Where Does All The Time Go?

(Substitute "Mass" for Project"...)

That was quite a sprint we had with only two Sundays off between January 10th and now. Beats being bored, I suppose. All of a sudden, we have only five (!) more Sundays left for singing plus the Saturday wedding in June, but there are plenty of off-weeks interspersed. Maybe by then we'll have a handle on the Missa Lauda Sion.

Thanks for hanging in there.

The Unofficial RPC Hangout

(This is the gossip edition of the blog. Not really, but...)

At least four of us were spotted at the Washoe Valley Chocolate Nugget next to Holy Spirit Mission yesterday before Holy Thursday services. Our regular Eastertide visitor Bill Costa makes this one of his regular stops. Neither Sandy nor I had visited before, and we've only lived here for more than seven years.

Not only do they have various forms of chocolate, but the Nugget also sells salt water taffy, hard candy, peanut brittle, popcorn, and ice cream. Most items are also available sugar free. There are also some offbeat items that I'll let you discover for yourself.

The Chocolate Nugget has been struggling to survive since the completion of I-580 through Washoe Valley, greatly reducing traffic along what is now known as Old Highway 395. It has a second store in Mound House east of Carson City, and as of this writing, that location was looking for some part-time help.

And Now, Allergies

Add allergies to the list of health woes dogging us. The copious rains and snows of the winter and very early spring have caused the trees that do so to bloom...and thus release pollen. They've kept me out of work for a couple days, and my doctor, while helping me out with my allergies, says she's taking three medications for her own. One piece of advice I've seen; make sure to wash your hair before going to bed so pollen doesn't get in your sheets.

Streaming Sacred Music

In addition to Immaculate Heart Radio's talk shows [1], the IHR website offers streaming sacred music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and...no commercials.

Streaming mp3 feed.

IHR's player feed.

The IHR app [2] contains the sacred music stream, and is available for Apple and Android.

[1]  Color me impressed that IHR now has more of its own content, not just EWTN programming. I only wish there was some more local programming on the station, although you do hear various local priests reading the day's Gospel, and as far as I know, KIHM 920 still broadcasts Bishop Manogue football games and our singing of Regina Caeli. Corrections gladly welcome.

[2] All too easily confused with the IHeartRadio station aggregation app ("agg app"?)

The Late Shift

Don't be surprised if Kathy keeps us a little late this Tuesday night, considering we haven't even touched most of the Easter stuff yet. We'll be singing the Missa Lauda Sion Kyrie, Gloria, and Agnus Dei; we haven't practiced them in a while. You might want to give all the Easter music a look and a listen before Tuesday.

I would say we'd at least get next Tuesday off, but most of us are singing for a special Mass at the Cathedral for Holy Spirit Mission.

Deacons and the Solemn High Mass

(Several faces should be familiar to us from this photo of ordained deacons at St. Teresa of Avila in 2010. Ones we've encountered include Deacons Richard Ramm, Joe Bell, and Russ Bergin. Photo: Northern Nevada Catholic.)

National Catholic Register writer Kevin DiCamillo reminds us that it is impossible to have an Extraordinary Form Solemn High Mass without a deacon, although a Missa Cantata High Mass does not require one. Pontifical Solemn High Masses also require a bishop. DiCamillo goes on to ask why so few permanent deacons partake of the EF Solemn High Masses, an obviously good question. Note, however, that a priest can function in the role of a deacon for such a Mass, as Fr. Francisco did for Fr. Timothy O'Brien last year.

This article dovetails nicely with Deacon Joe Bell's talk on the role of the deacon that he gave at our September 2013 Gregorian Chant Class.

Sandy and I had the honor of having Deacon George Evans--my uncle--officiate when we gave each other the Sacrament of Matrimony in 1995; he was one of the first ordained permanent deacons in the nation. He is pictured here (left) with Fr. Curtis Delarm who said our Mass; Fr. Delarm sadly passed away from ALS in 2005 at age 41. Requiescat in pace.

Daylight Savings Time Resumes At 2 AM Tomorrow Morning

Or, as the grammatically correct put it, Daylight Saving Time. Advance your clocks that don't advance themselves automatically, unless you want to compare them to the clocks that do. Enjoy your 47-hour weekend and the extra hour of daylight, and see you at the Cathedral at 4 PM (you'll arrive at 5 if you don't/didn't move your clocks up).

Do you want to live where the length of days never changes? Try Recife, Brazil, for one; the sun comes up every day around 5:30 and sets around 5:30 with little variance. It's located near the equator and on the easternmost tip of South America. Other equatorial cities include Singapore; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Nairobi, Kenya; Bogota, Colombia (which has a cooler climate because of its high altitude); and Quito, Ecuador (ditto).

Mar. 27: Easter Sunday

4 PM at the Cathedral. CHECK ONE:  ___ Adoremus   _X_ St. Michael Hymnal

Introit: Resurrexi

Kyrie, Gloria (different key): Missa Lauda Sion, Palestrina

Sequence: Victimae paschali laudes

Vidi Aquam (following renewal of baptismal promises)

Offertory proper: Terra tremuit
Offertory hymn: Christ The Lord Is Risen Today

Sanctus: Mass VIII

Agnus Dei I & II: Missa Lauda Sion, Palestrina

Communion proper: Pascha nostrum
Communion motet: Haec Dies (Byrd)

Dismissal and blessing: Regina Coeli

Recessional: The Strife Is O'er

Cathedral Parking Note

Many of us have used the UNR parking lot across from the Cathedral when the lot behind the Cathedral is full. Well, at least for the portion of the lot directly across the street, the City of Reno has made all those spaces paid parking unless you have a permit from UNR. You have to pay a $2.00 minimum for 4 hours at the kiosk [1] and place your receipt on the driver's side dashboard, and that's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Meters are now in effect on the short access street to the lot as well. I am not sure what the setup is for the part of the lot on the far side of the access street.

So make sure you park legally, or else you may get a visit from DeAndre (a.k.a. Ponytail) or his Reno equivalent:

[1] At least with a credit or debit card. You may be able to pay for less time with coins.

But Did We Make Everything Groovy?

Post-Stations kudos from Kathy:

You were just amazing tonight!

Someone told me that you sounded like a professional choir with the addition that it sounded as if you meant what you were singing.

Thank you for all your hard work.  You made my heart sing.

Thank you, Kathy! Aw, shucks.

But lest our hat sizes grow too large, Kathy also reminded us to look over the propers for the 5th Sunday of Lent before our rehearsal at our "different different" location on Tuesday night. We have a lot of rehearsing ahead; Holy Week is approaching rapidly, and we haven't even touched Easter Sunday yet!

The Kathy Quote Of The Year

"I may not be many things, but I am loud."

What Happens When Kids Get Exposed To Chant?

Good things, like at the end of this Chant Cafe article. They involve Stabat Mater, which we'll be singing this Friday.

(Sort of related: Immaculate Conception in Sparks has a nice garden behind the church that follows the Via Crucis. Although not the quietest area because of nearby McCarran Boulevard, it can still be a rewarding spiritual experience.)