A Liturgical Lent: a Review and a Look Forward

At my parish of Holy Rosary in Tacoma, we had a lot going on for this first weekend of Lent. Think of this as a look into the life of a parish pursuing the vision of the New Liturgical Movement during Lent.

You could almost consider this a snapshot review of our parish liturgical life.

Friday

Although not strictly liturgical, our first events were our Friday soup supper and Stations of the Cross. The ladies of the Altar Society sponsored the soup supper, the first time we have had something like this at our parish in many years. The altar servers served the soup. Although turnout wasn’t huge, there was definitely a lot of enthusiasm, as well as good soup and home-baked bread. Thanks to my lovely bride, Francine, Pistachio House smelled like a bakery for much of the day.

We will continue these soup suppers, starting at 5:45 pm on all Fridays of Lent.

While the supper was going on, we had Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church.

Deacon Teskey offered Benediction about 7:00 pm, followed by the Stations of the Cross according to the writings of Saint Alphonsus Liguori.

Afterwards, we set out a display of the parish’s newly purchased priestly vestments.

These were purchased by the Altar Society, with additional donations provided by Father Jerry Sherbourne and the Altar Servers, who donated their stipends from the past year’s weddings and funerals.

We set them out on a table near the church entrance with some explanatory signs so that all of our Saturday and Sunday Mass-goers could get a good look at them.

Saturday

Father Wagner began Confessions and Adoration at 3:00 pm, with the Rosary at 4:30 pm followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at about 4:45 pm¹.

This was followed by our delightful and immensely talented choir director, Mrs. Victoria Solenberger, speaking for a few moments to the people about the importance of Gregorian Chant, and why we do this at Holy Rosary. For the past few weeks, she has been offering these “liturgy bites” before the weekend Masses.

Last week, she talked about the Antiphons, and the week before about Latin in the liturgy.

These “liturgy bites” are short – maybe three minutes – but they are an important liturgical catechesis about what the Church envisions and we are implementing for the sacred liturgy. They have proven popular, not least because Victoria has a bouncy and infectious enthusiasm.

In conjunction with the “liturgy bites”, we are also publishing short liturgical articles for Lent in the parish bulletin under the headline “Why Do Catholics Do That?”

The Saturday Vigil Mass began at 5:00 pm (ish). It included the Rite of Sending for one of our RCIA Candidates, who will be attending the Rite of Election with Bishop Eusebio at St. Charles Borromeo Church next Saturday morning.

Sunday

It began to snow on Sunday morning, a wet, sloppy snow. While this didn’t impact our Noon Mass at all, the temperatures dropped quite precipitously in the evening, turning what was left of the snowfall to ice. This certainly prevented some folks from attending Solemn Vespers later in the evening.

We often refer to our Noon Mass as our “high Mass”. This is because our former pastor Father Wichert wanted us to elevate our principal weekend Mass with all the solemnity we could muster.

This particular Mass was beyond even our normal level of heightened solemnity.

Father arrived shortly before Noon, and we celebrated the traditional Asperges as a paraliturgical rite.

This has a long history in our parish, dating back to the Benedictines who started this custom in 1986. After the Benedictines left in 1998, it went into abeyance for a while, but we revived it during Father Wichert’s tenure for Lent and some important feasts and solemnities².

Once again, our choir director gave her Gregorian Chant “liturgy bite”.

Then the choir led the people in praying the Angelus while Father and the altar servers prayed Psalm 43 (42) in the narthex.

We have a poster of this in the narthex³ from which we pray before weekend Masses, as well as feasts and solemnities. Most of the servers have it memorized. Father has semi-seriously joked with them that we’ll be starting this in Latin (rather than English) soon.

Following the introit and the incensing of the altar, there came a knock on the door of the church. This was the beginning of the Rite of Acceptance, which we celebrated for one of our Catechumens. She had missed it when we celebrated it before Advent.

Following the homily, the ladies of the Altar Society brought up the new priestly vestments for blessing. Father imparted the blessing according to the form found in Rituale Romanum.

Then we celebrated the Rite of Sending for three Catechumens. Although we had long planned on this, this was the first year we actually managed to celebrate this rite.

One of our Catechists, Jon Carp, afterward led the Catechumens out for further discussion on the Sunday scriptures.

During the Liturgy of the Eucharist that followed, Father prayed the Roman Canon. I continue to be so grateful for this. Three priests now at Holy Rosary have almost exclusively used this prayer for the weekend Masses.

In fact, it was Father Maurer’s praying of the Roman Canon that first drew us to this parish.

I should probably mention at this point that we sing the Mass parts during Lent in Latin using the Missa Jubilate Deo, including the Mortem Tuam, as well as the Latin Pater Noster⁴. It is simply heavenly.

Mass ended with the blessing, and then we prayed the Saint Michael Prayer.

Rather than a recessional hymn and procession, Father exposes the Blessed Sacrament and a period of Adoration followed. It was amazing to see probably two dozen people staying for Adoration, rather than heading immediately for the coffee and doughnuts!

Father blessed the servers in the sacristy rather than at the doors of the church.

I continue to be both gratified and amazed at the growing attendance at our Noon Masses. Several people spoke with Father after Mass, thanking him for the beautiful sacred liturgy at Holy Rosary. I am given to understand that some folks have written to Archbishop Sartain thanking him as well.

Solemn chanted Vespers began at 6:00 pm, led for the first time by Deacon Teskey. It was, as always, glorious. We ended with the singing of the Marian antiphon.

Due to the icy conditions I mentioned earlier, Vespers was poorly attended, but the folks who braved the weather certainly found it worth the trip. There’s just something about singing the psalms this way in community that lifts one’s heart to the Lord.

Onwards to the Rest of Lent!

For reference, here is our liturgical schedule for Lent:

Come join us for some of these liturgies and devotions this Lent! This Lenten Calendar is obviously in addition to our normal Mass schedule at Holy Rosary:

Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM (preceded by Adoration, Rosary, Benediction)
Sunday: 12:00 PM (with Asperges and Angelus)
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 7:15 AM (followed by Rosary)
Friday School Mass: 9:00 AM

Plus, we celebrate simple Vespers on Thursdays at 6:00 PM in the Convent Meeting Center Chapel before our catechetical classes.

And Where from Here?

Our Liturgy Commission remains committed to our strategic plan to “restore the sacred” at Holy Rosary. Father Wagner is enthusiastic about the prospect. I think our Rorate Mass really showed him in a concrete, practical way what our liturgical vision in this parish really is.

Following a presentation that Victoria and I gave to the Pastoral Council some time back, they are onboard as well.

Francine has suggested that perhaps we give this presentation in a more public forum to the parish at large. I think this is a great idea. We have been working to this evolving plan for almost five years now, and I know that people are curious.

It was the goal of the original Liturgical Movement to bring the people closer to the sacred liturgy, and so to bring them in closer contact with the heavenly liturgy and to our Lord. In other words, to foster a sense of liturgical devotion.

This remains our mission at Holy Rosary. To celebrate the sacred liturgy in the way the Church has repeatedly called us to do: in a way that is faithful to the texts and rubrics and tradition, but also reverent and beautiful and transcendent.

1. Approximately. Father has a tendency to go long in the Confessional.
2. During the Easter Season, we typically celebrate the “Sprinkling Rite” as it is presented in the modern Roman Missal, in place of the confiteor.
3. We also have one hanging in the priest’s sacristy for daily Mass.
4. During other seasons and for solemnities and feasts, we sing different Latin Chant Masses, but the Mortem Tuam and Pater Noster remain consistent.