FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear St. Mary’s Parishioners:
As of a couple of weeks ago, we have a new Director of Music: Dominick DiCarlo. Some of you may have noticed Dominick at the 10a Mass the last couple of Sundays. Dominick is a native of Davis, where he grew up as a parishioner of St. James and regularly participated in the liturgical music there. He attended Davis High School where he played in the band and sang in the Madrigal choir. Majoring in music at UC Davis, he decided to work in liturgical music after he experienced the amazing patrimony of the church, specifically chant and sacred polyphony, in the context of the Mass. Dominick then taught music and theology at Jesuit High School in Tampa, FL. As the choir director there he helped to create beautiful and reverent liturgies which brought young men to the faith. After seven years in Florida, Dominick is very excited to be returning to home and to parish ministry. His goal is always to enrich the Mass with beautiful music from the tradition of the Church in a way that facilitates devotion, is mindful of the music’s liturgical purposes, is consistent with applicable liturgical norms, and encourages the faithful to participate fully and reverently in the mysteries being celebrated. The Director of Music is a part-time position. During the week, Dominick will keep busy serving as the new headmaster of the Chesterton Academy in Dixon. As Director of Music, Dominick will continue to draw on the gifts of those who have contributed to the enrichment of liturgical music at St. Mary’s over the years. Welcome Dominick DiCarlo!
Regarding our liturgical music, one of the slight changes that you may have noticed at our Sunday morning Masses in English is that the antiphons are being chanted at the Entrance, at the Offertory and at Communion, in addition to congregational singing that we are doing. Regarding the chanting of the antiphons, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) explains the following:
In the Dioceses of the United States of America, there are four options for the Entrance Chant: (1) the antiphon from the Missal or the antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum, as set to music there or in another setting; (2) the antiphon and Psalm of the Graduale Simplex for the liturgical time; (3) a chant from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop, including Psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms; (4) another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop. (GIRM, 48)
Paragraphs 74 and 87 of the GIRM explain that what is said about the Entrance, also applies to the Offertory and Communion chants. Most parishes, including St. Mary’s, have typically used the fourth option: “another liturgical chant”. However, it seems right and just to use the antiphons that are actually assigned to a particular liturgy and are held in esteem. That’s why we are using the antiphons at the Sunday morning Masses.
On another note, I would like to share with you that I will be away on sabbatical from August 16th until late November. Our Diocese allows priests to go on a sabbatical of 3 or 4 months every 7 years. In 23 years of priesthood, I have never taken a sabbatical. While I look forward to this time of renewal, I know that I will miss you all dearly. But I will not be far away and, no doubt, will return from time to time for a visit. During my sabbatical, I will have a room at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park where I will be able to stay and be close to a library that I can use for academic studies. Towards the end of my sabbatical, I plan to do a thirty-day silent retreat, the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. For the retreat, I will be at a retreat house in South Dakota. In my absence, Fr. Joseph Sebastian will oversee things and Msgr. James Murphy, Fr. Maurice O’Brien and Fr. Vincent O’Reilly will be helping out as well.
May you have a most blessed week!
In Christ,
Father Berg
