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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

A Guardian of the Sacred Tradition in the South — Part 2

Andrew Leung · June 16, 2016

CTL A Guardian of the Tradition in the South 2 WO WEEKS AGO, I went on a trip to the South. It was a very relaxing and musical trip. And how appropriate is it to celebrate the Feast of the Body of Christ, Bread of Life, during the Memorial Day weekend when we remember those who lost their lives in battle. The Body of Christ is the eternal bread from heaven, the source and summit of our faith.

I spent my Sunday in Chattanooga, TN, and I went to a Novus Ordo Mass at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul for the first time. We celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (technically not an external solemnity since it was in the new form). I sang with the choir at the Sung Mass and the Eucharistic Procession. It was a very powerful experience and here is why:

—It was a real Sung Mass (Propers and Ordinaries, including the Creed, chanted in English or Latin);

—Everyone sang their parts in the dialogue (the deacon even intoned the Kyrie, which is the proper way to do it in the OF);

—The basilica was filled with large families (at least half of the faithful were children and youth);

—The Anglo and Hispanic communities joint together for the Eucharistic Procession;

—There was a strong presence of the clergy (5 priests and 2 deacons were in the procession, which is very good for a medium sized parish).

I was impressed by these people of the parish, both clergies and laity. They are very passionate in their faith and are willing to be witnesses by marching through downtown Chattanooga in the warm weather.

The part that impressed me the most the presence of the clergy. I see the clergy of the parish interact with people a lot when I visit this parish every time. They all wore their cassocks which help parishioners to recognize them, even from a far distance. I never understand why some people are always against the idea of priests wearing cassocks! Wearing cassocks is not a form of clericalism! The cassock shows the identity of a priest, who is ordained by the bishop to minister to the Church. They are the “fathers” of the community and the cassocks show their role. One of the things I learned during my pastoral year is that the presence of the clergy and staff members at parish events is very important! The cassocks are tools that help bring people to the priests.

CTL Poster SSMW 2016 USICIANS in the Southeastern region will have the opportunity to attend a one-and-a-half day Summer Sacred Music Workshop at this wonderful parish. The workshop will be held at the basilica on July 22 and 23. Now is the time to REGISTER for the workshop and spread the news to your pastors, parish musicians and any friends you may have in the area. Participants don’t have to be Catholics and there is no limit on their age (last year, we had a few middle schoolers joining our workshop and they enjoyed it a lot). So, download the picture of the flyer on the left and SPREAD THE NEWS NOW! The more participants we get, the better the experience will be! We hope to see you there!

For those of you who cannot make it to this workshop, I would ask you to keep all the faculty members and participants in your prayers. Please pray that our workshop will have a good and successful turnout, for the final preparation that is going on now, and that God will touch the hearts of everyone participating through the beautiful music. Thank you.

A preliminary schedule with the session descriptions is available for viewing now.

    * *  PDF • PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE AND SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Re: Low Mass: “It is desirable that in read Masses on Sundays and feast-days, the Gospel and Epistle be read by a lector in the vernacular for the convenience of the faithful.”

— 1958 document, issued under Pope Pius XII

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