New Liturgical Movement

R.I.P. Dom David Nicholson, O.S.B.

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P.) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:59:00 +0000

I was just send notice of the passing on June 9, at the age of 89, of Dom David Nicholson, O.S.B., of Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon. Dom David was a distinguished student and teacher of Gregorian Chant and a wonderful charming man. I consider myself fortunate to have known him.

He converted to Catholicism from "Anglo-Catholicism" as a young man, attracted especially by the chant and the contemplative tradition. For decades he taught music and music history at Mount Angel Seminary and was music director of the abbey for extended periods. He studied chant in a great number of places, including an extended stay at Solesmes.

He had a marvelous sense of humor even in the hardest times. It was a great joy to him to see the revival of chant in recent years and he took great delight in helping revive it Oregon. He was a dear friend of the Dominican Community in Portland OR, where he visited many times.

I will soon celebrate a Requiem Mass for the repose of his soul. Prayers are also asked of our readers.

P.S. before someone comments on it: Fr. David was very proud of his English heritage and his friends commonly called him "Dom David" in the English style. Thus the title of this post.

Pontifical Mass in Cork at E.W. Pugin's Ss. Peter and Paul

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:38:00 +0000

The NLM was asked to make mention of the fact that a Solemn Pontifical Mass will be celebrated in Ss. Peter and Paul's church, Cork City, Ireland, by George Cardinal Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, this coming Sunday, July 12th at 11am.

The Mass will mark the opening of the 150 anniversary celebrations of the laying of the foundation stone of the church of Ss. Peter and Paul on 15 August 1859. The architect was E. W. Pugin, son of A.W.N Pugin.

Vestments in a Style of the Monastic Element of the 20th Century Liturgical Movement

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:00:00 +0000

There wasn't any singular style to the vestments of the 20th century Liturgical Movement of course, monastic or otherwise -- excepting insofar as it was generally true that the fuller forms of vestments were becoming more and more in evidence in the Latin rite during the 20th century. Part in parcel with that movement was the revival of the conical form of the chasuble and fuller forms of the dalmatic and tunicle; something which was particularly seen (though not exclusively seen) within the monastic context of the Liturgical Movement.

(Right: A conical chasuble in use in the late 1940's in Bruges, Belgium)

I mention all of this as recently some photos were sent into the NLM of the first Mass of one of the newly ordained Premonstratensian priests of St. Michael's Abbey in California, Fr. Claude Williams, O. Praem. I should be clear that the vestments were not specifically made for this ordination, nor Fr. Williams, but were designed and made as a gift from the CRNJ to the Fathers of the Abbey.

What particularly relates them to many of the conical vestments seen within the context of the Liturgical Movement is not only the ample cut of the chasuble, but also the pattern and style of the orphreys, and the dalmatic which is full and long in both the body and in the arms.

In my estimation, these vestments are quite superb and show the great dignity and potentiality that might be found within this form today -- and for both forms of the Roman liturgy at that.

Congratulations to Fr. Williams as well on his ordination.

Newman, Continuity and Vatican II according to Fr. Ian Ker

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:25:00 +0000

Fr. Tim Finigan pointed out this Catholic Herald piece today. The piece encompasses the theme of Benedict's "hermeneutic of reform in continuity" in relation to the Councils and Newman's own approach and understanding of the Church's Councils and their relationship to each other.

Fr. Ian Ker proposes that in the context of the imbalances of our own day -- which would either see the Second Vatican Council utterly rejected, or, by contrast, the effective rejection of what came before the Second Vatican Council -- Newman can offer light as a corrective influence.

Here is an excerpt.

[...] If there has been one keynote of Benedict XVI's pontificate, it has been "the hermeneutic", or interpretation, "of continuity". By that the Pope means that the post-Vatican II Church needs to be understood in continuity, rather than disruption, with the Church of the past. It is not that the Pope denies the significance of the achievements of the Second Vatican Council but that he insists that that Council did not somehow cancel out all the other Councils or constitute so radical a disruption as to be equivalent to a revolution. It is above all in this respect that I am sure that the Pope will see the beatification of Newman as being of great importance for the Church.

Newman has often been called "the Father of Vatican II" in the sense that he anticipated key themes of the Council. One thinks particularly of what the Council had to say about Revelation, the Church, the Church in the modern world, religious freedom and ecumenism. But if Newman was an innovative or radical theologian, he was so only because he was a deeply historical theologian. In his classic Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine Newman wrote: "To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant." He would say today with Pope Benedict: "To be deep in history is to cease to be a Vatican II liberal Catholic" - that is, the kind of Catholic who thinks that Vatican II represented a complete break in the history of the Church, a new dawn analogous to the Reformation as seen by Protestants.

Where Newman anticipated the Council in his theology, he was always careful not to exaggerate, not to lose his balance. It is well known, for example, that Newman championed the cause of the laity, but he never conceived of some kind of lay as opposed to clerical Church. From his study of the Greek Fathers he understood the Church to be primarily a sacramental communion, the organic community that Vatican II embraced in the two opening chapters of the Constitution on the Church. The Church was not primarily hierarchical, as post-Tridentine theology assumed, but nor was it a lay democracy. Again, for instance, Newman understood Revelation to be primarily the revealing of God in Christ rather than the revealing of doctrinal propositions, but because his theology of Revelation was personal rather than propositional that did not mean that he did not think doctrinal truths to be essential for our apprehension of God in Christ.

The mini-theology of Councils that Newman sketched out in private letters at the time of the First Vatican Council provides an invaluable hermeneutic for both Vatican II and for subsequent developments and corruptions of the Council's teachings.

