New Website for Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest

The Institute of Christ the King has launched a new Web site at www.institute-christ-king.org.

The new Web site features:

* a fresh, elegant design easy navigation and better organization
* a new email list
* RSS news feed
* more resources and information
* new mini-sites for each apostolate with new pictures and maps
* a new home page that pulls the site together
* a solid, secure online donation system

and much more...

This new site should be a great resource for news and information about the Institute, as well as Catholic Liturgy, Tradition, and culture.

Please visit and bookmark this updated website and pass it along to family and friends.

Sacred Music that Serves the Word of God (Part 1)

Father Samuel Weber on Sacred Music Institute

From Zenit:

By Annamarie Adkins

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, JULY 4, 2008 (Zenit.org). Parish music directors -- and congregations -- in the Archdiocese of St. Louis soon will benefit from Archbishop Raymond Burke’s recent initiative: The Institute for Sacred Music.

Archbishop Burke, who has since been named to head the Apostolic Signature, the Church's supreme court, appointed Benedictine Father Samuel Weber as the first director of the new institute earlier this year.

Father Weber is a professor in the divinity school of Wake Forest University in North Carolina and also a monk of the St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana.

In Part 1 of this interview with ZENIT, Father Weber discusses how the Institute for Sacred Music will try to restore Gregorian chant’s “pride of place” in the liturgy....

Pilgrims sing the praises of Latin

The Tridentine Mass is being revived by young Catholics while walking to Chartres Cathedral

Religion may well be in decline among European youth but it is by no means dead. This weekend about 6,000 young Catholics will set off on a 75-mile walk from Paris to Chartres Cathedral — and as they walk they will all be praying and singing in Latin....

This weekend’s annual three-day pilgrimage through northern France, which is in its 26th year, illustrates the appeal that the Tridentine Mass has for some young Catholics disenchanted with what they say is the lack of mystery, beauty and sacredness in the revised Mass....

The pilgrims follow part of one of the ancient routes to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. They walk in small groups. Some sing the rosary in Latin; others make their confession to one of the traditionalist priests who accompany them. On Saturday and Sunday nights they camp in fields.

About 90 per cent of those making the pilgrimage are between 19 and 25.....“You don’t meet many young practising Catholics nowadays, so it’s a great opportunity to encourage each other. When I come back, I feel, yes, it is possible to live out your faith in the modern world..."

A friend sent me some of his pictures a few years back from one of the pilgrimages he took to the Chartres Cathedral. From what I could tell, the Cathedral is beautiful and displays the love and reverence previous generations had toward Our Lord and His Church. What a joy it must be for those who are blessed to be able to make this pilgrimage.

Abp. Piero Marini calls liturgical renewal 'irreversible path'

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Liturgical renewal launched by the Second Vatican Council is an "irreversible path" and has not been affected by Pope Benedict XVI's concession on wider use of the Tridentine rite, a Vatican official said.

"The pope's decision has so far not produced any change in the celebrative practice of our ecclesial communities. His gesture was only one of service to unity," Archbishop Piero Marini, who arranged papal liturgies for more than 20 years, said in an interview April 25 in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.

And some of us were shocked at some of the papal Masses...And apparently Pope Benedict was as well considering Marinin was demoted.

Archbishop Marini said his own experience in organizing papal liturgies in more than 100 countries has convinced him that the liturgical reform movement has brought overwhelmingly positive results.

Of course, his experience would tell him that...Our experience is different, however.

"Everywhere, the liturgy desired by the council was celebrated with lively participation and enthusiasm. Everyone understood the liturgy as proper to the local church and at the same time as an expression of the universal church," he said.

"Everywhere, the liturgy desired by the council was celebrated with lively participation and enthusiasm."

Which liturgy is this? What I read in the council documents in no way indicate that dancing and performances are to be made of part of the Holy Mass. I read that Latin is to be retained and that the organ and chant are to have pride of place. Instead many are still living in liturgical wastelands.

He said the decree [Summorum Pontificum], which reached out to disaffected Catholics, should be seen as an effort to maintain unity in the church.

Disaffected? A restoration of what was wrongly denied to the faithful of the Church by so many bishops? Hardly! Some still have difficulty finding a place where where Holy Mass is celebrated with the reverence and dignity proper to it.

I suspect he's a tad bitter these days...

