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.

16th after Pentecost

Justin has been back here on loan from Melbourne, working away at the altar for St Anne's, Belmont, all this week; he flies back East this afternoon. (When shall we finally move in there? Who knows! Justin returns in early November for another week's work, but the altar still needs to be installed, to say nothing of the altar rails, the high pulpit, and so forth. Fr Rowe thinks we may be moved in by Christmas.)

In any case, Justin conducted the choir this morning, to great effect. Andrew, unfortunately unwell, still played the organ with aplomb. It was good to get back to singing the Propers again, and we also tried out a new Mass Ordinary for us, Mass XII, Pater cuncta, as well as Credo I. (Hymns: "On this day the first of days" for the processional, Jesu dulcis memoria after Communion, and "O breathe on me, Breath of God" for the recessional.) Hopefully Pater cuncta will get a guernsey again soon...

The Offertory, Domine in auxilium meum respice (Ps 39:14, 15), has that interesting and late feature, a repetition of its first phrase - both words and music - at its conclusion. A number of Offertories do this; I don't know why.

Fr Rowe drew a large number of morals for us all out of to-day's Gospel of the healing of the dropsical man: I must certainly heed at least one of them, viz. that when correcting someone, it must be done with all indulgence and meekness, not to shame or upset the other, and never ought it be done in an access of anger, nor in perverse enjoyment. Yes, I have a sharp temper, but that's no excuse: Irascimini et nolite peccare (Ps 4:5a).

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BTW, having been busy all week with a number of dinner engagements, and having Internet connexion difficulties, I haven't blogged much; hopefully I will do more this week.