The timing is perfect. Just as the Society are preparing to visit Our Lady of Esperanza, Granda, the well known Spanish purveyor of ecclesiastical furnishings, informs us of the following in their newsletter (we reproduce the original text):

“We knew at Granda that the first item crafted by our workshop for the US was an elaborate sanctuary lamp. We had records that the lamp was made by Fr. Felix Granda, but with the Spanish Civil War in 1936-39, many documents were lost and we didn’t know were it was.

From some recently recovered documentation, we deducted that the lamp was sent to the Hispanic Society of America in New York, but after a personal visit there and an interview with the curator of the Museum, that possibility had to be ruled out.

From the interview, however, we learned that there was a church related to the museum and built by the Hispanic Society with the generous help of Mr. Archer M. Huntington. This fact motivated a renewed our search and the lamp was found.

The beautiful lamp that hangs from the sanctuary dome, its flickering flame sparkling day and night, symbolizes Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. This lamp was presented to Our Lady of Esperanza Church in 1912 by King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Alfonso personally commissioned Father Felix Granda, a noted priest and sculptor of that time to make an exact replica of the vessel created by the celebrated eighteenth century sculptor, Urquiza. The original hangs in the sanctuary of the Church of San Antonio de la Florida in Madrid, Spain.

In addition to its exquisite design, an interesting feature of this great masterpiece is its symbolism. The top of the lamp is in the form of a crown representing the Royal Family of Spain, from the crown hang three beautifully ornamented chains, which represent the Collar of the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece.

At the base of the three chains there is a suspended round tray, adorned with fine detailed galleries on which we can repeatedly see the coat of arms of Spain, which is a lion and a castle between the Pillars of Hercules. Three golden cherubs hovering in graceful flight support the tray and its center and there are six-sided columns. On one of the column’s sides the coat of arms of King Alfonso is emblazoned, and on another there is an engraved dedication by the King.

The center column supports a golden sphere, the earth etched with a map of the world and a quotation from the Holy Scripture: “Lux orta est justo et rectis corde loetitia. Quandiu sum in in mundo lux sum mundi”. (Light is risen to the just, and joy to the right of heart. Psalm XCXl: II; As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. John 1:5). From the top of the sphere, flames burst forth and rise through a holder in which the vigil taper burns day and night before the Blessed Sacrament.”

SOURCE.

(Courtesy of Vincenza DiMauro)

Fr. Greg Markey, pastor of St. Mary Church, Norwalk, will give a presentation on Sunday, November 10 at St. Mary’s Church, on the mystical meaning of the Mass. During the medieval period of the church, the ancient rite of the Mass was broken down by mystics and saints into small meditations of the passion of Christ. As Pope John Paul II noted at the end of his pontificate, one of the tragedies of the post-conciliar period is the loss in understanding that the Mass is a sacrifice. This evening reflection will help deepen our understanding of the greatest of mysteries. The evening will begin with adoration and holy rosary at 6:00 pm, followed by the presentation in Msgr. Hajus Hall at 6:45. All are welcome.

A benefit concert for the St Cecilia society which supports the schola.

David Hughes, director (above).

Statue of El Cid in the plaza in front of the Hispanic Society.

We are happy to announce that on Saturday, November 16 at 11 AM our society will sponsor the celebration of a Solemn High Mass at the church of Our Lady of Esperanza, 624 W. 156th St., New York,  as part of our second annual Hispanic Heritage Pilgrimage. Music of the Spanish renaissance will be sung by a professional schola. Afterwards, we will visit the magnificent museum of the Hispanic Society of America – the most complete collection of art of the Iberian peninsula in North America.

The Mass. It will be a rare opportunity to participate in the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass in its most ceremonial form – as it would have been experienced in 17th century Spain or at Our Lady of Esperanza upon completion of the church in 1910. It will also be a chance to hear the polyphonic music of the Spanish renaissance in the liturgical setting for which it was intended.

The music promises to be extraordinary. Mr. David Hughes will direct a professional schola.  The music will include:
Missa Sancta et Immaculata Virginitas (Guerrero)

Gregorian Mass of Our Lady: Salve sancta Parens

The Church of Our Lady of Esperanza, the second Spanish-speaking parish in New York City, is a splendid jewel built as part of Audubon Terrace –  the complex of buildings including the Hispanic Society. For a full description of  this historic church see HERE.

