REPORT: Missa Cantata/Sung High Mass for Christ the King, October 28, 2018 1PM St. Mary's Polish Catholic Church Toronto

REPORT: Missa Cantata/Sung High Mass for Christ the King, October 28, 2018 1PM St. Mary's Polish Catholic Church Toronto

Hello everyone,

Once again, the St Patrick’s Gregorian Choir of Toronto (SPGC,) based out of St Patrick’s Catholic Parish, Toronto (Redemptorist,) organized their annual offering of the Latin Mass on the Feast of Christ the King in the Extraordinary Form/Latin Mass Calendar.

This Missa Cantata/Sung High Mass took place last Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 1 pm and was held at St. Mary’s Polish Catholic Church, 1996 Davenport Rd in the Archdiocese of Toronto.

Of note was three particular items for this offering of the Mass:
1) For SPGC this was the first occasion organizing a Higher level Latin Mass at this parish. St Mary’s has never been asked by the choir to be used as a Mass site, although other lay organizations, and even the parish itself, had held/holds Latin Masses respectfully.

2) A seminarian who has assisted with St Patrick’s Gregorian Choir in the last few offerings and is a regular member of the schola, completed his pre-seminary studies and was accepted into St Augustine’s this fall. This was his first EF Mass since being accepted into seminary, as well as his
first time in the liturgical role of Acolyte 2.

3) After 7 years of being loyal to SPGC and assisting in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and dealing with much over my time alongside the choir, this author, made his debut for the first time in the Master of Ceremonies (MC) role in the EF liturgy! 

Pre-Mass Details/preparations 

After a change in celebrant and location of the Mass times, it was eventually settled that St Mary’s, under the pastor-ship of Fr. Kazimierz, our celebrant, would be host to the TLM for this annual offering of SPGC Christ the King, 2018.

Thankfully, St Mary’s has been involved with the hosting of the EF in the last few years, including their own Saturday 9am Missa Lecta/Low Mass, as well as special high and solemn Masses on feast days and solemnities in past, in partnership with another lay organization. As such, the parish was well equipped for the celebration of the Latin Mass, with many of the liturgical items in stock, such as framed altar cards and their own 1962 Missal. Only Acolyte/processional candles were supplied by the SPGC.

As usual, the choir devoted their weekly Sat evening practices for the last few weekends, to rehearsing for this EF Mass, in addition to their weekly duties, for the Saturday Novus Ordo vigil Mass at 5pm at St Pat’s (a vernacular Mass with Latin and Gregorian Chants in the musical portions)

On the serving end, preparation for my role as MC was undertaken starting with the last offering of SPGC in June 2018, whereby I was permitted to shadow the prior MC, Mr. Giovanni at practice. In between offerings, while dealing with full-time work and parenting a young 7 month old son, private preparation was undertaken via a combination of written and video resources including: my personal copy of the Missale Romanum 1962, (see here,) the “Gold Standard” Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described, and YouTube video of other Latin High Masses, especially one of Christ the King Missa Cantata, to prepare for the role. Private serving practice for mastery of footwork/positioning went on alongside the Choir on the 20th October, and a full serving practice was held with the choirmaster, Surinder, present on the eve of October 23rd @ St Mary’s.

The Actual Mass

On Sunday October 28, 2018, the Mass took place at 1pm at St Mary’s. A modest showing of 30-40 people were present at the Mass, mostly residents from the Parish. Considering that promotion of this Mass on my blog and media various sources (e.g. the Archdiocese website, the Catholic Register) was delayed for a myriad of reasons including a postal strike (for the Register newspaper), this turnout was great for a smaller parish and less advance notice.

Overall, the liturgy was conducted decently, save minor mistakes with a side offering of high nervousness, and some off-timing on my part. Timing is quite different in real life versus recordings of the chants. Thankfully the serving contingent was made of experienced servers, some from the parish who have served the EF, others of my allies in the EF, including the seminarian who was a quick study for Acolyte 2. Fr Kazimierz was excellent as our celebrant, clearly knowing his role as celebrant, and also being a great assist to me as first time MC.

After much sweat (in our cassocks and clergy robes,) effort, and prayer, the liturgy was conducted as reverently as possible, despite my nervousness. Not one complaint was voiced to the choir by anyone in attendance. The choir, as usual, demonstrated their abilities and experience in their chanting, and lifted the souls of the faithful (alongside the sanctuary contingent) on High to our King.

