While today is a little "m" memorial for Saint Patrick, on Saturday we celebrate the big guy, The Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This Solemnity which requires the Gloria and the Credo which Saint Patrick's Day does not, not to rub it in, is also the patronal feast of my parish, Saint Joseph Church, Macon, Georgia.
As such, we will celebrate the SOLEMNITY of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a Solemn Sung Vigil Mass in the Extraordinary Form tomorrow night (Friday) at 7:30 PM followed by a dessert reception. Tomorrow also kicks off Macon's Cherry Blossom Festival.
Our combined choirs under the direction of our music director and organist, Ms. Nelda Chapman will sing Schubert's Mass in G Major for this Solemn, holy, grand, high SOLEMNITY! After all, Saint Patrick is only the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Joseph is not only our patron saint, and mine personally (Allan Joseph McDonald or MacDonald, depending on who you ask) but Saint Joseph is the patron saint of the Universal Church, the one that is the be "C"! Move over Saint Patrick! And since I'm half Italian, we all know that Saint Joseph is the patron saint of Italy and of Italian extract too!
The Extraordinary Form of the Mass for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
March 19, 2011
St. Joseph
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor
INTROIT
Ps. 91:13,14,2
Justus ut palma florebit sicut cedrus Libani multiplicabitur: plantatus in domo Domini: in atriis domus Dei nostri. (Psalm) Bonum est confiteri Domino: et psallere nomini tuo, Altissime. Gloria Patri. Justus ut palma florebit...
The just shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus. They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of the house of our God. (Psalm) It is good to give praise to the Lord: and to sing to thy name, O most High. Glory be to the Father. The just shall....
COLLECT
Sanctissima Genitricis tuae Sponsi, quaesumus Domine, meritis adjuvemur, ut, quod possibilitas nostra non obtinet ejus nobis intercessione donetur: Qui vivis et regnas.
We beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may be helped by the merits of the Spouse of Thy most holy Mother; so that what we cannot obtain of ourselves, may be given to us through his intercession: Who livest and reignest.
EPISTLE
Ecclus. 45:1-6
Beloved of God and men, whose memory in benediction. He made him like the Saints in glory, and magnified him in the fear of his enemies, and with his words he mad prodigies to cease. He glorified him in the sight of kings, and gave him commandments in the sight of his people, and showed him His glory. He sanctified him in his faith and meekness, and chose him our of all flesh. For He heard him and his voice, and brought him into a cloud. And He gave him commandment before His face, and a law of lift and instruction.
GRADUAL
Ps. 20:4-5
Lord, Thou hast prevented him with blessing of sweetness: Thou hast serve on his head a crown of precious stones. He asked life of Thee, and Thou hast given him length of days for ever and ever.
TRACT
Ps. 111:1-3
Blessed is the ,am that feareth the Lord: he shall delight exceedingly in His commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the righteous shall be blessed. Glory and wealth shall be in his house and his justice remaineth for ever and ever.
GOSPEL
Mt. 1:18-21
When Mary the mother of Jesus was espoused to Joesph, before they cam together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But while eh thought on these things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear no to take which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.
OFFERTORY
Ps. 20:2-3
Veritas mea, et misericordia mea cum ipso: et in nomine meo exaltabitur cornu ejus.
My truth and My mercy shall be with him: and in My name shall his horn be exalted.
SECRET
Debitum tibi, Domine, nostrae reddimus servitutis suppliciter exorantes: ut suffragiis beati Joseph, Sponsi Genitricis Filii tui Jesu Christi Domini nostri, in nobis tua munera tuearis, ob cujus venerandam festivitatem laudis tibi hostias immolamus. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum.
We render unto Thee, O Lord, the duty of our service humbly entreating The to preserve Thine own gifts within us through the prayers of blessed Joseph, Spouse of the Mother of Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, on which festival we offer to Thee this sacrifice of praise Through our Lord.
