Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

This morning was a great day in the diocese... our new bishop, Michael Duca, took his place in the cathedra and gave us a great homily, exhorting us to take within us Christ to the world in our words and actions.

The traditional knocking at the door, entry and sprinkling by the bishop began the day's liturgy, after which the Mass began. I sang the short version of the Sequence before the Alleluia. It actually flows in the Mass at that point very well, although it is supposed to be sung after the Alleluia according to the missal.

After the reception of Holy Communion, the bishop led a procession with the Blessed Sacrament around the cathedral. It was something great to see... 8 torch bearers in robes, the bishop, 2 priests, our deacon and all the parishioners. They carried the Blessed Sacrament under a canopy... but even that bit of shade can't have made it very cool carrying the monstrance in all those vestments... it is hot and muggy here in Shreveport just now. After the procession, we had the Benediction.

While I was waiting for the procession to return, one parishioner came up and asked me about the sequence. Apparently, she had never before heard it... I was so happy to have the chance to spread the word about all the beautiful chant that is ours for the using...

Here is some information that I provided to her about the Sequence for Corpus Christi, Lauda Sion... it was written by St. Thomas Aquinas and is one of the three sequences that are listed in my Gregorian Missal for the Novus Ordo (ordinary) form of the Mass (The other two are: Veni, Sancte Spiritus -- Pentecost and Victimae Paschali -- Easter). Read more about Lauda Sion here. I have actually sung one other, the Dies Irae, which is used for funerals.

My shortened version (beginning with Ecce Panis Angelorum) can be found here; you can hear the monks in Brazil singing the entire long version of it here.

The Festivities Continue...

This Sunday at 11:00 a.m. will be Bishop Michael Duca's first Mass as bishop in the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans. It falls on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Be sure to check it out on the webcam at the SJB site if you can't make it in person.

I'll be the cantor for that Mass, one of the last before we move from here... I'm thankful I was asked.

On a personal note...

I spent most of my day either not being here during the time a realtor was showing people through our home or cleaning up in anticipation for a showing. The frequency of showings has definitely increased over the past couple of weeks. I have another one scheduled for tomorrow morning... will someone please just buy our house so I don't have to keep on showing it??? I found a hilarious post on June Cleaver here that has reminded me of my own experience. She says it ever so much more eloquently than I could... read along and laugh with me.

Bishop Michael Duca ordained and installed in Shreveport

Well, yesterday was a wonderful, hectic day... The members of the choir and orchestra had to show up at about 10:30 yesterday morning for the bishop's ordination / installation. So... the boys and I loaded up and headed out about 10:00 am. The ordination was very beautiful, solemn... and I must say that, if the music wasn't good, it wasn't for lack of trying.

The orchestra for the ordination was made up of all local Shreveport musicians, most of whom play with the local symphony. The boys' Suzuki instructor was playing in the string section. I especially enjoyed hearing the wonderful brass section on several of the instrumental pieces.

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I am posting a photo of some of the attendees -- Our Lady of Sorrows sisters among them.

Here are a few more photos from the ordination... The top one, obviously, of our newly ordained/installed bishop, Bishop Michael Duca.

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The middle one is a good shot showing the people and the beginning of the pageantry of the procession in to the ceremony. It is really something to see all those bishops and priests gathered together in one place.

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Finally, a picture of our rector as he processed in.

Vespers at St. John Berchmans

Last night a special Vespers service was held in anticipation of the ordination/installation of our new bishop Msgr. Michael Duca. The church was almost full and the feeling was one of joy and anticipation, I think.

Our schola sang several pieces during the prelude time. I have a few recordings, but must apologize for the chit-chat and rustling... the recording was done downstairs amid the crowd. However, I am very proud of our little schola and want to post a few examples of our singing...

Adoramus te, Christe (our lone polyphony piece)
Ave Verum
Veni Sancte Spiritus
Kyrie Orbis Factor

Today at 12:00 pm, the Ordination/Installation will take place at the Shreveport Convention Center. The prelude music will begin probably by about 11:30 a.m. or so... you can see a webcast of the ordination here:

http://www.lifecastpro.com/members/ShreveportDiocese/WebCast.htm

Corpus Christi

As noted on the Shreveport Diocesan website, the Ordination/Installation of our bishop-elect, Msgr. Michael Duca, will be at the Shreveport convention center on May 19th at 12:00 p.m. In discussions about this exciting event for the diocese, there were many who were hoping it could be done at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans. It is truly a beautiful church, and it would be nice to do it there... but it only holds a limited number of people. For such a memorable occasion, it is preferable to have it somewhere else rather than have such a limit on who can attend.

I am certain those factors entered heavily into the decision-making process. It is my understanding that Archbishop Hughes, of New Orleans will preside over the ordination and installation. I am looking forward to hearing about the music selections that will be made and how tickets to the Mass will be distributed. I have heard that the reception following will also take place at the convention center, which makes logistics easier as well.

Back to the topic at hand... after the ordination/installation, bishop-elect Duca's first Mass presiding as bishop will be at St. John's on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (according to what I have heard), which falls on May 25th. That date should also mark a very big celebration at the cathedral...