The musical selections for the Mass, combined with the ordinary Liber chants for the Mass were:

Organ Prelude
Introductory hymn: Praise to the Lord the Almighty, by Lobe Den Herren
Introit: Dignus et Agnus (Liber)
Kyrie: XII (Pater Cuncta)
Gloria: XII
Graduale: Dominabitur (Liber)
Alleluia: Potestas Eius (Liber)
Credo: II
Offertory: Postula A Me (Liber)
Sanctus: XII
Agnus Dei: XII
Communion hymn: Panis Angelicus
Communion Antiphon: Sedebit Dominus (Liber)
Closing Hymn: Rejoice the Lord is King by Gospal

In addition, I present some of the points of Father’s short, but succinct and poignant homily for the feast of Christ the King:

- The Feast of Christ the King has a significance, of which it’s analogy of kingship may not seem as relevant to modern Man, as the Monarchy/active Kingdoms have been replaced with democratic governments and symbolic monarchies.
- However, the analogy does apply to us as a Catholic Church, even in today’s world.
- A King wields authority over his subjects and is responsible for their well being. His subjects, in turn, are to respect the authority of the King and his rulings and governance of the kingdom.
- Christ is NOT just an earthly “King” who appeared once in time, he is our Divine King in Heaven, who wields authority over Heaven and Earth, though now he resides in his True Kingdom of Heaven.
- Jesus ensured that his divine authority and care as our King, would persist in this earthly kingdom via his Bride, the Holy Catholic Church. Through it, He bestows through Apostolic Succession, his authority to Holy Mother Church. As His Holy Bride, it is through She where His authority over his subjects, us the Faithful [ed note: who consist of the “Communal” Body of Christ.]
- Because our King is so closely linked to the Church in His authority as its head, and on earth, The Pope as His Vicar, and his bishops as ordinary arbiters and judges of the Magisterium of His teaching authority, those who attack the Church Herself, the Magisterium and Her teachings, and/or Herself as a whole, attack Christ directly.
- This even applies more directly to us, the laity within the Church! When we attack Her Magisterium, and those who are it’s guardians up to the Holy Father itself, you attack Christ directly!
- In the end he asked us to pray to the The Lord that we may be His loyal subjects and to be obedient to His Will and Holy Mother Church.

Finally, I present to you numerous photos from the Mass, a combination of those submitted with thanks by a young man in attendance, as well as some of my own and the Choir:

  The choir preparing for the Liturgy

 Likely, the Collect. I, as MC am to the right of the Celebrant, Fr. Kaz(miriez), on the Epistle side, during the Mass of the Catechumens (Liturgy of the Word.) I point to the prayer in the Missal before he begins. 

Incensation of the altar before the offertory of water and wine

More incensation of the altar in the Mass of the Canons (Liturgy of Eucharist.) The crucifer has been employed to take the altar Missal off while the Celebrant incenses the altar. I, as MC on the right, and the Thurifer to Fr's left, assist him in incensation, by lifting his arms when he genuflects. 

Consecration of the wine into the Blood of Christ. I am just below the celebrant's right, Thurifer is incensing Fr. as he lifts up the chalice. 

Communion of the servers. Here we say the "Confiteor" a 2nd time in the liturgy, a common practice at higher Masses for the servers. 

Communion of the Choir post-Mass (they cannot descend for communion during the Mass)

More communion of the Choir. 

What took place was a beautiful and sacred offering of the Mass, and all parties present that day, assisted in that Sacrifice of the Mass, even the laity in the pews with their prayers to Christ. Hopefully you have enjoyed this report, and perhaps in future, you will join our Lord in the Latin Mass at one of these offerings or those of Toronto, or other parishes. It is not just sentiment why the EF/Latin Mass is nicknamed “The Mass of Ages” that lifts the soul to higher callings.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin

Report: Solemn Latin Mass for Feast of Christ the King, Sunday Oct 29, 2017 in the Archdiocese of Toronto

REPORT: SOLEMN LATIN MASS FOR THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING IN THE LATIN RITE (EXTRAORDINARY FORM CALENDAR), SUNDAY OCT 29, 2017 @ 3PM EST, ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF TORONTO

Hello everyone,

This past Sunday, October 29, 2017, was the Feast of Christ the King in the Extraordinary Form (aka, EF, Latin Mass,) liturgical Calendar of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. On this feast day, the St Patrick’s Gregorian Choir (herein, SPGC,) once again organized a Solemn Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Toronto, on what was their 11th anniversary of formation. The Latin Mass was held in the area of North York in the Greater Toronto Area, at St Edward the Confessor parish at 75 Churchill Ave, at 3pm EST this past Sunday.

