Imposition of Ashes and Low Mass will be offered in the traditional Latin form at St. Stanislaus Church, State Street at Eld Street in New Haven on Wednesday, February 22, at 5:30 pm. The celebrant will be The Reverend Peter Lenox, Episcopal Vicar for Liturgy and Worship, Diocese of Bridgeport.
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High Mass for Quinquagesima Sunday
Quinquagesima Sunday will be celebrated in a traditional Latin High Mass at St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven, Sunday, February 19, at 2:00 pm. The celebrant will be The Reverend Peter Lenox, Vicar for Liturgy and Worship, the Diocese of Bridgeport..
The third of the Sundays of Shrovetide, Quinquagesima, on the fiftieth day before Easter, signals that Ash Wednesday is close at hand. The great Benedictine abbot, Dom Prosper Guéranger, speaks of Quinquagesima as a “time of Abraham” because of Abraham’s “docility and devotedness in following the call of his God.”
In the Gospel of St. Luke on this day, our Lord prepares His
apostles for His coming sufferings, that is, His sacred Passion in Jerusalem. The blind man represents the sinners who break their relationship with God, rejecting the offer of the promises of the Kingdom because of fallen man’s own selfishness in pride. The cry of the blind man is our cry, too: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!.” This prayer moved the heart of Jesus who stopped, called out to him, and healed him. This personal encounter prompted our Lord to ask the blind man to name the desire of his heart: “What do you want me to do for you?” the Lord asks him. “Master, let me receive my sight,” the blind man answers. “Receive thy sight; thy faith hath made thee whole.”
Quinquagesima Sunday invites us to ask for the grace that the blind man had been given: sufficient awareness to beg for the Lord’s mercy in hearing our prayers for forgiveness of sins so that we may live in perfect freedom. Are we as Catholics prepared to be docile and devoted, like Abraham, like the blind man, before the promptings of the Holy Trinity?
Music for the service performed by the Schola Cantorum of the St. Gregory Society, will include the Gregorian chant ‘Missa Orbis factor’ (Vatican edition XI), the chant proper for the Mass (Esto mihi), The plainsong hymn, “O Quam glorifica,” polyphonic motets by Nicholas Renouf and Claudio Monteverdi, and organ music by Guillaume Nivers and Jean Titelouze.
The New Year for our Society at St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven
The Octave Day of Christmas and Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord will be observed on in a celebration low Mass in the traditional Latin form on Sunday, 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 Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph will be observed at St. Stanislaus Church in a celebration of High Mass in the traditional Latin form on Sunday, January 8, at 2:00 pm.
We encourage our members and friends to partake of the graces that flow from the immemorial liturgy during this blessed season.
Solemn Mass for Gaudete Sunday
The Third Sunday of Advent or Gaudete Sunday will be observed in a celebration of Solemn Mass at St. Stanislaus Church, State Street at Eld Street, New Haven, this Sunday, December 11, at 2:00 pm. The Reverend Richard Cipolla, Pastor Emeritus of St. Mary’s Church, Norwalk, will be the celebrant and homilist, and The Reverend Peter Lenox, Episcopal Vicar for Liturgy and Worship, Diocese of Bridgeport 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,” motets by Nicholas Renouf (“Ne timeas Maria”) and Palestrina (“Alma Redemptoris Mater”), the Advent Hymn, “Veni Emmanuel,” and organ music by Jean Titelouze and Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers.
There is still time to order unique …
Again this holy season the St. Gregory Society offers a selection of gift items that in the dignity of their simplicity and timelessness of their message make a strong statement about our Catholic faith and the role of traditional beliefs and practices in our lives. Surely there are among your family and friends those who will observe Christmas 2022 with added devotion because you reminded them of the Gift that is eternal. Go to our online SHOP to see our full selection of liturgical calendars, Christmas cards, note cards, Mass cards and audio recordings.
Online orders will be shipped within 48 hours.