The chaos and dissension that followed the Council Newman would have seen as the inevitable fall-out from a Council, especially one so far-reaching in its agenda. The result of Vatican I was the triumphalism of the extreme Ultramontanes on the one hand, and on the other hand the excommunication of Döllinger and the Old Catholic schism. Vatican II also saw the emergence of two extreme interpretations of the Council as revolutionary: on the one hand the excommunicated Lefebvre and his followers, and on the other the extreme liberals, headed by Hans Küng. As at Vatican I, the two extreme parties agreed very closely on the revolutionary nature of the Council.

Deep in history, Newman understood very clearly that Councils move "in contrary declarations.... perfecting, completing, supplying each other". Vatican I's definition of papal infallibility needed to be complemented, modified by a much larger teaching on the Church, so, Newman correctly predicted, there would be another Council which would do just that. But equally Vatican II needs complementing and modifying. Newman keenly appreciated that Councils have unintended consequences by virtue both of what they say and what they don't say. The tendency is for the former to be exaggerated, as happened in the wake of Vatican II, when one might have supposed that the Church had no other business except justice and peace, ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue, and so on. But what Councils do not deal with, and therefore neglect, is also of great significance: thus Vatican II was deafeningly silent about what was to become the main preoccupation of the pontificate of John Paul II: evangelisation.

In conclusion, my prediction is that history will see Newman not only as "the Father of Vatican II" but as the Doctor of the post-Conciliar Church.

Ian Ker's John Henry Newman: A Biography, first published by Oxford University Press in 1988, was re-issued on July 3

Source: Catholic Herald Online

Metropolitan Cathedral of Edinburgh

jeffrey.a.tucker@gmail.com (Jeffrey Tucker) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:58:00 +0000

A press release concerning Vespers at St Mary's RC Cathedral in Edinburgh on 15th August during the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe.

A photograph of Mgr Regan (centre back) and the Schola Sanctae Margaritae (AKA the Edinburgh Schola - seated) is attached for your use. Credit: Claire Hamid

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption will be celebrating its patronal feast day with a celebration of Vêspres de la Vierge (Op.18) by Marcel Dupré. This is an exciting work for organ and Gregorian chant which will be performed by the internationally acclaimed cathedral organist, Simon Nieminski, and the Schola Sanctae Margaritae, a group which performs and promotes Gregorian chant within the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. The event will not only be significant as the patronal feast of St Mary’s Cathedral but also as a significant 90th anniversary performance in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the new Matthew Copley organ.

The officiant at Vespers will be the cathedral administrator, Mgr Michael Regan, who will be assisted by six coped clerics according to the ceremonies of the usus antiquior. Unfortunately His Eminence, Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien, will be out of the country in mid-August but he has kindly given his blessing to the celebration.

The work is a significant one from both a musical and liturgical perspective. It came into being when Claude Johnson, one of the original directors of Rolls Royce, chanced to be in Paris in August 1919. On the Feast of the Assumption he went to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame for Vespers. On that day the Organiste Titulaire, Louis Vierne, was replaced by Marcel Dupré, the former ceding the console to the latter for the purpose of testing his skill at improvisation. Dupré’s performance, by all accounts, did not disappoint his mentor.

So impressed was Johnson by what he had heard, that, upon his return to England, he contacted Dupré to ask how he might obtain a copy of the music. When the composer replied that the entire thing had been improvised, Johnson immediately offered a commission for their committal to paper.

Whereas during most of their history after publication they tended to be heard as a series of pieces for organ, their original place was in liturgical context. It was in 1994 that the late Dr Mary Berry CBE, Director of the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge, embarked upon a project to reintroduce the Versets into their proper liturgical context, recording them later that year in Notre-Dame de Paris, with Philippe Lefèbvre, Titulaire of the Cathedral at the Grandes Orgues, and David Hill on the chamber organ. (Herald: HAVPCD170). The organ is treated as a liturgical voice, taking up the reprise of the antiphon after each of the five psalms, and basing its improvisation on the melody of the original chant of the antiphon: canon, chorale etc,. The Schola and organ alternate throughout the hymn, Ave Maris Stella, the organ offering the most varied of treatments of the melody. This alternation continues throughout the Magnificat, with the organ, rather than improvising on the chant, engaging in interpreting parts of the text.

Rounded off by the concluding Preces and the Salve Regina, the whole Office comes together to provide an uplifting – even at times breathtaking – celebration of one of the major feasts in the Church’s calendar. Nothing is left out, nothing is left to chance, and every element – every voice – integrates perfectly. It will be fitting to here a work of such quality and which musically expresses the renaissance within the Church of organic development in Edinburgh for her cathedral’s patronal feast and during the world’s largest cultural festival.

Vespers will begin at 4pm and will be followed by a free organ and guitar recital at 5pm.

NLM Note: Mozarabic Series to Continue

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:51:00 +0000

One of the great interests of the NLM has always been to present news and essays on the various rites of the Church, and in particular the Western rites and uses.

In early May, we began a series on the Mozarabic rite, which had been temprarily laid aside simply due to the day to day business of the site.

However, I also know there was great interest expressed with regard to that series, so those readers will be pleased to know that series will now continue.

However, to help freshen one's recollection of this series, and to draw in any new readers who may not have been with us, I felt I should re-introduce it, and bring the first two installments to your attention again.

The Mozarabic Rite: Introduction

The Mozarabic Rite: The Two Missals

New Priests for the IBP

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:50:00 +0000

From Vannes.maville.com, in turn by way of Le Forum Cathoiique comes news of the ordination of two new priests of the Institute of the Good Shepherd in the basilica of Sainte-Anne d'Auray on July 4th.

The ordaining prelate was Msgr. Appignanesi, archbishop emeritus of Potenza, Italy.

