Monday 20 October 2014

Cambuskenneth and Saint Luke

The annual Una Voce Mass at The Abbey of St. Mary of Cambuskenneth was held on the 18th October. Our Schola had assumed that this was to be the same as the regular Missa de Angelis we pray at the monthly 5.00pm Latin Mass in Holy Spirit church.
But them Alan explained that the Mass was to be for the Feast of Saint Luke. So we had to have an online rehearsal using this expert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Dn8IC7bag

Here is another version
We also had an early practice meeting which had visiting tourists standing outside and saying how much they enjoyed our singing. We milled about after our practice:
Despite my forgetting to list the Mass in Stirling’s local Parish bulletins, the Tower was full of worshipers. Refreshingly, most were younger than me, there was even an impatient toddler.
Here is the Altar before Mass:
I had invited the County Archaeologist who had expressed an interest after accompanying me on my ‘Catholic Stirling’ tour. I gave him a Missal with the Latin and English texts for the Mass and marked the passages for St Luke, as well as the translation of Adoro te Devote. But when I looked over to see how he was faring, he had closed the Missal and was just watching and listening. I later apologised to him that I had been a very poor host, leaving him alone while I joined the Schola. He countered that he had enjoyed the Mass and had ‘lost himself’ in the occasion.
AcoLight?
When I was a young altar boy we learned the basic Latin prayers and where to stand, kneel etc.
Then I was promoted to Acolyte. This involved carrying one of the two candles when the priest read the Gospel. As a boy, I saw this as a symbolic action to light the Bible so that it could be read by the Priest. I was sure that the name Acolyte had something to do with providing lyte.

Now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things … so I know that akolouthos means an attendant. But deep down, I still think that it refers to the guys with the candles who give light.

These days, this task can be accomplished using the 'assistive light' function on a smart-phone, as Martin demonstrates. Father Emerson can read the Epistle despite the gloomy interior of the Tower:
Martin even invented a solemn rubric as he transferred the smart-phone to the Gospel side, moving the longer way and bowing before ascending to the Altar, where he joined the server in the responses. All very dignified, Lex Credendi and all that.

The Schola's voices sounded strong and united as the old stones echoed to our chant. 
I forgot to press record.....

Saturday 11 October 2014

James MacMillan - Our Patron

We were invited to sing at a Dominican Rite Requiem Mass in the Catholic chaplaincy at Edinburgh University on 23 October 2013. The practice for this was a challenge since the Dominican style of chant is very ‘pared down’ compared to our more Benedictine style.



The Mass commemorated the founding benefactors of the Chaplaincy, Canon John Gray, Marc-AndrĂ© Sebastien Raffalovich, and Mrs Charlotte Jefferson-Tytus. with a sung Requiem in the Dominican rite. Mass was celebrated by Fr Lawrence Lew who writes:

“Last Saturday’s Missa Cantata was celebrated in this modern chapel, which has received seven major architectural awards so far. This was the first time the ancient rite of the Order has been said in it, and it was probably also the first public Dominican rite Mass in the city for almost five decades. Mass was sung by fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P., who is assistant Catholic chaplain at St Albert’s, and two students of Edinburgh University served as acolytes; the students had ably mastered in just two days the intricacies of this role in the Dominican rite. The sermon was preached by the Prior, fr. Dermot Morrin, O.P., in which he reflected on Canon Gray’s conversion to Catholicism having glimpsed the simple reverent beauty of the Mass, and Raffalovich’s love of beauty and the Dominican charism.

A Schola Gregoriana comprised of singers from Stirling-based ‘Cantors of the Holy Rude’ sang the Mass propers and ordinary from the Dominican Gradual. They were led by an alumnus of St Albert’s Catholic Chaplaincy, James MacMillan CBE”.


Alan took the opportunity to ask James MacMillan to be our Patron and he agreed.

Here we are led by our soon-to-be Patron (wearing suits rather than soutanes)


So we are now:



Cantors of the Holy Rude
Patron, James MacMillan CBE.


These photos were all taken by Martin.