Last Monday Professor Roberto de Mattei addressed issues of the papacy in a lecture at St. Mary’s church. Prof. de Mattei carefully laid out the theological basis of the papacy and pointed out how the lack of understanding of this framework has led to the crisis of papal government we are facing today. The text of Professor de Mattei’s address can be found HERE on the Rorate Caeli blog. Afterwards discussions continued at a lively reception. The lecture and reception were preceded by a beautiful solemn mass which included rare orchestral sacred music of the Mexican baroque as well as works by Monteverdi and others.

We at the Society of St Hugh of Cluny are grateful for Prof de Mattei’s visit and the response it generated. We hope to be able to announce several new events of this kind shortly!

The first annual Lepanto Conference will be hosted by the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, Connecticut, where several hundred Catholic high schoolers, college students, and young professionals from all over the East Coast are expected to attend. Three guest speakers will explore this year’s theme, A Sign of Contradiction: Catholic Identity in the Modern World, after which we will celebrate a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite upstairs in the basilica. Lunch will follow the Mass, where attendees will have the opportunity to meet other young Catholics.

For further information, contact Bradley Morley,   bradleymorley4@gmail.com

The Society of St Hugh of Cluny and the parish of St Mary, Norwalk will be sponsoring a lecture by Prof. Roberto de Mattei on Monday, April 9 at the church of St Mary, Norwalk, CT. The title of Prof. de Mattei’s presentation is:

Tu es Petrus: True Devotion to the Chair of St. Peter

The lecture will follow a festive orchestral Mass in honor of the Feast of the Annunciation. The music will include works by Billoni, Monteverdi, Torres and Biber.

Solemn High Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation: 6:00 PM
Lecture by Prof. de Mattei: 7:30 PM

A Reception will follow.

All are welcome – no charge!

In this presentation  Prof. de Mattei will discuss  the Papacy as established by Christ, the real “authentic magisterium,” the Pope’s authority, the errors of Papalotry, and what must be our reception and reaction to the present Pontificate.

Prof.. de Mattei is a well-known historian, professor and writer. The president of the Fondazione Lepanto (Lepanto Foundation), de Mattei also directs the Radici Cristiane (Christian Roots) magazine and the Corrispondenza Romana (Roman Correspondence) news agency. Dr. de Mattei is also one of the organizers of the Marcia per la Vita (March for Life) held in Rome, the largest annual pro-life event in Europe. The author of many books, he has gained fame in the English-speaking world for The Second Vatican Council – An Unwritten Story, Blessed Pius IX, and Holy War, Just War. A professor at several Roman universities, Dr. de Mattei has also spoken at international conferences such as those held by Angelus Press and the Rome Life Forum.

See also Here (in Italian)

Yesterday evening a very beauiful Office of Tenebrae was sung at St. Mary’s Church, Norwalk, CT. The psalms were chanted in the front by a men’s choir.   The St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum sang the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah and the responsories in polyphony in the choirloft.  The liturgy ended in complete darkness with a polyphonic setting of the Miserere.  The clergy, choirs and congregation departed in silence.

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(above) “Judah” by Francisco de Zurbarán.

A Haydn oratorio, a Bruckner symphony, the drawings of Michelangelo, baroque oratorios, a 16th century Aztec feather-work recreation of a Netherlands devotional print – these are objects and performances that you could have seen or heard in New York in just the last few months. But what do we know about the religious influences and the culture in which they arose? Certainly the local Catholic establishment is of no assistance in learning more ( even if it’s aware of these events in the first place). The secular authorities – the curators, the writers of program notes and the media – can, on occasion, be much more helpful in rediscovering these links. Yet their analysis all too often focusses on the personality of the artist, on narrow issues of history, technique or ideology or on the “general human.”

In this regard, I’d thought I’d mention a couple of small exhibitions at the Frick collection that a fan of “Catholic culture” might find interesting. In contrast to the crowded “blockbusters” found further north on Fifth Avenue, the exhibitions at the Frick generally show one or several selected paintings from places one would very likely never visit. For a hefty admission fee one can contemplate such works ideally displayed and in a peaceful environment.