Architecture of Catholic Milan

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:02:00 +0000

We are all quite accustomed to seeing the Duomo of Milan or the Basilica of St. Ambrose, but here is another Milanese church which I photographed last year, which is noteworthy for its architecture both exteriorly and interiorly -- in the case of the latter, most particularly for its painted vaulting.

While we are considering this sort of architecture, here is the church of San Babila in Milan, taken from another source:

English Translation of the Motu Proprio "Ecclesiae Unitatem"

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:23:00 +0000

An English translation of Ecclesiae unitatem has been released on VIS. Do note, this translation came from the Italian edition rather than the original Latin edition:

MOTU PROPRIO ECCLESIAE UNITATEM

1. The duty to safeguard the unity of the Church, with the solicitude to offer everyone help in responding appropriately to this vocation and divine grace, is the particular responsibility of the Successor of the Apostle Peter, who is the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of the unity of both bishops and faithful. The supreme and fundamental priority of the Church in all times - to lead mankind to the meeting with God - must be supported by the commitment to achieve a shared witness of faith among all Christians.

2. Faithful to this mandate, following the act of 30 June 1988 by which Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre illicitly conferred episcopal ordination upon four priests, on 2 July 1988 Pope John Paul II of venerable memory established the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" whose task it is "to collaborate with the bishops, with the departments of the Roman Curia and with the circles concerned, for the purpose of facilitating full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals until now linked in various ways to the Society founded by Msgr. Lefebvre, who may wish to remain united to the Successor Peter in the Catholic Church, while preserving their spiritual and liturgical traditions, in the light of the Protocol signed on 5 May last by Cardinal Ratzinger and Msgr. Lefebvre".

3. In keeping with this, faithfully adhering to that duty to serve the universal communion of the Church, also in her visible manifestation, and making every effort to ensure that those who truly desire unity have the possibility to remain in it or to rediscover it, I decided, with the Motu Proprio "Summorum Pontificum", to expand and update through more precise and detailed norms the general indications already contained in the Motu Proprio "Ecclesia Dei" concerning the possibility of using the 1962"Missale Romanum".

4. In the same spirit, and with the same commitment to favouring the repair of all fractures and divisions within the Church, and to healing a wound that is ever more painfully felt within the ecclesiastical structure, I decided to remit the excommunication of the four bishops illicitly ordained by Msgr. Lefebvre. In making that decision my intention was to remove an impediment that could hinder the opening of a door to dialogue and thus invite the four bishops and the Society of Saint Pius X to rediscover the path to full communion with the Church. As I explained in my Letter to Catholic bishops of 10 March this year, the remission of the excommunication was a measure taken in the field of ecclesiastical discipline, to free individuals from the burden of conscience constituted by the most serious of ecclesiastical penalties. However it is clear that the doctrinal questions remain, and until they are clarified the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers cannot legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church.

5. Precisely because the problems that now have to be examined with the Society are essentially doctrinal in nature, I have decided - twenty-one years after the Motu Proprio "Ecclesia Dei" and in keeping with what I had intended to do - to reconsider the structure of the Commission "Ecclesia Dei", joining it closely to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

6. The Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" will, then, have the following configuration:

(a) The president of the Commission is the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

(b) The Commission has its own staff, composed of the secretary and officials.

(c) It will be the task of the president, with the assistance of the secretary, to submit the principal cases and questions of a doctrinal nature for study and discernment according to the ordinary requirements of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and to submit the results thereof to the superior dispositions of the Supreme Pontiff.

7. With this decision I wish in particular to show paternal solicitude towards the Society of Saint Pius X, with the aim of rediscovering the full communion of the Church.

To everyone I address a pressing invitation to pray ceaselessly to the Lord, by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "ut unum sint".

From Rome, at St. Peter's, 2 July 2009, fifth year of Our Pontificate.

MP/ECCLESIAE UNITATEM/...VIS 090708 (800)

The new president of Ecclesia Dei, Cardinal Levada, has issued a communiqué (in Italian).

Chant Propers in full for the extraordinary form

jeffrey.a.tucker@gmail.com (Jeffrey Tucker) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Ok, this is amazing. It's what we've all hoped for, and perfect for weekly use in the extraordinary form. Bookmark it.

Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei Attached to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Gregor Kollmorgen) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:04:00 +0000

Pope Benedict XVI today issued the motu proprio Ecclesiæ Unitatem, attaching the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Prefect of the CDF is now ex offcio President of the PCED (Ecclesiæ Unitatem, no. 6 a). The PCED, however, preserves its own staff, consisting of a Secretary and officials (Ecclesiæ Unitatem, no. 6 b). The text of the motu proprio Ecclesiæ Unitatem has only been published in Latin and Italian, the NLM will endeavour to bring you an English translation as soon as possible.

In agreement with the dispositions of the motu proprio Ecclesiæ Unitatem, the Holy Father appointed the Prefect of the CDF, Cardinal Levada, new President of the PCED. He also named a new Secretary for the Commission, who is an official of the CDF. From today's bollettino of the Holy See Press Office:

The Holy Father has thanked His Eminence Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, who has reached the term of his service as President of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", and has named President of the same Commission His Eminence Card. William Joseph Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Pope has appointed Secretary of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" the Rev. Msgr. Guido Pozzo, until now Adjunct Secretary of the International Theological Commission and Aiutante di Studio of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Msgr. Pozzo works at the CDF since 1987. He is also a professor at the Lateran University. Msgr. Pozzo is a priest of the diocese of Trieste.

