Sunday Vespers at Saint Patrick
At our parish of Saint Patrick in Tacoma, we will be celebrating Solemn Vespers in the evening of each Sunday of Lent at 6:00 PM. Please, join us in the coming weeks if you are local and able. Chanted Vespers is a beautiful and traditional way of worship in our faith.
We last celebrated Vespers here at Saint Patrick following the death of Pope Benedict XVI. That was a beautiful and moving celebration, but of course it was a single instance. Here, we will be chanting every Sunday through Palm Sunday.
The Divine Office has formed me in my life as a Christian. I’ve often waxed on about it, and I’ve exhorted parishes to regularly celebrate at least Sunday Vespers, as the Second Vatican Council asked us to.
100. Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts. And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually.
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Recently, as I recounted on my Camino blog, I had a profound moment of consolation and sense of mission as I prayed Vespers at Moissac Abbey. At the time, I wrote this:
When I arrived at the Abbey Church, the sisters had just begun to chant Vespers. I joined, and it was absolutely beautiful. The Sacred liturgy, when done properly, is a healing balm to me in a way I don’t really have language to explain.
Afterwards, I sat for a long while in the empty Abbey church, and I wept for the beauty of it. I wept. I could feel the Lord close to me, showing me the barest glimpses of heavenly joy. Although I couldn’t stop crying for a while, it was one of the most profound moments of consolation I’ve had in my life.
But of course, that description only scratches the surface of the overwhelming grace that the Lord showered upon me at that moment. It is my earnest hope that you will come and sing Vespers with us. I cannot, of course, guarantee the Lord’s consolation for you, but I can absolutely guarantee that in this prayer, by the Church and for the Church, many graces will be poured out.