Notes of importance

With this offering of the TLM, some notes of importance that must be mentioned, showing how much the Latin Mass is growing and starting to reach an impact in our parish communities. When the TLM is promoted by those who: express solidarity with our Holy Father and the Catholic Church
expressing the positive Joy of the Gospel, and actually practicing what Pope Francis professes in his homilies (including daily "fervorinos") instead of: jealousy, detraction/slander, and even declarations of heresy in various form of communications (e.g. letters, “Tweets,” emails,) positive fruits such as the following occur:

• For this solemn Mass, we had a seminarian almost finished his studies, as well as an actual permanent deacon, in the clergy roles of sub-deacon and deacon respectively.
• The seminarian has assisted at Latin Masses in serving roles, but in this Mass, this was his first time as one of the three clergy roles, as the sub-deacon! Another first for the EF!
• The permanent deacon, was actually the deacon of the hosting parish! He had assisted for the first time in a Latin Mass, at the June 2017 Sacred Heart TLM organized by St Patrick’s Gregorian Choir. He was happy to assist again with his home parish community!
• We also had another two men in formation, including a seminarian of St. Augustine`s in Toronto in his pastoral 3rd year @ St. Edward's, and the other has been in past offerings of the TLM/EF organized by SPGC, who were in choir on the altar! Deo Gratias for the interest of those men in formation who are being exposed and/or willingly seeking out the TLM despite no formal courses in seminary!
• On the serving end of things, our thurifer was another gentleman stationed at the parish who is in formation for the permanent diaconate program at St Augustine’s Seminary! Also we had a new young man to the scene of SPGC offerings, a senior in high school who has started becoming involved in TLM serving! Welcome J!

Pre-Mass Preparations

Once the Mass site was confirmed, preparations were underway. The master of Ceremonies, who usually is responsible for server training and providing direction for the clergy roles* (with assistance from the priest celebrant,) set up practices for both clergy and servers, with an additional practice for the clergy due to the deacon & sub-deacon being new in their clergy roles, or becoming more proficient at their role from their last occasion of doing so in the EF.

The servers, with the clergy, did a combined practice the week before the Mass, where roles were given to the servers based on their experience, and the practice went well between those involved in the liturgy of the Mass on the Altar. Good instruction was given to all parties by the MC and celebrant (a veteran and blessed soul to all parties in the Latin Mass community in Toronto, Fr. Russell Asch,) alongside a guest Master of Ceremonies who has been helping out with other Mass offerings in the archdiocese. The instruction was well received by clergy and servers.

The actual Mass on Sunday Oct 29, 2017

Prior to starting time of 3pm, all clergy and serving members arrived promptly, and the altar was set up in good time.

Side view of the Gospel side of the altar, with credence table in the background, as well as the sediliae arranged, and server's seating with Latin/English translation of readings and propers in pamphlets.

View of the main altar prior to mass, with some laity in the pews in the nave.

Closer picture of the altar setup for the sacred liturgy. 

Final small notes/pointers/assistance were reviewed in the sacristy for those involved in the liturgy, and all members donned their robes prior to the start time. In addition, the pastor of the parish was able to assist some lay members who requested the Sacrament of Confession prior to Mass (Deo Gratias!) Then, at 3PM EST, we who were to be on the altar of the Lord, processed from the back of the nave of the parish, towards the altar to begin the Holy Sacrifice of all time in the Liturgy of the Mass. 

Entrance Procession picture 1

Entrance Procession picture 2. I, the author, was Acolyte 1, and can be seen on the right side with candle in arms behind the crucifer and next to Acolyte 2.  

Prayers at the Foot of the Altar with the clergy and the Master of Ceremonies (kneeling). Celebrant/Priest Fr. Asch is in center, with Deacon on the right (in Dalmatic, noted by two horizontal bars on his back), and Sub-deacon on the left (in Tunicle, noted by one horizontal bar on his back.) 

