tag:daytonvespers.org,2005:/blogs/what-to-watch-forWhat to Watch For2022-12-29T16:16:50-05:00Dayton Vespersfalsetag:daytonvespers.org,2005:Post/71299612022-12-29T16:16:50-05:002023-10-16T11:04:31-04:00Of the Father's Love Begotten<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/b66a65073ec28a4022e66d6adaec7d361f537699/original/adobestock-75855744.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Our hymn for January 1 Vespers will be "Of the Father's Love Begotten," which has been found in most Christian hymnals for centuries. The hymn was originally written by Aurelius Prudentius Clemens, who was a Roman Christian poet. Prudentius was born in the Roman province of Tarraconensis (now Northern Spain) in 348. He died after 405, possibly around 413. </p>
<p>Prudentius practiced law with some success, and was twice provincial governor, before the emperor Theodosius I summoned him to court. Towards the end of his life (possibly around 392) In retirement, Prudentius became an ascetic, fasting until evening and abstaining entirely from animal food. He wrote poems, hymns, and controversial works in defense of Christianity.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="cOF9JLJkPis" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/cOF9JLJkPis/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cOF9JLJkPis?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Prudentius’ hymn addressed the Arian heresy, which had many adherents at the time. It expresses belief in the Trinity in the very first line. Christ is both fully human and fully divine, and rather than simply being made by God, he was “begotten” of the very same substance. This hymn, so often associated with Christmas, is thus a hymn of proclamation, calling us to sing out our faith – “every voice in concert ring, evermore and evermore!”</p>
<p>John Mason Neale translated Prudentius's poem in 1851, and his music editor, Thomas Helmore, paired it with the medieval Latin plainsong melody known as "Divinum mysterium." Divinum mysterium first appeared in manuscripts as early as the Tenth Century.</p>
<p>Of the Father's love begotten, <br>Ere the worlds began to be, <br>He is Alpha and Omega, <br>He the source, the ending He, <br>Of the things that are, that have been, <br>And that future years shall see, <br>Evermore and evermore!</p>
<p>O that birth forever blessèd, <br>When the virgin, full of grace, <br>By the Holy Ghost conceiving, <br>Bore the Saviour of our race; <br>And the Babe, the world's Redeemer, <br>First revealed His sacred face, <br>evermore and evermore!</p>
<p>This is He Whom seers in old time <br>Chanted of with one accord; <br>Whom the voices of the prophets <br>Promised in their faithful word; <br>Now He shines, the long expected, <br>Let creation praise its Lord, <br>Evermore and evermore!</p>
<p>O ye heights of heaven adore Him; <br>Angel hosts, His praises sing; <br>Powers, dominions, bow before Him, <br>and extol our God and King! <br>Let no tongue on earth be silent, <br>Every voice in concert sing, <br>Evermore and evermore!</p>
<p>Christ, to Thee with God the Father, <br>And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee, <br>Hymn and chant with high thanksgiving, <br>And unwearied praises be: <br>Honour, glory, and dominion, <br>And eternal victory, <br>Evermore and evermore!</p>Dayton Vesperstag:daytonvespers.org,2005:Post/71102632022-11-25T10:14:55-05:002022-11-25T10:14:56-05:00Conditor alme siderum<p>One of the most well-known hymns of all time is "Conditor alme siderum." We know it in English as "Creator of the Stars at Night." The origins of the hymn stretch back to the Seventh Century (600s). It is sung every year in Advent, primarily at Vespers. The hymn has been edited, translated, and rewritten several times over the centuries. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/fc7349f79c1f95f21b469586b282a5c7f4180146/original/stars-at-night.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />The tune is written in Mode IV, which gives it a tender, close, and sweet feeling, even though the words speak about the celestial, eternal universe. The music, then, helps to convey the message. The coming of the Messiah is about God's tenderness and closeness with us. It is about the humble birth of a child rather than emotionless emptiness or the bombastic entry of a warrior. Sometime this Advent, spend a few moments at night looking up at the stars and pondering how close Jesus is to us all.</p>
<p>Dayton Vespers will sing this hymn in two forms. The first, on December 1, will use the English translation of the traditional words. For December 8 and 16, we'll be celebrating the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe. For those two services, we'll use alternate words that celebrate Mary with the same tune. Below is the music for verse 1 of the Latin version. Following that is the English translation for all verses.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/a05d3530e5e49db8d3e5828adea13915a36db14c/original/hy-conditor-alme-siderum-solesmes-2000s-1verse.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Creator of the stars of night, <br> thy people’s everlasting light, <br> Jesu, Redeemer, save us all, <br> and hear Thy servants when they call. </p>
