Welcome To Tradition

With the Resurrection, in a moment, the history of the world was changed. And in a moment, the character of the music of the liturgy correspondingly changes.

The ceremonies of the Paschal Vigil prepare us for this glorious transition. Our first indication that things are about to change occurs when the priest, after blessing the New Fire and the Paschal Candle, and in preparation for the Solemn Procession into the church, removes the violet vestments and dons white ones. He wears white for the Procession and the Exultet. He changes back to violet for the Lessons and the First Part of the Litany, and then back again to white for the Renewal of the Promises of Baptism, after which he and the servers leave the church while the Second Part of the Litany is chanted.

The priest reenters the church in white vestments for the Mass of the Paschal Vigil. There is no processional hymn because we are moving directly from one liturgical function to the next. The Prayers at the Foot of the Altar and the Introit are omitted and Mass begins as soon as the priest enters the church with the unaccompanied chanting of Kyrie I, Lux et Origo, which is designated for use In Paschal Time.

The priest then intones the Gloria(likewise from Mass I), and the glory of it is unmistakable as the organ sings once again after a long silence, the bells ring out, and the statues are unveiled.

After the Epistle, we welcome back the Alleluia in grand fashion. The priest chants it to a beautiful and elaborate melody, and it is then immediately repeated by the schola. The priest sings it again at a higher pitch, and it is again repeated by the schola. The priest sings it a third time at still a higher pitch, and the schola again repeats it. The schola then immediately sings the versicle Confitemini, which is immediately followed by the Laudate, which, interestingly, is referred to as a Tract.

The Credo is not sung because it had previously been recited at the Vigil during the Renewal of the Promises of Baptism. There is no Offertory antiphon. The Agnus Dei is omitted because it had previously been recited during the Litany. There is no Communion antiphon.

This one time during the year, Lauds (which in this instance is very brief) is combined with the Mass and is begun as soon as the priest finishes with the ablutions. It consists simply of an antiphon, Alleluia, sung three times, Psalm 150, and the characteristic Canticle of Zachary, with the antiphon Et Valde Mane.

There is no Last Gospel, and the recessional begins immediately after the Last Blessing.

At the Offertory, the Schola sang the masterpiece of Saint Venantius Fortunatus, written in the year 604, Salve Festa Dies. The words to the simple refrain are quite moving:

Hail, great day, in all time most worthy of veneration, for today God conquered Hell while holding his place among the stars.

At the Communion, the full choir sang Palestrina’s setting for the Sicut Cervus, a canticle from this same liturgy. After our customary recessional, The Strife is O’er, the ladies’ choir sang the hymn from the Eastern Rite liturgy, Christos Anesti.

The music this day is remarkable for a number of reasons. This is not a Sunday, so there is no Asperges. And since there is no Asperges, we sing the Introit (Nos autem) as the processional. Of course, since we are in Passiontide, we omit the Gloria Patri.

The priest is not wearing violet. Rather, he is wearing white, and so you might imagine that Mass XVII is probably not to be used and that is correct. The rubrics suggest that Mass IV be used and indeed is what we sing.

Holy Thursday is special because, even though it falls in Holy Week, it is a time of rejoicing since it commemorates the institution of the Mass, Holy Orders and the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. In keeping with the somber side of things, the Kyrie is unaccompanied, but on the other hand, the Gloria is accompanied by the organ – the last time we will hear it until the Gloria at the Mass of the Paschal Vigil. The Gloria is also accompanied by a glorious ringing of the bells, but they too will disappear until the Gloria at the Mass of the Paschal Vigil. In place of the bells, you will hear the knocking of the clacker.

The Gradual (Christus factus est) is a recurring theme throughout Holy Week, and in particular, at Tenebrae. Given the dual nature of the feast, what follows the Gradual? Certainly not an Alleluia! Not during Lent, and certainly not during Holy Week. A Tract? Not on such a day of rejoicing! So, what follows the Gradual? Nothing! And that is a rarity indeed! We proceed directly from the Gradual to the Gospel.

There is no Credo because, even though it is a time of rejoicing, the day itself is a Feria, and the Credo is not said on days of Feria.

During the Washing of the Feet, the Schola sings a number of antiphons. We keep a close eye on the proceedings because as Father approaches the last of the Apostles, we start immediately with the Ubi Caritas, which is mandatory.

The Gloria Patri is omitted at the Lavabo. At the Offertory, we once again sing Stella Coeli Extirpavit. The Preface is that of The Holy Cross.

The character of the Mass has changed, and has now become more somber. This is very apparent as we sing the Agnus Dei. We repeat the phrase miserere nobis three times and do not sing dona nobis pacem.

The second Confiteor is omitted. At the Communion, the choir sings a polyphonic setting of the Gradual, Christus Factus Est. A very full church gave us time to also sing Adoro te Devote, in honor of the institution of the Eucharist.

Instead of the Ite Missa est, Father sings Benedicamus Domino. There is no Last Blessing and no Last Gospel. As soon as Mass is ended, the Blessed Sacrament is translated in procession to the Altar of Repose. We sing the Pange Lingua in procession, repeating verses 2 through 4 until we arrive at the Altar of Repose, at which time we sing verses 5 and 6, Tantum ergo. The procession returns to the Church for the Stripping of the Altar during which the Schola solemnly chants the now familiar Psalm 21 – Deus, Deus meus.