Thankfully, on this occasion, I was able to retain a good portion of points of the Homily from our celebrant, and jotted notes down after the Holy Mass that night. While these points may not be verbatim what the good and Holy Father said, much was remembered, giving a taste of the excellent preaching done in the EF liturgy. The homily from Fr. Asch, was quite interesting, inter-weaving the themes of Christ our Lord and King and children, a take this author has not seen nor thought could relate with this Feast, having served Mass on this feast day in the EF for the past 6 years [coincidentally, the 6th anniversary of my foray into altar serving in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite]:

• Fr. Asch began by re-reading the first lines of the Gradual (Psalm 71: 8, 11) "He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth .... And all kings shall adore Him, all nations shall serve Him."
• The feast of Christ the King should have particular interest to us, particularly as the state of our world appears to be coming more and more dark, for example, in the realm of politics [Editorial note: Fr Asch might have been referring to the USA under Donald Trump as well as Kim Jong Un in Korea, but I didn’t ask him for specifics.]
• When we think of this feast day, we might conjure up images, of our devotion to the image of the Infant Christ the King adored in crown.

• Being at the time of year it is, on Halloween weekend, most children take simple delight in this annual activity of trick-or-treating. When they dress up and go around collecting candy, they enjoy themselves, with pure joy in the moment with their treats. They are satisfied in the moment at such an activity. It is this simplicity that one should apply in terms of us approaching our Lord. 
• On a related side note to Halloween, Fr Asch also rightly commentated on how such a fun thing for our children has become so distorted by secular society in many ways, one being making Halloween grotesque. He recalled taking his younger nephew to a Halloween store where a figure of a zombie or a demon was eating the flesh of a human or its own flesh was present and it unsettled his poor nephew in a queasy way.

• Moving onward Fr Asch then began to describe briefly the development of this feast day in the liturgical Calendar, being different from the Novus Ordo in that it is the last Sunday in October.
• Pius XI, in 1925, when he wrote the encyclical QUAS PRIMAS, has likely positioned the feast day in the calendar for the last Sunday in October for two central reasons: 
• The first was that Pope has such Awe [as in rightful spiritual Fear of the Lord, as per the Gift of the Holy Spirit] for Christ as King of the Universe, he was trembling in instilling such a feast day. 
• The second would be that there were other important feasts in the calendar and focuses in October, such as October being a month of the Rosary and being associated with Mary. 

• Mentioning Mary, Fr then discussed the two devotions of the Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart, encouraging such devotions, but also discussing the Hearts and their relation to Christ the King, as well as Mary being full of Grace, the grace needed to carry out God's will (including the birthing of Christ, who would be King.) 
• In discussing this, Father had a visual reference for those present, in a vintage plaque of the Sacred Hearts side by side with a Latin Inscription around the borders of the ovals of Christ and Mary, placed in front of the Pulpit before Mass began, as seen below in this picture of the Homily at Mass:

Homily at the Mass. While small, notice the picture of the two Hearts below the pulpit on the little table. 

 

• Fr. also then tied back the theme of children and their simplicity and innocence back to family hood from describing the Holy Family with the devotions. In terms of the kingship of Christ and how we should relate to it, it is analogous to a son who adores his father with genuine and simple love, no strings attached, and even wants to be part of him via admiration of his profession, being “just like Dad.”
• Our Lord Jesus Christ is like that father, allowing us to partake in that shared life of His via the Sacraments and in obeying His and the Church's teachings. In that, is where our Lord shows his love, compassion, and mercy for us as adopted children of God.
• Most of all, we are given a choice freely in life as to whether we choose to live that life or not in his Kingdom forever. To illustrate that choice, Fr described headstones on a grave site. The birth date and the death date are emphasized, but really the most important part should be the "dash", that whole life of the person. 
• Spiritually speaking, we should be making every moment of our lives count to that effect, particularly they should we separate ourselves from our Lord with sin, it will be even one act of Confession that shall redeem ourselves, graciously given by the Lord, to restore and keep us in his Sanctifying Grace. 
• We should make every opportunity possible in our lives to adore our King and be willing to be with our Lord in his kingdom, be that prayers, rosaries, sacraments, indulgences ... we should make every effort count! 
• Because in the end, there are but two kingdoms we can choose to partake in, two standards which we can choose one to bear. The first the standard of a tyrannical and ruthless kingdom akin to Babylon, with a merciless King and war and endless suffering, or the second akin to a Eternal “Jerusalem” where by the merciful and loving King, Our Lord Jesus Christ, rules with love and true mercy. Which standard do you choose to bear?"
• Fr then ended the Homily by praying a Hail Mary, a "t"radition I have witnessed enough at the Latin Mass, though this is not something that is forced upon priests to perform as part of the liturgy of the Latin Mass. 

