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| 2592: Ordination
to the Diaconate, Moreau Seminary Chapel, Notre Dame, Indiana,
USA |
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Mystery
Worshipper: Amanda B. Reckondwythe.
The church:
Ordination to the Diaconate, Moreau
Seminary Chapel, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.
Denomination:
Roman Catholic,
Diocese
of Fort Wayne/South Bend.
The building:
The ceremony was held in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
where the seminarians gather several times a day for mass and
the liturgy of the hours. It is a large, brick walled room with
vaulted ceiling and tile floor. The chapel’s most prominent
feature is the east wall, consisting of purple and blue stained
glass panels depicting the angels of the Apocalypse.
The church:
From their website: "Moreau Seminary [is] named after Blessed
Basil Moreau, CSC, the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
It serves as the major seminary for the Congregation in the
United States. Seminarians live at Moreau and take their courses
at the University of Notre Dame."
The neighborhood:
Notre Dame is a "census-designated place" within the
city of South Bend, Indiana, about 90 miles east of Chicago.
It is the home of three institutions of higher learning: Notre
Dame University, St Mary’s College, and Holy Cross College,
as well as three religious communities: the Sisters of Holy
Cross, the Midwest Province of Brothers of Holy Cross, and the
Indiana Province of Priests and Brothers of Holy Cross. The
entire Notre Dame campus is very bucolic, with lakes, grottos
and shady groves all around. Moreau Seminary is situated across
St Joseph’s Lake and just a quarter mile walk from the center
of the campus.
The cast:
The Most Revd Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Indianapolis,
presided, along with a large number of concelebrating priests.
The Revd Thomas J. O’Hara, CSC, Provincial Superior, United
States Province, Congregation of Holy Cross, was the presentor.
Lectors, acolytes, archbishop’s attendants, etc. were all named
in the program but are too numerous to list here.
The date & time: Sunday, September 8, 2013, 10.30am.
What was the name of the service?
Ordination to the Diaconate.
How full was the building?
I counted room for about 200 in the pews. About 50 chairs had been set up behind the last row of pews to accommodate additional people. The room was about 95 per cent full.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
Seminarians dressed in black suits greeted everyone at the door and handed them a program.
Was your pew comfortable?
I elected to sit in a chair, which was comfortable. The pews looked comfortable enough.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
People sat in silence. A men’s quartet in the gallery sang the
Gregorian chant Ave Maria and a four-part hymn that
I did not recognize.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Good morning and welcome."
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
A program booklet.
What musical instruments were played?
Grand piano and very richly voiced organ. In addition to the
aforementioned quartet, a schola cantorum of about
20 men sang a communion hymn.
Did anything distract you?
I had my hands full as I fumbled the booklet, my camera, and notepad and pen. Thank goodness there was a ledge in front of my chair where I could lay things down when I had to.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
Aside from the ceremonial associated with ordination, it was
a run-of-the-mill novus ordo mass done with grace and
dignity. No bells or incense, but the archbishop chanted most
of the service in a very rich baritone. We sang two standard
hymns ("Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" as the entrance
hymn and "Lift High the Cross" as the recessional),
but the rest of the music, for the most part, leaned more toward
Singing Nun (or should I say Singing Brother?) stuff than did
the music at yesterday’s service. The provincial superior presented
the diaconal candidates to the archbishop, who laid hands on
them, recited the prayer of ordination over them, vested them
in dalmatic and stole, and gave them the book of gospels. They
then assisted at mass in the role usually taken by a deacon.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
14 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
7 – Archbishop Tobin delivered a well crafted homily but
read most of it from notes. He said that he, too, is a member
of a religious community, the Congregation of the Most Holy
Redeemer, better known as the Redemptorist Fathers. He also
lightened his talk with quite a bit of dry humor.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
The archbishop commented on the readings for the day (Wisdom
9:13-18b – the body weighs down the soul; Philemon 1:9-10, 12-17
– Paul sends Onesimus to Philemon as a free man; and Luke 14:25-33
– to be a disciple of Christ we must give up all), relating
them to the ordained ministry. Our role is to imitate Christ,
to do what Jesus did: teach, heal. This is what deacons do.
It is through the ministry that we know God.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
Miss Amanda is very pleased to report that there was not a white sock, trainer, or jeans to be seen under anyone’s cassock or alb!
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The acoustics in the chapel are not the best, and I wasn’t sure if microphones were being used, but I struggled to hear most of what the archbishop was saying in his homily. Not only that, but the lighting also left something to be desired. Light coming in through the stained glass behind the altar made it difficult to see the action sometimes, and well nigh impossible to photograph it.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
Everyone adjourned to the courtyard outdoors where a buffet luncheon had been laid out.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
I didn’t stay for the luncheon, however, as I had to get to
the airport. I left my Mystery Worshipper calling card on the
table reserved for the family of our Shipmate, Deacon Hart.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
7 – If I lived in the area I would be curious to see what ordinary Sunday services are like in the chapel.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Yes. As the archbishop said in his sermon, we see God through ministry.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The sight of the Revd Deacon whom we Shipmates call Hart making
the chalice as expertly as if he had been at it for years! Something
(perhaps some website?) has clearly had a positive effect on
his ecclesiastical upbringing. |
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| The Mystery Pilgrim |
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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| London churches |
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| Read reports from 70 London churches, visited by a small army of Mystery Worshippers on one single Sunday. Read here. |
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