Dominican Rite Missa Cantata of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Holy Rosary Church, Portland OR

Holy Rosary Church has long celebrated the ancient Dominican Rite on a regular basis. Currently a Low Mass is offered every First Saturday of the month at 8:00 in the morning. Sung Masses are scheduled approximately once a month according to various feast days. Music for these Masses are offered by Portland’s own Cantores in Ecclesia. The most recent Missa Cantata was celebrated on the occasion of the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As customary on Candlemas, candles were disturbed to the faithful, a procession followed, and finally the Holy Sacrifice was offered. Last week Fr. Augustine Thompson posted the rubrics for the ceremonies of the Feast as observed by the Conventual Mass of a Dominican Priory. As is common in the Dominican Ceremoniale, rubrics for the laity are few. On such occasions, the rubrics of the Roman Rite can sometimes offer guidance.

Following are photos of the Missa Cantata celebrated by Fr. Vincent M. Kelber, O.P. The observance begins with the single prayer of blessing (as is found in the Dominican Missal), after which the candles are blessed with water and incense. The main celebrant is vested in cope for the procession that follows.



The faithful receive the blessed candles kneeling at the altar rail. Customarily they kiss the hands of the priest out of reverence for Christ in his minister. Here Francis-Hung Q. Le, O.P., pastor of Holy Rosary Church, helps distribute the candles.

The acolytes assist the people in lighting their candles.

A procession is made throughout the church by the minister and the servers. An acolyte serves the role of the friar in surplice who sprinkles Holy Water at the head of the procession. Following him are the acolytes with processional candles, the crucifer, friars and the celebrant. As is usual, the corpus of the processional cross faces not forward, but toward the friars and priests that “they may gaze upon the cross.” With its particular veneration of Christ Crucified and of the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, the Dominican Rite is at once manifestly Christocentric and soberly devotional.

Following the procession the priest returns to the sacristy to don the chasuble. Changing of vestments is not done at the chair as in the Roman Rite. Here the celebrant and servers recite the prayers at the foot of the altar asking God for mercy.

Candles are lit twice again during the Mass: during the singing of the Gospel, and from the lighting of the Sanctus candles until before Holy Communion. As to not inhibit the Gospel "procession" the candles were relit while the choir chanted.

Fr. Vincent contemplates the final words of the sequence.


The Elevation of the Sacred Body of Christ. Note the lit Sanctus candles upon the altar.



The moderate extension of the arms at the Unde et Memores.

As is permitted according to the custom of a place, the servers at Holy Rosary always pray a second Confiteor preceding the reception of the Holy Eucharist. Here Fr. Vincent is blessing the servers and communicants during the Absolutionem.

After the Mass Fr. Vincent returns from the sacristy to bless all the candles the faithful have brought from home for their own devotional use.


The next scheduled Missa Cantata at Holy Rosary Parish in Portland is Ash Wednesday on February 22, 2012.

Dominican Rite Masses on All Saints and All Souls in Portland, Oregon

I would like to advise readers of two up-coming events at Holy Rosary Church in Portland, Oregon. The Church will observe the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed with two Masses according the Dominican Rite.

All Saints

Holy Day of Obligation

Tuesday, November 1

7:30 P.M.

MISSA CANTATA

according to the Dominican Rite

Missa O Quam Gloriosum

by Tómas Luis Victoria

sung by Cantores in Ecclesia

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All Souls

Wednesday, November 2

7:30 P.M.

MISSA CANTATA

REQUIEM MASS

according to the Dominican Rite

The Gregorian Propers

sung by the Holy Rosary Schola

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Fr. Vincent M. Kelber, O.P., subprior of Holy Rosary Priory and celebrant of the Masses, invites any readers in the Portland area to attend either or both days and introduce themselves.

(The above images are taken from the 1933 Dominican Rite Missal.)

