A Treasure To Be Shared

Two copies of the St. Gregory's Prayer Book (SGPB) arrived a few days ago. It is a lovely work replete with beautiful devotions drawn from the English Patrimony. Both Ordinariate and diocesan Catholics would do well to acquire a copy to access its riches. The SGPB is "a collaborative venture" of the three personal ordinariates and the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society . A blurb from the Ignatius Press site where one can go to purchase copies: https://www.ignatius.com/St-Gregorys-Prayer-Book-P3228.aspx The St Gregory's Prayer Book is a beautifully produced leatherette prayer book compiled by the Ordinariates established by Pope Benedict XVI and drawing on the riches of the Anglican liturgical heritage and the exquisite Cranmerian language of the Book of Common Prayer to further enrich the panoply of Catholic liturgy and devotion. The text includes ancient English collects, introits and hymns available together for the first time for the whole Church...

As the Council recalls, the Church’s liturgical action is also part of her contribution to the work of civilization (cf.  Gaudium et Spes , n. 58). Indeed the liturgy is the celebration of the central event of human history, the redemptive sacrifice of Christ. Thus it bears witness to the love with which God loves humanity, to the fact that human life has a meaning and that it is through their vocation that men and women are called to share in the glorious life of the Trinity. Humanity needs this witness. People need to perceive, through the liturgical celebrations, that the Church is aware of the lordship of God and of dignity of the human being. She has the right to be able to discern, over and above the limitations that will always mark her rites and ceremonies, that Christ “is present in the sacrifice of Mass and in the person of the minister” (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium , n. 7). Knowing the care with which you prepare your liturgical celebrations, I encourage you to cult...

... and what those same Ordinary Form (diocesan) music directors can learn from the experience of a typical Ordinariate community . From the Catholic Herald (Wednesday, 20 Dec 2017), in part: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2017/12/20/young-people-increasingly-attracted-to-gregorian-chant/ Catholic Church music directors throughout the country recognised “that we should give young people what they want,” he said. “They want a sense of beauty. They want a sense of mystery.” (Scott) Turkington discovered that Gregorian chant was an effective tool in teaching children the importance of sacred music in the church. “If you give Gregorian chant to kids, they love it,” Turkington said. [Having taught chant to college students and public school choirs at the high school and middle school levels for the past 30 years, I concur.] ["..."] “There’s been a flowering of publication of English-language versions of Gregorian melodies and changes t...