On a snowy day in early winter….

Blue vestments at Holy Innocents tonight  – was New York ever part of the Spanish  empire?

This beautiful photo was taken by Diana Yuan at the Rorate Mass at Holy Innocents Church, New York on Monday December 4. Holy Innocents has scheduled a total of 10 (!) Rorate Masses this Advent, each at 6 AM. Here is the schedule: link

St. Michael at St. Joseph’s Chapel.

It was reported last month that the chapel of St. Joseph in Battery Park City (also, the Archdiocesan 9/11 memorial) finally will be closed as of January 2018. This is a consequence of a massive rent hike (the space occupied by the chapel is leased). The art therein will be removed to St. Peter’s (where the “shrine” will be “rededicated” before September 11, 2018).

The “pastoral letter” by the pastor of St. Peter’s church officially informing parishioners of the closure is given HERE. Predictably, the reasons for shutting the 9/11 memorial are not given, except indirectly, nor is any regret expressed. Rather, parishioners are summoned to “move forward” to a “new chapter.”

Thus ends a Catholic presence in that corner of New York dating back to 1890. And thus ends the “Catholic Memorial at Ground Zero” established by Cardinal Egan at a cost of $1.7 million as recently as 2005. As we have noticed in relation to other churches, the existence of a “shrine” plays no role whatsoever in the Archdiocesan determinations as to which churches shall survive and which shall close.  It’s a bit schizophrenic: the creation of a “shrine” at great cost (relative to the size of the chapel) would seem to indicate some kind of Archdiocesan-wide interest and commitment.  Yet the continued existence of St. Joseph’s has been decided exclusively on the basis of the money the congregation of that chapel can raise vis-a-vis the admittedly rising cost of keeping it open.

Of course I don’t think any more than a handful of people living outside of the immediate neighborhood of St. Joseph’s were ever aware it even existed. The so-called “art” on display – despite claims to the contrary – was anything but a major attraction. Finally, as always, despite the ever-growing population of Downtown New York, the Archdiocese was unable to attract enough parishioners to its chapel.

This morning there was a Rorate Mass in the Dominican Rite at St. Vincent Ferrer, NY. Photos courtesy of Diana Yuan.

Connecticut

St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, Brookfield
Christmas Day:  Traditional Latin Mass 12:30 PM in chapel

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT, 12 midnight, Solemn Midnight Mass (11 pm Rosary by the Creche, 11:30 pm carols); 9:30 am Solemn Mass for Christmas Day.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, Bridgeport, CT,  Midnight (11:45 procession to the Crèche);  8:30 Mass at Dawn Low Mass;   10:15 Mass for the Day High Mass.  (Beginning on December 31, the church will have a Low Mass at 8:30 am every Sunday in addition to the 10:15 High Mass)

St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven, Missa Cantata, 2 pm.

St Martha’s Church, Enfield,   High Mass at midnight and a low Mass at 11 AM Christmas Day.

New York

Sacred Heart Church, Albany
Christmas Midnight Mass, Sacred Heart Church Hall

St. Matthew, 35 North Service Road, Dix Hills (Long Island)
Monday, December 25th, Traditional Latin High Mass 12:30 P.M. in the
Parish Center Chapel

St. Ladislaus, Hempstead (Long Island)
Christmas Day, 9:00 AM

St. Rocco, 18 Third St., Glen Cove (Long Island), 11:30 pm carols followed by Midnight Mass.

Church of the Holy Innocents, New York, 12 midnight, Traditional High Mass (followed by a festive reception in the parish hall); 2:30 am, Mass at Dawn (Low Mass);  9 am, Traditional Low Mass, 10:30 am Traditional High Mass.

St. Catherine of Siena Church, New York, Missa Cantata in the Dominican Rite for Christmas,  12 Midnight. Featuring Tomas luis de Victoria’s Missa Alma Redemptoris

Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, 10:25 am, Missa Cantata.

St. Agnes Church, New York,  9 am.

Our Lady of Peace Church, 522 Carroll St, Brooklyn,
High Mass, 9:30 am.

Church of Saint Anthony, 1496 Commonwealth Avenue, Bronx, 12:00 midnight, High Mass. The celebrant will be the parochial administrator, Fr. Louis Anderson. His sermon will be given in both English and Spanish.

Immaculate Conception Church, Sleepy Hollow, NY, Dec 24. 1:30 pm Low Mass Vigil of Christmas; Dec 25. 1:30pm Sung Mass.

St. Patrick Church, Newburgh, NY, 3 pm.

New Jersey

St. John the Baptist,  Allentown
Midnight Solemn High Mass – Vierne’s Missa Solennelle

Sacred Heart, Clifton
Christmas Day 8:00 AM

Our Lady of Victories, Harrington Park
Christmas Eve: 9:00 PM Sung Latin Mass

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 259 Oliver Street, Newark
Solemn Mass at midnight.
The mass will be of Franz Schubert in G.  After mass there will be coffee and refreshments in the rectory.