St. Cecilia: Dominican Rite Solemn Mass, Portland OR

I am pleased to present to our readers images of the Dominican Rite Solemn Mass, celebrated at Holy Rosary Church on the Feast of St. Cecilia, November 22, 2010, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the dedication of the church's Baroque Tracker Pipe Organ built by Richard Bond Organ Builders. The celebrant was the pastor, Rev. Fr. Anthony-M. Patalano, O.P., and the preacher was V. Rev. Gerald Albert Buckley, O.P., prior of Holy Rosary.

The Mass was the Missa Brevis of Zoltan Kodaly, sung by Cantores in Ecclesia. James O'Donnell, Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, was at the organ. The deacon was Father Eric Michael Andersen, Parish Administrator of St. Francis' Parish in Roy, Oregon, the subdeacon (as you know) was Mr. Jesson Mata, installed acolyte and lector. The crucifer was Mr. Thomas Setz; thurifer, Mr. Christopher Schmidgall; senior acolyte, Mr. Erin Staub; and junior acolyte, Mr. Harvey Fletcher.

Holy Rosary Parish is in the care of the Dominican Friars of the Western Dominican Province and the traditional Dominican Rite is celebrated regularly there both in the Sung and Low Mass forms. The next celebration will be tomorrow, December 7, at 7:30 p.m. a Dominican Rite Missa Cantata for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. For more information, visit the parish website.

In this first picture we see the three ministers and the acolytes have arrived in the sanctuary, the prior is visible in choro. The ministers wear apparalled amices over their capuces (hoods) that match the apparalled albs. These will be more visible later.


The Prayers at the Foot of the Altar: the candle-bearing acolytes have turned inward for the recitation of the Confiteor.


The priest and deacon have here ascended to the altar. The priest is reciting quietly the prayer Actiones nostras, while the deacon places the Missal on the stand.



The subdeacon here sings the Epistle, facing the altar.


The deacon sings the Gospel facing liturgical north. He is assisted by the subdeacon and the thurifer. According to Dominican practice on high feasts the Crucifer has preceded the candle-bears in the Gospel Procession and now stands behind the lectern. The painting in the Baptismal Font alcove shows the baptism of St. Dominic in Calaruega, Spain.


The Very Reverend Prior Fr. Gerald Albert Buckley, O.P. in the pulpit, about to begin his homily.

The ministers have returned from their positions on the Gospel side, where the priest has quietly read the Creed. They just about to genuflect for the Homo factus est, as you can see from the priest's posture. You can also see the veiled chalice on top of the humeral veil on the Epistle side.


The deacon and subdeacon have lined up behind the priest at the end of the Offertory.

Finally, a last photo from the side. Fr. Anthony has just blessed himself with the paten during the silent Embolism after the Pater Noster, and he is placing it aside.


My thanks to the parishioners who supplied these photos. I wish everyone a joyful feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Holy Rosary Church: Palestrina Mass of Dedication

Fr. Anthony-M. Patalano, O.P., pastor of the Dominican Parish in Portland, Holy Rosary Church, has asked that I advise our readers of an up-coming event there.

Holy Rosary Church will mark its 115th Anniversary on Sunday, 25 August, at the 11:00 A.M. Mass. The V. Rev. Gerald A. Buckley, O.P., Prior of the Western Dominican Province House of Studies, Saint Albert the Great Priory in Oakland CA, who was pastor at Holy Rosary from 1981-83, and who brought Cantores to this parish will celebrate Mass in Latin according to the Ordinary Form.

Cantores in Ecclesia will sing Palestrina's Missa Emendemus and the Plainsong Propers for the Feast of the Dedication of a Church. Holy Rosary is a dedicated church, and the date of the consecration was 28 January 1894, then the feast of the Translation of the Relics of St. Thomas. In the new calendar, so as not perpetually to impede the Feast of the Angelic Doctor, Holy Rosary Parish celebrates the dedication on the closest Sunday. Fr. Patalano invites any readers in the Portland area to attend the celebration and introduce themselves.

I might add that Fr. Patalano is the conference chair for The Living Tradition: The Dominican Rite in the Twenty-First Century, which will be held at Saint Albert the Great Priory in Oakland CA, 5-9 August 2009. This event is open to anyone interested in the Rite, not just Dominicans. The Program and registration forms may be found here.