Real Church

I just can’t work up the interest to look at many church politics items, recently. I think it may be a periodic numbness from exposure to its unhealthy radition. I won’t say church politics isn’t imporant for church folks—we have a responsibility to keep an eye on what’s going on—but not all the time…

We went on a mini-vaction to Washington DC over the weekened and, looking at the two churches we really wanted to visit, the one closest to a metro stop was St Paul’s K Street. We arrived late due to work on the blue-orange lines, but enjoyed a pleasant Rite I Sung Mass by Fr. Nathan Humphrey; apparently if we’d gone to the Solemn High Mass later, we would have run into Fr. Cramer too. We had to run back to check out of our hotel so ducked out with just a hasty word to Fr. Humphrey and the music director who recognized us from our mutual time at Smokey Mary’s.  On the subway, M asked Lil’ G how she had liked the service. She responded, “It was really nice to go to real church again.” Her favorite part was the chanted Lord’s Prayer.

There’s just something to be said for beauty, especially in the addition of music.

Ah well.

More later, perhaps…

3 thoughts on “Real Church

  1. John-Julian, OJN

    Music!

    Somewhere I learned that in medieval practice the Preface and the Lord’s Prayer were to be SUNG at ALL Masses — even “low, said Masses” — but my aged memory can’t come up with a citation.

  2. Nathan Humphrey

    Glad your daughter liked it and sorry you missed out on seeing Jared Cramer filling in as Deacon. He did a fine job.

    Our daughter loves singing, and at 2 1/2 has mastered the plainsong Lord’s Prayer. A professor of music at Catholic U was sitting directly in front of my wife and kids on Sunday, and marveled to me afterwards at how our daughter has perfect pitch. All thirty-three buttons on my Wippell’s cassock were popping with pride.

    NJAH+

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