There is a wonderful chant in the propers for Corpus Christi (that I'll probably never get to hear at Mass due to its length, unfortunately). It is the sequence (that follows the alleluia prior to the Gospel reading):

Lauda Sion Salvatorem, Lauda ducem et pastorem, In
hymnis et canticis.
Quantum potes, tantum aude: Quia maior omni laude,
Nec laudare sufficis. Laudis thema specialis, Panis vivus et vitalis Hodie
proponitur.
Quem in sacrae mensa cenae, Turbae fratrum duodenae
Datum non ambigitur.
Sit laus plena, sit sonora, sit iucunda, sit decora
Mentis iubilatio.
Dies enim solemnis agitur, In qua mensae prima
recolitur Huius institutio.
In hac mensa novi Regis, Novum Pascha novae legis,
Phase vetus terminat.
Vetustatem novitas, Umbram fugat veritas, Noctem
lux eliminat.
Quod in cana Christus gessit, Faciendum hoc
expressit In sui memoriam.
Docti sacris institutis, Panem, vinum in salutis
Consecramus hostiam.
Dogma datur christianis, Quod in carnem transit
panis, Et vinum in sanguinem.
Quod non capis, quod non vides, Animosa firmat
fides, Praeter rerum ordinem.
Sub diversis speciebus, Signis tantum, et non
rebus, Latent res eximiae.
Caro cibus, sanguis potus: Manet tamen Christus
totus Sub utraque specie.
A sumente non concisus, Non confractus, non
divisus: Integer accipitur.
Sumit unus, sumunt mille: Quantum isti, tantum
ille: Nec sumptus consumitur.
Sumunt boni, sumunt mali: Sorte tamen inaequali,
Vitae vel interitus.
Mors est malis, vita bonis: Vide paris sumptionis
Quam sit dispar exitus.
Fractor demum sacramento, Ne vacilles, sed memento
Tamtum esse sub fragmento, Quantum toto tegitur.
Nulla rei fit scissura: Signi tantum fit fractura,
Qua nec status, nec statura Signati minuitur.
*Ecce panis angelorum, Factus cibus viatorum: Vere
panis filiorum, Non mittendus canibus.
In figuris praesignatur, Cum Isaac immolatur, Agnus
Paschae deputatur, Datur manna patribus.
Bone pastor, panis vere, Iesu, nostri miserere: Tu
nos pasce, nostuere, tu nos bona fac videre In terra viventium.
Tu qui cuncta scis et vales, Qui nos pascis his
mortales: Tuos ibi commensales, Coheredes et sodales Fac sanctorum
civium.

Translation:
O Zion, praise thy Saviour thy Prince and thy
Shepherd; praise him with hymns and canticles.
Make bold to praise him with all thy strength;
for he surpasseth all praise; thou shalt ne-er be fully equal to the
task.
A special theme of praise, the living and
life-giving bread, is on this day proposed.
Upon the table of the Last Supper, to the group
of the brethren Twelve, this bread was truly given.
Let our praise ring out full and resonant, a
song of the heart, joyful and radiant.
For today is a most solemn festival, recalling
how this sacred banquet first was instituted.
At this banquet of our newly crowned King, the
Paschal mystery of the New Law bringeth to its end the ancient Passover
rite.
Novelty replaceth that which is old, reality
chaseth away the shadows, radiance doth eliminate the night.
That which Christ accomplished at this supper
he ordered to be done again, in memory of him.
Taught by his divine precepts, We consecrate
the bread and wine, a sacrificial victim for salvation.
This sacred doctrine do Christians receive: the
bread into his body and the wine into his blood is changed.
What thou can neither grasp nor perceive is
affirmed by ardent faith, beyond the natural order of things.
Beneath these double appearances - mere signs,
and not the realities themselves - is hidden the most sublime of
mysteries.
His body is food, his blood, a beverage but
Christ remains entirely present under each.
His flesh, when eaten, is not torn apart,
broken asunder or divided; intact he is received.
Though one alone be fed, though thousands be
fed, all receive the same reality, which perisheth not at meal's
end.
The good and the guilty may all have part
therein, but with different results: life or death.
Death for sinners, life everlasting for the
just; mark well the varied effects of this single food.
And when the bread is fragmented, be thou not
troubled, but remember: he is present in each fragment just as much as in the
shole.
The hidden reality is not divided, the sign
only is fragmented; He whose presence is signified, suffereth no diminution in
stature or in strength.
* Behold this bread of Angels which hath become
food for us on our pilgrimage; it is truly the bread of God's children, let it
ne'er be thrown to dogs.
Scripture announced it figuratively by Isaac's
sacrifice, by the paschal lamb and by the manna given to our
forefathers.
O Good Shepherd and most true bread of life,
Lord Jesus, have mercy on us;feed us and protect us, bring us to the vision of
eternal riches in the land of the living.
Thou who knowest and canst accomplish all
things, who dost feed us in this mortal life, make us thy chosen guests, the
co-heirs and companions of thy saints in the heavenly city.

