28th and 29th June - Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

This time around, I'm going to make two posts listing my service music. I played the 5.30 pm Vigil Mass at Immaculate Conception Saturday evening, and pinch-hit for my mate Andy at the 7.45 am Mass the next morning.

Before I go on, I should mention that this was also the last weekend that Fr. Jacek Orzechowski would spend as the Parochial Vicar at IC, having been assigned as Associate Pastor at St. Camillus Church in Silver Springs, MD. More on Fr. Jacek later on in the post.

Here are the music lists. I actually played three services this past weekend, and used the same prelude and postlude music for each service. I decided it was going to be a John Stanley weekend. As for the music sung during the Mass, as usual, the numbers come out of GIA's Gather Comprehensive 1994 (green cover):

Saturday 5.30 pm Vigil Mass: The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
Gloria: 176 (Andrews)
Gospel Acclamation, Sanctus, Mem. Accl., Amen, Agnus Dei: Mass of Light

Prelude: Voluntary in e minor: Adagio-Allegro (Op. 7, No. 7; John Stanley)
Pro: 793, For all the saints (SINE NOMINE)
Psalm: 47, Psalm 34 (Haugen)
Off: 648, There is a balm in Gilead (BALM IN GILEAD)
Comm: 796, Litany of the Saints (Becker)
Re: 791, Lift High the Cross (CRUCIFER)
Postlude: Voluntary in D Major: Adagio ("Trumpet"; Op. 7, No. 5; Stanley)

And no, it is not THE Trumpet Voluntary (that would be Op. 6, No. 5) but another one, which is just as charming as THE one.

The Litany of the Saints was just enough to cover the whole of Communion, minus verse 6. I had the cantor replace Origen with Gabriel. Why? Well, I remembered a debate from the RPInet Forums that questioned Becker's use of Origen in his setting of the Litany. So of course, the bookish swot that I am had to look it up. Apparently, Origen was considered one of the most distinguished scholars of the early Christian Church. His Wikipedia entry was very interesting indeed, but quite heavy reading for me, I'll have to admit. But nowhere was it mentioned that he had ever been canonised. So I suppose the Origen naysayers may have had a point.

I came back the next morning to cantor the 7.45 am Mass. The cantor assigned that Sunday came down with an illness so seeing as how I owed him a Sunday because he cantored for me when my voice decided to take leave of me for 2+ months (and it's still not completely back, much to my annoyance), I decided to return the favour.

With that, the list. The organist, Jane, improvised the Prelude and Postlude, and for Communion, played Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.

Sunday 7.45 am Mass: The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
Gloria: 254 (Lee)
Gospel Acclamation: 261, Murray; verse chanted to tone VIII-g
Sanctus, Mem. Accl., Amen, Agnus Dei: Mass of Creation, with my "doctoring" of the Agnus Dei, essentially undoing the language faux-pas Haugen inflicted upon it in the first place ...

Pro: 527, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LOBE DEN HERREN)
Psalm: Psalm 34 (Guimont)
Off: 606, How firm a foundation (FOUNDATION)
Comm: Organist's Voluntary: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (J. S. Bach)
Re: 528, Joyful, joyful, we adore THEE (HYMN TO JOY)

(/begin rant)

Yes, as I sung this, I sang it as "Joyful, joyful, we adore thee." I don't care what the politically correct police at GIA Publications have done in editing their hymnals. I refuse to sing it as written there, as I am rather irritated with the way the language was butchered by their editors.

(/end rant)

Well, enough of that. On to other thoughts.

As I mentioned earlier, Fr. Jacek spent his last weekend at IC, as he started his new position as Associate Pastor at St. Camillus a couple of days ago. I remember when he first came to IC - he was known as Brother Jacek back then, and he did a summer internship at IC. His Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate took place at IC, where he was ordained with two fellow friars. I just remembered being up in the loft, quite frustrated as most of the service took place in Spanish. We were all crowded around the one Spanish speaker in the choir, Josep C., as he quietly translated the actual Ordination to those of us who were Spanish-impaired.

After Deacon Jacek became Fr. Jacek after his Ordination at ... I believe it was St. Francis in NYC, he returned to IC as Associate Pastor. He served in this capacity for six years.

I admit that I don't know Fr. Jacek very well - we knew each other's names and faces, but never really talked to each other much. He served the Latino Community quite admirably, as in addition to his native Polish and English, he is fluent in Spanish. (He may be fluent in other languages as well ... I heard possibly Italian ... but don't quote me on that.) He is very passionate about social justice issues, and that, if anything, would be the legacy he leaves here as he moves on to St. Camillus. I wish him Godspeed and Blessings as he begins his ministry in Silver Springs.