The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales cordially welcome Professor Howell, and cordially invite all faithful at the Oratory and their friends to hear Professor Howell’s presentation on “Corpus Christi: How and Why the Church Celebrates the Eucharist.”

This presentation will take place on Trinity Sunday, June 7, 2009.

At the Oratory, the Feast of Corpus Christi will be celebrated on Thursday, June 11, 2009, and as an External Solemnity on Sunday, June 14, 2009, with a Solemn High Mass and Eucharistic Procession.

Corpus Christi Mass times:  Thursday at 8 AM (Low Mass), and 6:30 PM (Solemn High Mass); Sunday at 8 AM (Low Mass) and 10 AM (Solemn High Mass with procession.)

Notes

Dr. Howell is a noted professor of theology currently teaching at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has written numerous books and articles on various subjects related to the Faith, notably on science and religion. His articles and columns have appeared in the popular apologetics magazine “This Rock.” The subject of his current research and anticipated new publications is the Holy Eucharist, a recurring theme in many of his previous works.

Corpus Christi is Latin for “Body of Christ.” The institution of this feast by Pope Urban IV dates back to 1264. St. Thomas Aquinas’ hymns composed specifically for this feast (e.g. Pange lingua, Tantum ergo) have since become well-loved main staple in the Church’s liturgical celebrations of the Holy Eucharist.

The origin of this feast and its theological implications are specifically Roman Catholic, and as such, have been especially appreciated by those who are drawn into the Roman Catholic Church by the love of the Holy Eucharist.

Dr. Howell was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1978. For 18 years, he ministered as a pastor and instructor of theology and biblical exegesis. The study of “the Last Supper” and his subsequent study of the Catholic understanding of the Holy Eucharist played a pivotal role in his decision to be received into the Roman Catholic Church.

Wednesday Evening from 7:30-8:30 PM in the Oratory Hall

June 3^rd – July 29^th

St. Francis de Sales Oratory and its Director for Sacred Music, Mr. Nick Botkins, are pleased to announce a nine-week course in Gregorian chant for beginners. The lessons will be offered once a week on Wednesday evening from 7:30-8:30 PM in the Oratory hall. The course runs from June 3^rd to July 29^th. Information brochure is available by contacting the Oratory (314) 771-3100.

Goal of This Course

The goal of this course is to teach beginners to sing chant, and to become well-acquainted with three different settings of the Mass that the Church has suggested for use throughout the year. These settings include: Mass XI Orbis factor (Post-Pentecost), Mass IV Cunctipotens genitor Deus, and Mass IX Cum jubilo (for Feasts of the Blessed Virgin).

Other material to be covered will include:

• The responses of the faithful
• Sprinkling Antiphon Asperges Me
• Te Deum
• Hymns for Benediction
• Seasonal Marian antiphons
  

Participants will be exposed to Gregorian chant notation (a.k.a. square notes), and brief explanations will be made regarding this notation.

Who May Attend?

Any lay people who are interested in learning about Gregorian Chant and are willing sing it at Mass is welcome. This course is designed for the beginner, thus no prior experience in Gregorian chant or Church Latin is necessary, but the ability to carry a tune will be helpful.

Faithful of the Oratory, as well as visitors from parishes are welcome. Clergy and seminarians are also welcome, if they wish to learn the above mentioned material. Participants are encouraged to bring friends to introduce them to this form of sacred music.

Course Material

Copies of all music will be provided. Please provide your own one-inch binder, and a pencil for making notes during class.

Date, Time, Location of Lessons

These lessons will be held every Wednesday evening in the Oratory Hall, beginning on June 3^rd. Each lesson will last between 45 and 60 minutes, and will begin promptly at 7:30 PM, so please be punctual. There will be time to socialize before and after each lesson. Mr. Botkins will be available to answer any question you may have regarding the course material.

Throughout the nine-week course, all participants are encouraged to attend the High Masses at the Oratory, on Sundays or feast days, to practice what they have learned.

