Seven Churches Pilgrimage 24 August 2008

This is a recording taken by Br. George during our first Seven Churches Pilgrimage, August 24, 2008.

A Fruitful Triduum and a Blessed Easter!

 

We'd like to thank Martin for designing the flyers we distributed for Tenebrae this year at St. Anne Catholic Church, the North County TLM Community at Mission San Antonio de Pala, and Holy Martyrs Ordinariate Parish in Murrieta. We saw a sizeable turnout for laity in the pews and men in the sanctuary this year. Additionally, with the rain and dark clouds we saw here in San Diego on Holy Saturday, Chorus Breviarii had the experience of finishing early morning Tenebrae in darkness. Book lights were definitely necessary by the time all the lights had been turned off.

Deacon Keith Way of Holy Martyrs was our hebdomadary for Maundy Thursday. Mr. Peter O'Connor, F.S.S.P. of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary joined us for Friday and Saturday this year, while Fr. Jesus Valenzuela, F.S.S.P. was our hebdomadary.  

Our photos and videos will be posted over the next few weeks. Blessed Easter to all, alleluia!

The Lenten Miracle of St. Philip

St. Philip hears the last Confession of the
resurrected Paolo before the boy returns to eternal sleep.

This past Thursday, the Lesson of the day's Lenten ferial Mass recounted the Prophet Elisha's raising of the Sunamite woman's son from the dead. The Gospel of the same Mass recounts the raising of the widow of Naim's son. These two lessons are reused today for a special feast of the Oratory commemorating St. Philip's raising of Paolo Massimo from the dead on March 16, 1583. New Liturgical Movement has an article discussing the miracle commemorated by this feast, as well as the other Mass Propers (which differ from the Lenten feria).

From Fratellino:

Today is the anniversary of St. Philip's miraculous raising of young Paolo Massimo from the dead. Masses will be said by numerous prelates at the altar in the Palazzo Massimo in Rome, which is opened annually for this purpose. S. Philippo Neri, ora pro nobis! 

The photos are from Andrew Wilce on Facebook. We encourage you to read his post recounting the awesome miracle that God brought through Good St. Philip!

Zelus domus tuae comedit me

Raphael, The Judgement of Solomon (1518-19)

In the Gospel of today (the Monday after Laetare Sunday), the Holy Evangelist John recounts our Lord's cleansing of the Temple, referencing the words of Psalm 68: "The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up." God the Son has rendered judgement upon the moneychangers and merchants, and He has gained the fear and praise of Israel. The Mass Lesson for the Monday after Laetare Sunday recounts the Judgement of Solomon (3 Kings 3:16-28), where the royal ancestor of Christ resolves a dispute between two harlots through a most wise judgement, earning him the fear and praise of Israel. 

Returning to Psalm 68, "the zeal of thy house..." is the first Antiphon of Tenebrae (Zelus domus tuae comedit me...). Chorus Breviarii has sung Psalm 68 as part of Tenebrae for nearly twenty-four years, and for many of those years, these words were chanted in the sanctuary of St. John the Evangelist in Hillcrest. Now, San Diego locals know what kind of neighborhood Hillcrest is, but the parish remained fairly untouched by the outside world until a certain dramatic event that spread across both Catholic news sites and secular media (e.g., the New York Times). Since those days, we haven't celebrated anything at St. John's. It is good to meditate on our Lord's actions in the Temple considering the most recent news from a certain ministry at that parish.

It's a bit much to go on a full explanation of who, what, where, etc. It's best to save that for a site like California Catholic Daily. Instead, let us consider the first verse of Psalm 78.

O God, the heathens are come into thy inheritance, they have defiled thy holy temple: they have made Jerusalem as a place to keep fruit.

Tenebrae 2024

 

Man of Sorrow, Albrecht Dürer, 1511, woodcut

Wednesday, March 27, 19:15 (7:15 P.M.)

TENEBRÆ of Maundy Thursday

Holy Martyrs of England & Wales Catholic Church 

39022 Sky Canyon Dr., Murrieta, CA 92563

Text with translation for printing or mobile devices (1st part). 
Text with translation for printing or mobile devices (2nd part).

Friday, March 29 & Saturday, March 30, 5:00 (A.M.)

TENEBRÆ of Good Friday & Holy Saturday

St. Anne Catholic Church

621 Sicard St. San Diego, CA 92113-2396

Tenebrae is the sung offices of Matins and Lauds of each of the three days of the Sacred Triduum. The Psalms and Antiphons will be sung in Gregorian chant, while the Responsories will be sung in our own tones. There is no charge for admission, and all the public are invited to attend. The morning offices at St. Anne will finish around 7:15 a.m. Blessed Triduum to all.

For Friday:

Text with translation for printing or mobile devices (1st part). 
Text with translation for printing or mobile devices (2nd part). 