As for the rest of the liturgy, despite a few cues here and there for the new clergymen, and this author's usual nerves, the Mass was carried out with beauty and solemnity in my Archdiocese of Toronto that fall day. The rest of the servers carried out their roles proficiently, and all present walked away after the Mass peaceful in our hearts and souls. 

As an added bonus for the souls of the faithful present, prior to the exit procession, Fr. Asch knelt down before the foot of the altar, to recite the beautiful prayer of the Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ King (Iesu dulcissime, Redemptor.) This prayer, when said publicly on the Feast 

of the Christ the King, grants the souls present a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions: Sacrament of confession, communion, and prayers for the Holy Father`s intentions (minimum 1x Our Father and 1x Hail Mary) within 20 days of the indulgenced act (see general conditions, "The Gift of the Indulgenced Act").

Exit procession of the servers and the clergy. 

In attendance was about 100 strong, in a Church containing a pew capacity of maybe 400-500, with what was likely a number of local parishioners of the parish, as well as experienced Latin Mass attendees, based on the number of mantillas I witnessed in the pews from the altar. 

Many thanks is given to all those involved in the planning and partaking of this liturgy, and even to those laymen who graciously assisted with the collection (Thank you, Ramon and Anthony,) but especially to those deacons, the deacon in formation (our thurifer above), and the seminarians who were present in choir. Your presence is a God-send and a ray of hope for the future of the Church, and in the promotion of sacredness in the Liturgy via your interest in the Latin Mass. Thanks is also given to the pastor of St. Edward, "Fr. Pat," who graciously allowed this offering to occur in the parish that afternoon, and for providing confessions to those souls who needed the Sacrament of God's infinite Mercy and Love.  

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin. 

Footnote:

* Let me state for the record that this is NOT unusual, in the current state of the return of the Latin Mass, that competent laymen or future clergy who are Masters of Ceremonies, are providing direction to both serving and clergy. Worldwide, the number of competent priests knowledgeable in celebrating the EF, still needs to grow to a large enough number that they will be available to take on the bulk of the training of liturgical roles in the Latin Mass, in addition to their normal parish duties. In addition, it is a primary duty of the MC, to ensure that the liturgy is carried out properly and if necessary, to provide assistance and cues even in the liturgy, to see such a goal is carried out properly. As for the Archdiocese of Toronto, let it be stated that SPGC is NOT the only choir/lay initiative who is allowing for such MC/lay assistance in the training, preparation, and carrying out of the EF liturgy to be occurring in this manner. Let it be the Will of the Lord that one day, that the Church will once again have a plentiful number of competent priests who can be responsible for training in all aspects of the EF liturgy, though it should still be welcome that laymen will continue to take an active interest in the sacred liturgy of the EF, and have such knowledge to be able to assist priests in certain duties.  

REPORT: Christ the King Solemn Latin Mass on Sunday Oct 25th, 2015 at Loretto Abbey Chapel.

Hello Everyone,

The St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir (SPGC) once again organized another beautiful and sacred Solemn Latin Mass in our Archdiocese of Toronto.

On this the Feast of Christ the King in the Extraordinary Form/Latin Mass calendar, and co-incidentally the 9th anniversary of the formation of the SPGC, we were blessed by the hospitality and generosity of the sisters of the Incarnate Word of Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM) to have usage of their chapel, attached to Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School. Our Mass was 330pm in the afternoon this past Sunday, October 25th, 2015.

In preparation for this Mass, our servers met at St. Lawrence Martyr Catholic Church on the Friday evening prior, to go over their roles for the Mass. Practice went well, and all save our crucifer (due to work) were accounted for. With 7 servers in tow, including myself as First Acolyte and our Master of Ceremonies, we were organized and motivated to have a great Solemn Mass, fit with even torchbearers!!! In addition, some of these servers have had prior experience, be it assisting at St. Joseph Streetsville, St. Lawrence the Martyr, or other Latin Mass initiatives in Toronto.

As usual, the SPGC choir practiced after their 5:00pm Mass downtown at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, the Redemptorist Parish and the National Shrine Church of Canada for Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The 5pm vigil is their regular Mass, by the way, where they provide hymns for the liturgy, and chant or sing in Latin the major response parts of the Novus Ordo Mass.