(Above) “St Jerome” by Veronese.

Two exceptional works by Veronese have left Italy for the first time. They are from a rarely visited church in Murano. If you are like me, you may have visited this island’s tourist trap glass emporia but never ventured into the local churches or seen the art they contain. The subject of one painting is familiar – St. Jerome in the desert – that of the other less so(at least to me): St Agatha in prison visited by St Peter. The color is of course magnificent – and every detail isn’t just “decorative” but derives from the legend of these two saints. As the exhibition notes point out, it is testimony to the superabundance of creativity in late sixteenth century Venice that one of the the main artists of the period painted two such major works for a small chapel on an outlying island.

Also on display is a cycle of 17th century paintings of Jacob and his sons by Francisco de Zurbarán – reunited for the first time in ages. The artist has shows great familiarity with the e biblical texts describing the history and destiny of these brethren. Zurbarán has given each of them a distinctive identity with bizarre costumes and attributes. I frankly found these works less successful than many other works of this artist I have seen. I would guess that assistants had a large share in executing such a massive project. But what is indeed interesting is the subject matter. For, at that time, some were of the opinion that the American Indians were descendants of the lost tribes of Israel. Depictions of Jacob and his sons – perhaps this one too – were created for patrons in the New World. So let’s not laugh at the Mormons – others had strange ideas of pre-Colombian history several centuries before them!

Of course, if curators feel constrained in giving full credit to the Catholic Church, they are not so inhibited in repeating the platitudes of our currently reigning ideology. Based one one incident in the 18th century, the Zurbarán paintings – artwork commissioned in 17th century Spain – are “reimagined” as symbols of religious tolerance and diversity. That’s life….

For more on these exhibitions see HERE. You only have till tomorrow to see the Veronese paintings!

Fr. George Rutler
Art As a Sermon
The Perspective of a Parish Priest
March 24, 7:30 PM

The Catholic Artists Society proudly presents author, EWTN Host, and pastor at the Church of St. Michael, the Rev. George Rutler, S.T.D. His talk is entitled “Art As a Sermon: The Perspective of a Parish Priest.”

The lecture takes place Saturday, March 24, 7:30 PM, at the Catholic Center at New York University (238 Thompson St., just south of Washington Square Park). A reception and sung Compline will follow.

Admission for Sustaining Members: FREE
Suggested donation for non-members: $10

The Society of St Hugh of Cluny and the parish of St Mary, Norwalk will be sponsoring a lecture by Prof. Roberto de Mattei on Monday, April 9 at the church of St Mary’s  Norwalk, CT. I doubt Roberto de Mattei needs an introduction on this blog! The lecture will follow a festive Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation.

Solemn High Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation:          6:00 PM

Lecture by Prof.de Mattei:                                    7:30 PM

A Reception will follow.

All are welcome – no charge! We will provide further details as they become available.

The ancient Christian empire seems to be gaining more and more attention – despite recent denunciations by Team Francis. Two weeks ago we had the pleasure of hearing a 17th century Holy Week oratorio by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, written in 1678 for Emperor Leopold I. Just this last Saturday we attended the performance of a second short oratorio by Antonio Draghi, also first performed in Vienna in 1668. Giuditta (Judith) was composed for the chapel of the dowager empress Eleanora, widow of Emperor Ferdinand III (1637-57). The oratorio was performed by the “Academy of Sacred Drama” which has as its aim the exploration of the “forgotten cultural treasures of sacred dramatic music.” Amazing that such groups have arisen here in the City! The venue was Corpus Christi Church near Columbia.

Although only ten years separates the composition of the two oratorios, they are quite different. Giuditta is shorter and has a more operatic text. Judith Malafronte gave a scholarly introduction to the piece. The evening concluded with two beautiful works: the Laurentian Litany by Francesco Durante and a Stabat Mater by Antonio Draghi.