Sacred Miscellany

When "reading" meant "reading out loud"

From Chapter 48 of the Rule of St. Benedict:

After the sixth hour,
having left the table,
let them rest on their beds in perfect silence;
or if anyone may perhaps want to read,
let her read to herself
in such a way as not to disturb anyone else.

(This particular online Benedictine update alternates the texts between monks and nuns, using female pronouns, etc. for the even-numbered chapters.)

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Always the good first:

Haagen-Dazs "five" ice cream - particularly the ginger.  A light ice cream with an intense flavor.  I'm not even an "ice cream freak," but this got my attention and then my taste buds.

 

 

Not good:

The idiotic YouTube (and everywhere else) of the "hip-hop" wedding procession.  First of all, the dancing isn't that great and reminds me of the Funky Chicken.  Secondly, they could have done this at the reception.  Thirdly, is your wedding ceremony really just your Andy Warhol 15-minutes-of-fame?

And what was the church thinking?

Go buy a carton of ginger ice cream and consider these questions while savoring the flavor.

Busy Musical Friday in St. Augustine

  Today's radio show on WFCF (1-3 EDT) will feature music of Santiago de Compostela.  Tomorrow is the Feast of St. James the Great and the city will go wild.  I'll have music from the pilgrimage routes, from the Cathedral itself - and of course, from the tunas (university singing groups) that wander the streets serenading passers-by and collecting change for a few drinks later.

At 6 p.m., the St. Augustine Schola Cantorae will sing a Vespers of the Virgin Mary at the Shrine Chapel.  This monthly event is something we all look forward to - with the breezes off the Intracoastal Waterway, the squirrels racing around the trees, and the lovely peace of this place where Spanish Florida began in 1565.

"Africa" - from Slovenia. Remember Toto? (Not the Dog)

Thanks to The Anchoress - she's my main girl right now!

The Revival of Gregorian Chant - on EWTN 7/22/09 8 pm EDT

Fr. Joel Martin, O.S.B. of St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama will be the guest this evening on EWTN Live, speaking on the revival of Gregorian chant.  Hooray!  I'm looking forward to his insights.  

St. Bernard Abbey is also interesting because of its Ave Maria Grotto, the lifetime project of one of its monks.  125 miniature reproductions of famous historic buildings and shrines.

Check it out!  And watch the show - ya might learn something new.

Up on the Fourth Plinth!

Harpists do get around nowadays!  Not just sitting behind their big gold monsters, sandwiched between the potted palms.

Here's a harpist from Alaska up on the Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London.  Nothing quite like public art, is there?

Nice playing, Cheyenne!  Perhaps I should get some of those wings myself.

Drowning in the Diurnal? Here's a liturgical life preserver!

The beautiful Latin-English Monastic Diurnal from Farnborough Abbey can be overwhelming.  So much so that the neophyte user fears she will never get past Compline (a fixed office, only changing during the Triduum).

Help is at hand in the blogosphere with Saints Will Arise - a blog that will take you step-by-step through this volume. 

My undying thanks to Terra!

First Mission Reflections

Back from visiting six missions, I asked myself what did I see. 

Leaving aside interesting architecture, colonial religious art, fine restoration work, what did I see? 

I saw the evidence of incredible energy and courage, of a conviction that the gift of Christianity was the best way in which indigenous cultures might withstand the inevitable onslaught of European contact.

And I saw that the best - in faith, music, and art - was what the Franciscans offered to people that many soldier-adventurers and settlers barely classified as human.  The best offered in an environment that was harsh and difficult, isolated and dangerous.  Nonetheless, it was the best.

Only one destination fell off the list - and that was San Juan Bautista.  While I'd hoped to get to the Extraordinary Form Mass there this afternoon, it just can happen.  But there's always the next trip - the one with another handful of missions to be seen.

But remember - the best they had was the gift they brought.  Not something watered down or meant for the "not very bright."  The best.

On the Mission Trail with Spanish Nativity

Sacred Miscellany is traveling with Spanish Nativity.  And she's a demon with her sharp eyes and digital camera.  While I drool over the occasional chant manuscript, she's busy photographing and seeing things I overlook.  Consequently, I'll give you the opportunity to visit her great blog - and soak up the culture. 

Missions to date - Carmel, Soledad, San Antonio, Santa Inez, and La Purisima.  Other ecclesial establishments - San Carlos Cathedral in Monterey.  Hoping for San Luis Obispo tomorrow.  Watching Morro Rock tonight.

On the music front, I did pick up the great CD by Zephyr of California mission music.  A Choir of Angels II - definitely worth a listen.

The Mission Tour Begins!

Your tireless Lover of Things Musical and Historical is now in Monterey, California, where I'm taking a quick break before dinner to let you know that the California missions are all they're cracked up to be.  (This information is not meant for residents of California such as Greg and Charles who know more about missions than I do.)

However, if you didn't go to 4th grade in California - I invite you to save up your change and come out here to see one of the shining moments in American and Spanish religious history - a historical combination irresistable to anyone living in the Nation's Oldest City, St. Augustine.

Today I did a repeat visit to Mission Carmel - San Carlo Borromeo, to be precise.  The second of the missions, it was the favorite of Blessed Junipero Serra, who died and is buried in the church.  The church was a virtual ruin at the beginning of the 20th century, but dedicated clergy and artists did a magnificent job of reconstruction and renovation.  And the museum exhibit about the reconstruction is almost as fascinating as the mission itself. Sir Harrie Downie was the principal artist and designer.

We also admired the umbrillina and the tintinnabulum that Carmel features as a minor basilica.  We don't have a bell at our minor basilica in St. Augustine.  Sigh - maybe we'll find a donor.

Speaking of cathedrals, we also toured San Carlos Cathedral in Monterey.  Originally the Royal Chapel of the Presidio, it is now the smallest cathedral in the United States.  However, size isn't everything and the church is quite charming and simple.  At several points they have exposed the wall to show the original painted plaster.  In addition to its "smallest" title, this cathedral is the first cut stone building in California.

Tomorrow will be a mission mega-day - several planned as we move down through the central area.