First Vespers of the English Martyrs in commemoration of the transferred Patronal feast of Holy Martyrs of England and Wales Catholic Church to be prayed by the Chorus Breviarii and Brothers of the Little Oratory following the 4:00 P.M. vigil mass.
Join us for a pilgrimage!
Mission Pilgrimage to San Diego de Alcalá
10818 San Diego Mission Rd, San Diego, CA 92108
Pilgrimages has
been a large part of Catholic life for many in the past and as
Californians we have an opportunity that most other Americans don't:
to make a local pilgrimage. The Lenten season is perfect for doing so as well.
We invite you to join us on Friday evening, March 17th 2023 at the Mission San Diego de Alcalá. We will be attending the mission parish's daily mass at 5:30pm and in praying the Stations of the Cross. Afterwards we will gather to pray the Rosary and sing hymns to commemorate California's Catholic past and to pray for her conversion.
The missions are an important part of California's history. The San Diego mission was the first of the 21. Founded by Franciscan priest Saint Junipero Serra as a part of a project by Carlos III of Spain to establish a Spanish foothold further up north in response to exploration and hopes of expansion by the Russian Empire. San Diego de Alcalá was founded on July 16th, 1769 and is still alive as a fully functional Catholic parish and basilica. The missions are a great memorial to California's history as a Catholic and Spanish colony and a starting point in our prayers for the conversion of our homeland and the rest of the United States.
¡Viva Cristo Rey!
San Junipero Serra. Reza por nosotros.
God save America.
On the 1st Sunday of Lent 2023, a few Chorus Breviarii members joined the choir at Holy Martyrs to sing the full 13 verses of the Tract "Qui habitat," which includes much of Psalm 90. Though we could always improve, it is a blessing that we were able to sing it, as in most parishes, this Tract is almost always simplified to Psalm Tone 2D, not merely because of the apparent melismatic threat it poses to chant beginners, but due to the sheer length (at least 12.5 minutes!) possibly eating into other scheduled Mass times, especially at particularly busy parishes. For this reason, the Liber Usualis includes the Psalm-toned version in the first few pages of the Appendix.
An unsettling but humorous observation made by many who come across this Tract is that they are the verses of the notorious hymn "On Eagle's Wings," a favorite of the current occupant of the Presidential chair. For this reason, during practice, it's usual for a choir member to jokingly recommend singing the hymn in place of the Tract. Of course, as lovers of chant and traditional English hymnody, we would never voluntarily subject the laity to those kinds of hymns! In our next post, we will review the family of Tracts that "Qui habitat" belongs to, in contrast with another well-known Tract family.
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| Joe vibing to his favorite hymn |
With the assistance of clergy, servers, singers, and devoted laity, our 2nd Annual O Tide tour around Southern California was a great success. Thank you to everyone who provided help, and we hope to be invited back to your parishes soon! Hopefully we'll even be able to sing Vespers for all 7 days!
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| Preparation before St. Thomas Vespers at St. Anne's |
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| Snow-capped peaks in the distance! |
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| Cesar with John Polhamus of the Brothers |
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| Courtesy: Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. |
May God grant eternal rest to Pope Benedict XVI, a friend of Tradition and to those Anglican's who sought to become members of the True Church under the Roman Pontiff. It was through Summorum Pontificum that many laymen and clergy, many of whom who were born after the near-universal replacement of the ancient Roman Rite Mass and Office with the new rites according to Paul VI, were exposed to the beauty of their Catholic heritage. It was through his later writings that many aspects of the Catholic faith which had faced destruction from the powers of this world were defended, inspiring many Catholics to take up the Cross and defend the True Faith.
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| Summorum Pontificum allowed for the Brothers to celebrate the Traditional Mass at parishes that would otherwise have no regular access. |
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| An Ordinariate Requiem being celebrated with Chorus Breviarii Murrieta |
May God grant rest to His servant Benedict. Our Chorus Breviarii member Cesar Ramirez is grateful for the late Pope, saying: "Thanks for making Trad Cats cool again." We will be praying for him through our Rosaries and Offices.
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| Photo of the late Holy Father lying in wait |