How to Register

Send an e-mail to Mr. Nick Botkins (nbotkins@institute-christ-king.org), and please indicate your name, phone number, parish, and level of singing experience.

Fee

These lessons are offered free of charge to both diocesan parishioners and faithful of the Oratory. Donations are welcome, and will be directed towards the restoration effort.

Experienced Choristers & Musicians Who Know Chant

You are most welcome to join one of the Gregorian scholas at St. Francis de Sales Oratory:

• Gentlemen’s Schola rehearses Saturday morning from 9:15 – 10:30.
  
• Ladies’ Schola rehearses Thursday evening from 5:15- 6:30.
  

On May 17, after the 10 AM Mass, we are honored to welcome Mr. Mark Scott Abeln, who will be on hand to present and autograph his brand new book, Catholic St. Louis, A Pictorial History. Mr. Abeln has generously donated the net profit of books sold on this occasion to The Friends of St. Francis de Sales, Inc. We are grateful for Mr. Abeln’s generosity, and also for this excellent undertaking which illustrates and preserves the history of the Catholic Church in St, Louis. Everyone is cordially invited to come meet Mr. Abeln after Mass, and to purchase a signed copy of his book ($32.95) to benefit the Oratory’s restoration effort.

Review of the Book

Catholic St. Louis: A Pictorial History by William Barnaby Faherty S.J., with photography by Mark Abeln (Reedy Press, 2009) has just been published.  It is a collaborative effort between a noted historian of St. Louis, Fr. William Faherty, S.J., and a noted native photographer and blogger, Mr. Mark Scott Abeln (“Rome of the West,” www.romeofthewest.com).

The narrative of Fr. Faherty in this book is typical of his other works on the history of Catholic St. Louis: factual and colorful interweaving of people and events which filled the quintessential American immigration story of the Nineteenth Century. The photographic artistry of Mr. Abeln is also typical of his many published works on the Internet: technically superb, and artistically provocative.

This collaboration proves the inadequacy of the cliché, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” While each of Mr. Abeln’s color photographs illustrates beautifully various St. Louis area churches, the collection of these photos, taken as a whole, says far more than the sum of its parts. When combined with a historical narrative, the synergistic result is an account of a people who formed the rich fabric of St. Louis society.

The history of St. Louis is Catholic Americana at its very best.  It is a story featuring a cast of characters who sequentially dominated the St. Louis scene for more than a century, and left their individual marks on the building of America – from frontier schools and  hospitals to universities. It is also a story of the Universal Church at its best.  Although they came from many lands in Europe – France, Belgium, Ireland, and Germany, they shared one common frame of reference: the Church.

Mr. Abeln’s photography of the edifices of faith illustrates beautifully the complex diversity of St. Louis’ people and their past. More than that, his photography captures a sense of the sacred which is the essence of Catholic architecture.

By its nature, most Catholic churches, particularly those of past centuries, are photogenic. Tradition, form, and function have always combined to express an other-worldly beauty.  Mr. Abeln’s selection of subjects illustrates more; he is able to bring forth dignity and beauty to show a truism: a Roman Catholic church is never empty, even when it is devoid of human presence. In addition to architectural details, the depictions include many solemnly decorated altars, stained-glass windows, side altars, and statues. The Real Presence is always accompanied by saints and angels – visibly represented by the statues and stained-glass representations, and invisibly by the collective consciousness of Catholic tradition. The collection of photographs manages to show this.

In this collection of photographs, there emerges an additional element which is not easily captured on paper. Through these beautifully composed photographs of sacred space, Mr. Abeln is able to show a dignity which beckons – an irresistible invitation to go visit the actual place, to be near the real altar, thus giving a new meaning to the American evangelical protestant term “altar call.” In contemplating these images, the reader gets the sense that, indeed, the Altar calls.

This book may be enjoyed on several levels: as a pictorial record of St. Louis’ rich Catholic history, or, with quiet contemplation, as a reminder to all Catholics that there are sacred spaces, likely inside our own neighborhood parish church, where we will find peace and solace.