VIDEO OF THE CLERGY CONFERENCE MASS WITH DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEW BISHOP, GREGORY J. HARTMAYER, ON APRIL 17 AT SAINT JOSEPH CHURCH IN MACON, GEORGIA

This was Bishop Gregory Hartmayer's first Clergy Conference Mass in his new diocese. I asked him via email several weeks earlier if we could celebrate the votive Mass of "Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest" as it has been returned to the revised 2011 Roman Missal. I also indicated to him the readings that we would select for this Mass. Of course he was gracious enough to approve my request. Unfortunately he forgot that he approved of different readings than what was prescribed for Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter, but he recovered well, but caused my heart to skip a couple of beats! Of course, I protested to him later that it wasn't my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault, but his!

Many thanks to Ms. Nelda Chapman our music and choir director, Mr. Harold McManus our assistant organist and our combined choirs. They had a very hectic March and April with Schubert's Mass in G, Holy Week, Easter and then the Clergy Conference which on Monday night they sang a spectacular Solemn Sung Evening Prayer which unfortunately we did not record. Bishop Hartmayer remarked that he felt he was in Rome!

Mr. Beau Palmer chanted a complex Gregorian Chant flawlessly for the official Introit, Vidi Aquam, Offertory and Communion Antiphons. Kimberly Dykes and Kerrell Goolsby are the other soloists, with Cinda Ortiz on trumpet and Rob Sumowski on Timpani.

The Introit is: "The Lord has sworn and he will not repent:'You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.' Alleluia, alleluia, the Lord said to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand.'"


The Offertory Antiphon: "Christ, having offered one sacrifice for sins, has taken his seat forever at the right hand of God; for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified. Alleluia."

The Communion Antiphon: "This is the body that will be given up for you. this is the chalice of the new covenant in my blood," says the Lord. "Do this whenever you receive it in memory of me."

AREN'T THE OFFICIAL PROPERS FOR THE MASS FAR SUPERIOR TO ANYTHING ELSE THAT COULD BE CHOSEN TO REPLACE THEM; WHAT A SHAME THAT THE GENERAL INSTRUCTION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL ALLOWS THESE TO BE DUMPED AT THE WHIM OF "LITURGY PLANNERS!"

Our neighboring parish in Kathleen, Georgia at St. Patrick's Church actually has a permanent deacon who can sing! He is also their choir/music director. He chants the Gospel and Intercessions marvelously also, Deacon Jim Roberge.

I coerced our choir director to learn how to sing "Juravit Dominus" by Nicola A. Montani as an additional processional hymn which the Italian in me really liked. It gushed like me! It was sung after the official Introit chanted in EF style which went longer than I thought it would, but added a depth of spirituality that we don't normally have for processions. But "Juravit Dominus" certainly has a wonderful Italian sound to it although sung in Latin! These are the words to it:

Jurávit Dóminus, Jurávit Dóminus,
et non poenitébit eum,
et non poenitébit eum.

Tu es Sacérdos in aetérnum,
tu es Sacérdos in aetérnum,
secúndum órdinem Melchisedech,
secúndum órdinem Melchisedech.

Tu es Sacérdos in aetérnum,
secúndum órdinem Melchisedech,
secúndum órdinem Melchisedech.

** "Alleluia" to be sung at Eastertide
in place of "in aeternam".

Juravit, Dominus,
et non poenitebit eum,
Tu es Sacérdos in aeternum
secundum ordinem Melchisedech.
--Psalmus 109:4-- The Lord hath sworn,
and he will not repent:
Thou art a priest for ever
according to the order of Melchisedech.
--Psalms 109:4--

The Traditional Vidi Aquam was chanted for the Rite of Sprinkling."I SAW WATER COMING FORTH FROM THE TEMPLE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, ALLELUIA: AND ALL THOSE TO WHOM THIS WATER CAME WERE SAVED, AND SHALL SAY, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA. V. Give praise to the Lord, for He is good: For His mercy endures forever."

I especially enjoyed the Gospel Acclamation before and after the Gospel. The Gloria was the revised "Melodic Gloria" and the Sanctus, Mystery of Faith and Great Amen from the Mass of Creation. The Agnus Dei was Schubert's Mass in G

Once again many thanks to Mr. Lovel Miguel in Houston, Texas who formatted this amateur video for my blog and enhanced it. The microphone was a cordless one attached to a parishioner toward the back of the church which unfortunately picked up all kinds of other noises, clicking and clanking, pews creaking, swords jangling, etc but just disregard that (there may be a commercial and I don't know why you can't click to make it a large screen and part of it is cut off on the blog itself, one of the mysteries of life):

HOWEVER, IF YOU PRESS THIS SENTENCE, IT WILL BRING YOU TO THE WEBSITE THAT HAS THIS VIDEO (WITH COMMERCIAL) BUT THERE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO "CLICK" ON A TAB AT THE LOWER RIGHT SIDE OF THE VIDEO FOR A FULL SCREEN.