Videos of the Pilgrimage to Caversham

Last Saturday the Schola sang for the Latin Mass Society's annual Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Caversham. There was an important shrine to Our Lady in Caversham from before the Norman Conquest to the Reformation, and this was restored in 1958. Today it boasts a lovely medieval shrine image, a large, polychromed wooden Madonna and Child; Our Lady was crowned to mark the 50th Anniversary of the restoration of the shrine. This is the second year that the LMS has organised a pilgrimage there.

It was a Votive Mass of Our Lady (after Septuagesima). (When we sang there last year, it was the Ember Saturday of Lent, which was interesting.) Not having any polyphonists with us, we sang as a vested schola from the front of the nave.

Here is the Introit, with the Kyrie from Mass IX.


The Gradual Benedicta et venerabilis, and Tract Gaude Maria Virgo


The Offetory Felix namque est.


See the LMS Chairman blog for more on the Mass; see here for more photos.

Worcester College Sarum Vespers

We've been alerted to this event.

Join the Worcester College chapel community, on Wednesday 27th May, at 9.00 pm,
for a reconstruction of sung Vespers of the medieval Office in honour of St
Augustine of Canterbury. This will be the latest in a series of such services
which feature performances of medieval liturgical music, much of which has not
been heard since the Reformation, transcribed from local sources. On this
occasion the service is from the Denchworth Antiphonal, a manuscript used at the
parish of St James, Denchworth, near Wantage, which has many connections to the
College.

Several items from the early modern Denchworth parish library, now deposited in
Worcester, will be on display, including a chained volume and a commonplace book
for the use of the incumbents 'for ever'. This is a unique opportunity to see
some volumes perhaps intended for practical use in an early modern parish.

Chant colloquium

As part of the Graduate Students' Colloquia Series, there will be a lecture given on plainchant. Here are the details:

"Gregorian Imprints: Solesmes, Regensburg and the Battle for a French Plainchant", given by Katherine Ellis

Tuesday of 5th Week (26th May), 5.15pm

Denis Arnold Hall, Faculty of Music

Students, staff and general public are all welcome to attend. Refreshments beforehand and discussion afterwards.

Saturday practice and lunch

Today we had a session with our professional coach, Mr Adrian Taylor, in preparation for Candlemass. Our practice was followed by lunch in the Senior Member's house.

First event of Michaelmas 2008: LMS Oxford Pilgrimage

Our first event of the year was the Latin Mass Society Oxford Pilgrimage. Each year there is a Solemn High Mass, a procession to one of the sites of martyrdom in the city, and Benediction. This year Bishop Kenney, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, blessed a new plaque honouring the four Catholics executed in 1589, who were beatified by Pope John-Paul II in 1987.

The picture above shows part of the procession with Bishop Kenney, other clergy, and the Schola in front of them. (In accordance with the custom, the bishop was at the back of the procession.) We sang the Litany of the Saints, the Te Deum and other things as we walked along. After the procession we sang at Benediction in Blackfriars: picture below. There is more about the events of the day here and here.

Chant Training Day

The Schola participated in the Gregorian Chant Training Day organised by the local Latin Mass Society. It was hosted by Fr John Saward in his church of SS Gregory and Augustine, and led by Mr Philip Duffy. Some videos of the singing at the Mass which concluded the day can be found here.

New officers

At the last practice of term, we elected new officers for the Society, effective from the end of term:

Richard Craddock, Somerville, President

James Harland, The Queen's, Secretary

Daniel Kumar, St Annes's, Treasurer

Congratulations to them all!

First Meeting

Confirmation of venue: the first meeting and rehearsal of our all-male schola will be at

8pm in the Stapeldon Room in Exeter College,

on Wednesday 10th October.

OGCS at Freshers' Fair