Holy Family invites area children to join a traditional Catholic music program in September

God created us to love what is good, true, and beautiful. The Catholic heritage is ripe with beautiful art, architecture, literature, and not least of all, music. Some of history’s most gifted musicians wrote music for the glory of God at Mass, including Palestrina, Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. Beautiful music glorifies God and helps us to raise our minds and voices to heaven.  

Mindful of the Second Vatican Council’s mandate that “much emphasis should be placed on the teaching of sacred music,” and of the important role that music plays in the cognitive, artistic, and spiritual development of a child, Holy Family is proud to offer The Chant Schola, a traditional Catholic music school for the youth. Classes will begin in September and are free and available to Holy Family Parish families as well as children in other area parishes. After all, our goal is to share the beauty of music!

The Chant Schola music program teaches the techniques of healthy singing, solfege, sight-reading, and rhythmic analysis. Students will be educated in the music of the church, with a particular focus on Gregorian Chant, and will learn about the importance of music in worship. Classes will be fun and children will sing, play games, and enjoy socializing and sharing with their peers in a relaxed setting.

We also welcome families to utilize and wait in our Parish gym while students are in class. It can save you a trip and perhaps you can meet new friends too.

We are pleased to welcome Mrs. Colleen Rockwell to Holy Family. She is a well-trained and experienced professional in the field of both education and Gregorian Chant. After studying and receiving her degree in Vocal Performance, she spent many years as a Chant Choral member and Cantor within the Albany Diocese. Mrs. Rockwell also founded the Chant School for families and children of the Latin Mass in Troy, NY. We are fortunate that she is bringing her knowledge and devoted spirit to our parish.

To learn more or to enroll, please click here. 

Bishop gives permission for Latin Mass to continue at 11 a.m. at Holy Family on Sundays

Traditionis Custodes On Friday, July 16th, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pope Francis issued his Motu Proprio ("one's own initiative") entitled: "Traditionis Custodes" - Guardians of the Tradition. The document establishes new norms for the celebration of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970.  

What's it about?
In a nutshell, the Traditionis Custodes places great restrictions on the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Headlines suggest that Pope Francis wants to limit the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. While this is true, Traditionis Custodes still allows for the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.

A little background may help to understand the context. Soon after the Resurrection of Our Blessed Lord, the Mass began to take shape.  Different rites emerged throughout the Catholic world, influenced by local customs and traditions.   By the mid-1500's the varying rites were so numerous that  Pope Pius V, at the Council of Trent, codeified Roman Rite and eliminated any rite that could not claim over 200 years of use. (There are other rites - the Carmelite, Dominican and Ambrosian Rite that still exist)  After the Second Vatican Council,  the Novus Ordo (The Ordinary Form) became the ordinary Mass celebrated in Roman Catholic Churches.  Although the "Tridentine" or "Latin Mass" fell out of use, it was never banned (nor can it be according to the Papal Bull of St. Pius V, Quo Primum, promulgated in 1570), but became the regular (Ordinary Form) Mass celebrated in Catholic parishes.   SInce 1970, there have are now two forms or expressions of the Roman Rite.

In 1984, St. Pope John Paull II, through a special Indult Quattuor Abhinc Annos, granted the faculty of using the Roman Missal published in 1962 by Blessed John XXIII.  Again in 1988,  with the Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei, St.Pope John Paul II exhorted bishops to make broad and generous use of this faculty on behalf of all the faithful who sought it. This same Motu Proprio made it possible for priests to publically celebrate the Extraordinary Form as long as they were given permission from their Bishop. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI went one step further in his Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, declaring that every priest had the right to celebrate the Extraordinary Form. The Extraordinary Form of the Mass, grew in popularity as more and more people were exposed to it. 

After my own ordination to the priesthood in 2014, I became interested in learning more about the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Over the course of two years, I was trained how to say it by two friends, both young laymen, who taught me the rubrics and Latin pronunciation. While learning to say the Mass, I came to appreciate its beauty and rich symbolism. I also realized I was not alone: it seemed every young faithful Catholic that I met was learning about the beauty of this ancient liturgy. 

All this has changed with the latest Motu Proprio. I will not go into all the documents now for reasons of brevity. You can find a lot of commentaries online. One stipulation that is worth mentioning is that priests must now receive special permission from their Bishop. Aware of this, I petitioned Bishop Scharfenberger for the faculties to offer the Extraordinary Form here at Holy Family.  I made this request because I find tremendous strength and peace offering the Mass. I know many of you have come to appreciate it as well.  

Thankfully, he granted me permission, so we will continue for the time being. As far as I know, we are currently only one of two parishes in the Diocese that offer the Extraordinary Form. I hope one day, despite this latest move to restrict its usage, more people will come to discover this ancient liturgy that continues to bear good fruit and will until the Second Coming of Christ.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Slezak