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| Our Lady of the Valley |
I wanted to see
Bishop Cary “in action”, and I wanted to see what the parish would do in terms
of liturgy suited to a bishop.
I’ve been to Mass at
Our Lady of the Valley plenty of times; we attended there on a weekly basis for
almost a year. I knew what the choir was capable of, and I knew what they
usually do. My hopes were, sadly, not very high.
But I was pleasantly surprised! The music, sung by the main choir joined by some of the musicians from the outlying mission, included a Gregorian chant ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and
Agnus Dei). There were a couple of traditional hymns which sounded nice,
although if that darn piano could be transformed into an organ, it would’ve been
much better! There were a couple of standard OCP ditties…but Rome was not built
in a day.
Our Lady of the
Valley does not have a deacon, but there is an ordained permanent deacon at one
of the missions, and he served at the Mass today. OLV’s instituted acolyte – a very capable
and reverent server – was on hand as well, joined by one of the diocese’s
seminarians who lives in La Grande. I believe there were a couple of altar boys
serving as miter and crosier bearers, but there were also a couple of very cute
little altar girls bouncing around (almost literally) the sanctuary. If only we could limit the servers to boys! Having all servers vested in cassock and surplice would add a nice touch, too. Someday...
Bishop Cary had a
wonderful episcopal presence! His homily was geared somewhat to the young
confirmands and first communicants, but it was certainly not juvenile. He talked about some "wonderful-sounding words" - like "transubstantiation" and "epiclesis"! He was
gracious and pastoral throughout.
And Bishop Cary can
sing the Mass! How amazing, in Eastern Oregon, to have a correctly and
beautifully chanted Preface followed by a fitting Sanctus! There were no
tambourines, and the trumpet was silent, as the chanting voices of the choir
floated down from the choir loft.
The First Communicants were all given First Holy Communion on the tongue (and by intinction as well). The Confirmands were given the choice as to how to receive, and I only noticed one young person receiving on the tongue.
The First Communicants were all given First Holy Communion on the tongue (and by intinction as well). The Confirmands were given the choice as to how to receive, and I only noticed one young person receiving on the tongue.
“Cute” did make its
appearance as the First Communicants were gathered in front of the
altar after Communion to sing “Oh, How I Love Jesus”. Yes, it was cute – very, very cute. And then the whole
congregation was cleverly led into joining them for the last rousing chorus,
and after that everyone applauded loudly. So the trump card was played, but at
least it wasn’t at the beginning of
Communion. There was more applause as the pastor thanked everyone involved.
Still, if we could go
back and edit out everything after the last person received Holy Communion up
to the Bishop giving the final blessing, it would have been a pretty good
liturgy. And those cute children singing the cute song? Why not have them sing it at the reception in the parish hall?
Even with the “cute”
card being played, and way too
much applause, I still give this Mass a “thumbs up”, considering that it was way
above the standard for the Masses I’ve experienced in Eastern Oregon. I hope the Cathedral can at least come up to the liturgical level of this Mass when the new bishop makes his first visit there at the end of this month.
After Mass, Bishop
Cary stood on the steps of the church and greeted every single person who
presented himself to be greeted. He did that with patience and attention,
without seeming hurried or tired or overwhelmed. He exuded grace, confidence,
gentleness, and interest in each person.
Here are some photos:
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| The church was packed. |
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| Ugh. Where is it written that we must have "banners"?!?! |
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| A number of children and adults asked the bishop to bless an item. |
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| I am not immune to "cute". The little girls were adorable! |
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| Well, of course, I had to have my photo taken with the new bishop! |
OF COURSE you had to have your photo taken with your bishop...I would have expected nothing less! And, yes, I would have done the same! Awesome article...you're such an excellent writer. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteLiz - ha! Yes, and if we'd been there together, it would have been a photo of all of us! Thanks for your vote of confidence!
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