Ash Wednesday 2023
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,798
    St David of Wales, Richmond CA

    Credo was said, and Imposition was moved to the end with the pastoral rationale of preventing 'bolters'. We've lost the evening bilingual Mass; guitar amp for the 6:30 Mass was being set up during the Imposition of Ashes.

    8:15 AM Cantor, no organ following the entrance hymn
    INTR: Hear us Almighty God ATTENDE DOMINE
    PS. 50 (Parish Book of Psalms)
    Exaltabo te (American Gradual)
    Sanctus & Agnus XI (Orbis factor, in Latin)
    Qui meditabor (AG)
    COMM: Parce Dominum (English verses)
    Immutur habitu, Juxta vestibulum, Emendemus

    5:00 PM
    8:15 AM Choir Mass, no organ
    INTR: Hear us Almighty God ATTENDE DOMINE
    PS. 50 (Parish Book of Psalms)
    Inter vestibulum (Morales)
    Sanctus & Agnus XI (Orbis factor, in Latin)
    Qui meditabor (American Gradual, with tenors & basses)
    COMM: O rdiant light JESU DULCIS MEMORIA
    Juxta vestibulum (American Gradual)
    RECESS: Parce Dominum (English verses)
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Oratory of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, San Jose CA

    High Mass 6pm

    Mass XVII
    Propers

    I had considered having the choir learn various polyphonic pieces, but it's a good thing I didn't since there wasn't time to sing anything beyond what we sang.
  • Sanctus & Agnus XI
    and
    Mass XVII
    Curious as to why XI and XVII instead of XVIII, which is so well known and actually appropriate for a Lenten feria?
  • Madorganist,

    In my case, my choir (I'm new at the post) had not practiced Mass XVIII. I had considered it, but didn't have time to make copies -- it's not in our binders and not enough people have Libers to have them read from them.

    Mass XVII is appropriate for Sundays in Lent, but we began using it at Septuagesima, with the Mode 1 Kyrie.
    Thanked by 1madorganist
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,798
    Curious as to why XI
    Tradition, in our case. I can hypothesise that "miserere nobis/dona nobis pacem" to an unchanging response melody once upon a time made it a 'stepping stone' to a fully sung congregational setting. I'm curious in turn about what makes XVIII particularly apt.
  • LarsLars
    Posts: 127
    Atrocious prerecorded cd music and also priest wore rose vestments on Ash Wednesday.
  • Atrocious prerecorded cd music and also priest wore rose vestments on Ash Wednesday.
    I would be shopping around for a new parish, presupposing there are options in your area. Also sounds like we need to pray for this priest!
    Thanked by 3Lars Reval LauraKaz
  • Attended a Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Ashes service at my home parish. This is what I heard:

    Entrance: The Glory of These Forty Days (ERHALT UNS HERR)
    Psalm: Respond and Acclaim (O. Alstott)
    Gospel Acc.: Respond and Acclaim (O. Alstott; the triumphal return of the “Mary had a little lamb” acclamation)
    Dist. of Ashes: Ashes (T. Conry) & Ubi Caritas (B. Hurd)
    Recessional: Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days (ST. FLAVIAN)

    Not a bad line-up. Always can do without “Ashes,” but I have to say that the revised wording that was first published in OCP’s missals a few years ago is a tad better than Conry’s original wording.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Blizzard, about 12 faithful (but six servers!)

    Antt. Exaudi & Immutemur, as in Liber U
    Mass proper (Misereris etc.)
    Mass XVIII
    Motet after Off.: Domine non secundum (Greiter, 1545)
    Hymn after Mass: The Glory Of These Forty Days.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • St. Sebastian, Akron 5PM TLM
    Proper including distribution antiphons (had to repeat Immutemur and Juxta)., but psalm-tone Gradual and Tract.
    Mass XVIII Sanctus and Agnus (Father started the prayer before we could start the Kyrie)
    At Offertory: Parce Domine
    We did the verses for the communion antiphon, but ran out of music, so did some of Attende Domine.
    Recessional: 40 Days and 40 Nights (HEINLEIN)

    We were missing a few key members (ice in Detroit, illness) so did the hymn in unison instead of parts. So it was me, another male, and a HS sophomore girl and middle school girl. But I thought they did very well.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • St. John’s, Goshen IN

    (8am) Entrance Antiphon Hymn (Antiphon Renewal) set to Passion Chorale
    (5pm) Full Fr. Weber Entrance Antiphon Chanted
    Psalm 51 https://youtu.be/_9j3uJ1u9HA
    Gospel Acclamation based on Kyrie Orbis Factor https://youtu.be/-saX3_MJ5kA
    Distribution of Ashes: Fr. Weber Antiphons 1-4
    (5pm) Choir also sang Lotti’s Miserere Mei
    Offertory: Lord, Who throughout these 40 days (St. Flavian)
    Missa XVIII
    Communion: Fr. Weber then my harmonization of Parce Domine as a refrain ‘hymn’ for the congregation. https://youtu.be/c8c6FlNRA6M
    Ave Regina Cælorum
    [Exit in Silence]
    Thanked by 2Reval CHGiffen
  • Jeffrey,

