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The Renovated Brute Chapel
Before August of 2004 the building now know as Bishop Brute College Seminary was a Carmelite Monastery. Thus, the chapel was built with a grille across the middle separating the consecrated Carmelites from the laity outside. I believe that the grille was removed pretty quickly after the opening of Brute as a seminary, but the Chapel remained cramped due to it's division into two parts, the upper part, where the sisters would sit, and a lower part, down some stairs, where the people would sit. Anyway, this was obviously unnecessary for a seminary, and with the recent explosion in numbers of seminarians a renovation and expansion was doubly needed. 
Thus, this summer when I first visited Brute (before signing up) the Chapel had been pretty much gutted and was in the process of being rebuilt. Basically, they extend the floor beyond where the previous steps had split the Chapel (thus doubling the capacity) and made room for a larger altar with a reredos behind it. The chapel was mostly complete when classes started last August, with the exception of the reredos. Well, the reredos was finally installed over Christmas break and on monday evening Arch-Bishop Tobin blessed the chapel during the celebration of Mass.
The schola sang both the Sprinkling Rite (during the blessing of the chapel) and Praise the Lord Ye Heavens Adore Him (during the offertory) beautifully and I managed to hit all the high notes (which mercifully, the organist transposed a half-step or so lower).
I have included some pictures of the ceremony in this post, but I don't (yet) have the video-recording. Archbishop Tobin's homily was stellar, so watch for a future blog post with that.
I have included some pictures of the ceremony in this post, but I don't (yet) have the video-recording. Archbishop Tobin's homily was stellar, so watch for a future blog post with that.
This chapel looks wide and could accommodate a huge mass but I think it's lacking some details. Have you considered adding more furniture? I guess it would create a more solemn atmosphere to the chapel.
ReplyDeleteEarnestine @ Covenant Furniture