant people allowed a Catholic organist to "fix" the organ. Instead, he purposefully destroyed it, and then left! Even more appalling is the fact that this man is still an organist at a church in the diocese! One of the balconies is full of old organ pipes, many of which are too damaged from the doings of this man to ever be used again! It was enough to literally turn my stomach. Present state of the parish life: There are two priests left, church can no longer afford (or unwilling to pay) a full time music director, the convent closed two years ago, and all the schools closed last year.
This story and several others like it that I have heard continues to make me ask the question: WHY??!?!? Why would God allow such a thing to happen to his people? When will the destruction be over? I am afraid to know what the state of this parish will be 20 years from now, if a mediocre Catholicism and mediocre liturgy continues to be taught and promoted. Especially in places like this! From what I hear, many of the parishioners still love tradition, and such a parish as this I do not doubt would have a strong following for a Latin mass either in the EF or the OF of the mass. It wrenches my heart to see the destruction that implementations of Vatican II have caused! I know the council documents were interpreted wrongly, but that isn't even so much my point. Places like this make me ask: why did they even think a renewal was needed on the scale that they proposed?? I'm inclined to want to agree with more traditionalist folk that the council was basically high jacked by liberal bishops in Europe, and the documents purposely written in a vague style to allow all this to happen! I could understand the desire to encourage priests to continually catechize the laity on the meaning of the mass and helping them to renew their involvement in it, especially interior participation, but so many external changes were unnecessary! Who will be responsible for all the souls lost in this time, who felt like their faith abandoned them, rather than the other way around? We have ended up with a slow death of the church, rather than a renewal! and I can't help but feel that to some degree that was the whole goal by those in charge of liturgy and doctrine.
Seeing the potent reality of such destruction in this church in Philadelphia, literally made me weep as I drove home. I want to be angry at God for allowing such a spiritual death among his people to happen, but I can't seem to be. It just makes me weep for the church and say some of the most honest prayers I have ever prayed in my life, for the renewal of the church. Instead of anger, the Lord fills me with a desire to aid/serve the church, knowing that liturgy, and so also music, renewal is so crucial to the life of the faithful. It was once the heart of their whole lives and from it grew a culture of faith that spread into the world and affected many other things during their week. They didn't just come together on Sunday for mass, but their strong belief that the mass gave witness to fueled the building of a culture of faith that gave witness to the rest of secular society.
I know I will suffer much in the normal parish setting, struggling to help revive the parish liturgy and life, but I can't ignore the call in my heart to involve myself in it. May God give me strength and never let my hope be extinguished.

Been awhile

I know it's been quite a long time since I last posted, but that probably doesn't matter too much, I know hardly anyone ever looks at this blog. But I plan to put up a lengthier post within the next couple days.