San Mateo Parish Triduum

On Holy Thursday, my family attended Mass at San Mateo parish in Ft. Worth. Ours is a very small church, simple in its decorations and in the way liturgies are celebrated. I got to be a regular parishioner in the pews this time. My oldest boy was an altar server... my husband was one of the men in the parish who had his feet washed. They do something I have not seen at other parishes here. Perhaps it is a custom in the parishes in Mexico... there are 'apostles' robes that the men put on over their clothing for the Mandatum.

The liturgy was a bilingual Mass -- half in Spanish, half in English. Our parish uses bilingual missalettes from WLP, so it is very easy to follow along, whichever language is being used at the time. My Spanish is improving just from reading and checking the translation as the words are said. During the procession to repose the Blessed Sacrament, we sang the Pange lingua (in English), Adoro te (in English and Spanish) and Tantum Ergo (in Latin).

Last night, at the Good Friday service, our schola sang. I was very happy with the results, all in all. We sang the Popule meus (Reproaches) for the Veneration of the Cross in Latin from the Gregorian Missal. I am sorry to say that I started on a pitch slightly too high -- I had to apologize to my altos afterward. For Holy Communion, we sang the Pater, si non (Proper Communion for Palm Sunday), followed by the Anima Christi. I had another couple speak to me about joining our group.

Tonight will be another bilingual Mass. I'll be singing the first part of the Exultet in English; Fr. Bob Strittmatter will sing the rest in Spanish. Then, he and I will alternate chanting the Responsorial Psalms in English and Spanish. At San Mateo, all of the readings are read and all psalms are sung for the Holy Saturday Vigil Mass.

Tomorrow morning, The Fort Worth Schola Gregoriana will sing for the 10:00 am Mass for Easter morning. I am pleased that we will sing all Latin ordinaries, including the Vidi aquam for the sprinkling rite during the Easter season. We will also sing the Easter sequence (Victimae paschali) and a simplified Alleluia (from the Chants Abreges collection). Because of all this Latin, we will try to balance it with English hymns for opening, offertory, Communion, and Closing. The choices for these will be:

Opening: Christ the Lord is risn'n today
Offertory: O Sons and Daughters (O Filii et Filiae)
Communion: Humbly We Adore You (Adoro te)
Closing: Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (Te Deum)

A happy Easter to all...