Holy Thursday: The Mass.

Holy Thursday: The Procession

Holy Thursday: The Altar of Repose

Vespers and the Stripping of the Altar

At St. Paul the Apostle church, New York. Note the folded chasubles and the large boys’ choir (for which the sanctuary was specifically designed).

(From The Church of St. Paul the Apostle, New York by Joseph I. Malloy, CSP (1939?))

Palm Sunday at St. Mary’s, Norwalk: the Mass of the Palms

Distribution of the blessed palms.

The procession begins.

(Below) The entry into the church.

Continue to Part II

Continued from Part I

The Mass of the Passion. (Below) The reading of the Passion according to St. Matthew.

(Above and below) The reading of the Passion.

See Part I

Yesterday evening, April 5, the parish of St Vincent Ferrer and St. Catherine of Siena, New York,  celebrated the patronal feast of St. Vincent Ferrer with a Solemn Mass in the Dominican Rite.

The setting for the Mass ordinary was John Taverner’s Missa Sancti Wilhelmi devotio, directed by James Wetzel.

“Fear the Lord and give him honor”  Revelations 14.7, from the Epistle reading for the feast day, was the topic of the sermon.  The words are  inscribed on the wall next to St. Vincent Ferrer’s shrine.

The shrine of St. Vincent Ferrer decorated for his feast day.

The rose window (above) depicts various Dominican saints (below, details)

(Above) A prayer bead in the form of a skull. Such beads can be snapped open to reveal a miniature scene in each half.

Until May 21 a unique exhibition (Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures) can be seen at the Cloisters in New York. The exhibit includes carved beads (as individual prayer beads or sometimes as part of a large rosary) and miniature altars. The art of such miniatures flourished for only a limited period – say between 1500 – 1536 – and in a limited geographic area – mostly in the Netherlands, with one or two examples from Germany (of course this is modern usage, both countries were at the time within the Holy Roman Empire). Boxwood was a favored material not only because of its suitability for carving but also because it had associations with the Passion and had otherwise symbolic significance. Such beads and altars served to foster private prayer and devotion. Scenes commonly depicted include the Passion, the Nativity, the Mass of St Gregory and in addition a variety of other biblical subjects. “The execution of these prayer beads and diminutive altarpieces is as miraculous as the stories they tell.” (From the notice of the exhibition).

For more details on the Exhibition see HERE.

(Above and below)The scenes contained in the carved beads and miniature altars on display in this exhibit have a diameter or height of only a few inches.

(Above) Miniature altars exhibit the same intricate level of detail that was lavished on the great church altarpieces of that era.

(Above and Below) The Mass of Pope St. Gregory – showing a Eucharistic miracle – was a favorite subject of the boxwood carvers. It also gives us a glimpse of how the mass was celebrated 1500-1530.

(Above) The Mass of Pope St. Gregory as depicted on a bead of the rosary of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

On the Feast of the Annunciation, the Children’s Schola of St. Mary Church, Norwalk, directed by David Hughes, performed at a Solemn Mass at St. Agnes Church in New York. The schola sang Palestrina’s Missa Ave Maria.
Fr. Jeff Langan was Celebrant, Fr. Christopher Cullen was Deacon, and Fr. Michael Barrett was Homilist.  (Photos courtesy of Dr. Timothy Lock and Laurie Furey)

St. Agnes Church

Continued from Part I

(Above and Below) The splendid music included Mozart’s “Sparrow” Mass and his setting of Ave Verum Corpus. The musical forces were led by Marjorie Donalds, parish music director (who also sang).

More photos at Part I