    How did you 'have to repeat Imutemur and Juxta'?
  • I'm curious in turn about what makes XVIII particularly apt.
    It is designated in the Kyriale for ferias of Advent and Lent.
    Thanked by 2ServiamScores tomjaw
  • -Chants from the Graduale for Proper of the Mass & Blessing / Imposition of Ashes (all of them!)
    -Missa XVIII, with choir and congregation
    -Exaltabo te, G. Croce
    -Attende, Domine, plainsong
    -Canite tuba in Sion, G. Anerio
    -Ave Regina Caelorum plainsong, simple tone
    -"Lord, Who Throughout," ST FLAVIAN
  • -Exaltabo te, G. Croce
    I had the anglicized version from EnglishMotets.com queued up, but we just couldn't quite get it to settle in, so I scrapped it. We might revisit it later in lent.
  • Also, Nihil, did you mean Ave Regina Cælorum?
    Thanked by 2tomjaw NihilNominis
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,048
    Sts. Cyril and Methodius Oratory, Bridgeport, Connecticut (ICKSP)

    Chants for the Blessing and Distribution of Ashes, including
    Immutemur habitu - José Maurício Nunes Garcia (+1830)

    Proper Gregorian chants of the day: Misereris omnium

    Mass XVIII

    Motet at the Offertory: Parce Domine (SAB) - Jacob Obrecht (+1505)

    Motet at the Communion: O bone Jesu - Michelangelo Grancini (+1669), with verses from Ps. 51 in fauxbourdon by Theodore Marier

    Hymn: God of Mercy and Comapssion - AU SANG QU'UN DIEU
    Thanked by 2PaxTecum CHGiffen
  • PaxTecum
    Posts: 314
    Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
    Weber Propers
    Psalm: Sam Schmitt
    Gospel Verse: Vatican (anon.) for 5vv
    Mass XVIII with polyphonic “extensions”
    Audi Benigne Conditor - Nannini (contrafactum in English)
    Miserere Mei Deus (Allegri)
  • oldhymnsoldhymns
    Posts: 229
    There was no music at the 7 p.m. Mass I attended, which I felt was quite reverential. Then again, if I had heard "Ashes," it would have been true Penance.
  • Presentation of the Lord Catholic Church
    Montgomery, Texas
    The Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter

    Ash Wednesday

    Propers - from The Saint Peter Gradual
    Ordinary - Mass for Our Lady of Walsingham, McDonough

    Processional Hymn - Iam lucis orto sidere/Now that the sun is risen high trans. Buffer (ERHALT UNS, HERR)
    Imposition of Ashes - Miserere Mei, Purcell, interposed with the antiphons for the imposition and Psalm 22
    Offertory Anthem - Bow Down Thine Ear, O Lord, Charles Wood
    Communion Hymn - Lord Jesus, Think On Me (SOUTHWELL)
    Communion Motet - Parce Domine (Garau)
    Closing Hymn - Forty Days and Forty Nights (HEINLEIN)
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • How did you 'have to repeat Imutemur and Juxta'?

    We went through the 2 antiphons and the responsory, and people were still receiving, so we went back to the beginning. I suppose we could have had silence, and did have some at the very end.
  • Got it. I had a short time remaining, so I used the melody and words of Parce Domine as if they were Christus Vincit: repeated 3 times, and stopped.
  • Entrance: O Breathe on Me, O Breath of God
    Offertory: There Is a Longing
    Communion: O Lord I Am Not Worthy, Transfigure Us O Lord
    Ashes: With These Ashes, Hosea, Led by the Spirit

    This was the first time I've ever been to a Mass with the distribution of ashes taking place at the end. The church was basically empty by the time we finished singing.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • That’s an odd choice, considering the missal says it is to take place after the homily…
    Thanked by 1LauraKaz
  • Yes, it is. I think the reasoning was to keep people from walking out of Mass immediately after getting their ashes halfway through. Still no reason to violate the instructions in the Missal though...
  • davido
    Posts: 942
    If people are walking out after ashes, before communion the parish has a big problem. If I were the pastor, I would be making appointments to visit parishioners in their homes and have hard talks about what being a Catholic entails.
  • Davido,

    How likely is it that you'll be a pastor?
  • Might be influenced from the "other" regularly-attended non standard weekday, namely Good Friday. On which it's (also) common to shift the "extra" to the end, namely the Adoration. I certainly know parishes where both “shifts” are done. (In the Novus rite, of course.)

  • The parish where my mother grew up, the pastor would call out —mid distribution at the rail, mind you— “Mass is not over yet! Sit down!” and embarrass the people leaving early in front of the whole church. He nipped that habit in the bud realllll quick.
    Thanked by 1LauraKaz
  • As an aside, I’ve always found it fascinating that more people come to Ash Wednesday than come for holy days of obligation.
  • davido
    Posts: 942
    Chris, a lot of people would object, including my wife
  • davido
    Posts: 942
    Ash Wednesday was once a holy day of obligation…
  • Got it.
  • redsox1
    Posts: 217
    St. Bernard, Madison, WI

    Entrance Antiphon- Source and Summit

    Again We Keep This Solemn Fast-
    ERHALT UNS HERR

    Be Merciful, O Lord- Gelineau

    Verse before the Gospel- Sittard

    Imposition of Ashes- Come Back to the Lord- Nestor

    Hear Us, Almighty Lord- ATTENDE DOMINE

    Mass XVIII

    Communion Antiphon-Source and Summit

    No closing hymn, all departed in silence