News from St. Mary's Church - January 29, 2021

Ancient worship. Affirming Faith. Genuine love.

Septuagesima, and Burying the Alleluias

Dear St. Mary’s Family,

Despite the disruptiveness of the pandemic, life continues. We continue to prepare meals, say our prayers, walk the dog, etc. And although we at St. Mary’s have been known to refer to this extended time of awful plague as “Coronatide,” the church calendar continues – day after day, week after week, season after season.

Lent is almost here! It begins on Ash Wednesday in just three-and-a-half weeks. But from the time of Gregory the Great in the sixth century until the 1970’s, the Western Church observed a short, three-and-a-half-week liturgical season of preparation for Lent called Septuagesima.

Septuagesima Sunday is this coming Sunday. The word Septuagesima is Latin for “seventieth”, but the reason both the Sunday and the season are so named is disputed among historians. This season, also called Gesimatide, was to help us ease into Lent, in the same way that a marathon runner would begin to train with shorter

distances. Liturgically speaking, things are more somber. It looks and feels like Lent in that the clergy wear purple vestments, the Gloria in excelsis is generally not sung at Mass, and the alleluias are suppressed. While there were originally fasting requirements, they fell into disuse over the centuries with fasting now beginning on Ash Wednesday.

One rather obscure tradition that has enjoyed a recent revival in the Church is the depositio, or burying of the alleluias. It is typically done sometime on the Saturday afternoon before Septuagesima Sunday, but we are observing it just before both Masses this weekend. A placard with the inscription “Alleluia” will be processed to the nave altar which is placed in front of the pulpit, where it will be “buried” under the altar cloth. We will sing the 11^th century hymn Alleluia dulce carmen (Alleluia, song of sweetness) set to a familiar hymntune, and will set aside this joyful acclamation – alleluia means “praise the Lord!” – to give a sense of restraint. The alleluia will remain “buried” until we sing it again at Easter.

The depositio of the alleluia on the eve of Septuagesima assumed in medieval times a solemn and emotional note of saying farewell to the beloved song. Despite the fact that Pope Alexander II had ordered a very simple and somber way of “deposing” the Alleluia, a variety of farewell customs prevailed in many countries up to the sixteenth century. They were inspired by the sentiment which Bishop William Duranti (1296) voiced in his commentaries on the Divine Office: “We part from the Alleluia as from a beloved friend, whom we embrace many times and kiss on mouth, head and hand, before we leave him.”[1]

Join us via livestream or in-person as we part from our beloved friend this Sunday!

Peace,

Fr. Charles

[1] Francis Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, Harcourt, New York, 1958.

Candlemas

The Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple

and The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

6:00 p.m.

On Candlemas, the Christmas cycle comes to a close. You are invited to bring any candles you'd like to have blessed for use in your home in the coming year. Click here to read more about Candlemas.

Reservations to attend in person are required: Click here to register.

You can also join online via Facebook by clicking here, or via YouTube by clicking here.

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Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

January 31, 2021

Sung Mass begins at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. Sunday.

Join in-person (reservations are required - click here to register), or join the Sunday service online via Facebook by clicking here, or via YouTube by clicking here. The Saturday service is not livestreamed.

Because we are unable to meet in person for our Sunday Reception, we are making every effort to stay connected with a virtual coffee hour after the Sunday worship. Grab a cup of coffee and hop on your computer or phone as we break bread together. Even if you can't stay long, pop in and let us know how you are doing during this time of social distancing. We'd love to hear from you.

Click here (password is STM2020) and someone will be there to welcome you into this virtual gathering.

Click here to access recent sermons preached at St. Mary's!

Daily Mass

Daily Mass is open for in-person worship (6pm Wednesdays; 12:00 M, T, Th, F). Attendance is limited to 10 people at any one service. Click here to preregister to attend.

Private Confession

A priest will be available to offer spiritual guidance and sacramental confession each Saturday from 3:00-3:45 in St. George's Chapel.

Enter the church under the green awning off of the parking lot, and wait for the priest in the new living room area on the far side of the parish hall. Please bring your mask!

Artist's Inspiration Hour | Tuesday's @ 6:30 p.m.

Do you have an artistic goal? Do you find it rather hard to stay focused during the very stressful time. Won’t you consider joining the St. Mary’s Artists’ working group, via Zoom. We will meet weekly on Tuesday’s at 6:30 PM CST. Come to discuss an ongoing project or proposed project for which you want feed back or encouragement. Please also join us if you are looking for ideas or inspiration.

For questions, or more information, contact Sylvia Augustus at augustusimages@gmail.com. Click here to join.

303 in Exile | Wednesday's @ 6:30 p.m.

This group traditionally meets at Bistro 303 each Wednesday after Evening Prayer for drinks and discussion. There is no official topic or agenda, but the group is known for liturgy geeks and theological chatter -- expect to hear about maniples, monstrances, and papal liturgical straws. During the lockdown we are meeting weekly via Zoom....BYOB.

For questions or more information, contact Chris McQueeny at cmcqueeny@gmail.com.

Click here to join.