Colebrook Again

As I live closer to Colebrook than Hobart, I drove to St Patrick's Church again this Sunday, though earlier in the day, as the monks (I mean, Fr Prior and the pre-postulants) planned to sing Terce at 9:45 am, followed by their sung Mass at 10 am, and, as it transpired, the office of Sext a little before noon. 

Being able to join in their solemn, public worship by attending both those Little Hours was a great privilege, as was participating in the supernatural joy of the Missa cantata for the First Sunday of Lent, most fitly adorned by their singing of its magnificent Gregorian propers, all taken from Psalm 90 (the only concession to their small numbers being the psalm-toning of the even verses of the Tract, which even so lasted about six minutes), not to mention the chanting of Mass XVII and Credo I. I was able to join confidently in the Ordinary, all the responses and also the Introit, which shares its melody with that of Trinity Sunday, whose chant I learnt long years ago.

Please do join in prayer that the monastic community of Notre Dame Priory finds its permanent home soon. St Joseph, pray for us.

Happy Birthday

To-day, the First Sunday of Advent, 2009, we held a belated birthday party...

No, we weren't wishing "happy birthday, Novus Ordo!" - for the 40th anniversary of the unhappy day of its foolish introduction on the First of Advent is strictly speaking to-morrow - but, after another Missa Cantata courtesy of Fr Popplewell (ere he return to Canberra), we had a shindig at the Greeners' residence for Simon's 50th.

(The Novus Ordo is obviously entering upon a mid-life crisis, as are all those who put their trust in it; and wickedly I suggested we sing Felix nativitas ad te, Nove Ordo, as an Offertory Motet, but this was turned down.)

"The Mass that wouldn't die" is alive and well: again, we had a sung Mass, at 10.30 am at St Canice; we had a choir of five - I was able to join in this time - and seven servers in the sanctuary, plus about fifty or sixty in the pews, both locals and the large number of friends and relatives from Canberra (Fr's parish) and Sydney who were in town for yesterday's nuptials.

I enjoyed singing Mass XVII (Deus Genitor alme), and the uplifting Propers (Ad te levavi et al.). For Offertory, we sang Creator alme siderum, and at Communion, Adoro te and Ave verum; Mass ended, we appended the simple Alma Redemptoris Mater. (It being Advent, there was no organ.) Fr Popplewell customarily offers the old Mass, which meant that it all flowed beautifully, lasting just over an hour, and he sings well, making the liturgy an improvement over the best efforts of dear Fr Quinn, who is only able to monotone his parts, and, only saying it once a month, is rather slow, as he has to read the rubrics as he goes.

After Mass, we had a great celebration together, as noted above; but all good things - except God - come to an end; so I had perforce to turn the car for points north, and head back to Launceston, arriving back home at a quarter to seven. 600 km driven this weekend since I drove out to the airport on Friday evening!