Episcopal Ordination in my Catholic Hometown-My heart is full of..
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    JOY!
    I'm was duplicating some ordos for the weekend, and casually had CATHOLIC TV on the Roku playing of the television. Little did I realize until after Wendy wandered in and said, "Is that in Oakland?" I looked over and she said, "Michael Barber?" and I did a double take on the space and the music.
    Oh my, we should all send Rudy de Vos messages of "huzzah" and "Deo gratia's" The repertoire, the chanting of the gospel, the Gregorian chants and the inspired acclamations from chant....I don't have an ordo from Oakland, but I don't know how many people can appreciate what he has done there save for Fr. Jeff Keyes.
    Who'da thunk it, old radical hippy Oaktown, taking us all to the RotR school whereas other recent ordinations were somewhat taciturn, including in Portland.
    I'm sorry, I'm just so proud to be from Oakland now!
    Thanked by 1Ruth Lapeyre
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,211
    Hey, did you have that channel playing on the Roku Saturday morning? You could have caught me (and others) singin' the introit for the ordinations in Boston.

    I'm watching the Mass from Oakland too, and spotted Fr. Jeffrey in the procession, so he's there somewhere. Now if they could just find a cantor who isn't flat...
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    We had the grandsons overnight, so a 6am rising...... arggh.
    I did notice a red tambourine on a rail at the ready, maybe near a gospel choir, but still I fear not!
    I'm also thankful that the interior austerity, ambiance and beauty of Christ Our Light Cathedral is being given fair coverage by CTV, and commentary is at a minimum.
    I also see the front row presence of our governor, Jerry Brown (Moonbeam!), but am not discomfited because of his distinctly Jesuit gestalt with which he's carried on his life's duties. Who are we to judge?
  • cmb
    Posts: 86
    Unless my ears deceived me, I believe I heard His Excellency saying the "silent" prayers over the gifts in Latin, and from memory! Beautiful music.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,211
    Oh, well; they'll probably re-play the Boston Mass or offer it as video-on-demand.

    The music from Oakland has been generally quite good! Nice chant schola.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    cmb, Yes you did, with alacrity.
    Maybe I'll be the first one to note in cyber "journalism" that when Alstott's Heritage "Holy" had its first phrase, Bp. Barber's mic might've caught him singing "Lord God of power and might...." What the hey...... it was all a class act.
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    Yeah, Oakland! I've heard very good things about Bp. Barber.
    Congrats, Charles. A joyous day indeed!
    The Holy Spirit is turning Fr. Serra's ship back around- its a good day for CA!!
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,795
    There's video here. I haven't found a music list yet: does anyone know the NICAEA parody mass?
    Thanked by 1chonak
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Heritage Mass, Alstott, OCP. It's not all NICAEA, tho' RM, Ol' Ven. Owen used some Gregorian canti for Kyrie descant and LoG.
    It did catch me by surprise, but I remember when Rudy dV started at the cathedral he had no more than 4 or 6 singers per Sunday, all regular folk. And he began using the Heritage. So, I would offer as how that was a nod not only to FCAP, but to humility, which I thought was "classy" in the true sense. Rudy's choir now singing that Alstott Lamb of God made that humility very, very beautiful.
    Over at Cafe, there's a Briton scamp trying to yank my chain about how dreadful it all was in Oakland, thankful he can trot off to Oratory to be cleansed. He has no idea how dreadful it all WAS in Oakland before Rudy deVos. It wasn't dreadful because of quality, it was caught in a web of polyglot cacophony. On one end of Park Blvd. you'd have a beautiful solemn EF High Mass chanted with Pr. LaRocca, and the other some gorgeous eclectic/multicultural stuff led by Janet Sullivan Whitaker, and a great gospel choir over at St. Columbas on Telegraph etc. And everything good or bad in between. There was no unity. To hear of what you do at St. David of Wales w/eft, RM, was quite a revelation for me as I spent more than a decade in W. Contra Costa.
    I'm sure there are some broken hearts in Oakland that the "Event Mass Party" appears to have had its sunset. But Bp. Barber can continue having the festivals, the processions or even Masses that are so designed and articulated. But when it's time for "Et unim sint," Oakland has a new paradigm, thankfully and finally.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,795
    Sorry, still only on my first cup of coffee: what's FCAP?

    Without Mozart, Bruckner orand Ockeghem I wouldn't have been perfectly happy myself, but the offertory was very nicely done and the choral singing above reproach. Not being there in person makes it impossible to judge the effect of the congregation's singing or the a cappella choir.

    I think I was hoping for bolder individual flavors though, and my overall impression was that it was all a bit over-blended and if anything not polyglot enough. If there was some distinctively mitteleuropäische Musik to go along with the Polish costume, maybe I missed it. Of the remarkable and beautiful Vietnamese chant I heard early Christmas eve, there was only the cantor taking a few turns at the communal communion ditty.

    We don't demand terribly much of Rudy, do we? ;-) Now he's getting it from the continental-phile side too!
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,211
    The canonical list of abbreviations on the forum is on-line for reference.
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