The Lost Reredos of St. John the Divine

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Alderman) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:44:00 +0000

One of our readers and a friend and colleague of mine, Evan McWilliams, recently passed on a great discovery to me he'd made while visiting the cathedral archives at St. John the Divine in New York, two proposals by the great Cram for the cathedral's high altar, which sadly never came to pass. I had heard rumors of their existence, but had no idea what the finished product had looked like, nor how far the design had gotten before being abandoned. Evan writes:

Part of my archival research this past week involved a look at the various incarnations of a reredos for the cathedral. There are multiple versions by R.A. Cram from the 1930s and correspondence indicating a possible design by J.N. Comper dating all the way back to 1915. Below are two of Cram's designs and a picture of the apse without reredos more or less as it currently stands as well as a photo of the Seville reredos that inspired his ideas for a proper design. I think the lack of a good focus for the amazing length and height of the nave really does the building as a whole a disservice. Cram said in a 1935 letter to Bishop Manning, "Having lived in the shadow, so to speak, of the Seville reredos, I realize its incomparable majesty and its unique place in the sphere of religious art. I thought I could visualize the cathedral, when once the choir is reconstructed [this took place in 1939 --E. McW.] and the great screen taken down, with this great area of smouldering gold drawing the whole thing together." His vision was, as always, impeccable.

Instead, sadly, there is nothing, and the great chancel, a stupendous and vast liturgical space, centers on a broad, low altar and an odd assemblage of candlesticks and Asiatic pots. Only something spectacular and gigantic could fill that gap. Fortunately, the designs are there if anyone has the sense to look.

An earlier proposal for the reredos. In some ways, this is a more nuanced design than the final proposal, but I think it lacks the weight and mass to serve as the focus for the gigantic nave and even bigger crossing.

The final design for the reredos which, as Evan notes "relates much more successfully to the apse and the building as a whole." Its massiveness and rich gilding are the only thing that can stand out in the vast space, while there are quite a few moments of subtlety, such as the Comper-like fan-vaults that crown the vast structure.

Note how oddly cluttered and at the same time empty the sanctuary seems without any sort of reredos. A temporary one of some sort existed before the '40s, when it was demolished to give an uninterrupted vista to...well, not very much, actually. But even that older altarpiece was itself rather underpowered from the few photos I have seen of it.

Seville. Evan: "Smouldering gold is right. Fantastic."

Introits for Treble Choir

jeffrey.a.tucker@gmail.com (Jeffrey Tucker) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:57:00 +0000

The other day, I pointed out that Richard Rice has written a collection of Introits for treble choir in three parts, a wonderful step towards providing more polyphonic options for singing the propers -- which is a fruitful direction for today's liturgical composers. These have practical value for every parish, whether in the extraordinary or ordinary form of the Roman Rite.

Here is the full book on line. Here it is in hard copy, which I recommend you get because it allows for better singing and planning.

Here is a portion of Richard's commentary in the foreword:

I designed this volume for choirs consisting mostly or exclusively of soprano and alto voices. The trio texture was popular among composers of the late Cecilian Movement, whose settings and transcriptions can still be heard in women’s religious communities.

The Introits selected cover the entire liturgical year for Sundays and Solemnities of the traditional Roman Missal (1962), but most are used in the modern Missal as well. Each Introit retains its Gregorian psalmtone verse, whose proper modality is reflected in the harmonized Introit itself. I have tried to preserve the natural rhythm of the Latin text, while still uncovering some type of motivic repetition. I have resorted only occasionally to text repetition when it helped to balance the musical phrase. I have made frequent use of mixed meters, without cluttering the score by marking all the metrical changes. Conductors should mark the changes, and conduct them (beating the half-note, as much as possible); singers need only keep an even quarter-note pulse, whether duple or compound, and follow the natural rhythm and accentuation of the text. Textual considerations will also govern the choice of tempo, which should always have a strong sense of forward movement.

And here is a sample page from the first Sunday in Lent.

Fall Pilgrimage: Gregorian Chant

jeffrey.a.tucker@gmail.com (Jeffrey Tucker) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:10:00 +0000

The CMAA is sponsoring the Fall Pilgrimage: Gregorian Chant at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

This tutorial and liturgical event occurs in the Year of Jubilee of the Basilica of the National Shrine, and is co-sponsored by St. John the Beloved Church in McLean, Virginia and the John Paul II Cultural Center.

The dates are September 25-26, 2009.

This Fall Pilgrimage features chant instruction by chant legend Scott Turkington, lectures by renowned scholar William Mahrt (Stanford University and president of the CMAA), and a final Mass in the Extraordinary Form, celebrated in the Crypt Church of the National Shrine, with a fully chanted ordinary and propers sung by participants. The Organist will be David Lang, Organist and Choirmaster at St. John the Beloved in McLean. Choral motets will be sung by the Choir of the National Shrine directed by Dr. Peter Latona.

The trip also includes conditions for gaining the Jubilee Year Plenary Indulgence.

The conference is for beginning chanters, advanced chanters, or anyone in between, including those who love and appreciate the central role that chant plays as the prayerful song of the Roman Rite - not only at cathedrals and Basilicas but also in every parish. The conference will both train and inspire toward the goal of continuing the renaissance of sacred music in our time, both in the ordinary and extraordinary form of the Mass. More here.

Episcopal Consecration of New CDW Secretary

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:03:00 +0000

News came the NLM's way that the episcopal consecration of Fr. Augustine DiNoia, O.P., the new secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, will be televised on Saturday, July 11, at 2:00pm on EWTN.

The consecration will take place at the National Shrine in Washington , D.C. which, somewhat appropriately, is across from the Dominican House of Studies.

First Two Volumes of "Monumenta Ritualia Hungarica" Released

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:34:00 +0000

A new series of liturgical textual editions, entitled "Monumenta Ritualia Hungarica" has been launched. The main objective of the series is the publication of the extant sources of the medieval Hungarian liturgical tradition.