Church address:  624 West 156th St., New York (between Broadway and Riverside Drive).

This church features many precious furnishings – such as the sanctuary lamp, the gift of King Alfonso XIII of Spain (above).

Mr. Archer Huntington was the founder of the Hispanic Society Museum. He had the vision of a sanctuary for Iberian culture in the United States – in the wake of the defamatory caricatures generated by the Spanish-American war. He recognized that an essential part of that vision had to be the provision of a church for the Catholic faith – even though he was not Catholic himself.

Miss Maria de Barril was a major early patron. The names of other benefactors include Vanderbilt, JP Morgan and King Alfonso of Spain.

The Museum. After the Mass and lunch we will visit the Museum of the Hispanic Society for a guided tour at 1:30. This extraordinary collection ranges from Roman times to the early twentieth century. The museum’s greatest glory is its collection of paintings: El Greco, Velasquez, Zurbaran and Goya are all represented by masterpieces. But in addition the visitor will encounter a superabundance of works in every kind every kind of medium – sculpture, metalwork,ironwork, textiles, pottery, tiles.

For more information on the Hispanic Society see HERE.

Transportation

The church of Our Lady of Esperanza is located at 624 West 156th Street. The Hispanic Society of America is located on Broadway between West 155th and 156th Streets.

Buses: M4 or M5 to Broadway and 155th Street

Subway: Number 1 to Broadway and 157th Street,
or the C to 155th Street

Parking: (From the Hispanic Society) There is parking garage between Broadway and Riverside Drive at West 153rd Street.

All Masses are Traditional Latin Masses unless otherwise indicated.

(The crown of the Austrian Empire)

(Mourning figure from the Habsburg crypt, Vienna. Charles, however, is not buried there but where he died in exile, Madeira)

On the Chartres Pilgrimage, 2012. The French point out: Charles of Habsburg-Lorraine)

A Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be celebrated at historic St Anne’s Church in Fall River, Massachusetts, on Sunday, October 20 at 6:30 PM (Mass of the 22nd Sunday After Pentecost). The choral music and chants will be sung by the Northern Rhode Island Schola Sanctæ Ceciliæ, and seminarians from St John’s Seminary in Boston will serve. Dedicated in 1906, the Romanesque church stands at the corner of South Main and Middle Streets. Brother (now Saint) André Bessette of Montreal occasionally worshiped here when in town visiting relatives and benefactors. The magnificent Casavant organ, installed in 1963, greatly enhances the grandeur of the liturgical celebrations.

Also at St Anne’s, in the lower church, on Friday, October 18, the renowned liturgical scholar Dom Alcuin Reid will give a talk on maintaining a healthy spiritual diet by mining the riches of the Sacred Liturgy. Vespers for the Feast of St Luke will immediately follow.

A Week of Prayer & Devotion

October 14 – 20, 2013

Church of the Holy Name of Jesus
99 Camp Street, Providence, R.I. 02906-1799

Download the flyer for the Week of Prayer & Devotion

Series on the Liturgy

Monday through Thursday, October 14 – 17, 6:00 p.m.
Presented by Fr. Joseph D. Santos Jr.
Topics: A Brief History of the Liturgy, The Family of Liturgies of the Catholic Church, The Mass of the Catechumens, The Mass of the Faithful.
45-minute presentation followed by a 15-minute Q & A period. In the Lady Chapel.

Mass in the Rite of Braga
Friday, October 18, 5:30 p.m.
A brief talk on inculturation in the Liturgy according to Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Document on the Liturgy from Vatican II, as manifest in the history and peculiarities of the Rite of Braga.
Then, at 6:00 p.m., Low Mass in the Rite of Braga will be celebrated in the presence of His Excellency D. Teodoro de Faria, Bishop Emeritus of Funchal (Madeira).

Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form
Saturday, October 19, 11:00 a.m.
Celebrant: His Excellency D. Teodoro de Faria
Sermon: Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed Karl of Austria-Hungary, one of the few leaders who worked to promote peace before, during and after World War I. For his efforts, he was rewarded by the fascists with forced abdication and exile.

Conference on the Blessed Sacrament and Ceremony of the Silver Rose
Sunday the 20th of October at 3:00 PM
“How is Jesus Present in the Eucharist?”
Presented by Raymond de Souza, Director, Office of Evangelization, Diocese of Winona, MN.
The service concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

For more information, please phone the parish rectory at (401) 272- 4515.