For Saturday:

Text with translation for printing or mobile devices (1st part). 
Text with translation for printing or mobile devices (2nd part). 

The Little Oratory, Can't Vote

Image of St. Philip posted by Marlon.
Probably from the Pharr Oratory.

The Manual of the Little Oratory, the websites of various Oratories around the United States, and the Constitutions of the Oratory make it clear that voting is a normal aspect of Oratorian life. I realized recently that it was a bit ironic that the newest Oratory of Pontifical Right to be established is located in Washington, D.C., a part of the United States well-known for its inability to vote for Congressional representatives in the House or Senate (thankfully). In a discussion I had with Fratellino about what the acrostic for the D.C. Oratory's version of "True Sons of Philip" should spell out, I suggested The Little Oratory, Columbia. On the other hand, Fratellino suggested the much more humourous The Little Oratory, Can't Vote. Taking Fratellino's concept, here is one suggestion.

True sons of Philip, raise

Heav’nward your strain of praise,

Ever rejoicing in God, as he taught;

Learn from St Philip still

In body, mind and will

Truly our Lord to serve, counting self as naught.

Songs therefore let us bring,

Praises to Jesus sing,

Now and for ever our Lord and our God. (2)

Trust in St Philip’s prayers,

Let him relieve our cares,

Ease for us gain in temptation and stress.

Once we his aid invoke

Riven is Satan’s yoke

And we are stronger our Saviour to bless.

(Refrain)

Turn, as St Philip bade,

Often to Mary’s aid,

Refuge and help she refuses to none;

Years have not dimmed her power

Come now and ev’ry hour

All grace she wins us by prayer with her Son.

(Refrain)

Never shall we despair

Triumphant, we declare

Victory over sin with the Spirit's love;

Out with all sadness here,

Take on St. Philip’s cheer

Evermore till we rule with the Saints above!

(Refrain)

The lines for "C" and "A" in the third verse are identical to the Cardiff Oratory's acrostic, while the "O" in the final verse is identical to the one found in Oxford's acrostic. We here in San Diego certainly look forward to whatever D.C. decides to write for their version of this great Oratorian hymn, but I hope they enjoy our rendition as well!

As the Cardiff Oratory explains, the hymn was originally written as an acrostic, spelling out The Little Oratory in London. Adaptations for each Oratorian House in Britain modify the last eight lines of the song (i.e., the last third of the third verse and the whole six lines of the fourth verse). The refrain acrostic spells out S.P.N. (St. Philip Neri). 

At Cardiff, these last eight lines spell out Caerdydd (the Welsh name for the city), while Oxford's lines spell out in Oxford. The verse-writer at Oxford dealt with the difficulty of the letter "X" by referring to St. Francis Xavier, one of St. Philip's role models (as well as one of the four Spaniards he shares his canonization date with). Since the Brothers in San Diego were received into St. Philip's family at London, Chorus Breviarii is accustomed to singing the original in London version. However, somewhere in Fratellino's archives, there may still exist a copy of an acrostic for San Diego written over a decade ago. 

Now, we ought to charge Marlon with writing one for Pharr if they develop a sizeable Little Oratory out in Texas.

Valē, Marlōnī

Marlon serving Mass at St. Augustine of Canterbury (right)

One of our young Chorus Breviarii members from the Imperial Valley, Marlon Munguia, will be starting a period of discernment at the Pharr Oratory in March. We pray that his postulancy will be fruitful and that the Fathers in Texas will find him well-suited for the Oratorian life. 

Marlon graduated from JPCatholic University in Escondido in 2023. During his time as a student, he led the school's Divine Office Ministry (now called Pelicanes Traditiones) and even attended some classes taught by Fratellino. Through his involvement in promoting the Traditional Divine Office at JPCatholic, the Brothers have been able to celebrate Vespers for and with the students. JPCatholic students have also been able to attend our Tenebrae services through carpools organized through the ministry. We hope that we will continue to see them attending or serving at our events.

Frater Ron's picture of Marlon serving as thurifer

Up until Fr. Samuel Keyes' departure from San Diego to a new assignment in Connecticut, Marlon also served at Holy Mass with Frater Ron Clemente at the Ordinariate Parish of St. Augustine of Canterbury.

Before becoming a Chorus Breviarii member in 2021, Marlon and his group of friends were active in trying to promote the Traditional Mass and Divine Office in the Imperial Valley. This was the cause of our visit to celebrate Sunday Vespers in El Centro in September 2021. We hope that his friends will continue to promote these sacred and ancient rites, and we may pay a visit again if time permits. 

We will certainly miss Marlon for Tenebrae this year. However, if God wills it, we may see him again with the Oratorian collar! May St. Philip pray for him!