Cardinal Cañizares Sings Pontifical High Mass at Lateran Archbasilica

A wonderful Mass and an honor to be present.  Haydn's polyphony with the Gregorian antiphons of the Latin Church in front of the throne of the Bishop of Rome/Patriarch of the West is just about as good as it gets in this world.

Holy Mass hosted in celebration of the Year for Priests conference for English-speaking clergy: http://www.yearforpriests-clergyconferencerome2010.org/.

Music provided by the fabulous Lassus Scholars from Ireland, conducted by Ms. Ite O'Donovan: http://dublinchoralfoundation.ie/lassus.htm.  Eternity crashed through with this orchestral Mass, the Mariazeller (composed in 1782), especially the moment when the soloist cried "Et Incarnatus Est," etc.

To hear Haydn at the Lateran is a great honor, where he once even played the organ.  And to hear his Mariazellermesse in such a grand cathedral is like playing the CD in your shower. 

Yours truly, by divine providence (thank You, Lord!), grew up with orchestral Masses at the Church of St. Agnes: http://www.stagnes.net/.  It was the greatest thing the Father ever gave me, after Baptism.  It was my formation.

Then in September of 2007 I had a layover from D.C. to Rome via Vienna.  The flight was late.  I had to change my connection in Vienna.  The Pope was to arrive in two days.  I changed the ticket, at no charge, to stay in Vienna to see the new German Pope on his first voyage to Austria.  Meeting a Franciscan friar on the street, he directed me, in Italian, to a convent to stay at in downtown Vienna.   

By divine providence, we who were there had the honor to be at the most hallowed shrine in all Austria, that of Our Lady of Mariazell - with him.  And then at the famed Cathedral of St. Stephen in Vienna for the Solemn Papal High Mass that was the Mariazeller Messe on September 9, 2007. 

After seven academic years in Rome I can still say one of the greatest memories was the morning of March 20, 2004 when I got up early and went to the Pontifical Oriental Institute to hear a lecture that Cardinal Ratzinger was to deliver. 

I arrived early and saw him cross the hallway into the outdoor cortile.  I followed, opened the door, and saw him enjoying the lovely garden there, with his secretay and the rector magnificus. 

During his lecture, while seated and with emotion, Cardinal Ratzinger at one point looked up with a pause, and shared a bit on the value of the orchestral Mass. 

Cardinal Ratzinger spoke for a moment of how he grew up in Bavaria near the Austrian border with the cultural tradition of the orchestral Mass, in the Vienesse tradition.  Then he mentioned how much of a pity it was that this tradition has today been lost.  It was a brief moment of reflection, but a powerful moment.  I've always wanted a transcript of that same speech, or to get the video that was made by the priests from India who were there.