PREFACE
Preface of St. Joseph
Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias agere: Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus: Et te in festivitate beati Joseph debitis magnificar praeconiis, benedicer et praedicare, Quiet vir justus, a te Deiparae Virgini sponsus est datus; et fidelis sevus ac prudens super familiam tuam est constitutus: ut Unigenitum tuum, Sancti Spiritus obumbratione coneptum, paterna vice custodirect Jesum Christum, Dominum nostrum. Per quem majestatem tuam laudant Angli adoant Dominationes tremut Potestates. Coeli coelorumque Virtutes, ac beata Seraphim, socia exsultatione concelebrant. Cum quibus et nostra voces ut admitti jubeas deprecamur, supplici confessione dicentes:
It it truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks to Thee, holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: and that we should with due praise magnify, bless, and proclaim Thee on the Feast of blessed Joseph, who being a just man was given by Thee as Spouse to the Virgin Mother of God, and, as a faithful and prudent servant, was set over Thy Family, that with fatherly care he might guard Thine only-begotten Son, Christ our Lord. Through Whom Angels praise Thy Majesty, Dominions worship, Powers stand in awe: the Heavens and the hosts of heaven with blessed Seraphim unite, exult, and celebrate; and we entreat that Thou wouldst bid our voices also to be heard with theirs, singing with lowly praise.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Mt. 1:20
Joseph, fili David, noli timere accipere Mariam conjugem tuam: quod enim in ea natum est, de Spiritu Sancto est.
Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is born in her is of her is the Holy Ghost.
POSTCOMMUNION
Adesto nobis, quaesumus, misericors Deus: et, intercedente pro nobis neato Joseph Confessore, tua circa nos propitiatus dona custodi. Per Dominum nostrum.
Stand by us, we beseech Thee, O merciful God, and by the intercession of blessed Joseph the Confessor, mercifully preserve Thy gifts within us. Through our Lord.
8 comments:
This is a pet peeve of mine, Father, but since ferias of Lent outrank memorials, Patrick is actually only a commemoration today. It's a barely known article in the GILH, at 239. I have a blogpost on how to do commemorations in the OF if you're interested: http://etvitamanifestataest.blogspot.com/2009/12/thomas-becket.html
I think it was Thomas Merton who once wrote how St. Joseph was such an important and powerful saint, yet is hardly noticed. Thanks for giving him some good press.
Carl, that's just the way we did it at parish morning prayer this morning -- the Our Father followed by the Lenten ferial closing prayer without ending, then the antiphon for St. Patrick, then the St. Patrick closing prayer (with ending) and finally the final blessing.
Others don't do commemorations this way? Seriously, of course, I know that seminaries haven't placed much emphasis on such liturgical details in recent few decades, so most priests probably don't know about this kind of thing.
I'm so glad to hear about your parish, Henry. Until last year, I believe I might have been the only person at my seminary to know how to do commemorations. And there's so much institutional lethargy, it has proven difficult to teach people about the proper way to do it. It was treated as a typical memorial at our Morning Prayer today.
Since your clairvoyance is well known, Fr. McDonald, I wonder if this is a harbinger of future parish practice. That is, using the extraordinary form for the most festive and solemn parish celebrations -- such as the Easter and Christmas vigil Masses, Holy Thursday, patronal feasts, etc. This would add an "upper end" to the range of appropriate levels of solemnity that the ordinary form affords well as the middle and lower ends.
Henry, we do celebrate the EF Mass for special occasions such as All Souls with the combined choirs singing Faure's Requiem and Easter Sunday. This evening is the first time our choirs are singing Schubert's Mass in G.
I don't think we would celebrate Holy Thursday in this form but certainly a Christmas option is being considered, perhaps midnight which has more protestants attending than Catholics! Our most heavily mostly Catholic Mass is the 4:00 PM Vigil of Christmas!
"I don't think we would celebrate Holy Thursday in this form but . . ."
One of the more convincing rumored versions of the forthcoming SP instruction includes a statement specifying that the EF can be used during the Sacred Triduum. (Contrary to the probably deliberate misinterpretation of SP as prohibiting this, despite the fact that the Latin/English syntax clearly placed the OF and EF on equal footing, stating only that private Masses in neither form are permitted during the ST.)
"Our most heavily mostly Catholic Mass is the 4:00 PM Vigil of Christmas!"
Not if you count adults only?
"Our most heavily mostly Catholic Mass is the 4:00 PM Vigil of Christmas!"
Of course, you wouldn't want Christ intruding on Christmas now would you?
Post a Comment