In the first volume is published the very first printed Missal of Esztergom (Missale Strigoniense 1484), the second volume contains a critical edition of a normative liturgical text regulating the celebration of the Esztergom Use, the Ordinal of Esztergom (Ordinarius Strigoniensis), of which we know six different editions from the period between 1493 and 1520. These representative volumes are introduced by lengthy and highly informative English studies, as well as supplemented by detailed indices.

These volumes may be obtained directly from the bookstore of the Publisher at a reduced price, 20% cheaper than from other retailers. The Publisher's bookstore in Budapest (Hungary) is open Monday through Friday, from 7:30 to 16:30 (on Fridays until 16:00). The street address is:

Argumentum Kiadó és Nyomda Kft.
Mária utca 46.
Budapest
H-1085
Hungary

The publications have not been distributed to retailers yet. In case of mail orders the cost of shipping will be added to the original price. If the payment is made through bank transfer, a handling fee of 2500 HUF (~10 EUR) will also have to be included (independently from the number of volumes ordered). Orders must be placed by e-mail or fax to the address and number indicated below. Delivery will be quick and the invoice will be enclosed with the package.

Ms. Dóra Ambrus
E-mail: arg-terj@vnet.hu
Fax: +36-1-4851041

Missale Strigoniense 1484

Description:

The royal and archiepiscopal city of Esztergom, and through it the entire medieval Hungarian church, followed a liturgical rite which was at once deliberately adapted to local circumstances and in perfect harmony with the wider Franco-Roman tradition. This volume is the normative and critical edition of the entire text of the first printed Missal codifying the solidified, 15th-16th century state of the Mass liturgy according to the Use of Esztergom. The main text unites the aspects of philological accuracy and transparency with being easy-to-handle, and it tries to meet the expectations of both expert scholars and students less well-versed in liturgical studies and the Latin tongue. For this reason its spelling is made uniform but it also preserves the medieval interpunctuation as the relic of linguistic and perhaps musical articulation. The text was arranged in a perspicuous manner with clear divisions between chapters, items, and italicised rubrics. The reader's orientation is assisted by headings and the clear indication of the original page numbers. The introductory study gives an account of the overall objectives, antecedent history, methodology and plans of the whole series which is followed by chapters explaining the wider context of the source material regarding the Use of Esztergom, as well as the historical background, significance and method of liturgical book printing in medieval Hungary. This study is concluded by the inevitable palaeo- and bibliographical description, a chapter describing the principles of this edition, and a rich bibliography. After the main text the reader finds a critical apparatus (including the supplementation of the hiatus at the beginning of the Mass Ordinary from the so-called Pálóczi Missal) with a detailed table of contents. A special feature of the appendices is the index containing each and every text of the traditional Latin Missal and made searchable on the basis of textual types, initials, liturgical use, and biblical loci. In all probability until date this is the most complete summary of the textual material of the Latin Mass liturgy.

Id est Missale secundum almae ecclesiae Strigoniensis, impressum Nurenbergae apud Anthonium Koburger, anno Domini MCCCCLXXXIIII (RMK III 7)
BALÁZS DÉRI (ed.)
Argumentum Publishing House, Budapest 2009.
(Monumenta Ritualia Hungarica I - Bibliotheca Scriptorum Medii Recentisque Aevorum XVI)
Hard cover, sewn binding
68 (introduction) + 659 (text) + 71 (indices) pages
7 coloured illustrations
ISBN 978-963-446-517-1
Price: 80 EUR

Ordinarius Strigoniensis

Description:

The Ordinal was the most characteristic normative liturgical text of the High Middle Ages. Beginning with the 12th century in this genre were united those textual types that constitute the secondary sources of liturgical ceremony: the collection of items to be sung, the symbolic, historical, and theoretical expositions of ceremonies, and the description of liturgical roles, musical performance, or spatial arrangement. Since only a few such sources survived from the Hungarian Middle Ages, each known surviving text is of great significance. One of these sources is the 15th century Ordinal of the Esztergom archcathedral which until 1520 saw at least six printed editions, and - since it was obviously re-edited several times - its antecedents go back at least to the 14th century. The present volume is the critical edition of this text, taking into account each of its surviving versions. The main text is based on the first, Nuremberg edition; its spelling and typography are reader-friendly, that is, in line with the methodology of the series, it realises contemporary principles by means of modern typography, at once satisfying the requirements of science and scientific literature intended for the general public. The introductory study summarises the editor's scientific results based on the history and typography of normative liturgical texts. After a short exposition on the Use of Esztergom, it provides a philological-bibliographical description of all the different editions and its surviving copies. Then, in separate chapters, the introduction treats of the text's retrospective aspects in reference to its manuscript antecedents, and explains the principles of the present critical edition. A special feature of the appendices is the description of the extraordinary ceremonies of the liturgical year in English translation. The main text is followed by a detailed table of contents and an index of liturgical days.

Impressum pluries Nurenbergae, Venetiis et Lugduni annis Domini 1493-1520 (RMK III Suppl. I 5031, RMK III 35, 134, 165, 166, 238)
MIKLÓS ISTVÁN FÖLDVÁRY (ed.)
Argumentum Publishing House, Budapest 2009.
(Monumenta Ritualia Hungarica II - Bibliotheca Scriptorum Medii Recentisque Aevorum XVII)
Hard cover, sewn binding
80 (introduction) + 188 (text) + 16 (indices) pages
8 black and white illustrations
ISBN 978-963-446-518-8
Price: 40 EUR

FSSP Superior General and Benedict XVI

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:31:00 +0000

Thanks to John Sonnen for keeping us always abreast of the goings on in Rome:

On Monday, July 6 the Holy Father met in private audience the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, Fr. John Berg. The meeting took place in the Holy Father's private library in the Apostolic Palace. After the meeting the Holy Father had the pleasure to greet some of the founding members of the F.S.S.P. and he thanked them for their labors while giving each a small gift.

