Father, May We?

Why was Summorum Pontificum so necessary? As people have been sharing with New Liturgical Movement, not so long ago the faithful had to not only ask permission, but in some instances complete a permission slip, to have an EF Mass said. Check out this one from the diocese of Buffalo, NY, circa 1985 (click to enlarge, credit: Amy Elisabet and Una Voce Buffalo):

Wow. It could just as well read, "Are you now, or have you ever been, someone who doesn't like how the liturgy was changed, as opposed to how Vatican II said it was going to be changed?" If you know of or have any similar documents, NLM would love to see them. I for one am glad Summorum Pontificum transfers the burden to the diocese or archdiocese who must show why an EF Mass may not be said.

Now, I cannot repeat this enough: the purpose of Regina Pacis Cantorum is not to eliminate the Novus Ordo Mass. We have by far sung for more NO Masses than we have EF Masses, and will continue to do so at Assumption in Truckee and elsewhere. We just want to ensure the opportunity to experience the EF and all the sacred music opportunities in its timeless liturgy are not denied to those who want it, and Pope Emeritus Benedict happily opened the door via Summorum Pontificum.

How Does It Feel To Be One Of The Beautiful People?

In rehearsals, we (and by "we," I mean the tenors) had our struggles with the short Introibo motet that we mixed with the Introibo chant for Communio. I saw Kathy offer up a short prayer to Our Lady Queen of Peace and St. Cecelia just before we started singing it today for Sexagesima at Holy Spirit Mission.

We did pretty well with it, avoiding major stumbles and causing Kathy to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving when we were done. Then, loud and clear, came a review from a little girl critic across the aisle from us:

"That music was beautiful!"

I mentioned earlier that it's inappropriate to applaud in church, but I never said anything about such a comment. We all chuckled, and Kathy gave the girl a hug. Unfortunately, she and her mother left before we could ask if she could sing soprano with us.

That, however, is our purpose: to sing beautiful, sacred music worthy of, and reaching for, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Sunday Looks Iffy, But Stay Tuned

Click to enlarge this timeline for the rest of this week from bass Mark Deutschendorf and his band of merry National Weather Service Reno meteorologists:

We've managed to avoid snow cancelling our "gigs" at Assumption in Truckee so far, but it looks like this Sunday may--emphasis on may--be the first time. Kathy will make the decision and let you know, and I'll keep you posted as well.

Here's a tip: If you want to get an idea of what the NWS Reno brain trust thinks will happen, the most useful portion of their website (IMO) is their Area Forecast Discussion. It's updated at least a couple times a day. From their discussion of 2/13/19, 15:21 PST (I'm glad they don't put it in ALL CAPS anymore, but the caps you see below are from the report itself):

This weekend through the middle of next week, northeast CA and western NV will remain under a large-scale upper trough. This brings high confidence that afternoon temperatures will remain below average through the period, with 20s and 30s for most areas Sunday through Tuesday. At the higher elevations (above 8000 feet), widespread single digits and teens can be expected with deep cold air entrenched over the region. 
 
 As far as precipitation, confidence is high that any showers will be in the form of snow. There will be three waves moving into the upper trough: one Saturday, one Sunday, with a third possible around next Wednesday. As far as snowfall amounts, there are of low confidence as it will depend on the exact track of the waves. Also, with snow being of a convective nature, localized areas could have burst [sic] of heavier snow showers that are unpredictable given their small-scale nature. Keep in mind that while we have light snowfall accumulations forecast for the valleys over the weekend this is for non-paved areas. If snow is not persistently moderate to heavy, or falling between the evening and mid-morning hours, it will have a hard time sticking to roads in areas where the air temperatures are in the ~mid 20s or higher (roads can heat 15-30 degrees above air temperatures in the afternoon this time of year). 
 
BOTTOM LINE FOR THIS WEEKEND: be prepared for slick, snow-covered roads in the higher elevations (pass level) of the Sierra and northeast CA with LENGTHY TRAVEL DELAYS QUITE POSSIBLE. For valleys, periodic slick travel conditions are also possible, mainly between the evening and mid-morning hours. -[Shane] Snyder 

What this amateur meteorologist gleans from this is that we might be able to sing if the snow levels stay high enough, say 7,000 feet or more. But things could change before then, and often do. If we can get there, it will be interesting to see how much snow has been piled up around the Assumption parking lot.

The NWS Reno Facebook and Twitter feeds are worth following also. I-80 California road condition info can be obtained from the CHP Truckee barracks (Facebook, Twitter) or via Caltrans.

Meanwhile, In The Land of OCP...

...a.k.a. Portlandia, comes this pleasantly surprising development:

Archbishop Sample’s pastoral letter encourages worship music that is truly sacred — and he gives objective criteria (Catholic Sentinel)

Archbishop Alexander Sample on Jan. 25 released a pastoral letter to the Archdiocese of Portland on sacred music for Mass, seeking to highlight “perennial truths”: sanctity, beauty and universality. 

“Only music which possesses all three of these qualities is worthy of Holy Mass,” Archbishop Sample writes, explaining that ancient or modern music can qualify but that Gregorian chant is the preferred music for Roman Catholic worship. [...]

“The beauty, dignity and prayerfulness of the Mass depend to a large extent on the music that accompanies the liturgical action,” the archbishop writes.  

