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Catechesis

Festive Celebration of Candlemas

The feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commonly as Candlemas, in a festive service in the traditional Latin form, including the Blessing of Candles, Procession and Solemn High Mass, on Sunday, February 6, at 2:00 P.M., at Saint Stanislaus Church, State and Eld Streets, New Haven.  The Celebrant will be the Reverend Richard G. Cipolla, Pastor Emeritus of St. Mary’s Church, Norwalk, and the Deacon will be the Reverend Robert L. Turner, Pastor of St. Ambrose Parish, North Branford

Candlemas celebrates both the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary forty days after his birth. In both respects it is connected with the mysteries of Christmas and is filled with Christmas joy. It is a feast of light—first because of aged Simeon’s prophetic words when he greeted Jesus at the temple as the Light which should enlighten the Gentiles, and also on account of the Candlemas procession, in which candles are carried, as once was done on other feasts of Our Lady. Today’s procession has been retained on one of her most ancient feasts to celebrate the revelation of Christ as the Light of the world.

The solemn blessing of candles and procession through the church by the entire congregation, with the servers holding the newly blessed lit candles, followed by Solemn Mass, comprise one of the loveliest services of the Church Year.  Please bring family and friends to participate in this festive celebration.

 Music for the service performed by the Schola Cantorum of the Saint Gregory Society, will include the Gregorian chant Missa Marialis (Vatican ed. IX/X), the chant propers for the procession and Mass, polyphonic motets by Healey Willan and Tomás Luis de Victoria, and organ music by William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons.

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MASS FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany will be observed in a celebration of Solemn High Mass at St. Stanislaus Church, State Street at Eld Street, New Haven, this Sunday, January 23, at 2:00 pm. The Reverend Richard G. Cipolla, Pastor emeritus of St. Mary’s Church, Norwalk, will be the celebrant; The Reverend Robert L. Turner, Pastor of St. Ambrose Parish, North Branford will be the decon; and members of the Schola Cantorum of the St. Gregory Society will sing the Gregorian chants for the service.

The texts of the liturgy for this day testify to our Lord’s universal royalty and divinity. The two miracles recounted in the Gospel have the same meaning.  The first was worked on behalf of a Jewish leper whom Jesus commanded to make known his cure to the priests “for a testimony unto them”; the second was on behalf of a Roman centurion who bore witness, by his words of humility and trust, of his faith in Christ.  All nations, then, are called to enter into the Kingdom to share in the heavenly feast at which the divinity of Christ will be the food of their souls.

As children in the kingdom of Heaven, let us renew our faith in Christ’s divinity, and let us give testimony to it by living by the rule of Christian charity, that great commandment which is emphasized by St. Paul in today’s Epistle. “Charity” says, St. Augustine, “is the effect of faith in Jesus Christ.”

Music for the liturgy to be sung by the Schola Cantorum of the Saint Gregory Society will include the Missa “Orbis factor” (Vatican edition XI) chant ordinary, the Gregorian proper for the Epiphany: “Adorate Deum omnes angeli,” the motets “Confitemini Domino” by Nicholas Renouf and “Benedicam Dominum,” by Leon Leoni, and organ music by Girolamo Cavazzoni and Girolamo Frescobaldi.

Catechesis

Mass for the Feast of the Holy Family 2022

The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph will be observed in a celebration of Solemn High Mass at St. Stanislaus Church, State Street at Eld Street, New Haven, this Sunday, January 9, at 2:00 pm. Father Michael V. Clark, priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport, will be the celebrant, and the Father Robert Turner, Pastor of St. Ambrose Parish, North Branford will be the Deacon. Members of the Schola Cantorum of the St. Gregory Society will provide the music for the service.

Pope Leo XIII the established the Feast of the Holy Family for Canada in 1893, and Pope Benedict XV fixed this Feast on the Sunday after the Epiphany on the universal calendar. In their lowly dwelling at Nazareth, by practicing the domestic virtues of charity, obedience, mutual help and regard, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph hallowed family life.  There, too, they constantly found joy and peace in recollection and prayer in common. May we as well, during this joyful season of Christmastide, meditate on the Holy Family as the model of virtue for all Christian households.