As for the day of, we arrived at 2pm to prepare the chapel for Mass, and to go over roles for the liturgy. We had some interesting issues to contend with:

• Some liturgical equipment was not provided for us (e.g. a "triple chain" thurible, acolyte candles ...) or was more "modern" (a processional cross with a resurrected Jesus/"Resurrefix")  but thankfully, most equipment that was lacking, was supplied by the choir, as well as a few editions of my own I've payed personally for, to be able to assist the choir and anyone else I do the Latin Mass with. Whatever was not of usual, we used the chapel equipment just the same. Regardless, here's the setup of the liturgical equipment:

The acolyte candles, gracefully provided by St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir. There were none readily available at the chapel! 

The lavabo bowl, washing cruets, and towel (yes, a real towel) from the chapel. As for those fancy cruets and the communion paten, those are from my personal liturgical stockpile. 

This little incense boat was part of my liturgical collection to be used for Masses. It has a little gold-coloured spoon inside too. 

A side view of the sediliae, as well as bells, aspergillum and aspergillus, with single chain censer and stand, lavabo bowl and jug with a towel (that's all there was), provided by the chapel. 

This, my friends, is a beautiful wooden tabernacle, made by one of the choir members. Turns out they do not just sing you know. They bear many a talent to glorify the Lord. Best part is that it is light weight, and can be used for the Latin Masses, when needed to replace one, if the main tabernacle is off to the side, or if we cannot use one, regardless of reason. Also present is one of three altar cards, of the set owned by the choir. 

Voila! The complete credence table complete with additions of chalice with veil, the humeral veil, and the Epistolarium, either from the Choir or from our clergy who celebrated the Mass. 

The completed front altar, set up for the Latin Mass. Unfortunately we were not allowed to use the high altar, as this has been set up by the media company for the daily mass recordings. 

A final view of the sanctuary from afar, and the lovely stained glass window and sanctuary of the chapel. This chapel was built in 1950 prior to Vatican II, and despite small changes that were standard at that time of the Council (e.g removal of altar rails), much of this is untouched! Just looked at the wooden crucifix and the reredos in the back! 

• Space. Wow ... well this is a chapel, not a full size church, so processing was somewhat of a challenge. The side rows were maximum two normal people's width, making maneuvering a little challenging. This also was a smaller sanctuary than normal, and I personally found this a challenge. There was barely any space between me, my chair, and the sediliae in front of me, so much so getting up and down to kneel, meant hitting the wood of my chair. Ugh.  

• A new caveat: Since last year, the Archdiocese of Toronto's daily Mass recordings have moved from St. Basil's in University of Toronto, to the chapel of Loretto Abbey for Monday to Saturday (daytime) Mass. You can view it here online at https://www.youtube.com/ user/dailymass. However, for us, we were told NOT to move any major items. If we moved something minor, it was put back in place. Because of this, we had to opt NOT to use their still intact high altar, and instead use the Novus Ordo Altar for the Mass. Usually most churches do not have high altars anymore, or renovated to make them non-usable, so we were not bothered by this fact. 

The Mass


Prior to the Mass, laity were provided with booklets, which contained the Propers and liturgical readings for the Mass in Latin and English, along with a copy of the hymn, "Sweet Sacrament Divine," to encourage vocal participation in the Latin Mass. Here's some pictures of the booklet:

These booklets also contained commentary on the feast day, from a famous traditional book, The Liturgical Year, by Dom Prosper Gueranger. 

With all the preparation and last minute directions for the servers, now in their location of the Mass, we proceeded ahead with the sacred liturgy. For the Mass, our clergy, all priests experienced with carrying out the Extraordinary Form in our Diocese were:

1. Fr. Jean- Pierre Pilon, formally trained by Fraternal Society of St. Peter; pastor of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Peterborough - Subdeacon (also, please see my January posting on his initiative, begun this year.)
2. Fr. Steven Szakaczki, Latin Mass Chaplain of the Archdiocese of Toronto, residing at St. Lawrence the Martyr - Deacon
3. Fr. Russell Ashe, Associate Latin Mass Chaplain working with Fr. Steven, assisting @ St. Lawrence the Martyr - Celebrant (Priest).

As for the Homily, this was said by our celebrant, Fr. Ashe. Between the echo-ey acoustics, being at the side vs. in front of Father, the good Father's accent (British?), and my poor sleeping habits, I'll admit that I do not remember the majority of the homily, but here's the small tidbits I remember, with links/additions where needed from sources, such as papal documents:

• Father began the Homily with a quote from Scripture, when Christ is being magnified in the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, and God speak of him as in Luke 9:35: "....  “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” God clearly indicates the authority of His Divine Son in this passage. 
• Father than continued on to explain the origins of the feast day of Christ the King, in how it was established by Pope Pius XI in 1929, in the encyclical Quas Primas. 