<p> Thou, grieving that the ancient curse <br> should doom to death a universe, <br> hast found the medicine, full of grace, <br> to save and heal a ruined race. </p>
<p> Thou cam’st, the Bridegroom of the bride, <br> as drew the world to evening-tide; <br> proceeding from a virgin shrine, <br> the spotless victim all divine. </p>
<p> At whose dread name, majestic now, <br> all knees must bend, all hearts must bow; <br> and things celestial Thee shall own, <br> and things terrestrial, Lord alone. </p>
<p> O Thou whose coming is with dread <br> to judge and doom the quick and dead, <br> preserve us, while we dwell below, <br> from every insult of the foe. </p>
<p> To God the Father, God the Son, <br> and God the Spirit, Three in One, <br> laud, honor, might, and glory be <br> from age to age eternally.</p>Dayton Vesperstag:daytonvespers.org,2005:Post/70968832022-11-06T20:42:51-05:002022-11-06T20:42:51-05:00St. Anthony Parish Vespers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/615836a4e77b3f99e9e31408dae6618f78d4f46e/original/st-anthony-mural-ii.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>St. Anthony Parish has started Vespers on Tuesday evenings! The parish has a group of about twenty people who get together weekly for Evening Prayer. The group uses the widely-acclaimed and easy-to-use Word on Fire Liturgy of the Hours booklets. The evening begins with a chance to mention someone or something to pray for, and several people offer up prayers. The hymn comes from the hymnal found at the back of the booklet. It is a simple, traditional chant, much like the hymns we use. They recite the psalms but then sing the beautiful Owen Alstott version of the Magnificat, <a contents='"My Soul Rejoices."' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9wHr_DPUhY&t=23s" target="_blank">"My Soul Rejoices."</a> The evening ends with a bit of Lectio Divina with participants offering thoughts of which lines or phrases meant something to them and why.</p>
<p>The setting is beautiful St. Anthony Church, in the pews in front of the mural, with a little incense. Prayers begin at 7:00 p.m.</p>Dayton Vesperstag:daytonvespers.org,2005:Post/70906072022-10-28T09:10:10-04:002022-10-28T09:12:13-04:00All Souls Day<p>All Souls Day has traditionally been a day of prayer and remembrance for departed friends and loved ones. It was instituted on its November 2 date in the 1000s at the famous Abbey of Cluny in France, and its dependent priories. It was, and still is, a day of prayer for the dead, particularly those in purgatory so that they may gain entrance to heaven. Praying with and for the dead goes back to the earliest days of the Church when the faithful would gather for prayer in the catacombs of Rome. In more recent times, the faithful still gathered in cemeteries to pray for deceased friends and family, as we will do, and also gathered in churches and homes. In Mexico, the day of remembrance became known as the Day of the Dead.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/70d6675d9c094392ef464b35c8b11c01d00fda49/original/all-souls-day.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Our Vespers on November 3 will offer prayers for both named individuals and all those at Calvary Cemetery who have no one to pray for them anymore, whether due to the ending of the family lineage or the falling away from the faith of later generations. The evening will grow dark as we pray, bringing a sense of stillness and peace to the liturgy. We'll pray the traditional Office for the Dead, which is said on All Souls Day or on any day for particular people that we want to remember. The closing prayer expresses our faith in the Resurrection: "Merciful Father, hear our prayers and console us. As we renew our faith in your Son, whom you raised from the dead, strengthen our hope that all our departed brothers and sisters will share in his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God, for ever and ever. Amen."</p>Dayton Vesperstag:daytonvespers.org,2005:Post/70714452022-09-29T20:38:26-04:002022-09-29T20:38:27-04:00Guardian Angels October 6<p>This month, we'll be celebrating the Memorial for the Guardian Angels. We'll be praying at Holy Angels Church with the beautiful murals behind the altar. Our reading talks about the incense brought to the altar by angels:</p>
<p>"An angel came in holding a censor of gold. He took his place at the altar of incense and was given large amounts of incense to deposit on the altar of gold in front of the throne, together with the prayers of all God's holy ones. From the angel's hand the smoke of the incense went up before God, and with it the prayers of God's people."</p>