The rejoicing of Laetare Sunday is done with. The rose vestments from last week give way to violet. We resume and even augment our Lenten austerities. There is no organ. There are no flowers on the altar. The statues are draped and hidden to commemorate our Lord’s having had to hide from those who pursued Him. The Alleluia and the Gloria in Excelsis have long since been banished, but now, we also eliminate the joyful Psalm 42 from the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar.The Gloria Patri is also banished from the Liturgy. You will observe that it is conspicuous in its absence from the Asperges, the Introit, and the Lavaboat this day’s Mass. There is a Tractin lieu of the Alleluia. Father sings the Preface of the Holy Cross. We continue with Mass XVII as the priest is in violet. Thus begins Passiontide, the last two weeks of Lent.

The prayer, Adoramus Te, Christe, most closely associated with Good Friday, is commonly recited during Passiontide. The choir sang this prayer at the Offertory after singing what is now our customary Stella Coeli Extirpavit.

At the Communion, we sang the hymn most closely associated with Passiontide, the Vexilla Regis. This hymn was written by a man who was one of the greatest composers, writers and poets of the 6th Century, Venantius Fortunatus. He was also a Bishop and is a Saint. He composed the Pange Lingua of Good Friday, and the incomparably beautiful Easter hymn, Salve Festa Dies, which you will certainly hear after all these austerities are done with!

We are well into Passiontide, and we now enter into the most solemn time of the year, Holy Week. The music speaks to this solemnity as only music can and as only the human voice can. The initial theme today is the Kingship of Christ, as He is exalted by the children of the Hebrews in Jerusalem. Soon after, the people of the Holy City will have Him crucified. The Gloria Patri is not sung during Passiontide, but an exception is made during the distribution of palms because this is a glorious time.

The hymns we sang on procession honor Christ, as King. The procession stops outside the door of the church. Some of the men of the Schola are behind the closed door of the church and sing the refrain, Gloria Laus:

All glory, praise, and honor to Thee, Redeemer, King, to whom the lips of children made sweet Hosannas ring.

The Church represents Jerusalem, and Jerusalem represents heaven. The procession may not enter. The Schola sings verses from inside, and the congregation responds with the refrain. When the refrain is being sung for the last time, the Crucifer (cross bearer) taps the door with the foot of the Cross. The gate can now be opened! The procession joyfully enters the church as the Schola sings the Ingrediente:

As the Lord entered the holy city, the children of the Hebrews proclaimed the resurrection of life. Waving their branches of palm, they cried: Hosanna in the highest.

All the joy is short-lived, however. There is no processional hymn. There is no Asperges, as we move immediately from one liturgical function (the procession) to the next (the Mass). There are no prayers at the foot of the altar. The Mass moves very quickly from the Introit to the Gradual, and then immediately to the Tract – one of the longest pieces of the year. It is taken from Psalm 21, which you will hear again on both Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Note, as well, that all of the other propers of Palm Sunday also come from Psalm 21.

The Tract is suitable preparation for what happens next – one of the most extraordinary elements of the Liturgy, the solemn chanting of the Passion. The Passion is unique in that it is the only Gospel that makes use of three voices: The narrator (Chronista); the rabble, and everyone else, including Peter and Pilate (Synagoga); and Our Lord (Christus). The Chronista sings in a normally pitched voice. The Synagoga sings in a horrible and shrill tone, almost a shriek. The Christus (always a priest or deacon) sings in a lower register in a beautiful tone that exudes peace. The Passion concludes with the Chronsita finishing his account in doleful and exquisitely beautiful tones that evoke the great sorrow we feel at the death of Our Lord.

After the longish Offertory antiphon, the Schola sang Stella Coeli Extirpavit.

At the Communion, the choir sang O Vos Omnes, by Tomás Luis da Victoria. The text comes from the Lamentations of Jeremiah which puts these words in the mouth of Our Lord:

O all you who walk by on the road, pay attention and see: if there be any sorrow like my sorrow.

Pay attention, all people, and look at my sorrow: if there be any sorrow like my sorrow.

We then sang a few verses of the Passiontide hymn, Vexilla Regis.

There was no Last Gospel. As this is the second Sunday of the month, we sang the Anthem of the Holy Name Society as the recessional.

Laetare, Jerusalem! Rejoice, Jerusalem! So starts the Introit for Sunday’s Mass. This marks the halfway point during Lent, and so we are given a bit of a respite from Lent’s austerities. We still sing a Tract instead of the banished Alleluia. We again sing Mass XVII (with Credo I), but the priest is not wearing the typical shade of violet! What is that color? It is rose (never to be called pink), and it is supposed to be a lighter shade of violet. So, still violet, but distinctively different, so as to set this Sunday aside as a day of rejoicing in the heart of the penitential season. Flowers, which are banned from the altar during Lent, are permitted on this day. And the organ, which is likewise banned during Lent, is permitted on this day.

The feast of the Annunciation, which is a first-class feast, was on the previous Friday. Given that Laetare Sunday is likewise a first-class feast, it cannot be displaced and so it is not permitted to solemnize the feast of the Annunciation.

After singing Stella Coeli Extirpavit at the Offertory, we honored Our Lady in her Annunciation by singing the simple Gregorian Ave Maria.

This Sunday is also known as Mothering Sunday. This is owing to the Epistle, in which we are called sons of Mother Jerusalem and of the Free Woman. In Christian Europe, on this day, the faithful would visit the Mother Church in their diocese, that is, the Cathedral. And this was Mother’s Day. It still is in several countries.

After honoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament by singing Ave Verum Corpus, we honored Our Lady in her motherhood by singing Salve Mater.

To conclude the Mass, again in honor of the Annunciation, we sang the complete Angelus at the recessional.