• Part of the reason for Pope Pius XI releasing the exhortation, and establishing the feast day, was to combat religious laicism in society and the Church: whereby people would not acknowledge the Kingship of Christ as lord, or any God for that matter. This Feast day was to make public pronouncement in the Church, of the Lord as our Saviour, but also our Divine King whose kingdom is in Heaven. 

• Father also mentioned St. Joseph in the capacity of Christ the King. We do not usually connect kingship with St. Joseph normally, as we usually acknowledge him as St. Joseph the Worker. However, a father in a family relationship is a "king" of sorts. He is the natural leader; he rebukes, chastises, but he also loves and serves those whom are in his servitude or under is governance. Christ's Kingship is exactly like that, as being God Made Flesh, whereby like God Jesus is not a tyrant ruler judging us, but He is the Divine Lord and Father, rebuking, chastising when necessary, but also loving and leading us so that way we are led to proper governance, and proper salvation to Him. 

• In a way, we all share in the kingship of the Lord. Father Ashe reminded us of a particular portion of Vatican II, from the decree APOSTOLICAM ACTUOSITATEM, that  "...  the laity likewise share in the priestly, prophetic, and royal office of Christ and therefore have their own share in the mission of the whole people of God in the Church and in the world." (AA, 2)

• I also think that Father touched upon a point I remember from one of years' past Masses on Christ the King, the concept of self-governing one and rebelling against the King. When one accepts the "kingship" of self or the Devil, he is accepting one of anarchy and non-authority, being the sole governor of one's life. 

• Father also, in reference to this rebellion, commented on the war of the Angels and devils. Satan bucked this Divine kingship of the Lord, saying to him "Non-Serviam," meanwhile St. Michael, dutifully acknowledges Christ's Kingship, and having the name Michael signifies "quis et deus" which means in Latin "who is like God." I am not sure if Fr. had this planned, or he took inspiration from a couple of depictions of the archangel commander (see pictures below.)

Despite everything (ugh that chair!), we came out with a sacred, Solemn Latin Mass, and we even had the addition of the Asperges Rite as well as torchbearers!!! Also, considering that the school chapel was a bit out of the way from major streets (closest station is York Mills and you have to go up the hill to get close to it), we still had a good turnout of about 50 laity in our pews, and a couple of sisters were around while the Mass was going on. Also, a master of ceremonies from other Latin Mass initiatives in the Archdiocese attended our Mass! It was great to see our brothers in serving support us.

Hopefully, the choir will consider doing as usual, their offering of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Tuesday December 8th. I will definitely be reporting on this when I receive any official word from Surinder and the SPGC choir.

To conclude, some personal anecdotes and musings (and school spirit)
Occasionally, when these masses occur, some little interesting anecdotes or facets just happen, because of the site, or by the grace of the Lord. I would like to share a few of them with you.

To begin, my lovely fiancee finally made it out to a Solemn Latin Mass held by the choir!!! While I wished there had been a bigger crowd, regardless I was happy to see here there, and to know that she supports my endeavours, as I support hers (though I have to work on my temperance and stop being so critical of things and going "rah rah rah Latin Mass" too much.). In case you are curious about her, (e.g. a picture, a name) let`s just say that there`s a few things I hold close to the vest at the given moment. I decline from posting any information to her.

A second and third note, joined together. At one of my fiancee`s parishes she currently assists in Novus Ordo liturgies, as a ``jack of all trades`` (Server, MC, Sacristan, EMHC ...,) sometimes in multiple roles when short-handed, I have been blessed when she has been an EHMC to be able to receive communion from her. It`s a touching moment being served by the one you love, with the One Who LOVES TOTALLY, as she will best exemplify in this Sacrament of Marriage. Today, I had to do somewhat of a ``reverse role``, with me assisting the deacon (Fr. Pilon) in handing out communion to the lay faithful via holding the communion paten. My fiancee came up beside me, on the prie-deux to kneel and receive communion from Fr. Pilon as deacon. I of course was filled with glee seeing my beloved there, but then afterwards a thought occurred to me. Fr. Pilon and I (with of course Fr. Pilon as ordinary minister serving her the Sacred Body of Christ, so don`t misinterpret what I say.) ``served`` her, when normally I am the one being served Christ`s Body by her as an EMHC in the Novus Ordo Mass.