St. Anthony of Padua, Jersey City, Dec. 24, 9 pm, Mass of the Shepherds; Dec. 25, 9 am.

St.  Catherine Laboure, Middletown
Christmas Day 8:45 am Traditional Latin Sung High Mass

Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima, 32 West Franklin Ave., Pequannock

Sunday, December 24,
Christmas Carols at 11:00 PM on the evening

Monday, December 25th
CHRISTMAS MIDNIGHT MASS 12:00 AM
CHRISTMAS DAY MASS AT DAWN 7:00 AM
CHRISTMAS DAY MASS OF THE DAY 9:00 AM
CHRISTMAS DAY MASS OF THE DAY 11:00 AM

St. Anthony of Padua Oratory, West Orange

Sunday, Dec. 24th CHRISTMAS EVE
9:30 pm Confessions,
10:30 pm Traditional Christmas Carols
11:00 pm Solemn High Midnight Mass (First Mass of Christmas)

Monday, Dec. 25th CHRISTMAS DAY
7:30 am Low Mass (Second Mass of Christmas)
9:00 am Low Mass (Second Mass of Christmas)
11:00 am High Mass (Third Mass of Christmas)

January 1st, Octave of Christmas Schedule: 

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT, 9 am.

St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven, low Mass, 2 pm.

Church of the Holy Innocents, New York, on December 31:  4 pm to 11pm exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; 11pm singing the Te Deum followed by Benediction; 11:30 pm, Mass of Reparation (Missa Cantata); Monday, Jan. 1, 9 am low Mass, 10:30 am high Mass.

Church of St. Agnes, New York, Missa Cantata, 10:30 am followed by the singing of Veni Creator Spiritus.

Immaculate Conception Church, Sleepy Hollow, NY, 3 pm low Mass.

St. Patrick Church, Newburgh, NY, 3 pm.

Stained glass window from the Church of the Incarnation, Washington Heights, New York

(Above)Stained glass window in the Cathedral of St. James, Brooklyn.

Friday, December 8th, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation. The following churches have scheduled traditional Masses.

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT, Low Mass 7:30 am; Solemn Mass 5:30 pm.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, Bridgeport, CT, 7:45 am Low Mass, 6:00 pm High Mass (Consecration to the Immaculate Conception prior to Mass)

St Martha Church, 214 Brainard Rd, Enfield, CT, 5:30 pm.

Our Lady of Lourdes, 1650 Route 12, Gales Ferry, CT, 8:00 am.

Holy Innocents Church, NY,  Low Mass 8 am, Missa Cantata, 6 pm.

Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, NY, Low Mass, 7:45 am; Solemn Mass, 7:30 pm.  After the 7:30 pm Mass there will be the  National Night of Prayer for Life concluding at 5 am with a Rorate Mass.  information

Immaculate Conception, Sleepy Hollow, NY, 7 pm, Low Mass.

St. Matthew Church, Dix Hills, NY (Long Island), Missa Cantata, 10:30 am.

St. Anthony of Padua, Jersey City, 8:00 pm.

Oratory of St. Anthony Of Padua, West Orange, NJ, 7 pm.

Our Lady of Victories, Harrington Park, NJ, 6 pm

On Tuesday December 12 at 7:00 PM the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny will be sponsoring a Solemn High Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, 414 East 14th Street New York.

The music will be extraordinary: an orchestral mass and and selections from “Matins for the Virgin of Guadalupe” by Ignacio de Jerusalem, an 18th century composer from Lecce, Italy and Cadiz. He was active since the 1740’s in Mexico City, where he was chapel master at the cathedral. This will be a rare opportunity to hear this unique music from Spanish Mexico, a blend of European and local traditions! James Wetzel will direct and Charles Weaver will be among the performers.

After the Mass all are invited to a wine and cheese reception in the parish center.

Who was Ignacio de Jerusalem, the composer of the mass to be performed on December 12? Prof. Craig Russell, a leading expert on his music, provides more details:

Born on June 3, 1707 in Lecce, Italy, Ignacio de Jerusalem became an accomplished violinist and composer, eventually being enticed to move to Mexico through the efforts of Josef Cárdenas, the Administrator of the Royal Hospital of Indigenous Citizens in Mexico City. The Royal Hospital was a charitable institution and received its income through the ticket receipts of the major “Broadway” theater, the Coliseo. Cárdenas had argued persuasively that if the music resources at the Coliseo were made top-notch, then the income of the theater would flow in; Cárdenas embarked to Spain in 1742 and recruited a dozen impressive talents—the best of them being “the celebrated musical composer Ignacio de Jerusalem.” He directed the musical activities at the Coliseo upon his arrival, and by 1746 he was contracted by the Mexico City Cathedral to compose villancicos and instruct the children at the Colegio de Infantes (College of Noble Youths). His own son, Domingo, applied for entrance into the Colegio. In 1749 the Cathedral Chapter was frustrated to no end by the ineffectual leadership of the interim Chapel Master, Domingo Dutra. In 1750 they finally moved to resolve the issue by declaring the post vacant and having oposiciones (exams and contests) to determine the Chapel Master. The musical jurists—all trained in an older and more conservative style—were dumbfounded by many of Jerusalem’s solutions and compositions. They simply didn’t know what to think. On a split decision, they at last confirmed him as the new Chapel Master on November 3, 1750. The 1750s were bumpy years for Jerusalem: he became embroiled in a lawsuit with the tenant of the Coliseo, Joseph Calvo; Jerusalem’s wife, Doña Antonia de Estrada, moved out of the house and petitioned the Cathedral to garner some of Jerusalem’s wages; he attempted to squelch musicians from other parishes who were taking away some of the job opportunities from the Cathedral musicians; and he locked horns with the newly arrived Matheo Tollis de la Rocca who was a clear favorite of the vice-queen herself. By the last years of the decade, however, he had turned his ship around. He reformed antiquated notation practices by the Cathedral copyists, upgraded the quality of poetic texts that were to be set as villancicos, greatly expanded the size of the Cathedral orchestra, and composed at a prolific rate. By the time of his death on December 15, 1769, he had won the hearts and respect of his colleagues; he was eulogized by the Cathedral Chapter and was fondly remembered for many years after his death.

On December 12 the music will include excerpts from de Jerusalem’s Matins for the Virgin of Guadalupe. Prof. Russell describes it in these words:

Of course, you are probably wondering what makes Jerusalem’s Matins for Our Lady of Guadalupe important or worthy enough for a revival. What is it like? —Quite simply, it is fabulous! It is a glorious gem in the choral literature that resembles in scale, magnificence, and grandeur the operas of Alessandro Scarlatti, oratorios of Handel, or larger cantatas of Bach. It is chockful of varied styles, differing emotions, and multifarious moods. The main corpus of the composition features the full choir with orchestral accompaniment, and the styles run the gamut.

This mass will be celebrated for the soul of Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro, and is made possible in part by his generosity. He was at all times a great enthusiast of the history, art and culture of the Spanish-speaking world. Msgr. Barreiro died on April 13 of this year – we reprint his obituary:

Msgr. Barreiro was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Oct. 22, 1947, the son of the late Antonio Barreiro Brunel and Margarita Blanca Carámbula Regules. Schooled in Uruguay, he obtained a law degree and joined the diplomatic service of his country, where he was eventually stationed at the United Nations in New York City from 1978-1983.
He entered the Seminary and College of St. Joseph (Dunwoodie) in 1983, and was ordained priest by John Cardinal O’Connor at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Nov. 22, 1987.
After parish work in New York, he entered the University of the Holy Cross in Rome, where he earned a licentiate and eventually a doctorate in 1997. In September 1998, he was appointed the first director the Rome bureau of Human Life International (HLI), founded in that year. In 2010-11 he briefly served as interim president of HLI. In 2004 he was named chaplain of his holiness by Pope John Paul II.
In April 2016, he became the parochial vicar at St. Mary’s Church, Norwalk, where he ministered especially to the Hispanic and other ethnic communities that make up the parish.
From the day of his ordination, Msgr. Barreiro was always an avid supporter of the restoration of the traditional rites of the Church, and was a regular celebrant of what is now called the Extraordinary Form.

We hope many of you can make it to the Church of the Immaculate Conception for this beautiful mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe! (As always, there is no “admission” charge – other than what you may wish to voluntarily give to support the parish and the celebration of such liturgies.)

This year, the Church of the Holy Innocents in New York will have 10 Rorate Masses again during the first part of the holy season of Advent.

The Rorate Mass is a traditional Advent devotion wherein the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary for Advent is offered just before dawn. The Mass takes its title from the first words of the Introit (Rorate Caeli), which are from Isaiah 45:8:

“Rorate, caeli, … Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour.”

The Rorate Mass is lit only by candlelight. Because it is a votive Mass in Mary’s honor, white vestments are worn instead of Advent violet. In the dimly lit setting, priests and faithful prepare to honor the Light of the world, Who is soon to be born, and offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady. As the Mass proceeds and sunrise approaches, the church becomes progressively brighter, illumined by the sun as our Faith is illumined by Christ.

The readings and prayers of the Mass foretell the prophecy of the Virgin who would bear a Son called Emmanuel.

***The “Rorate Mass” will be celebrated at the Church of the Holy Innocents on the following days of Advent:

· Monday, December 4 – at 6AM
· Tuesday, December 5 – at 6AM
· Wednesday, December 6 – at 6AM
· Thursday, December 7 – at 6AM
· Saturday, December 9 – at 6AM
· Monday, December 11 – at 6AM
· Wednesday, December 13 – at 6AM
· Thursday, December 14 – at 6AM
· Friday, December 15 – at 6AM
· Saturday, December 16 – at 6AM