Caritas in Veritate and the Hermeneutic of Continuity

noreply@blogger.com (Gregor Kollmorgen) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:16:00 +0000

Today, on the second anniversary of the publication of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI's third encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, on social doctrine - "on integral human development in charity and truth" - has been published (read it here). During my first scanning of the text, I came upon this passage, in which the Holy Father again highlights the principle of a hermeneutic of continuity, so essential also as we know as regards the sacred liturgy. Here is the passage:

12. The link between Populorum Progressio and the Second Vatican Council does not mean that Paul VI's social magisterium marked a break with that of previous Popes, because the Council constitutes a deeper exploration of this magisterium within the continuity of the Church's life [19]. In this sense, clarity is not served by certain abstract subdivisions of the Church's social doctrine, which apply categories to Papal social teaching that are extraneous to it. It is not a case of two typologies of social doctrine, one pre-conciliar and one post-conciliar, differing from one another: on the contrary, there is a single teaching, consistent and at the same time ever new[20]. It is one thing to draw attention to the particular characteristics of one Encyclical or another, of the teaching of one Pope or another, but quite another to lose sight of the coherence of the overall doctrinal corpus[21]. Coherence does not mean a closed system: on the contrary, it means dynamic faithfulness to a light received. The Church's social doctrine illuminates with an unchanging light the new problems that are constantly emerging[22]. This safeguards the permanent and historical character of the doctrinal “patrimony”[23] which, with its specific characteristics, is part and parcel of the Church's ever-living Tradition[24]. Social doctrine is built on the foundation handed on by the Apostles to the Fathers of the Church, and then received and further explored by the great Christian doctors. This doctrine points definitively to the New Man, to the “last Adam [who] became a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor 15:45), the principle of the charity that “never ends” (1 Cor 13:8). It is attested by the saints and by those who gave their lives for Christ our Saviour in the field of justice and peace. It is an expression of the prophetic task of the Supreme Pontiffs to give apostolic guidance to the Church of Christ and to discern the new demands of evangelization. For these reasons, Populorum Progressio, situated within the great current of Tradition, can still speak to us today.

"The Prime Minister of China who became a Benedictine Abbot"

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:14:00 +0000

From a blog I featured recently, that of Mr. Andrew Cusack, came to my notice the interesting story of The Prime Minister of China who became a Benedictine Abbot which he in turn noticed in a recent edition of The Catholic Herald.

CHRISTIANITY HAS A LONG and varied history in China stretching over at least one-and-a-half millenia. The ancient country has even had Christian leaders, such as the Congregationalist founder of the Chinese Republic, Sun Yat-sen, and his Methodist successor, Gen. Chiang Kai-shek (head of the Kuomintang for nearly forty years). Still, until I read this fascinating story in the Catholic Herald I had no idea that there was a Prime Minister of China, Lou Tseng-tsiang (陸徵祥), who ended his days as a Benedictine monk by the name of Dom Pierre-Célestin.

Update on the Journal Usus Antiquior: An Interview with the Editors

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:53:00 +0000

The NLM is pleased to present a second interview with the editors of the forthcoming scholarly journal, Usus Antiquior, Drs. Alcuin Reid and Laurence Hemming, which will give NLM readers not only a sense of where the journal is presently at and where they could use your help, but also a taste of what to expect in the very first issue.

For those who aren't aware, you may already subscribe -- and having done so myself already, I can tell you it is delightfully easy to do so online.

With that, the interview.

NLM – Has there been much progress since we last interviewed you both?

UA – Yes, for an academic journal, it’s been quite frenzied, but in an entirely positive way. We continue to be really heartened by the level of support we’ve had. Subscriptions open today, and our publisher, Maney Publications, will be contacting in excess of 600 people who used our original website to notify us of their intention to subscribe. The old site has now gone, and if you type in the old address it automatically points you to the publisher’s site. It’s actually been possible to subscribe for a few weeks already (and quite a few people and even some institutions have subscribed), but today we also wanted to release what has already been planned for the contents of the first volume.

NLM – Can you remind us about the subscription structure?

UA – The publishers have been very generous: in addition to the standard subscription, there is a student subscription, a subscription for religious houses and seminaries, and then the institutional rate, primarily for University libraries. There is a special reduced rate for people who sign up for a two-year subscription, which Maney tell us has already been very popular. A final note – it is possible to subscribe using not only credit-card payments, but also PayPal, making it easy for people to subscribe over the internet.

NLM – Can you tell us something about what will be in the first volume?

UA – If you go to Maney’s page for Usus Antiquior you’ll see that there will be two editions in the first volume, for Epiphany and July 7th 2010. The first volume will, we hope reflect something of the range of the issues the journal hopes to address. It will open with an extended editorial article, laying out in detail what we believe to be the contours of the new liturgical movement that is just beginning. Fr. Aidan Nichols OP has contributed an article entitled ‘A Theological Perspective On Church Music’, which we plan will be complemented in the second edition by an article by László Dobszay laying out in detail his proposal for a ‘Graduale Parvum’.

The Patristics scholar Bishop Athansius Schneider (whose ordinations at Wigratzbad for the FSSP you covered recently) has contributed an article on the principles of liturgical reform, and Abbot Michael John Zielinski, OSB Oliv., the Vice-President of the Pontifical Council for the Cultural Heritage of the Church has given us a paper on ‘The Culture and Heritage Of The Classical Roman Rite’.

