Pentecost- Holy Rosary Catholic Church Indianapolis, Indiana

Pentecost this coming weekend May 12, 2011 will bring the Hunter's Mass by Orlando de Lasso at the 9:30 a.m. Mass in the Extraordinary Form. We welcome everyone.

Sacred Liturgy and Quality.

Recently, I had the opportunity to play for and Extraordinary Form Mass and Closing of 40 Hours with Benediction. I've done this before, many times actually, however this time was quite different. First, I should preface this by presenting the fact that quality and what happened at last weeks Holy Mass go hand in hand.

I had to make do with a choir one quarter the size I have on Sundays, about six voices, it was a lobsided six voices, 4 women, 2 men, no tenors. So what was I to do? I used the Rossini Propers (which for the record I am not an advocate of). However, they are good singers I figured the propers would work well with them. But alas, I was thoroughly wrong. I've never heard people struggle with them as much as the choir did. My lesson learned, rehearse them much more before using them, especially for people who are not familiar with the method of singing them.


Next, I used Mass VIII, the most well known of all the Gregorian Masses. My mistake there, I hear you ask. The women had no idea where they were going with them, and with few men to back them up, the women who are not used to leading the Ordinary, fumbled around. Mediocre at best!

Then came Benediction. Now these people are all faithful Catholics, however it was like they had no idea what was going on at times, "We're singing this now?" was one question.

Now, why does this relate to quality? Well, because simply put we fumbled our way through Holy Mass. Far from enhancing it we detracted from it, we certainly didn't give beauty to the Mass, rather we "gave it our best", sadly our best wasn't that at all. Needless to say, the lesson learned, rehearse, even if you think people know it. Assumptions only get us into a world of trouble. Annnd, last but not least, people are more then understanding if you say, we can't do a High Mass tonight because the resources aren't there.

Laetare Sunday- Holy Rosary- Indianapolis, Indiana

This Sunday at 9:30 the choir of Holy Rosary will sing Missa Brevis by Palestrina, sans Gloria. This Mass is the Extraordinary Form.

Holy Rosary Indianapolis, Indiana- Feast of the Annunciation

For the Feast of the Annunciation, Holy Rosary Catholic Church- Indianapolis, Indiana had a Sung Mass, Father Michael Magiera was the Celebrant. The Gregorian Schola sang the propers, while the Holy Rosary Choir sung the Ordinary (di Lasso- Missa Quinti Toni), Dixit Maria- Hassler, and the Gregorian hymn Tota Pulchra Es.

The Missa Quinti Toni will be repeated on Sunday March 27th and the following Sunday (Laetare Sunday) is also expected to have another polyphonic mass setting.

Cochabamba Cathedral. Cochabamba, Bolivia

Considering art and architecture, why don't we feast our eyes on the Cathedral in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Time before Lent.

Lent is a time of renewal, a time to prepare ourselves to remember the gift of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. This of course means that time is slowly burning away to prepare liturgically for Lent.

The Extraordinary Form affords us a wonderful opportunity to remind us Lent is around the corner. Septuagesma, the roughly three weeks before Ash Wednesday, helps us to get into the motion of Lent. The Gloria disappears, not to be heard until Holy Thursday, and the Alleluia leaves us until the Great Vigil of Easter.

The Ordinary Form however, does not afford us the weekly reminders. However we should keep in front of us the fact that Ash Wednesday is about three weeks away, we should take some example from the Extraordinary Form and begin to enter into the spirituality of Lent.

With either Form, there is planning to do. Music needs to be finalized (ideally into the Easter Season), Art and Environment should be planned, choirs need preparation, and those who excercise leadership in the communal worship of the church should begin to ease their congregations into Lent.


If you're seeking assistance with planning, I am avaliable for consultation and advising.

Improving a sactuary.

Today, I would like to think about how to improve a sanctuary. First though, we must ask what is sanctuary defined as?

To define a sanctuary,let us think about the elements of a sanctuary first. We have, an altar, a pulpit, a tabernacle, a set of chairs, a sanctuary lamp, a credence table, a communion rail (in some places), an altar cross, candlesticks. This is the most basic list of things you would find in a sanctuary. Because of what takes place in the sanctuary, it is usually elevated with steps, and visibly set apart from the rest of the building.

 Now, how do we improve upon this? One way is to add sacred imagery, if your denomination allows for that. Another way is to improve upon what you already have, perhaps by refurbishing candlesticks, or polychroming a wood crucifix. Maybe to highlight the altar we could add an oriental rug. Of course, lighting could be added, or redirected. Another potential might be the addition of a hanging tester or canopy, and if you have an altar which is ad orientem, the addition of a damask fabric can be employed to highlight the sacred space, focusing attention on the altar itself.

Included in this schema, would be to move around liturgical elements to highlight some things while reducing our focus on others, perhaps moving chairs off to the side, placing the tabernacle in the center of the sanctuary, and lastly working with the space available, creating better spaces for movement in the sanctuary.

Some thoughts to consider. Is your congregation considering a renovation? I am available for consultation. Please contact via e-mail

A forthcoming New Liturgical Movement

Not to distant from now, Benedict XVI will issue a Moto Proprio, reconstructing the Congregation for Divine Worship. With this will include a road map for a New Liturgical Movement. We should be grateful to the Holy Father for guiding the Catholic Church with a loving hand. We also should give thanks to God in a fitting way for this opportunity to implement the liturgical reforms on Vatican II in a more fitting manner.

Parishes who struggle with implementing these reforms should not be afraid to contact someone learned in liturgical matters to assist them with implementation. I think it would be wise for parishes to hold a short series of talks about the Sacred Liturgy. They should consult with individuals about their particular artistic needs when retrofitting a building. Parishes should seek counsel from an outside individual when music is involved of changed.

In short, we may not know the full extent of these forthcoming reforms. However we should look at this as an opportunity for renewal of the Church's spiritual and liturgical life. Giving thanks to Almighty God for His goodness and bountiful blessings.

Parishes seeking outside help with implementing the Revised Roman Missal should feel free to contact me for an initial consultation.

The Sacred Liturgy: Hope for the future!

We see in a younger generation a desire to return to that which our ancestors knew. The "right" worship of God. We see a desire for ortho-praxis. The mundane and the banal of the everyday life is just that, thus it is not fitting for the worship of the Most High God. As the future moves forward in this 2011, we can hope our churches and parishes recognize this, and thus begin their liturgical renewal.