This past Sunday, a solemn High Mass for the feast of the Prophet Elijah, who is honored as the founder of the Carmelite Order, was celebrated in the traditional Carmelite Rite at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Middletown, New York, the motherhouse of the order’s North American Province. We expect to have some pictures available soon, but in the meantime, here is a video of the complete ceremony, with very nice music indeed! The Mass itself begins at about 19:00; it is preceded by the Litany of the Saints, an invocation of the Holy Spirit, and the Asperges.
Some ritual particularities of note, which are typical of medieval Uses of the Mass: The acolytes wear full albs, and stand in front of the altar with the clergy. When the priest reads from the Introit, the deacon and subdeacon stand to either side of him, rather than behind him. The Epistle book is held in front of the subdeacon by an acolyte; the subdeacon then brings the chalice to the altar while the Gradual is sung. Since there is no MC, at the Offertory, it is the subdeacon who moves the missal out of the way and puts it back; he then washes the priest’s hands, while the deacon goes on with the incensation. (At 1:19:25, the video freezes for about 9 minutes, but the audio continues. It resumes in the middle of the embolism. The rest of the Mass is essentially very similar to the Roman Mass.)
UPDATE: A reader has brought to my attention a second video of the Mass taken from the choir loft.
UPDATE: A reader has brought to my attention a second video of the Mass taken from the choir loft.