The Feast of the Holy Family this year marks the 36th Anniversary of the establishment of the Saint Gregory Society of New Haven.  On this day in 1985, after a hiatus of 15 years, the first traditional Latin Mass was celebrated at Sacred Heart Church by permission of the late John F. Whealon, Archbishop of Hartford. The Archbishop’s permission was granted in response to a petition that was submitted by our organization, which was prompted by Pope St. John Paul II’s indult “Quattuor abhinc annos” of October 1984.  We rejoice in having enjoyed the many blessings of the presence of this inestimable instrument of God’s praise in our community these ensuing years.

 Music for the liturgy to be sung by the Schola Cantorum of the Saint Gregory Society will include the Missa Marialis (Vatican edition IX/X) chant ordinary, the Gregorian proper for the Holy Family: “Exsultet gaudio” the motet “Hodie apparuit” by Orlando di Lasso, the Hymn “Christe Redemptor” by Guillaume Dufay, and organ music by Jean Titelouze and Giovanni Battista Fasolo.

 

 

Catechesis

New Year’s Masses

The Octave Day of Christmas and Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord will be observed in a celebration of Low Mass Mass in the traditional Latin form on Saturday, January 1, at 2:00 pm at St. Stanislaus Church, State Street at Eld Street, New Haven. The Reverend Matthew Mauriello will be the celebrant.

The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus will be observed in a celebration of Low Mass Mass in the traditional Latin form on Sunday, January 2, at 2:00 pm at St. Stanislaus Church, State Street at Eld Street, New Haven.  The Reverend Jan Pikulski will be the celebrant.

These two feast days auspiciously inaugurate the new calendar year with a rich liturgical observance.  Saturday’s Mass reiterates many of the texts from the Christmas Day Mass, while the brief Gospel announces the official naming of Jesus at his circumcision.

The texts of Sunday’s Mass all acknowledge in praise of the majesty and power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. Thus are Christians exhorted to invoke this Most Holy Name daily throughout their lives as made clear in the Collect of the Day: “O God, who didst appoint Thine only-begotten Son to be the Saviour of mankind, and didst bid that He should be called Jesus; mercifully grant that we, who venerate His Holy Name on earth, may also enjoy the vision of Him in Heaven.”

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MASS FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, or “GAUDETE SUNDAY”

The Third Sunday of Advent, or “Gaudete Sunday,” will be observed in a celebration of Solemn High Mass at St. Stanislaus Church, State Street at Eld Street, New Haven, this Sunday, December 12, at 2:00 pm. The Reverend Richard G. Cipolla, Pastor Emeritus of St. Mary’s Church, Norwalk, will be the celebrant and homilist, and The Reverend Robert Turner, Pastor of St. Ambrose Parish, North Branford will serve as Deacon. The Schola Cantorum of the St. Gregory Society will sing the Gregorian chant for the service.

Gaudete Sunday marks the midpoint of Advent. As on Laetare Sunday, the midpoint of Lent, the penitential character of the liturgy is relaxed; the organ is played, flowers are permitted on the altar, and violet vestments are replaced with rose.  The Introit at Mass exhorts Christians to rejoice at the coming of Christ at Christmas in anticipation of His Second Coming at the end of time.

Saint John the Baptist preaches in the Gospel at today’s Mass, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord … the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose.” Following John’s exhortation to prepare for the coming of the Lord, the Church urges her faithful in the Communion Antiphon to “take courage and fear not: behold our God will come and will save us.

”Music for the liturgy to be sung by the Schola Cantorum of the Saint Gregory Society will include the Missa Cum jubilo (Vatican edition IX) chant ordinary, the Gregorian proper for Advent Sunday: “Gaudete in Domino semper,” the motets “Ne timeas Maria” by Nicholas Renouf and “Alma Redemptoris Mater” by Palestrina” and organ music by Jean Titelouze.