FIELD REPORT: St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Portland, OR
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,496
    11am Sunday Novus Ordo Mass in English

    I don't have my program with me as I type this, so I can't provide a complete list of music, but...

    It was really good, y'all.

    Chanted Propers in English + Solid traditional hymns
    Ordinary plainchant from the Missal (sung unaccompanied and very robustly by the large, diverse congregation)

    Choir was AMAZING on a lovely contemporary setting of the "I am the Way" text of the Gospel (I'll find the name of the piece and composer later).

    [EDIT: It was In My Father's House by Philip Stopford]

    Organist was excellent.

    Just, overall, a really beautiful sacred music experience that showed off what the Novus Ordo liturgy can be at it's best. And, while certainly the volume/complexity of the choral repertoire and the quality of the performance is hard to achieve outside the resources of a cathedral, the basic shape of what was going on would be achievable in nearly any parish, and wouldn't (I think) be off-putting or alienating even to congregations unused to Traditional Liturgy: everything was in the vernacular (except the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei), the congregational hymns were easy to sing, the chanted propers were largely syllabic and easy to understand, the Missal chants should be deep in the bones of any English-speaking Catholic. Indeed a "Spirit of Vatican Two" partisan would have to stretch to find anything objectionable about it (not that some of those types aren't particularly flexible when the rhetorical situation calls for it). Actually, I'm sure it would be some of the more hardcore trad types who would have more complaining to do ("Hymns?!"), but they need hobbies and perspective. This was a normal Mass for normal people, while absolutely being Holy Things for Holy People.

    The music director Angela Westhoff-Johnson, as well as Archbishop Sample and rector Msgr. O’Connor, are to be commended for leading by example.
    Thanked by 8irishtenor ServiamScores RC_Liturgy_Music CHGiffen Kathy Chant_Supremacist PaxMelodious Steve Q
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,496
    Complete Program

    Prelude: Fugue on B-A-C-H, Robert Schuman

    Introit: O sing a new song to the Lord... (unaccompanied plainchant, unsure of source)
    Processional Hymn: Come, Christians, Join to Sing (MADRID)

    Gloria: Congregational Mass by John Lee

    Responsorial Psalm: (unsure... something vaguely chanty from OCP, might be from the Respond and Acclaim series)
    Alleluia: Mode VI plainchant

    Offertory: O Sing Unto the Lord, Sing a New Song, Peter Aston

    Sanctus: Latin plainchant (from the Missal)
    Memorial Acclamation: English plainchant
    Lord's Prayer: English plainchant
    Agnus Dei: Latin plainchant

    Communion Antiphon: I am the vine... (unaccompanied plainchant, unsure of source)
    Communion Hymn (sung while the choir received): O Sacrament Most Holy (Heritage Missal #420)
    Communion Anthem: In My Father's House, Philip Stopford

    Final Hymn: All Creature of Our God and King (LASST UNS ERFREUEN)
    Postlude: Allegro maestoso from Sonata II in C Minor, Felix Mendelssohn
    Thanked by 4davido irishtenor CHGiffen Chant_Supremacist
  • StPatrick
    Posts: 29
    There are at least 4 other parishes in downtown Portland who have music like this, it is a very happy thing :) glad you could join us!!!
    Thanked by 1Chant_Supremacist
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 315
    I'm curious, how did they handle doing both an entrance chant (introit) and a processional hymn? What was your impression of it? Whenever I've seen that done I've been dissatisfied by it. The only such combination I've seen in practice that seemed alright is processional hymn -> clean separation -> introit during incensing.

    I feel it's a bit of a shame that nowhere (as far as I know) gives the introit a really full treatment as an entrance in the NO, though I understand it's not "participatory" and thus a hard sell. One of things I like in theory about the optionalization of the sprinkling rite is that it makes it possible to treat the procession through the church and the final approach to the altar under a single continuous chant.

    Not to sound negative, I really appreciate what Abp. Sample has done.
  • StPatrick
    Posts: 29
    I know you weren't asking me, but all through the year except during Easter and Christmas we (a different parish in downtown Portland) sing the Introit with its verse as our entrance with no entrance hymn. Very few at my parish care about the "participatory" aspect as almost everyone is a convert and doesn't know to care about that kind of thing.

    At my parish, and I believe they do this at the Cathedral, the Introit (a cappella, no verses if there will be a hymn) is sung first, during the procession, then the Entrance Hymn is sung during incensing. Sometimes I will ask the servers not to begin processing until the short entrance antiphon is finished, so we have more time to sing the hymn without making the priest stand there waiting.
    Thanked by 1Chant_Supremacist
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