There will be a sung requiem with absolution at the catafalque on Memorial Day (Monday, May 30th) at 1 pm at the Church of the Holy Innocents in Manhattan.

There will be a Missa Cantata for the Feast of St. Phillip Neri tomorrow, Thursday, May 26th at 7 pm at the Church of St. Phillip Neri in the Bronx, Father Steven Markantonis, Celebrant. 
(To travel by subway to the church — which is located at 3025 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York  10468 — take the 4 Train to “Bedford Park Boulevard/Lehman College.”  The Church is a five-minute walk east from this subway stop.  For more information, please call the church office at (718) 733-3200.)

Completing our coverage of the Traditional services celebrated on Sunday, May 15,  we are pleased to show  pictures from the 25th Anniversary Jubilee Mass of the Saint Gregory Society, at Saint Stanislaus  Church, New Haven. The Solemn Pontifical Mass in honor of Saint Gregory the Great was celebrated by the Most Reverend James C. Timlin, Bishop Emeritus of Scranton, PA.

 Pictures courtesy of Douglas Turecek; more pictures of this event  at his site.

Continuing our coverage of Sunday’s “events”, the Catholic Artists Society sponsored its first Solemn High Mass for Artists at Our Saviour’s Church on Park Avenue in New York. A capacity congregation, very proficient in singing the responses, filled the church. But that seems to be the rule for Solemn Masses at this parish. David Hughes and the schola of St. Mary’s Norwalk provided the music  – need we say that it was splendid? (Missa super Credidi Propter by Orlando di Lasso and works by Palestrina, Philips, Vaughan Williams, Bach and Messiaen)

Mr. Eddy Torribio was Master of Ceremonies.

The celebrant (and superlative preacher) was Fr. George Rutler. Father Michael Barone was the deacon and Fr. Joseph Koterski, SJ the subdeacon.

Kevin Collins, the leader of this evening’s exceedingly well organized proceedings, introduced the speaker, Fr. Koterski.

Fr. Koterski provided a much needed presentation on the Ignatian approach to the examination of conscience. The audience was enthusiastic.

As already noted, there always seems to be a full house for a Solemn mass at Our Saviour’s. But the Catholic Artists Society has succeeded in bringing most of them down to the lecture hall as well. It was heartening to see so many artists – and would-be artists – especially given the nonexistent Catholic presence in the arts in New York. Perhaps these artists have only been waiting for something like the Catholic Artists Society to come along to draw them all out of the woodwork. In any case, we will be hearing more from this Society in the near future…..

In attendance was artist Ken Woo, who painted all of the beautiful icons in this church. His Christ is in the apse (at top) and the angel on the arch over the sanctuary(above)

This Sunday was quite a day for the Tradition of the Church in the greater New York area.   From New Haven to Park Avenue there were extraordinary events demonstrating the breadth and depth of Traditionalism in this region. Summorum Pontificum has found wide acceptance here – Friday’s  “Instruction”  only serves to reinforce an already active scene.

We first turn to St. Mary’s, Norwalk.  A May crowning – but with magnifcent ceremony and music (provided mainly by the children’s choirs under the direction of David Hughes). It was an unforgettable experience – even if it had to take place indoors because of the inclement weather – and there was no “Bring flowers of the fairest..”

A Missa Cantata wil be celebrated on Tuesday, May 31st at 7:30 PM for the Feast of the Queenship of Mary.

On Thursday, June 23rd St. Gabriel’s will celebrate a Solemn High Mass with Procession for the Feast of Corpus Christ. The music will included the Gregorian Propers of the Feast as will as a Mass setting by Haydn. The mass will be celebrated by Fr. Cyprian La Pastina; Fathers Richard Trezza and Greg Markey will be deacon and subdeacon, respectively. The homily will be given by Fr. John Perricone. We will post further details as they become available. The address of St. Gabriel’s parish is 914 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, Connecticut 06905.

On Sunday, May 15 at 2 pm, the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Jubilee of the Saint Gregory Society will conclude with a festive Solemn Pontifical Mass in Honor of Saint Gregory the Great celebrated by the Most Reverend James C. Timlin, Bishop Emeritus of Scranton at St. Stanislaus Church, State & Eld Streets, New Haven.

From the Officers of the St. Gregory Society: “We rejoice in Bishop Timlin’s kind acceptance of our invitation to pontificate at this celebration. He was the first American hierarch to welcome the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in his Diocese, which he did in 1991 with the following words:
“Our Holy Father has asked that respect be shown for the feelings of those who are attached to the Latin Liturgical Tradition. I want to assure the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter that it will have my wholehearted support and encouragement as it carries out its important apostolate in our diocese in accordance with the constitution of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter and the Diocese of Scranton.”
Thus did Bishop Timlin set the stage for the inspiring growth of the Fraternity and return of the traditional liturgy in North America.

“This will be a rare opportunity for you to assist at a celebration of the traditional Latin liturgy in its fullest glory, with Mozart’s “Coronation Mass” performed by the Society’s Schola Cantorum with an ensemble of string instruments. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to show your devotion to, and support of the traditional Mass by attending the service and greeting Bishop Timlin at the dinner following, which will be prepared by members of St. Stanislaus Parish.

“In order to anticipate for the number of those attending the dinner, we ask that you please respond today (no later than Wednesday 11 May) with your request for tickets ($15 each, children under 12 free) by calling 203-815-8955.”

Some wonderful photographs sent in by Ed Casey of the Holy Saturday services at Holy Innocents parish, New York. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf was the principal celebrant.

The 9:30 Extraordinary Form Solemn Mass was no less beautiful than the Easter Vigil of the night before. The choir sang Claudio Monteverdi’s “Mass for Four Voices” accompanied by organ and trombone. On behalf of the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny, we wish you and your loved ones a blessed Eastertide.

Fr. Cipolla blesses the food for the coffee hour following the Mass.

Holy Saturday vigil in the Traditional rite – a further step in the contemporary Catholic adventure of the recovery of the Sacred. For four and one-half hours this unique liturgy, celebrated in its completeness, unfolded from the blessing of the new fire to the concluding double alleluia. What better illustration could there be of the attractive, in the truest sense educative power of tradition even – or especially – in this most demanding of liturgies? How could the nature of baptism be more clearly communicated than in the gestures and rituals of this evening? And in the chanted prophecies from the creation in Genesis to the three children in the fiery furnace we do not just listen to read texts but physically feel the vastness of the ages through which the chosen people clung to God’s promises.

The blessing of the New Fire.

Insertion of the grains of incense into the Paschal Candle and the blessing of the Paschal Candle.

Lumen Christi..

The Exsultet.

The chanting of the first Prophecy.

The chanting of the final Prophecy.

The blessing of the baptismal font.

Two Baptisms followed.