St Andrews Seminary - Mapav Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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S A T 0 R despite such able accompaniment, we invariably went wretchedly flat on the alternate phrases of the Crcdog when the student director would wave his arms with much gusto and wear a desperate countenance because we never produced the proper volume. Today, we no longer occupy the stalls behind the altar of Saint Patrick's Cathe' dral, for that venerable edifice is no moreg inf stead, our schola cantorum is relegated to a choir' loft, and a few voices are made to do what once a whole student body did. But, no matter where we sing, whether it is a Gothic chancel or a bal' cony transformed into a choirfloft, we are making progress. Today, we are adding to the musical inheritance of our predecessors in this seminary. Cn every Sunday of the past two school years, a few select members of the schola cantorum have sung High Mass at Saint Patricks Church. Cn special occasions, when it was necessary to prepare music on short notice, the schola has successfully carried the entire burden successfully and ade' quately. Such was the case on four closelyfoccurf ring occasions when we sang the Te Deum, and the Introits Statuit, Vultum Tuum, and Resurf rexi. Today we enjoy a more than passing ac' quaintancc with Sunday Vespers, having sung them for the past two years. And during this last year, a few members of the choir were introduced to the singing of another part of the Divine Office, Cornpline. All these accomplishments should be a source of pride to our number and should encourage the future scholae of Saint An' drew's Seminary. And whom have we to thank for our musical advancement? Father Ehmann, for his constant effort to improve the quality of our singing and for the work he has done to restore Sunday Vesf pers to the seminary, holds the Hrst claim to our gratitude. Nor can we let go unmentioned our student director of these past two years, Vincent Porter. Upon his able shoulders were thrust num' erous responsibilities, such as conducting weekly rehearsals, providing music for the Sunday High Mass at Saint Patricks, preparing the choir for Holy Week services, and directing Vespers every Sunday. And not an insignificant part of the sue' cess of the choir was that played by our student organist, Charles Langworthy. Suflice it to say that we should have missed his accompaniment sorely. Eschewing any further mention of personal' ities, let me say that the choir and especially the chanters have shown a great amount of interest in their work and in the improvement of their own technique. In this they have met with conf siderable success. Indeed, I do not think it would be rash to say that their rendition of Gregorian Chant is superior to that of most choirs in' our diocese. Saint Andrews may well be proud of them. May we look to all future choirs to perpetf uate the noble task so well enhanced by the efforts of the choir of 19584939. CLOUDS I love to see the clouds A beautiful milky whiteg They seem to change to shrouds During the deep blue night. Beautiful during the day While grazing through the sky, They never chance to stay, But always seem to fiy. Of the clouds I am very fond, And I love to sit and view, Knowing they are a bond 'Twixt heaven and me and you. seventy DONALD MILLER, '41

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1 9 3 9 SCHOLA CANTORUM Front Roivn Left to right: Paul lvlurley, Louis l-lohman, james Collins, Edward Foy, Ignatius St. George, Donald Miller hliddle Row Left to right: Jerome Schiiferli, Robert Mttiig, Daniel Davis, Vincent Porter fChoirmasterjg Frank Miielliier, Thomas Borrelli. Buck Rott' Left to right: Francis Donovan, joseph Leahy, blames Callan, -lohn Kennedy, Francis Davis, Charles Vxfolfe, QAssistantjg Charles Langworthy, fOrganistJ. Cantate Domino No one can deny the position of honor that Sacred Miisic should occupy in a Seminary. It the Church has seen fit to attach such importance to music as to make it an integral part of her solemn Liturgy, surely the future priests of the Church, the future custodians of that Liturgy, must feel an ohligation to perfect themselves in this divine art. They must realize how their attitude toward Church Miisic and their own singing of High Miiss and other sacred functions will exercise an unconscious influence upon the faithful under their care. It has ever heen the concern of the Church that the music heard at liturgical services should he worthy of the Liturgy. In recent years an even greater vigilance has hegun to he exercised over the type of Sacred Music that is rendered in our churches. A movement for progressive reform is Cnaimrzs WOLFE, '40 afoot today. As concrete examples of that move' ment, we read accounts of congregational singing hy school children in the various dioceses of the country, and we remember with a touch of pride what an important role Saint Andrews Seminary played in the congregational singing at the annual Mission Vespers of the past two seasons. But the history of musical progress here at Saint Andrew's dates hack much farther than these past two years, and includes much more than the singing of a few vespers during the early months of the school year. Yes, we have come a long way since the days when the entire student hody used to gather on Sunday morning in the chancel of old Saint l'atrick's Cathedral to assist at High Mass. Those were the good old days when Professor Bonn, and his son, john Paul, after him, used to preside at the organ: when, sixlyfninc

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1 9 3 9 PONTIFICAL CREW Seated, left to right: Francis Donovan, Harold Bestor, john LcVeque, tlvlastcr of CTt'I'ClUfJI1lC5,1 Edward Buckley, fAssistantj1 john Leicht. Standing, left to right: Rohert Meiig, Thomas Could, .Icrome Schifferli, Raymond Ivioore, john Kennedy, Donald Leahy. Ceremonies of The Church The word ceremony, applied to the church service, may he defined as an external action, gesf ture, or movement which accompanies the prayers and public exercises of divine worship. The Counf eil of Trent further defined it as that with which the prayers are pronounced, eg. hlessings, lights, incense, vestments, and so forth. Ceremonies are, therefore, the accompaniment to the prayers of Holy Mcitliei' Church. Ceremony is the necessary outcome of the twoffold nature of man, intellectual and sensihleg on account of this, as St. Thomas Aquinas says, he must pay Cod a twoffold adoration, one spirf itual, which consists in the interior devotion of the soul, the other corporal, which manifests itself in the outward form of worship, There is no inward sentiment or feeling which man is not accustomed to express outwardly hy some suitahle gesture or action, Ceremonies are employed to emhcllish and adorn sacred functions: to excite in the faithful sentiments of respect, devotion, and religion, hy which the honor of Cod is increased, and the sanctification of the soul is ohtained. To lead the unlearned more easily to a knowledge of the 'Ions LEViioiui, '39 mysteries of religion: to indicate the dispositions necessary to receive the Sacraments worthily, and to induce the faithful to fulfill with greater dof cility the ohligations which the reception of the Sacraments imposes on them all these constif tute the principal ohject of all liturgical acts. Some ceremonies owe their institution to purely physical reasons or necessity, e.g. the lights used in the catacomhs, which were retained hy the Church for the mystical reason that they represent Christ, the Light of the Vsforld. Others are founded on mystical or symholical reasons, e.g. all the ceremonies at Baptism which precede the pouring of the water on the person to he haptized. Finally, many are founded on historical, natural, and mystical reasons at the same time, eg. the mixing of wine and water at lvlass ref calls to our mind what Christ did at the Last Supper, and represents the hlood and water that flowed from His side on the Cross, as well as the union of the faithful with Christ. Catholic ceremonies, therefore, are not super' stitious practices, meaningless ohservances, or relics of heathen or jewish customs, hut regula' tions of Divine, Apostolic, and ecclesiastical inf .XCl't'llfvV'UllC