.png)
The Chrism Mass
Well, Tuesday was quite fun (and long). 5 of us guys from Bruté left Indianapolis around 9:15 and drove the 3 hours to the Cathedral. It was an uneventful drive, during which I slept quite a bit and finished Bishop Paprocki's book. We got the the Cathedral around 11:30 (gaining an hour with the time change) and met with the other Springfield seminarians from Mudelein, Meinrad, and Sacred Heart seminaries. We went out to a delicious lunch at Maldaners; I enjoyed the pasta bolognese (at another seminarian's recommendation). 5 stars!
Then we walked back to the cathedral and began to setup and practice for the Chrism Mass. Fr. Daren Zehnle, who, besides other duties, is the episcopal master of ceremonies, was in charge of trying to give us all roles, teach us what to do, and make sure everything went smoothly. Needless to say, he had quite the task on his hands. Anyway, I was assigned the role of holding the Roman Missal for the bishop. Thankfully, this job, while hard on the arms, is rather simple to actually do, and so, I didn't have to learn a ton during the practice.
Then we walked back to the cathedral and began to setup and practice for the Chrism Mass. Fr. Daren Zehnle, who, besides other duties, is the episcopal master of ceremonies, was in charge of trying to give us all roles, teach us what to do, and make sure everything went smoothly. Needless to say, he had quite the task on his hands. Anyway, I was assigned the role of holding the Roman Missal for the bishop. Thankfully, this job, while hard on the arms, is rather simple to actually do, and so, I didn't have to learn a ton during the practice.
 |
| We have a beautiful cathedral! |
After practice was over, I had the opportunity to serve for the bishop during the Holy Hour. This wasn't any different than any other Exposition, though there was the inclusion of a deacon, MC, and the cope and miter bearers. I was in charge of holding the cope (at Exposition) and the book (at Benediction). The exceptional thing about this Exposition was that it was the first time I wore the roman collar. While vesting up before hand, Steve, who will be ordained a deacon in 10 days, noted that I didn't have a collar and promptly outfitted me with one. I had never worn one, so for all I know it could have been totally askew but it was a very cool experience nonetheless. Something about that little white square (and the added pressure around your neck) just ups the ante a little. Quite the awesome experience!
During the Holy Hour we chanted vespers (evening prayer). It turned out beautifully; the organ throbbing in the background was spectacular, and the cathedral echoed from all the voices chanting in unison (Bruté just doesn't have that kind of acoustics). Anyway, Benediction went fine, and my arms weren't wobbling too terribly while holding the book up in front of the Bishop. After the Holy Hour, we had a quick dinner (lasagna, salad, steamed vegetables), and then got all vested up for the Mass. Again, one of the other guys outfitted me with the collar; really cool!
OK, onto the big event: Mass started at 6:30, with the procession of all the seminarians, then deacons, then priests. I was actually in the very back - behind the two vimps (guys who hold the miter and crosier), who processed in after the Bishop. This meant that I had a great view of the entire procession and could watch the entire operation After processing up into the Sanctuary (with the organ and choir singing beautifully), I went to my position behind the Bishop's cathedra. Thankfully, all I had to do was wait to receive the book from one of the deacons and then walk out and held it for the bishop. Fr. Zehnle had written all the different parts into the worship aid, a project that must have been incredibly time consuming, but, for me at least, was very, very, helpful. I always knew where we were at in the ceremony and what I had to do next.
The only tough thing about holding the book is the physical stamina it requires. I'm not exactly Mr. Incredible, so after a few minutes of holding that missal, especially when you have to extend your arms to get it near the bishop, your arms start to protest. Actually, the biggest problem that I had was that my hands were sweaty, so my thumbs, which I propped the missal up with, would start to ever-so-slowly slip sideways. Of course, this meant more pressure had to be applied, and my thumbs slipped a bit more... Either way, none of the times I had to hold it (Introit through Gloria, Renewal of priestly promises, blessing of holy oils, and final prayer) were longer than a few minutes and all went pretty well (I didn't drop the book or hold it upside down).
Mass was just incredible! Being up there with all the other seminarians, deacons, and priests (besides the bishop) was inspiring, and everything really went smoothly. Really great experience! I saw the family briefly afterwords; they had driven over from Quincy, so that was cool. We (the Bruté guys) left around 9:30 and got back to Bruté around 1:30 AM. The drive back was alright - my legs aren't too long so I fit in back seats better than most - but the drive was long and late. (On the bright side it allowed me to schedule classes less than 2 hours after they opened at midnight! - always a silver lining!)
Have a blessed Holy Thursday folks!
OK, onto the big event: Mass started at 6:30, with the procession of all the seminarians, then deacons, then priests. I was actually in the very back - behind the two vimps (guys who hold the miter and crosier), who processed in after the Bishop. This meant that I had a great view of the entire procession and could watch the entire operation After processing up into the Sanctuary (with the organ and choir singing beautifully), I went to my position behind the Bishop's cathedra. Thankfully, all I had to do was wait to receive the book from one of the deacons and then walk out and held it for the bishop. Fr. Zehnle had written all the different parts into the worship aid, a project that must have been incredibly time consuming, but, for me at least, was very, very, helpful. I always knew where we were at in the ceremony and what I had to do next.
The only tough thing about holding the book is the physical stamina it requires. I'm not exactly Mr. Incredible, so after a few minutes of holding that missal, especially when you have to extend your arms to get it near the bishop, your arms start to protest. Actually, the biggest problem that I had was that my hands were sweaty, so my thumbs, which I propped the missal up with, would start to ever-so-slowly slip sideways. Of course, this meant more pressure had to be applied, and my thumbs slipped a bit more... Either way, none of the times I had to hold it (Introit through Gloria, Renewal of priestly promises, blessing of holy oils, and final prayer) were longer than a few minutes and all went pretty well (I didn't drop the book or hold it upside down).
Mass was just incredible! Being up there with all the other seminarians, deacons, and priests (besides the bishop) was inspiring, and everything really went smoothly. Really great experience! I saw the family briefly afterwords; they had driven over from Quincy, so that was cool. We (the Bruté guys) left around 9:30 and got back to Bruté around 1:30 AM. The drive back was alright - my legs aren't too long so I fit in back seats better than most - but the drive was long and late. (On the bright side it allowed me to schedule classes less than 2 hours after they opened at midnight! - always a silver lining!)
Have a blessed Holy Thursday folks!
I'm glad the notes in the program helped, Dominic; nicely done! (I'm just now beginning - ever so slowly - to catch up.)
ReplyDeleteThey certainly did (at the deacon ordination as well)!
Delete