Saturday 26 May 2012

Gospel for Pentecost

Here is the Gospel for Pentecost Sunday:


(Solemn Tone, Jerusalem Bible)

This is the one fully notated Gospel text that every priest has access to: it's the practice Gospel in the Roman Missal, Third Typical Edition.  Should not a whole Book of the Gospels be produced in like manner?  Perhaps when the ESV is the standard English translation of the Scriptures for use at Mass?

Friday 11 May 2012

Sanguis et Aqua - More on New Archbishop of Brisbane

Updated 16 May

For news and analysis of the Installation today of the Most Reverend Mark Coleridge as the 6th Archbishop of Brisbane, see: 
  • This news video: 


Watch the Mass Again, or Read His Grace's Homily 

You can view the whole Mass from St Stephen's Cathedral "on-demand" at the Brisbane Archdiocesan website, and follow along by downloading the Order of Service.

That the Archbishop is a skilful preacher is evidenced by His Grace's first homily as the new Brisbane prelate, a transcript of which may be read here.

The Archbishop's Coat of Arms



From the Order of Service:
"Archbishop Coleridge bears as his coat of arms his personal arms on the heraldic sinister (to the viewer’s right) impaled with the arms of the Archdiocese of Brisbane on the dexter and ensigned with the green galero (Roman hat) with ten fiocci (tassels) on each side to form a composite coat of arms which says, in the language of heraldry, Mark Coleridge, Archbishop of Brisbane.

The arms of the Archdiocese of Brisbane derive from the arms of Governor Sir Thomas Brisbane, Baronet after whom the city and the Archdiocese take their name.
The Archdiocesan arms are blazoned on a black field a chevron with a double line of alternating gold and red squares between, at the top, two gold plates representing stones, the instruments of martyrdom of Saint Stephen, Patron of the Cathedral, and, in base, the martyr’s palm of victory in gold.

The Archbishop adopted personal arms when he was appointed as Auxiliary of Melbourne. He altered them slightly as Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn and has again altered them slightly on becoming Archbishop of Brisbane to achieve a more harmonious design when impaled with the arms of the Archdiocese.

The Archbishop’s personal arms are blazoned on a silver field, four red bends and on a celeste blue band at the top of the shield a gold Lion of Saint Mark.

The green galero with ten fiocci on each side is the traditional distinguishing feature of the arms of an Archbishop.

The double transverse cross is the processional cross, an heraldic entitlement of an Archbishop."

(The arms were designed by Richard d’Apice AM KCSG and Fr. Guy Selvester and illustrated by Sandy Turnbull.)
Brisbane is blessed indeed!

Installation Mass of Archbishop Coleridge

The new Archbishop of Brisbane, the Most Reverend Mark Coleridge, is imminently to be installed in the Cathedral of St. Stephen.  The service is due to commence at 10.15 AEST, Friday 11 May 2012, and may be viewed live on the web at this address.

The organisers have generously provided the Order of Service in advance of the Mass, and it may be downloaded by clicking here.  



Monday 7 May 2012

Cappella Sistina Gives Free Performance in London

The Sistine Chapel Choir - choir to the Pope - last night gave a concert in London, entitled "Super Fundamentum Apostolorum (Upon the Foundation of the Apostles) - A Journey through the Liturgical Year with Traditional Music from Papal Celebrations".

Well, with remarkable speed, the Catholic Church in England and Wales, through one of her humble functionaries, has already provided pictures of the event:

The Most Reverend Massimo Palombella, Maestro di 
Cappella Sistina, is greeted by the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, 
Archbishop of Westminster



See many more pictures here.  All pictures © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

Italy news UK reports that "Cinque minuti di applausi ininterrotti รจ il premio che il numerosissimo pubblico ha tributato al coro del Vaticano" (The sizeable audience showed their thanks for the Vatican choir's performance by applauding for five whole minutes).  The choir apparently sang a selection of Gregorian chants, and motets by Palestrina and Perosi. 

And a blogger - who was present at the concert - reports: 
"Mgr Massimo Palombella [present director of the Cappella Sistina] addressed those present – the Cathedral was packed and many had to stand throughout the concert. After praising Westminster Cathedral Choir and its director, Martin Baker, Mgr Palombella said that the Pope desired a greater collaboration between his choir and the choirs of Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. It seems that the Holy Father had been impressed by the music he had heard in London during the 2010 Papal visit. In fact, Palombella went on to say, through an interpreter - Richard Rouse, who organised last year’s bloggers conference at the Vatican - that the Holy Father had “pushed” the Sistine Chapel Choir to collaborate with the English choirs. He also said that the Pope had expressed a desire to see ecclesiastical music used as a means of fostering true ecumenical ventures – Benedict XVI has invited Westminster Abbey Choir to sing during the Papal Liturgies for this year's Feast of St Peter and St Paul."
Will there be a video to follow?

Westminster Cathedral ...

... is a striking building in the bustling heart of London.  For one arriving by train into Victoria station, or strolling through Green Park and past the Palace having purchased one's essential comestibles from Fortnum & Mason, the sight of its tower rising out of the city-scape in so marvellous a fashion is a tantalising foretaste of the majestic sub-stratum.

View of Cathedral bell tower from near Buck House
If you have not been able to take a tour of the Cathedral, then fear not because an hour-long video has been produced of a guided tour in 2011 given by the Administrator of the Cathedral, Canon Christopher Tuckwell.


I think you will agree that, even amongst the manifold architectural treasures in London, the Cathedral is well worth the visit.  For those resident in London, the Telegraph suggests paying a lunch-time visit to ascend the tower and take in the view.

For those seeking spiritual comfort, the Cathedral is a great sanctuary of quiet, where one can sit in prayerful repose, unencumbered, if fleetingly, by worldly concerns - the quiet only punctuated when its cavernous spaces are filled with the glorious sounds of its choir singing the praises of God, during the week this usually being on the dot of 5 pm for Vespers (in the Lady Chapel) followed by a solemn choral Mass at 5.30 pm (in the main Sanctuary), and at 10.30 am for Mass on Saturdays (Latin Novus Ordo) and Sundays (Latin-English Novus Ordo) (Vespers being at the earlier time of 3.30 pm on Sundays).