And from the letter itself (HT: Corpus Christi Watershed):

Every parish is asked to learn English plainchant settings found in the Roman Missal and should establish a least a small repertoire of Latin Gregorian chants for Mass parts.

Wow. Just wow. It doesn't get more direct than that, and yet it appears His Exellency has done a fine job of not browbeating it into his flock. That Abp. Sample is doing this is not surprising, since he laid the groundwork for a similar occurrence in the Diocese of Marquette, MI when he was bishop there.

We're not supposed to applaud in Church, so let's give His Excellency applause here:

Exit question: Does this new emphasis on sacred music make Portland more weird or less weird?

Why We Do What We Do, Again

Kathy has a tough job as our director, to say the least:

Way too often, I wonder what will become of RPC when Kathy gets called to her eternal reward, which I certainly hope is no time soon! Quite simply put, sacred music is not the most important thing in her life. It IS her life. I have tried to convey the enormity of the job Kathy has, including here and here.

Now, the staff at Corpus Christi Watershed has put together a "Church Music Manifesto" discussing the state of today's Catholic liturgical music. Please take the time to read it, understanding that Kathy has the additional task of finding us places to sing because we are not affiliated with a diocese or parish (remember, Assumption in Truckee is part of the Diocese of Sacramento). Not only does it show the enormity of what she's dealing with, but the task ahead for anyone else who deigns for follow in her footsteps.

Here's just one paragraph, into which I intersperse my comments:

The Second Vatican Council attempted to restore and elevate the Mass Propers, but this didn’t happen; less than 1% of Catholics who attend Mass each Sunday realize the Propers exist [myself included, despite--or because of--16 years of Catholic education]. Incredibly, it has become standard practice to replace the Propers with every manner of song: I’ve even heard rap at Mass! In this situation, people have come to believe Protestant hymnody to be the best church music [as late as 2004, I was agitating for more "praise and worship" music in the Liturgy, confiteor]. In particular, some now think of Episcopal texts as the supreme form of Catholic liturgical music. While I admit they’re often better than the drivel sung in certain churches, how far we’ve sunk as Catholics if such hymns are considered our ultimate goal. Indeed, the Brébeuf Hymnal could not have come at a better time: we need it! Needless to say, the changes in the liturgy which occurred after Vatican II—and incidentally went much further than what the Council Fathers authorized—have caused great confusion, and the Consilium gave no thought to the musical implications of their alterations [I contend they knew very well what they were doing. They were quite aware of Sacrosanctum Concilium; they just ignored/nullified it]. This confusion is partially to blame for the misinformed belief that Episcopal hymns are the pinnacle of Catholic worship. The truth is that Roman Catholic hymns are far and away the greatest, most ancient, most beautiful, and most theologically rich songs for the liturgy: Full Stop.

We can expect little to no support, and perhaps even opposition, from the Church hierarchy for any of this restoration of traditional music. Besides, they make spoon-fed OCP and GIA so easy for today's DRMs (I named names, Mr. Ostrowski). Fortunately, they're too busy avoiding doing anything about the sexual abuse crisis to notice this quiet revolution in the pews. For example, in the comments to this article, one reader said she had started a schola in her parish...in the Yukon territory of Canada. I think we can keep carrying on in Nevada and California.

Various Pre-Christmas Items

• Kathy snapped this photo of Fr. Vincent Juan, fresh from his six-month sabbatical, at a recent staff dinner for his parishes of Assumption Catholic Church in Truckee and Our Lady of the Lake Mission Church in Kings Beach. We thank Fr. Vince (whom Kathy describes as "such a kind priest") for giving us a new place to sing on a regular basis, although also deserving of hat tips are the couple who had been going to St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral in Reno who informed Fr. Vince about us; and Fr. Walsh, who filled in for Fr. Vince during his sabbatical and graciously let us sing. We will be visiting Assumption once a month through June.
• Speaking of which, Kathy recently released the remaining schedule for our season, subject to change as always. One unconfirmed date is a return to Our Lady of Tahoe in Zephyr Cove on Saturday, May 11 after a 10-year absence; if so, that will be thanks to our patron and OLT's current pastor, Fr. Larry Morrison.
• Because both Christmas and New Year's Days fall on Tuesdays this year, we will have only one (1) rehearsal on January 8 for our Baptism of the Lord Mass at Assumption on January 13. Don't be naughty! Make sure to listen to the sound files Kathy sent around not only for this Mass but for Christmas Day also. She can tell when we have and haven't listened, so be good for goodness' sake.
  

Snow Day (Night): What This Means

Well, a heavier-than-expected snowstorm took out our rehearsal tonight. Just wanted to make you aware that leaves us:

• One (1) more rehearsal before our Gaudete Sunday Mass in Truckee on Dec. 16; and 
• One (1) full rehearsal for our Christmas morning Mass in Washoe Valley.

As Kathy asked us, give a listen to the Gaudete Sunday proper sound files; she can't spend a lot of time on them next week. We might also want to (gasp!) take a few minutes out of Family Feud reruns to look at the rest of the music for that day.

Oh, by the way, another storm is possible early next week. Ah, there's nothing like December in Northern Nevada, but at least this is helping the Sierra snowpack.