We had another first at Walsingham this evening. The very first ordination performed by our five month old first bishop. His Excellency, the Most Rev. Steven J. Lopes, Bishop of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter ordained the Rev. Luke William Reese, who will be the pastor of the Church of St. Joseph of Arimathea in Milwaukee. A reception was then held in the great hall of our chancery.
Here is the music - Edmund Murray, Choirmaster and Organist of the cathedral church.
Propers - Introit, Alleluya, Offertory, and Communion for Ordinations, adapt., Palmer-Burgess Ordinary - Missa Sancta Maria Magdalena - - - H. Willan Creed - Recto tono, with organ embellishment ___
Voluntary - Praeludium, in F - - - D. Buxtehude At the Entrance - Hymn: 'Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones' - - - Vigiles et Sancti
Psalm XXXIV: Benedicam Dominum - - - Chant, Sir D. Willcocks
At the Offertory - Anthem:Tu es petrus - - - H.L. Hassler
At the Communion - Anthem: Anima Christi - - - M. Burgo - Hymn: 'O Thou Who Camest From Above' - - - Hereford
At the Dismissal - Hymn: 'All Praise to Thee, For Thou, O King Divine' - - - Engelberg Voluntary - Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott - - - J.S. Bach
As many may be aware, we use the normal Roman ordination rite, so this was placed into our liturgy in the normal place, following the readings. Everything else was according to Divine Worship:The Missal. (We could have had our own ordination rite if we had wanted, but our priests consciously chose the Roman one as is, as a mark of our unity with Peter.)
One clause in the ordination rite lept out to me this evening as never before: 'Do you resolve to celebrate faithfully and reverently, in accordance with the Church's tradition the mysteries of Christ, especially the sacrifice of the Eucharist...'
With some it would seem that these words go in one ear and out the other. With some others these words may not even get into the one ear.
It's only recently that I've realized how awesome is the responsibility for the priest to learn well the ars celebrandi, esp. in the traditional rite, and what a grievous loss it is that priests are no longer trained to sing the Mass. In medieval literature, it is common to read of a priest singing his mass, and that skill has almost been lost. Of course, there are priests that can sing very well, even very young diocesan priests. We are blessed to have such a musical priest. How amazing to hear him chant beautifully the readings, collects, and other celebrant parts and to intone the Gloria, Creed and Ite Missa Est and truly exemplify the saying of St. Ambrose: Christus in Ecclesia cantat.
Last week he intoned perfectly the Ite Missa Est from Mass V, and it was a revelation. I could not get over how beautiful it was to hear the musical motif of the Kyrie, with which the Mass began, recalled again at the conclusion of Mass.
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