Note: this can be sung in a shortened version from the asterisk to the end...

Msgr. Michael Duca update...

Yesterday at about 10:00 am, Monsignor Michael Duca was officially introduced at a press conference at the chancery... here is an excerpt from the news story:

Applause greeted the new bishop-elect of Shreveport before he was officially introduced at a press conference this morning.Pope Benedict XVI named Msgr. Michael Gerard Duca, of the Diocese of Dallas, as the second bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport today.

“I should thank Pope Benedict XVI for this awesome and exciting blessing,” he said to a group of media, priests and diocesan staff. “It’s a great joy to come to this diocese.”

Duca will fill the seat left vacant when Bishop William Friend retired in December 2006.Since he is a priest, he will be ordained bishop and installed as the head of the Shreveport diocese in a joint ceremony. It is tentatively set for May 19.

Duca, 55, is a Dallas native and attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas, where he is now the rector. Ordained in 1978, he has also served as vocations director for the diocese, campus minister at Southern Methodist University and associate pastor at several Dallas churches.

“This is a great day for the diocese,” said the Rev. Peter Mangum, pastor of the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans. “I believe the holy father has matched the right person with his background in priestly ministry, vocations and law.”

Some data about the Shreveport diocese:

Diocese of Shreveport by the numbers

11,133 square miles

40,000 Catholics

27 parishes

14 quasi-parishes

7 schools

2 early childhood centers

38 active priests

21 permanent deacons

3 active seminarians

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Bishop-elect Duca will be the second bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport, which is located in northwestern Louisiana.

This information courtesy of the Shreveport Times.

A video of the announcement can be seen here...

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One more bit of information from Zenit:

Established in 1986, The Diocese of Shreveport covers 11,124 square miles in 16 civil parishes and has a current total population of 788,793, of whom approximately 39,425 are Catholic.

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Also check out James' (Opinionated Catholic) blog entry on the subject here...

Shreveport has a new bishop!!!

As we had rumored a few weeks ago, Shreveport will have a new bishop very soon... Monsignor Michael Duca, the longtime rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas, will be wearing the bishop's miter. The tentative date for ordination/installation is set for May 19th, so mark your calendars... I think the schola had better start working on a few ordination-type chants... just in case our services are needed!
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Here is the web posting from the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans in Shreveport...

See the article at Whispers in the Loggia...
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Dallas News release:

Pope Appoints Duca to Lead Diocese of Shreveport
Dallas Seminary Rector Named New Bishop
(Dallas) A Dallas native will be the new bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana. The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, announced this morning that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has appointed Reverend Monsignor Michael Duca of the Diocese of Dallas to serve as only the second bishop of Shreveport.
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Bishop-elect Duca’s appointment comes just one month away from his 30th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood in Dallas on April 29, 1978. He has served as the Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas since 1996. He has also served on numerous boards and commissions in the Diocese of Dallas including: the College of Consultors, Presbyteral Council, Personnel Board, the Commission for Orders and on the Diocesan Tribunal, presently as a Judge and as Associate Judicial Vicar. He is currently the Director of the Office for the On-going Formation of Priests. He is also a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus and a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher.
Early in his priesthood, Bishop-elect Duca served as Associate Pastor at several parishes in the Diocese of Dallas including: All Saints, St Patrick and St. Luke. He also served as Campus Minister at Southern Methodist University from 1985-1992 and as Vocations Director for the diocese from 1985-1992.
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In 1994 he was chosen for further studies in Canon Law. He attended the University of Saint Thomas in Rome (The Angelicum) where he graduated with a License in Canon Law in 1996. Upon his return from Rome, he was appointed to serve as Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary. Bishop-elect Duca has served as rector until the present.
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At the announcement of the news, Bishop-elect Duca said “I am humbled and honored by the Pope’s decision to appoint me as Bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport. It is an incredible blessing that I look forward to, but not without some mixed emotions. My 30 years as a priest in the Diocese of Dallas have been a very enriching experience. The opportunity to serve in parishes and to work with the future priests of our diocese as rector of Holy Trinity Seminary has helped me to grow as a minister and person.”
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The Most Reverend Kevin Farrell, Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas, issued words of support stating “I am delighted and thrilled for Bishop-elect Duca. The diocese has benefited from his ministry, his leadership and his many other talents. I will miss his support here but I am pleased the Diocese of Shreveport is getting such a strong and capable spiritual leader. We will pray for his success and happiness.”
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The new bishop-elect, son of Lewis and Aline Duca of Dallas, was born June 5, 1952. He was baptized at Sacred Heart Cathedral now the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School through eighth grade and is a 1970 graduate of Bishop Lynch High School. Since Holy Trinity was a collaborative seminary with the University of Dallas at the time of his studies, Duca received both a B.A in Psychology and a M.Div. in Theology from UD.
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Bishop –elect Duca will be ordained a bishop and installed as the Chief Shepherd of the Diocese of Shreveport in a ceremonial Mass tentatively set for May 19th in Shreveport.