This was another Sunday in Green, and that means Mass IV, and that means Credo IV. The propers were for the Sunday, and the preface was that of the season after Pentecost, that of the Blessed Trinity.
In this, the month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the processional, we sang the ever-popular Immaculate Mary. At the Offertory, we sang Stella Coeli Extirpavit, as is our custom for the time being.
When we choose the music for a given Mass, we consider:
- The liturgical feast
- The liturgical season
- The readings of the day
- The dedication of the calendar month
But sometimes, we consider another factor as well, and that is other events happening before, during or after Mass that are not part of the Liturgy, per se. For example, there might be a May procession, or first communions. This Sunday was the first Sunday of the month, and that is the Sunday on which the men of the Holy Name Society have their Sunday observances. They enter in procession, sit together in the front pews, and receive communion all together. Thus, in honor of the Holy Name, at the Communion, we sang Jesu Dulcis Memoria, the vespers hymn for the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
As part of the First Sunday Observances of the Holy Name Society, after Mass, the men recite the Holy Name Pledge, then we all sing the Holy Name Anthem, We Stand for God. This is a very rousing tune, at one time the Anthem of the Papal States.
After Mass, in order to assist the faithful in their thanksgiving, we sang Adoro Te Devote.