The first edition will also have an article by Matthieu Smyth examining ‘The Anaphora of the So-Called ‘Apostolic Tradition’ and the Roman Eucharistic Prayer’ with a Preface by the Anglican liturgical scholar and Professor of Notre Dame, Paul Bradshaw. Many of your readers will know that scholarship in respect of the Apostolic Constitutions has taken significant steps in recent years, some of which calls into question the assumptions that led to the production of the Second Eucharistic Prayer of the Missal of Paul VI.

Volume one will also contain two extended articles, one by the liturgical scholar and professor of theology at Augsburg, Fr. Manfred Hauke, discussing the work of Mgr. Klaus Gamber and the other by Professor Stefan Heid of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Archaeology in Rome on ‘The Attitude and Orientation of Prayer in the Early Christian Era’. This latter study was personally commended by Pope Benedict last year.

Other articles planned include ‘The Moral Lessons of the Octaves’ by Dr Susan Frank Parsons and ‘Despicere mundum et terrena: a Spiritual and Liturgical Motif in the Missale Romanum’ by Dr Daniel Van Slyke.

Our reviews editor, Ben Whitworth, has been doing a truly excellent job and we are in the happy position of having a good number of excellent reviews in hand already. We believe that they will prove to be a real strength of the journal.

NLM – Are contributions still welcome?

UA - Of course. While we are commencing with two issues for the first two years, it is our plan to expand to three after that and to achieve quarterly publication as soon as possible. We will be very happy to hear from scholars about possible contributions to any aspect of the “question of the liturgy.”

NLM – One major issue for any initiative is that of fundraising. What about finances?

UA - As long as we reach the break-even number of subscriptions, there will be no further set-up costs for which we have to find funds. This is a very generous arrangement, but it means that the Society of St. Catherine of Siena is bearing the costs of translations of foreign language contributions (of which several are planned). The Society is very happy to do this, but it is not a wealthy organization. Once again we must say a heartfelt thank-you to all the NLM supporters who have helped, even with very small donations. Every little bit has been important!

NLM – Will there be a formal launch for the journal, and who may attend?

UA – We have decided to take a bit of a risk here, for which we need help. January is not a good time for launch events, so we are planning a simple Missa Cantata in central London for the Feast of the Epiphany followed by a small gathering of those most closely associated with the effort to bring the journal into being.

The major launch will be a major scholarly conference in Oxford at the beginning of July 2010, to coincide with the publication of the second edition in Volume 1. On Friday July 2nd we will begin with a scholars’ symposium of invited speakers, other scholars and our editorial board. That evening there will be Solemn Vespers for the Feast of the Visitation, to which all will be welcome. The following day, Saturday July 3rd, there will be Solemn Mass, again open to the public, followed at the Catholic Chaplaincy by a public conference at which several international liturgists will speak. The papers will be published in the journal. We have invited a distinguished prelate to be the keynote speaker and will announce details of this and how to register once this is confirmed.

But here is where we need help: to make this conference happen we need to raise £7,000 ($11,500). Once again we are relying on the support of those who believe in this venture and want it to succeed – every donation, however tiny, will help this conference take place.

NLM – Have the English-speaking bishops taken any interest in the journal?

UA – Those bishops who know us have been most supportive, though most probably haven’t caught up with the new journal as yet. We would very much like to send every bishop in the English-speaking world a copy of Usus Antiquior. Clearly we cannot afford to do this at the outset, so our plan is to ask subscribers to ‘sponsor a bishop.’

If you believe it is important that bishops receive Usus Antiquior, send us, by post to:

The Society of St. Catherine of Siena
c/o 1 Cackle Hill Cottages
Snelston
Ashbourne
Derbyshire
DE6 2DL

or by Paypal through the Donate button on the Society’s website.

For a donation of an individual subscription price (£25.00/$40.00 for one year or £46.00/$76.00 for two years) we will arrange for a bishop to receive a copy. Cheques should be made payable to “Maney Publishing.” Paypal donations should clearly state that you are sponsoring a subscription for a bishop. Feel free to recommend a particular bishop, but if someone else has already sent a subscription for that bishop, we will allocate it to another one. Please don’t send these gift subscriptions directly to Maney or subscribe online for a bishop – we need to co-ordinate this ourselves so that as many English-speaking bishops as possible receive the journal. Of course, people who wish to give gift subscriptions to Religious Houses, Institutions or to individuals are also welcome to do so.

NLM – What does the future hold for Usus Antiquior?

UA – That is very much in the hands of both its readership and contributors. Without a wide readership, the journal will not be viable, but the widespread interest that has been shown thus far give us every confidence that this will not be a problem.

Similarly, without substantial contributions we will not be able to advance liturgical scholarship and debate – we can’t do that simply by ourselves. But again, we have been greatly encouraged by submissions to date and are confident that, with renewed interest in the liturgy, this will continue.

Above all, we want to make a substantial contribution to the study and promotion of the historical, philosophical, theological and pastoral aspects of the Roman rite as developed in tradition, and to look at the implications of this scholarship for all aspects of the Church’s liturgical life today.

Episcopal Consecration in Croatia (Byzantine Rite)

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:32:00 +0000

One of our Croatian readers took some screenshots of the consecration ceremonies of Msgr. Nikola Kekić, Bishop of Križevci (Byzantine rite) in Croatia. The consecration happened on Saturday, July 4th in the Greek Catholic cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Križevci:

The consecrator was Msgr. Slavomir Miklovš, the apostolic administrator of the Eparchy of Križevci. The co-consecrators were the archbishop and metropolitan of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, and the apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari, who read the bull of appointment at the beginning of the ceremony.

In the homily, Cardinal Bozanić noted that this episcopal ordination conducted according to the Byzantine-Slavic Rite in the Greek Catholic cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Križevci has historical significance. According to the chronicles, all the bishops of Kreževci have been installed outside their episcopal see. He also called attention to the significance of this Byzantine-Slavic ceremony of episcopal ordination, which consists of three parts: the announcement of the appointment, profession of faith and consecration.

