First TLM at the Franciscan Monastery
  • I would say that the first TLM at the Franciscan Monastery in DC went very well. It was extremely well attended. There had been some self-defeating mumbles about not going but I always wondered how widespread the feeling was. For those who know the monastery church, 3 sides were full . (It is cruciform.). I myself had figured that such mumbles came from people who had never been to Mass there. It is entirely unwreckovated—that would destroy its raison d’etre. And it is magnificent.

    The undergraduate servers from St Anthony’s were out in force. The schola was mainly the one from St Mary with some others. Skip West, of the St Mary schola and the Suspicious Cheese Lords, does the SCL recording there and he advised us on where to stand—in the elevated Holy Spirit Chapel. He also wisely advised us not to luxuriate but keeping moving ahead with the melodies. It was easy to see why he warned us.

    For me, it was the first time to sing Chant in the architecture for which it was written and it sounded magnificent.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,509
    I'm so glad it went well! I thought it might be a good home for all of you.
  • Will they do a TLM in the purgatory chapel in the catacombs of the monastery for All Souls? Because that sounds spectacular to me.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • It is a stunning church, and a stunning acoustic too, I bet. This post is the first I had seen about the catacombs there. Very cool! Let's hope this heavy-handed implementation of TC backfires. Tell me, is the celebrant allowed to consecrate hosts for the faithful, or do they have the sort of stupid, unliturgical, and ironically anti-conciliar stipulation some dioceses used to have before SP that only one host can be consecrated and Communion has to be administered to the faithful from the reserved Sacrament? And if not, are all of the hosts consecrated at the TLM consumed at that Mass, or do some go into the tabernacle afterward?