Month: December 2010
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Storied boys choir heard anew
The Boston Archdiocesan Choir School is relying on the 27-year-old Robinson, a former assistant organist at the Canterbury Cathedral and a product of the Anglican choir school tradition, to lead it into a new era. He will need all the confidence he can muster.
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O Clavis David: O Key of David
Rather than being frightened by this image of Christ as the holder of the keys, the one who opens and no one can close and who closes and no one can open, the image of Christ as Key of David instilled in me a far-reaching confidence.
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“A Meeting in a Hillside Home”
The fourth and final hymn text I’ve chosen for the final week of Advent is one I wrote last year for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle C. The text is a meditation on the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth, as would be appropriate for the final days of Advent when the Church invites us…
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Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Americans Divided on That, Too
White mainline Protestants, generally more liberal, support the “Merry Christmas” greeting at 57 percent. 55 percent of Catholics, who are usually more in line with mainline Protestants on such cultural issues, prefer that stores use something inclusive like “Happy Holidays.”
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Lutheran leader seeks Communion agreement with pope
The president of the Lutheran World Federation is calling on Lutherans and Catholics to issue a common statement on Holy Communion to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017. “Eucharistic hospitality” means that Catholics would be able to receive Communion at Lutheran worship services, and Lutherans would be able to do the…
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O Radix Jesse: O Root of Jesse
I think the ancients were quite accurate. Waiting is nearly the essence of human lives. Patience is one of our greatest needs. The only one that trumps it is the need, or rather, desire, for God-with-us. Love is on the way. Advent is worth its weight in waiting.
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Chant course in Texas
St. Basil’s School of Gregorian Chant: January 8 – February 26, 2011 Every Saturday Afternoon – 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Shiner, Texas
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An Advent Memory at Solesmes
A few years ago I was privileged to celebrate the First Sunday of Advent at the Benedictine Abbey of Solesmes. I arrived just in time for First Vespers on Saturday evening. It was a joy for me to be able to celebrate the beginning of the holy season entirely in Latin chant.
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O Adonai: O Sacred Lord
Assigned as the Gospel Verse at Eucharist and the Antiphon for the Canticle of Mary at Evening Prayer on 18 December, “O Adonai” continues the Advental theme of longing for God’s transformation of the human condition. The unique focus of the request in this antiphon is that God would come to free those who are…