Views from the Choir Loft

Year of the Eucharist • Solemn Vespers with Exposition and Benediction

Richard J. Clark · August 7, 2020

S PART of the “Year of the Eucharist,” in the Archdiocese of Boston the Cathedral of the Holy Cross will offer Solemn Vespers with Exposition and Benediction (online for now) on First Fridays. This takes place in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. The organ you will hear (and see) was built in 1881 by E. &. G. G. Hook & Hastings, restored by Watersmith in 1995. It is one manual with seven ranks.

You may watch here live at 7pm on August 7, 2020, and also watch from here after. You may view a worship guide here or follow along in the breviary, Friday of the eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Friday, Week II, evening prayer.

You’ll note, soprano Barbara Hill and I sing with masks. This has become standard practice at the Cathedral for now, however inconvenient. As always, we discover improvements we can make in production. Of course, this never replaces being there in the real presence of the Eucharist.

Payer is paramount. Prayer is powerful. We have much to pray for.

Oremus pro invicem

Let us pray for each other.

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

About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

List • Responses by each bishop!

This incredible website gives each bishop’s response to the recent MOTU PROPRIO Traditionis Custodes, a decree by Pope Francis which seeks to reduce the number of celebrations of the “Extraordinary Form” (Traditional Latin Mass): traditioniscustodes.info

—Jeff Ostrowski

Tomorrow is Sunday…

When you were in school, you would have gotten in trouble if you wrote the Roman Numeral “9” as viiii. You were supposed to write: IX. But look how an ancient manuscript writes “9” as a Roman Numeral. That’s the Introit Ecce Deus for tomorrow’s feast in the Extraordinary Form: The 9th Sunday after Pentecost.

—Jeff Ostrowski

24 July 2021 • “Two Teams”

Anyone familiar with the so-called “Traditionalist Catholic” movement knows that (like every other group) it contains some bad apples. Anyone can self-identify as a “Traditionalist Catholic”—even those who are mentally ill, those who beat their wives, and even folks who are emotionally disturbed. All of us know TLM Catholics who are so arrogant they make Narcissus look like the most humble guy who ever lived. However, I believe Traditionis Custodes will exacerbate the situation. Under B16, we were “all on the same team.” But this new decree by Pope Francis makes it seem like there are two opposing “teams” in the Church.

—Jeff Ostrowski