<p>Revelation 8:3-4</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/e79a9436b392efb0916dd5c38c6b2f9f53280d05/original/angel-incense.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We hope that our prayers will rise with the incense too. </p>
<p>Our hymn is called "The Guardians of Our Race, Our Angel Guides We Hail." It was originally written in Latin in the early 1600s but has been translated into English by Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB. The music is traditional too. It is in Mode 3, which has been described as having a feeling that is "intense, vehement, emotional, stormy, and distressed." This feeling fits the text, which speaks of the "traitor angel," aka the devil. A recording of the hymn is found <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS2r__MGFtM" target="_blank">here</a>. </p>
<p>The last note of the entire piece -- the "final" -- is the key to giving this piece its "stormy" feel. In the "do re mi" system, that note is "mi." It is found accompanying the words, "forth," "throw," and "foe" in the first verse.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/76d2161f2c226bfd0d34cf493dd940022332b65c/original/the-guardians-of-our-race.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The rest of the prayer will use modes that are brighter and that are sometimes called, "angelic." Come, pray with us and experience the beauty of simple chant.</p>Dayton Vesperstag:daytonvespers.org,2005:Post/70168092022-07-28T20:27:46-04:002022-08-04T17:23:15-04:00St. Clare August 11<p>Saint Clare was a forward thinker. She was one of the first followers of Saint Francis and became his constant companion in the 1200s in Italy. She founded an order of nuns, dedicated to living in poverty, away from the world, and focusing on prayer and manual labor. She wrote their guidelines for living together, called the Rule of Saint Clare, which was the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been written by a woman. The order still thrives today, and <a contents="there is a community in Cincinnati" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r0AeQDtGLQ" target="_blank">there is a community in Cincinnati</a>. Our hymn for the day was written in the 1600s. The first words are "A valiant woman, strong by grace, / Unites us all in praise this day." </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/26ecb955f3ebc19a39aba9bd7c844c9baa95fe4d/original/simone-martini-047.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Dayton Vesperstag:daytonvespers.org,2005:Post/70057522022-07-17T23:07:40-04:002022-07-17T23:26:59-04:00How We Pray with the Egyptian Desert Fathers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/12df556d61f034690684cb2d869d2a0193f264d1/original/saint-john-cassian.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Praying Vespers immerses a person in the Church's traditions. There is a deep purposefulness in almost everything. One of the traditions from the earliest of times comes from the Egyptian Desert Fathers. St. John Cassian recounts the advice given to a companion of his by Abba Isaac:</p>
<p>"There is a Scripture verse that every monk intent on the continual remembrance of God regularly ponders. He ceaselessly turns it over in his heart after ridding himself of every other thought because he cannot possibly hold on to this remembrance unless he has freed himself from all bodily care and anxieties. This Scripture verse was handed over to us by a few of those who were left from the oldest Fathers, and we do not let just anyone know about it -- just those rare people who truly thirst for it." </p>
<p>The special formula comes from Psalm 70:1: "O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me." These are the first words that we pray at the start of every Vespers.</p>
<p>Listen for it when you next pray Vespers and consider the wisdom underlying these simple words, handed down from generation to generation, saint to saint. </p>Dayton Vesperstag:daytonvespers.org,2005:Post/69876842022-06-07T21:39:19-04:002022-07-17T23:25:38-04:00Saint Kateri July 14<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/d42cbacb608d37697539f174c8040c101c689601/original/st-kateri2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<h3><strong>Saint Kateri</strong></h3>
<p>On July 14, we will be praying Vespers at Queen of Martyrs church. July 14 is the Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American woman of North America to be canonized. She was a Mohawk and grew up in New York. "Kateri" means Kathryn and is the name taken by her upon her baptism at age 19. She was named after St. Catherine of Siena. She contracted smallpox when she was young. Her family died, and her face was scarred from the disease. She was very shy because of how her face looked.</p>