Source: IKA Zagreb

These photos and their descriptions (provided by our anonymous reader) give us a chance to explore some of the Eastern liturgical rites.

The letter of Benedict XVI

Bishop-elect between archdeacon and archpriest

Profession of Faith

The Bishop-elect is led around the Altar

Ordination Prayers

Bishop Kekić is dressed in the Sakkos

Bishop Kekić is dressed in the Omophorion

Bishop Kekić is dressed in the Panagia

Bishop Kekić is dressed in the Mitre

Bishop Kekić is here shown in a type of choral vesture

Cardinal Bozanić hands bishop Kekić pastoral staff

Sicut in Holocausto

jeffrey.a.tucker@gmail.com (Jeffrey Tucker) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Another video/audio treatment from Aristotle Esguerra, from the Sacred Music Colloquium.

Music by Richard Rice: An Outpouring

jeffrey.a.tucker@gmail.com (Jeffrey Tucker) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:34:00 +0000

Richard Rice is a serious composer by any traditional standard but his work has a special interest for Catholics because he has devoted a vast amount of his productivity to composing and typesetting music for liturgical praxis. And though his concert music is very difficult, he understands the needs of regular parishes and their limited resources and he devotes his talents to serving those parishes.

I would say that he stands out in this respect, carrying forward a tradition of composition that was very nearly broken entirely following the liturgical upheaval of the 1960s. Rice forged ahead, writing new music for the vernacular that far exceeds the quality of most anything you can buy from mainstream composers. He has also seen in the Gregorian chant what most people in the Catholic music world chose to ignore, namely that the music of the Mass provides a continuity between the old and new forms of the Mass.

His book Communio deserves a high place in the modern history of the new liturgical movement for providing an entryway for new scholas to sing the propers of the Mass, along with the Psalm verses that were extremely hard to find until his book. This book is in use worldwide. He has also produced a version with English Psalm verses for the choir to sing, which is especially suitable for dicey liturgical environments in which singing 100% in Latin can push some people over the edge.

Most people know Richard for his work on the Parish Book of Chant, which is in the pews of parishes, seminaries, and college chapels around the country -- a book that gives Catholic people back their true voice.

There is far more where that comes from. In addition to writing hundreds of Psalm settings in English, he alone has produced a book of Graduals and Alleuias with simplified Psalms, making it possible for most any parish to sing authentic music for Mass without stumbling on passages designed for more accomplished singers. He has further done for Offertories what he did for Communions: published the verses to permit the antiphons to be repeated.

I almost forgot what I think his great innovation for the ordinary form: a full Gradual in English that offers simple choral arrangements for all the propers of the Mass for the entire liturgical year. It is an amazing accomplishment.

Most all of the above are available for free download.

I've often thought about what makes Richard's work different. It has something to do with his capacity for employing genius in a way that is accessible to any singer in most any parish. Also, his work is heavily informed by his vast knowledge of Gregorian chant. More than anything else, the key to Richard's work is that it is not all about himself and displaying his own creativity. There is a notable humility that comes through in his music, along with a burning desire to bring beauty to Catholic liturgy, especially in these troubled times. So we should also add another virtue to his projects: the embody a kind of hope that has been an inspiration to many thousands of Catholic musicians.

He has taken a big step and opened up his own site for distributing hard copies of his work. I note that there are some new additions, including complete Latin introits for treble trio. This are presented according to the extraordinary form calendar but they are also useful in the ordinary form. I've seen a copy of these and they are fantastic!

As another addition, he has a book of Marian motets for SSA trio -- works that should be useful and beautiful in any parish.

I'm very excited about all of these new offerings. He is certainly making his mark on our times. You will note from his descriptions that he is not keen on bragging about his work, so the "sales copy" is ridiculously understated given the quality of his work.

Finally, let me say a word about the publishing approach here. Note that he doing it himself - which technology permits these days. Thank goodness. This gives the composer full control over his work, and permits him to financially support himself while also given away for free the vast part of his output. This project is worthy of support by all musicians providing music for the Mass.

Fr. Mark Daniel Kirby on Chant

jeffrey.a.tucker@gmail.com (Jeffrey Tucker) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:48:00 +0000

I've not written that much yet on Fr. Kirby's article on chant in the Summer issue of Sacred Music (the issue will be online in a month or so) partly because I figured that the article can speak for itself and also because I wanted to gauged the reaction from subscribers to a piece I've believed carries so much significance that it could emerge as a classic in writing on Catholic music.

Today, the first blog appears on the article, and it offers thisassessment complete with a summary: "Now and then one reads an article which contributes significantly to the ongoing discussion. Such is that of Fr. Mark Daniel Kirby in the Summer '09 volume of Sacred Music. It's an adaptation of his thesis (Oxford, '02)... Fr. Kirby marshalls works of Kavanagh, Kovalevsky, Meyendorff, Ratzinger, Vagaggini, Stravinsky, and a number of others from both the Roman and Orthodox branches--which is why I refer to the work as 'towards synthesis.' Not too surprising, insofar as he defends the proposition that Chant is theologia prima, or 'sung theology' in his work."

New Priests and Some First Masses

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Tribe) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:10:00 +0000

The NLM wanted to share some photos from some of the first Masses of some priest-friends of ours who were recently ordained. One is a native English FSSP priest on the continent, and one is an American diocesan priest who celebrates both forms of the Roman rite.

Our congratulations to both and to any others recently ordained who read the NLM and who are simply not known to us.

(Picture source: Première messe solennelle de M. l’Abbé Barker à Saint-Eugène)

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(Modern Roman Liturgy)

(Usus Antiquior)