Dec 29-Cardinal George at Special Event at the Shrine of Christ the King

As noted at the Institute's Web Site:

On Saturday, Decemer 29th, His Eminence Francis Cardinal George will come to the Shrine of Christ the King to solemnly crown the statue of the Divine Infant King. This crowning will occur during a Solemn High Mass at which His Eminence will assist. The Mass, at 1:30 pm, will be celebrated inside the church building, which is under restoration. All are welcome to attend this moment of grace in the history of our Shrine.

The Press Release from the Institute of Christ the King provides more information:

(Chicago, November 26, 2007) A historic landmark church in Chicago, once on the road to demolition, will be the site of a rare ceremony following Christmas, on December 29th. During the course of a Solemn High Mass in the traditional Latin form, Francis Cardinal George will solemnly crown a statue of the Infant Jesus at the Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, formerly known as St. Gelasius Church in south side Woodlawn. The antique wooden sculpture from southern Spain will be the central piece above the future high altar of the church that is now being restored.

The magnificent church building, designed by revivalist architect Henry Schlacks in the 1920s, was the center of much controversy when in 2003 it was slated to be razed but eventually was made a historic landmark of Chicago. Originally known as “St. Clara Carmelite Church,” it had been commissioned by Carmelite Friars of the Old Observance to replace a smaller structure of this parish founded by German immigrants in 1894. The church had the distinction of being the National Shrine of St. Therese of Lisieux, where weekly novena prayers were held beginning on the very day of her canonization in 1925 until the mid 1980s. Vicissitudes affecting the neighborhood, a fire in the 1970s, disrepair and a dwindling congregation eventually led to the church’s closure in 2002.

However, after its near brush with destruction, St. Clara/St. Gelasius Church was given new life when Cardinal George invited the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to take charge of it. The Institute is a society of priests established in 1990 in Florence, Italy, under the Ecclesia Dei indult.

Priests of the Institute of Christ the King celebrate Mass and all the sacraments according to the 1962 liturgical books -- the traditional form of the Latin Rite recently given new impetus by Pope Benedict XVI in his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. The group’s experience in reforming and restoring church buildings to their former beauty, coupled with the track record of growth in the “Latin Mass” milieu, made the Institute of Christ the King a good fit for the task of transforming the gutted former St. Gelasius into a living church.

Indeed, since the Institute began regularly offering Mass in 2005 at their Chicago location using a provisional chapel in the adjacent rectory, the congregation has increased from not a single person to an ever growing group of faithful, which required that a second Mass be added on Sundays for lack of space. In June 2006, the church received its decree of erection as the Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

The Cardinal’s ceremonial crowning of the Infant Jesus during Christmastide this year is of special significance for the church. The first Mass ever offered inside the building was on Christmas 1924, a few years prior to its completion. And 2007 marks the 80th anniversary of the dedication of the church, on May 15, 1927. Those who attend the Solemn High Mass at 1:30 pm on Saturday, December 29th, will be treated to what many describe as the “transcendent beauty” of the Latin Mass, with its ancient prayers chanted in Latin, studied and choreographed movements, moments of silent prayer, incense, traditional vessels and vestments, and timeless music. Members of the Chicago Chorale will sing William Byrd’s four-voice polyphonic setting of the Mass, as well as motets by Tomás Luis de Victoria and Josquin de Près. The Gregorian Chant will be provided by the Shrine’s own schola.

This Christmas season, the ever-growing congregation at the Shrine of Christ the King will be moved from the basement-chapel in the rectory to the historic church when regular Sunday Mass again returns to the once-shuttered building. On Christmas Eve, Mass will be at 11:00 pm. On Christmas Day there will be the traditional “Mass at Dawn” at 8:00 am (Low Mass) and the “Mass during the Day” at 10:00 am (High Mass). For more information call 773-363-7409.

_____________________________

Contact: M. Cristina Borges, Development Director
Tel 773 363 7409
Fax 773 363 7824
cborges [at] institute-christ-king.org

Why the Pope is right to purge modern music

Damian Thompson, editor-in-chief of the Catholic Herald, writes:

Church music in Italy is generally atrocious, and the Vatican is no exception.

Since he arrived in Rome nearly 30 years ago, the music-loving Joseph Ratzinger has had to endure the sub-operatic warbling of bad 20th-century music. Now he has had enough.