Then, it clicked to me. Here we are, both of us, having been served Christ`s Body, and are serving with Christ, in a literal and other sense, and also have assisted the other in being served. When I marry this golden gift of the Holy Family, my love of my life, we will be doing this in everything, with the sacrament of Marriage presenting ourselves to Christ. When a couple marries, this is their primary vocation, serving the Lord, and serving each other as He served us, and being his exemplar, as him with the Church to the world, for our salvation. In the Eucharist is his Love, served to us through the Church, HIS TOTALITY!!! Also, the couple is to help each other achieve salvation, and become saints through the Sacrament and lifetime of love. Wow, just wow. That was what, all of 2-3 seconds in the Latin Mass and I got that awesome insight??? The Latin Mass did that for me .... Deo Gratias.

Finally, as I was looking around the chapel of the Loretto sisters, I came across two poignant signs .....

 

The picture was outside of the Chapel. The statue is right above the entrance to the chapel, on the inside. 

Wow!!! These are magnificent depictions of St. Michael. What beauty! What strength!!! It turns out that in chatting with an IBVM sister who came by at the end of the Mass, she revealed that in the history of their order, their devotion or protection/patronage to St. Michael, goes as far back as England from when they came over.

In a related side note, (for any of you who are St. Michael's College School alumni/current SMCS students (BTW I'm an 2002 grad,)) the history of the "sister school" to St. Michael, is that St. Mike's TRUE sister school, was the Abbey. Holy Name of Mary College School in Mississauga changed that, but the Abbey was the sister school of St. Mikes for the longest time, with a history of social exchange (dances) as well as students applying to each other's dramatic productions, and even a cheer-leading squad for sports games, prior to the late 90's. They also have the "double blue" as part of their colour scheme for their kilts and uniforms, just like our school colours. To me ... the Abbey will always be the true sister school to St. Mike's.

So seeing these depictions of St. Michael, my devotion, this blog under St. Michael's patronage, and my alma mater's interesting history with the Abbey, one could say I had a lot of signage and connection with St. Michael that day. It was great to see his presence with us as we glorified the Lord, and made me ever more thankful for his patronage, and watch over us and the Abbey.

Finis

I hope you have enjoyed yet another report of the liturgical initiatives of the St. Patrick's Gregorian choir whom I serve with. If you attended the Mass of the 50 or so people, thank you for attending. May your souls have been uplifted to Heaven with the Saints and angels, and your soul nourished. Please stay tuned for the next offering from the choir. 

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin. 

Confirmed! Sunday October 25th Feast of Christ the King Solemn Latin Mass Organized by St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir!

It is finally confirmed!

Once again, the St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir will be organizing a Solemn Latin Mass for the annual Feast of Christ the King in the Extraordinary Form. The Choir annually holds a Latin Mass on this feast day, as this is the anniversary that the choir was formed, with 2015 being the 9th anniversary of the choir`s formation.

The information for the next Latin Mass of the SPGC is as follows:

Source: http://www.catholic.org/photos/photo.php?news=53291

• When: Sunday October 25th, 2015
• Location? Loretto Abbey Catholic School Chapel
• Address?  101 Mason Boulevard, Toronto, ON
• Start time? 3:30 pm
• Level of Mass: Solemn 
• Organizer: St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir under Surinder S. Mundra
• Primary Contact/Inquiries for Choir & Serving: 416 731 4485.  
• School Website:  https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/lorettoabbey/Pages/default.aspx
• Facebook event page:  https://www.facebook.com/events/875936455789124/
• Poster: 

In addition, if you are a male that is interested in assisting at this event by altar serving, or if any young or adult male you know would be interested in serving, please contact me at torontotlmservers@gmail.com. I will put you in contact with the master of ceremonies of the choir for this Mass and you will receive contact information as well as printed serving materials, and in future, information as to a practice prior to the Latin Mass. Also, having served with them for a long time, I might be able to handle initial inquiries/contact in the interim, until the MC notifies you. 

Finally, for a sampling of prior organized events, involving the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the EF, of the Choir (with my assistance as an altar server), please see the following links:

My report for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2015 Mass: http://torontotlmserving.blogspot.ca/2015/06/
report-solemn-latin-mass-for-feast-of.html

Photopost for the Sacred Heart 2015 Mass, featured on world renowned Traditional liturgy website, New Liturgical Movement: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2015/06/photopost-follow-up.html#.VYTR5vlVhBc


Please pass word onto your family and friends about this upcoming event. If there are any changes, I will post them and the choir will update their Facebook page as well. 

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.