<p>Girls married at a young age in Mohawk culture, but Kateri resisted her extended family's urgings. She wanted to remain a virgin like St. Catherine and other saints. When she converted, she decided to move near Montreal, where there was a community of Christian Native Americans. The other soon came to understand that there was something special, something holy about Kateri.</p>
<p>She died young at the age of 24 from another disease. Witnesses saw her scars disappear minutes after her death, and her face became radiant and beautiful.</p>
<p>We will sing a hymn, Jesu corona virginum, in honor of St. Kateri and other saints like her. It was written by St. Ambrose in the Fourth Century. Of course, we will sing the English translation.</p>
<h3>Queen of Martyrs</h3>
<p>It's hard to tell now, but Queen of Martyrs Church was heavily damaged in the 2019 tornado. The <a contents="parish website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.qmdayton.org" target="_blank">parish website</a> has pictures of the damage. Not everything was damaged, however, the statue of Mary still stood, undamaged, while everything around it had fallen down. The parishioners still talk about it to this day.</p>Dayton Vesperstag:daytonvespers.org,2005:Post/69869172022-06-04T20:56:31-04:002022-07-17T23:26:09-04:00Orthodox Vespers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/d51fe676cc0f6a9b2768a0d9e7a294276d1afc4c/original/saint-tikhon.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>We will be visiting St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church on June 15 for Vespers. We will not be able to accurately describe everything that will happen because we are not knowledgeable enough about Orthodoxy. Nonetheless, here are some things to watch for:</p>
<ul> <li>There are no instruments. Everything is chanted. The voice is considered to be the perfect instrument. Each of the choir members is capable and confident chanting without being led by an organ or piano. They are really impressive. The traditions of vespers in Orthodoxy and in Western Christianity have common origins, although they are very different.</li> <li> <p>Orthodox Vespers typically chant Psalms 104,140,141,129, and 116, although it is unclear which of these will be prayed at the shorter, Wednesday evening vespers. Psalm 104 describes the creation with delight and awe. My favorite line: "He looks at the earth and it trembles; the mountains send forth smoke at his touch." In the Western Liturgy of the Hours, this psalm is prayed in the overnight or early morning hours. It's more prominent in Orthodoxy because it is prayed at vespers. The other psalms ask for God's protection in the evening hours and express gratitude.</p> </li> <li> <p>The icons (holy images) are very important. They help teach the faithful about God in much the same way that stained glass images or stations of the cross are used in Western churches. Another purpose of icons is to aid the faithful in prayer and meditation on the person or the salvific significance of the event depicted. Icons keep the mind from wandering and help focus one's attention on prayer. We will see the priest incense the icons. </p> </li> <li>At one point, while incensing the icons, the priest leaves the room. I'm not sure why. We'll have to ask about that.</li>
</ul>Dayton Vesperstag:daytonvespers.org,2005:Post/69866922022-06-04T19:59:36-04:002022-08-04T17:23:15-04:00Ave Maris Stella<p>For Vespers on May 19, we'll be singing a hymn first written in the Ninth Century, although some have claimed that it was written as early as the Sixth Century. Ave Maris Stella is one of the most famous chanted hymns. It speaks of Mary, the Star of the Sea, or the North Star, which guides sailors to stay on the right course. In Latin, the lines are very simple, each with only six syllables. The simplicity of the poetry allowed the music to use multiple notes on one syllable, which is called a melisma. These melismas are what gave the melody its beauty and is what made it so well-loved. We'll sing our version in English.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/4a98d5dc41ce3ef1567efda0ea74b4b30789fc47/original/adobestock-309808742.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Here is a hand-copied cantor's book from the year 1312 showing the hymn using nearly the same tune as the version we'll be using (see further below):</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/1eb0febcb103381a7026d5801c5f9e6451612644/original/codlat-b04-333v.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Below is version that we'll sing:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/642260/e96277a5933167f7fb158ee70406013540ccdcf8/original/hail-o-star.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Dayton Vespers