Category Archives: Catechesis

Catechesis, Pentecost

TLM for Pentecost Sunday

The feast of Pentecost, or Whitsunday, will be observed ed in a Solemn High Mass in the traditional Latin form at St. Stanislaus Church, State Street at Eld Street in New Haven, on Sunday, June 5, at 2:00 pm. The celebrant will be The Reverend Peter Lenox, Episcopal Vicar for Liturgy and Worship, the Diocese of Bridgeport; the deacon will be The Reverend Robert L. Turner, Pastor of St. Ambrose Parish, North Branford; and the subdeacon will be Mr. William V. Riccio, Jr.

Pentecost is celebrated on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1-31).

We read in the Gospel at the Mass on this great feast that our Lord foretold the coming of the Paraclete to his disciples, and the Epistle shows us the realization of that promise.  God descended upon the Cenacle, and a mighty wind which blew suddenly upon the house, together with the appearance of tongues of fire within, were the wonderful tokens of His coming.

Taught by the “Light of Thy Holy Ghost” (Collect at Mass) and filled by the gifts of the same Spirit poured out upon them (Sequence), the apostles became new men to go forth and renew the whole world (Introit). In the words of the Alleluia: “Come Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love,” let us fervently pray that the Holy Ghost will come down upon us.

Music for the service, sung by members of the Schola Cantorum of the Saint Gregory Society, will include the Gregorian Mass Ordinary I, “Lux et origo,” motets by Claudio Monteverdi and Guillaume Dufay, the proper Gregorian chants, and organ music by Jacques Boyvin and Eugène Gigout.

 

 

 

 

Catechesis, Lent

Mass for the Second Sunday in Lent

The Second Sunday in Lent will be celebrated in a traditional Latin High Mass at St. Stanislaus Church, State Street at Eld Street, in New Haven on March 6 at 2:00 pm. The celebrant will be the Reverend Matthew Mauriello.

Between Moses and Elias on Mount Tabor, Jesus shows forth his divine glory, thus foreshadowing His resurrection. He in Whom His Father was well pleased has joined Himself in fellowship with us, even taking on flesh like unto our sinful flesh, as St. Paul says. He died on the cross to make us co-heirs of His glory and the well-beloved children of His Father in heaven.  He is our elder brother and head; in our prayer we should claim kinship with Him; we should obey His law and unite ourselves with Him in our endeavor to purify ourselves and raise ourselves up towards God.  The texts of the liturgy of this second Sunday in Lent put before us all those dispositions of soul that should be ours in God’s presence in this glorious manifestation of the divinity of Jesus.

Let the light of the grandeur of Jesus transfigured prepare us for a contemplation of the humiliation of His Passion.

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 (Reminiscere), and polyphonic motets by Guillaume Dufay and Leon Leoni.

Catechesis, News

Mass for Quinquagesima Sunday

Quinquagesima Sunday will be celebrated in a traditional Latin High Mass at St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven on Sunday, February 27, at 2:00 pm. The celebrant will be The Reverend Robert L. Turner, Pastor of St. Ambrose Parish, North Branford.

The third of the Sundays preparing us for the fast of Lent, Quinquagesima, the fiftieth day before Easter, signals that Ash Wednesday is close at hand. 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 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. “Go your way, your faith has saved you.”

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 members of 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 motets “Ave Regina caelorum” by Guillaume Dufay and “Adoramus te, Christe by Orlando di Lasso, and organ music by Guillaume Nivers and Jean Titelouze.

 

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.

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.