Solemn Eucharistic celebration in Latin in all its choral splendour
On Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 6 p.m. sharp, the culmination of all the efforts made by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjit and his band of helpers, were brought to fruition with the Procession of clergy and servers who walked up the aisle to the chancel steps while the choir and congregation sang in Latin “Lauda Sion Salvatorem “(Sion, lift up thy voice). So commenced the solemn Eucharistic Celebration in Latin in all its choral splendour.
We learn that planning this act of worship in this Year of Mercy had been close to the Cardinal’s heart since he was present at a similar service in Vietnam in celebration of the Year of Mercy 2015-2016, declared by Pope Francis and commended by him to all Catholics this year.
I am describing this event in some detail as an Act of Worship and not as a choral performance as such, because I was inspired by the solemnity and the spiritual elevation it engendered in us who took part in it, and I am sure, to all those present.
After the procession had taken their seats there followed the Ritus Initiales where the Junior Choir sang the Introitus or the Entrance Antiphon in Latin to a Plainsong Chant.
The Cantor, with true Plainsong fervour, gave the lead, which was accurately responded to by the 160 voice Junior Choir, the Choro-Scola. All the young singers co-ordinated their singing perfectly, not an easy task, with accurate intonation and pronunciation of the Latin words, which no doubt they had experienced for the first time in their lives.
Both Francis D’Almeida and his Assistant, Nimal Victoria, should be commended for the time and effort they had put into training these young men and women. This augurs well for the future of sacred choral music of the highest order in the Roman Catholic Church of Sri Lanka.
At the end of the Introitus or the Entrance Antiphon, the Adult Choir, of which my wife, Dr. Selvie, my daughter Sharmini and myself were among another 60 singers, rendered the Kyrie Eleison (which incidentally is Greek, not Latin) from the pen of that supreme German Composer, Ludwig van Beethoven.
The organiser’s timing was so good that the choirs and congregation, who followed the order of service, were left in no doubt as to what was being sung or said.
We, the members of the choir and the orchestra and the conductor and soloists, were thereby able to make our entry at the appropriate moments.
The Gloria, which should have been sung soon after, for a normal high mass was omitted, as we are in the season of Lent (a time of fasting and prayerfulness).
Instead the service continued with the Liturgica Verbi (Liturgy of the Word) with all readings in English .The Old Testament, was read meaningfully by a member of the clergy.
The Responsorial Psalm 81, Misericordia Domini in Aeternaum Cantabo (“Of your mercy shall we sing forever”) was led by a female Cantor, a schoolgirl choral scholar Dilmi Fernando.
She has a powerful female contralto voice of excellence and with perfect diction in English.The response to the Psalm by the same Choro Scola – a Combined Choir of Schools and Singers from Parishes around Colombo – was in Latin and a suitable foil to the superb lead given by the Female Cantor.
The Gospel, which followed the reading of the epistle by a layperson, was by a priest, in English, from the lectern, after the Bible was carried by the clergy and servers and blessed by the celebrant.
Being the first Sunday in Lent it dealt extensively with the temptations of Christ while fasting in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. This was also the subject of the gracious and thoughtful homily preached by the Cardinal immediately after.
Then it was our turn, i.e. the adult choir, to sing the Credo. Most churches now, quite rightly, have given up singing the Credo and instead urge the full congregation to join in by reciting together the Profession of Faith, usually in the vernacular language.
However, in this instance, quite rightly, it was decided to sing the marvellous Credo from Beethoven’s C Major Mass. After the General Intercessions, led by Criusentia Corera, the Prayer over the Gifts received during the offertory was said.
Before the preparation of the Holy Sacraments, the Choro-Scola with a young but powerful male soloist (schoolboy Bindula Perera) sang Panis Angelicus accompanied on the organ by Mrs. Rayanthi Kumarasinghe. Panis angelicus (Latin for “Bread of Angels” or “Angelic Bread”) is from a hymn written by Saint Thomas Aquinas for Corpus Christi in 1872 with music in this instance by Cesar Franck incorporated into his Messe à trois voix, Op. 12.
The Offertory Prayer and Preface, formidable Gregorian Chants, was intoned immaculately by the Cardinal, who, I believe, had many hours of training by Mr. D’ Almeida in order to achieve this degree of elegance.
The Greeting of Peace was followed
The Service of Holy Communion began with the con-celebration by the vast multitude of priests present. At the appropriate point in the Sursum Corda our choir stood once more to sing the Sanctus followed by the Benedictus.
Then followed the Rite of Communion, including the Paternoster which was recited by all present, in Latin.
The last part of the Mass in C by Beethoven sung by the adult choir was his marvellous and most moving Agnus Dei, in which with music and song by the soloists, choir and orchestra we all pray to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, to have mercy on us and to grant us peace. What more do we need in this world?
Unfortunately, during the administration of the sacraments instead of the absolutely appropriate Ave Verum by Mozart being sung, it was played on the organ.
It brought back to me memories of that great singer and voice trainer, Lylie Godridge, who, when he was living, got together a thousand voices, to sing this selfsame Ave Verum in the Anglican Cathedral at Bauddhaloka Mawatha.
What a great opportunity was missed this time. The logistics for both choirs singing this anthem is much easier than that for the Amen Chorus, since both choirs, directed by one conductor, could have sung this most simple and yet exquisite communion hymn.
The one jarring item in this marvellous service was the poorly executed singing of the Amen Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. Handel was the only non–Roman Catholic composer whose music was sung at this service.
What I would have proposed, if consulted, was to have sung it after the final blessing, getting both choirs to sing it with both Organ and the Chamber Orchestra accompaniment.
Gregory Rose or Francis D’ Almeida could have coordinated the singing of both choirs from a prominent place near the lectern where all could see his baton. This would really have been the icing on a perfectly baked cake.
I know that the boys of Benedict’s College have sung this well before, after learning the music by rote, at Fr. Marc Berard’s Golden Jubilee service at St.Lucia’s some years ago.
It was left to the Chora-Schola to sing the Anima Christi (Soul of Christ) and bring the service to a conclusion by singing the Ritus Conclusionis (Concluding Rite).
The Singing of Gloria a te (Glory to You) brought this Jubilee Mass to a satisfying and memorable ending.
No account of the service will be complete without acknowledging the part played by those handling the closed circuit TV and the sound system. The sound balance was near perfect and the congregation both inside and outside the church had a very good idea of what was happening.
The TV crew failed only in their inability to focus on the four soloists singing the Beethoven’s mass at certain times when they were singing by themselves.
Leaving the church after the service I met the Anglican Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Dhiloraj Canagasabey, who had accepted the Cardinal’s invitation to attend the service.
I informed him that my wife, daughter and myself, all confirmed Anglicans and members of St. Michael’s Polwatte, Colombo, had sung in the adult choir that performed the Beethoven’s Mass in C at the service. His reply was, “That’s very good! That is true Ecumenism”.