Singing, Serving, and Remembering

To-day was marked with many festivities.

For a start, Justin was again with us to lead the ad hoc mixed schola in the Gregorian Propers and Ordinary (Mass XII, Credo I), plus our hymns (processional: "On this day the first of days"; offertory: O esca viatorum; communion: Cælestis urbs Jerusalem; recessional: "Let all mortal flesh keep silence" - a rather odd assortment, frankly, but tuneful) and to play the organ, at our usual 9.15 am Missa Cantata.

Then - after visiting the visiting St Rita's Book-barrel, and buying at last a useful copy of Rossini's Proper of the Mass, plus that great religious comic book, Know your Mass - we went off for coffee with the usual suspects, before farewelling Justin, who was to fly back over East later in the day, to return on the 19th of December for Christmas, just when I leave the West permanently.

Michael and I then went over to St Michael the Archangel Chapel in Leederville for to serve at a wedding and nuptial Mass there at 1.30 pm, but not before stopping off at the International Beer Shop and enjoying a liquid lunch of Saison Regal...

The wedding went off well from the point of view of our M.C. Aaron and my fellow servers Michael, Michael, Michael and I, and Quartessence (reduced to Triessence by the absence overseas of a member), together with Andrew at the organ when not singing, acquitted themselves well with the Byrd Mass for 3 Voices, the Gregorian Propers, and sundry motets (Victoria's Ave Maria, of course; also someone's In te Domine speravi - odd choice for a wedding! - and an Adoro te).  As one is bound to say, the bride looked ravishing and the groom a lucky man: pray that they have a happy and blessed marriage.

After a cuppa with Fr afterward (since we didn't know the families, we of course didn't go to the reception), Mike and I visited our mate Rob, for a drop of Cascade beer from Tasmania, some chips, some good conversation, and a screening of Lord Clark's "Civilization" series (episode 1).

Having now come home, I feel rather unwell; I may have caught a cold, irritatingly enough.

Soon we'll end the day with Vespers of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica...

But, not to forget, to-day commemorates another important anniversary - my old parish priest back in Hobart, now bishop of Lismore, was received into the Church on this day in 1965: ad multos annos!

Oremus et pro Antistite Ecclesiæ Lismorensis Godefrido:

Stet et pascat in fortitudine tua, Domine, in sublimitate nominis tui.