Yesterday during the Solemn 9:30 Mass at St. Mary’s, Norwalk, CT , children of the parish received their First Holy Communion.

Today is Feast of St Hugh of Cluny (May 13, 1024 – April 28, 1109). The abbey of Cluny under his rule was the model of a Catholic restoration based on perfection of the celebration of the liturgy.

(Above) A near-contemporaneous image of St.Hugh; (below) a much later version. Both are depictions of his role as mediator between Countess Matilda of Tuscany and Gregory VII on the one hand and the Holy Roman emperor Henry IV on the other.

The Solemn Requiem Mass for Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro was offered at St. Mary Church, Nowalk on Tuesday, April 18. Vespers for the Dead were sung the evening before. Obituary for Msgr. Barreiro

(Above and Below) Vespers for the dead on Monday evening.

(Below) The Requiem on Tuesday.

(Above) Fr.Richard Munkelt was the homilist.

(Above) Fr.Richard Cipolla celebrated the Mass.

(Above) Many came to the burial to pay last respects.

(Our thanks to Ed Gonz and Duncan Anderson for these photographs)

St. Mary Church, Greenwich, CT. has scheduled the following traditional masses:

On Saturday, May 13th at 12 noon, Missa Cantata for the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

On Friday, May 26th at 7:30 in the evening, a Solemn High Mass for the Feast of Saint Philip Neri

Looking ahead to June: Solemn Mass and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament for the Feast of the Sacred Heart on Friday, June 23rd at 7:30 PM

The American Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George will be making a pilgrimage to the Church of St. Francis of Paola in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, April 29th. A Solemn High Traditional Latin Mass wil be sung at 5:00 p.m. The Very Rev. Msgr. Joseph Ambrosio will be celebrant and preach. After Mass, there will be veneration of a very rare first class relic of the saint and distribution of souvenir holy cards.

St. Francis of Paola was the founder of the Order of Minims, though he himself was never ordained to the priesthood. He was renowned for curing the sick, performing miracles, the gift of prophesy and his personal holiness. He died in 1507 and was canonized in 1519. He is the principal patron saint of Calabria, and a patron saint of both the City of Naples and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. He is one of the greatest revered saints of all of Southern Italy.

We are happy to share with our readers the following press release from the St. Cecilia Society at St. Mary’s Church in Norwalk:

St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum Releases Lux Fulgebit

CD features premiere recording of William Rasar’s Mass Christe Jesu

On April 17, St. Mary’s Church in Norwalk, Connecticut and the St. Cecilia Society announced the release of Lux Fulgebit—The Mass at Dawn of Christmas Day. Performed by the St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum under the direction of David J. Hughes, organist and choirmaster of St. Mary’s Church, Lux Fulgebit features the world premiere recording of William Rasar’s Mass Christe Jesu—a magnificent 16th Century English composition.

Titled after the Introit of the Mass, Lux Fulgebit is a unique compact disc recording. From beginning to end, it typifies the sung Masses celebrated at St. Mary’s Church on Sundays and feast days. The CD features the scripture readings and chants of the Mass at Dawn of Christmas Day, with the polyphony of the Rasar Mass and motets by William Byrd, Alfonso Ferrabosco and Walter Lambe; the priest chants those parts of the Mass proper to him, such as the Collect, Epistle, Gospel and Preface.

“We are enthusiastic about the release of Lux Fulgebit,” said David Hughes. “Not only is this the first recording made by the St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum, to our knowledge it is the only William Rasar composition ever recorded. If not for the manuscript of his Mass, this gifted composer might have been lost to history. In addition, the Propers for the Mass at Dawn of Christmas Day are beautiful but not frequently recorded, and we believe they deserve a wider audience. We are thrilled to make this CD available to lovers of sacred music.”

“Pre-Reformation English composers are widely recognized as having produced extraordinary music,” said Charles Weaver, associate director of music at St. Mary’s Church and a Schola musician. “The Tallis Scholars and other ensembles, for example, have popularized music by English composers such as John Taverner and Robert Fairfax. We believe Rasar’s Mass deserves to be ranked among pieces by the great composers of this period.”

Lux Fulgebit captures the musical splendor of the traditionally-oriented life of St. Mary’s Church, internationally recognized as a beacon of liturgical renewal in the Roman Catholic Church. The St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum is the heart of the multi-faceted sacred music program that contributes to making St. Mary’s a stand-out among Catholic parishes.

“One of the most important ways of restoring beauty to the Mass is through the use of music,” said Father Richard G. Cipolla, pastor of St. Mary’s Church. “The music of the Mass must be sacred music, not merely religious music, because the Mass is the icon of the worship of God in heaven. At St. Mary’s, we offer Mass adorned with music written specifically for it by some of the greatest composers in history. Lux Fulgebit will help more people experience the beauty of Rasar’s music and the ancient and venerable Tridentine Rite.”

St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum is a professional ensemble of five talented and versatile musicians who are proficient in singing the most complex polyphony in the canon of Western sacred music: soprano Elizabeth Baber Weaver, mezzo-soprano Judith Malafronte, countertenor Terrence Fay, tenor Richard Dobbins and bass Charles Weaver. The St. Cecilia Society, chaired by Thomas B. Heckel, provides critical financial support for the Schola in order to bring to life Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony and the great organ repertoire.

Artfully rendered to lofty standards by accomplished musicians, Lux Fulgebit faithfully transmits to our time a priceless musical treasure from an age of great faith. This deeply inspirational recording will appeal strongly to those interested in sacred music and the transcendent liturgical traditions of the Roman Catholic Church.

The release of Lux Fulgebit will be celebrated with a festive wine and cheese reception at St. Mary’s Church, 669 West Avenue, Norwalk on Sunday, April 23 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., during which the Schola will perform excerpts from Rasar’s Mass.

Lux Fulgebit will be available for purchase at the reception. It can also be purchased through the St. Mary’s Church website (www.stmarynorwalk.net/cd), at the St. Mary’s Church Bookstore and through Amazon.com and iTunes. The attractively packaged CD includes the complete text of the Mass at Dawn in English and Latin, as well as an informative essay on Rasar’s Mass and the music of his period, and is available for US$20.00. To request a review copy of Lux Fulgebit, please contact Tom Heckel at 203-656-2389 or theckel51@gmail.com.

Holy Saturday at St. Mary’s, Norwalk CT.

Lumen Christi!

The Exsultet.

The Twelve Prophecies