The Pope, who last year appointed a new choir director of St Peter's, wants Gregorian chant, polyphony and baroque masterpieces to dominate the repertoire in the basilica and the Sistine chapel. And, by making his preferences clear, he is sending out a message to the whole Catholic Church.

But only those with ears to hear will listen, I'm afraid...Be thankful if you live in a diocese where humility, fidelity, and obedience are considered virtues rather than vices. Pray and practice perseverance if you're still waiting.

We are moving into an era of liturgical revolution. Benedict detests the feeble "folk Masses" that have remained the staple fare of Catholic worship long after they went out of musical fashion.

Many of us would claim that we've been enduring a 40-year war and revolution when it comes to liturgical music. What a blessing it would be if the teacings of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council were truly followed - that of the organ and Gregorian chant holding pride of place in the liturgy. Can this be too much to ask for? Can we not offer to God our best rather than the mediocrity of our "folk masses"?

He wants the Church to rediscover the treasure of its heritage - and that includes Gregorian chant as well as the pre-1970 Latin Mass that can now be celebrated without the permission of bishops.

Treasures, indeed! A restoration of the beauty of our heritage would, I firmly believe, be a welcomed first step in restoring a rightful and necessary awe and reverence to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The old guard of trendy choir directors and composers (many of whom have signed lucrative contracts with dioceses) will fight his reforms every inch of the way, egged on by philistine bishops.

I hear there is a new "Rock Band" game coming out for Xbox, PS3 and Wii - perhaps no longer needed guitarists, drummers and such can start a new enterprise with contests, prizes, and such - something more suited for their "talents" outside the sanctuary?

The next generation of choir directors have been charged by the Pope with the task of reintroducing beautiful music into church. If they succeed, then at long last the pews may begin to fill up again.

It would certainly help - It's shameful that so many offer to God, not the best, but that which is mundane, not the 'first fruits' but the leftovers of the hippie generations, where anyone who could play a couple of guitar chords or beat the bongos could "perform" or (actively participate) at a parish Mass...

A seemingly growing number of faithful Catholics are finding (or have found) parishes where Holy Mass is celebrated absent any music - which is a welcomed respite from having to endure the pain of listening to today's "guitar heroes".

The sooner the Holy Father's restoration of Sacred Music comes about, the better - it will help in the restoration of the majesty of the most precious sacrament Christ gave us and it will allow us to truly offer to God our best!

Gregorian Chant Wins New Fans

One of the world's oldest styles of religious music is attracting a host of new enthusiasts

Gregorian chant is usually associated with monks in monasteries, but it's being heard more often now in regular services.

Its growing popularity brought 70 representatives of choirs from Northern Ireland to a chanting workshop in the Dominican Convent in west Belfast.

The college chapel became a study for a day as experts passed on advice on how best to perform the ancient melodies.

Principal tutor Donal McCrisken said Gregorian chant was an excellent medium for vocal training...

From Vienna, a Lesson on How to Sing the Mass (Chiesa)

Haydn's polyphony and the Gregorian antiphons of the ancient missal accompanied the papal liturgy in the Austrian capital, all of which was celebrated with "the gaze fixed upon God." A model for Catholic Masses in the Latin rite all over the world
by Sandro Magister

CMAA's New Release: Communio: Communion Antiphon with Psalms

Adoremus has an interview with Jeffrey Tucker (managing editor of the journal Sacred Music, published by the Church Music Association of America; director of the St. Cecilia Schola Cantorum in Auburn, Alabama; and a member of the board of directors of CMAA), in its most recent edition of the Adoremus Bulletin:

A significant event in the field of sacred music occurred this June, when the Church Music Association of America (CMAA) released a new book that is sure to become an essential part of every parish musician’s working library: Communio: Communion Antiphons with Psalms, edited by Richard Rice.

Adoremus interviewed CMAA’s Jeffrey Tucker, who believes that this book “could change the way a parish experiences the Communion rite”.

“Following the rubrics as the Church has given us”, he says, “could cause our liturgical experience to be much more beautiful, and much more … Catholic”.

Would that this would come to pass!

An excellent interview by Adoremus with great insights by Tucker - this is something which should be sent to every bishop, I would think, and perhaps even to parish priests!

Summorum Pontificum Podcast

Gregorian chant and audio files for the Holy Mass using the Missal of 1962.

Website in Italian. Great stuff here...