Extra Tridentine Community News Notes - Chant Workshop at Old St. Mary's on October 28; Summórum Pontíficum Conference Report; London Oratory Tridentine Vespers on BBC

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (from bulletin insert for October 1, 2017):

Chant Workshop at Old St. Mary’s on October 28

Wassim Sarweh will be offering another Chant Workshop on Saturday, October 28 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM at Detroit’s Old St. Mary’s Church. Intended for those interested in learning more about Gregorian Chant, no particular musical background is required. Subjects to be covered:

• A brief history and origin of chant
• Understanding free melody & rhythms
• Vocal techniques developing the chant sound
• Notation and Neumes
• Western Church Modes, scales and feel
• Old Roman Chant
• Chant in the Liturgy
• Instrumental accompanying of chant

The workshop will include a Tridentine High Mass at 2:00 PM at which participants will be able to put their newly acquired skills to practice. [The public is invited to attend this Mass; you do not need to be a participant in the workshop.] Lunch will be provided. For more information and registration details, contact Wassim at: wassimsarweh@gmail.com.

Summórum Pontíficum Conference Report

The tenth anniversary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio Summórum Pontíficum was marked with a conference in Rome on September 14-17, at which this writer was present. Over 400 faithful crowded into the amphitheater classroom at the Angélicum in Rome, where talks were given by Pontifical Commission Ecclésia Dei Secretary Archbishop Guido Pozzo, Cardinal Robert Sarah, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, and others. Cardinal Raymond Burke was in attendance, along with FSSP co-founder Fr. Josef Bisig, FSSP Superior General Fr. John Berg, and ICRSP founder Msgr. Gilles Wach.


Many of the talks noted the global surge in the number of Traditional Latin Mass sites post-Summórum, along with the appeal of the liturgy to the young. Vespers were celebrated by Prefect of the Papal Household and Personal Secretary to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Archbishop Georg Gänswein. A procession through the streets of Rome and Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica capped the event. With such strong international attendance – North Americans were in the minority – and support from such high-ranking clergy, the conference was yet another example of the ascendance of the Traditional Mass into the mainstream life of the Church.

London Oratory Tridentine Vespers on BBC


On Wednesday, September 20, BBC Radio 3 conducted a live broadcast of Tridentine Vespers for Ember Wednesday from the London Oratory. This was a rare opportunity to see the professional adult choir of the Oratory perform in a visible location, necessitated to accommodate the microphones; normally the choir is hidden from view in the loft.

As this column has many times mentioned, Vespers at the Oratory is one of the most impressive and ethereal liturgical and musical experiences in the world. Visitors to London can attend Solemn Vespers at the Oratory every Sunday at 3:30 PM, but you don’t have to travel to hear it: The BBC has posted a recording of the September 20 broadcast, available on-line until October 19, at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b094t14k

While the whole hour-long recording is amazing – the choir basically sings non-stop for the whole hour, flawlessly – if you have limited time, listen to one of the Psalms, beginning at 11:51.

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for October 1, 2017. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]