Posted on by Kathleen Pluth

Una Voce at St. Peter’s

 
This morning I attended Una Voce’s beautifully sung Mass in the Chapel of the Choir. The ceremonial was done in a calm, peaceful manner, without ostentation. I thought the entire Mass was exemplary. Even the bells were rung well. 

10 Replies to “Una Voce at St. Peter’s”

  2. Well, I'm not at St. Peter's now. I couldn't stay at St. Peter's ALL day, on the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran. Other fish to fry.

  6. A good sign! I don't believe NAC seminarians would have been doing something like this 20 years ago (15 years ago? 10 years ago?). At least not so publicly.

  7. Kathy, you are absolutely right. The Mass was beautiful. What I didn't understand, though, was why the vast majority of the laity present thought it fit to sit in the choir stalls. The choir stalls of the Canons of the Papal Basilica of St Peter, no less !!! One would have expected better behaviour from (supposedly) learned people like Una Voce. There were many empty seats available in the pews in front of the altar.

  8. Fred, I was pointed to my seat in the stalls by an usher of the Basilica. I sat among others who had already been seated there. Some sections of the stalls were roped off, with a sign indicating that they were the canons' seats, and some were not. That was my understanding at least.

    I don't remember there being 60+ seats in the pews in front of the altar, though I might be wrong.

    There would have been plenty of time before Mass for anyone to rearrange seating if we were acting improperly. But again, it was an usher of the Basilica who pointed me towards the choir.

  9. It was a setting by Taverner, "The Western Wind." I didn't meet the schola, but I believe there was one voice per part, very well done.

  10. I like the term "without ostentation." There is often a sense of overreaching with the Extraordinary Form as though every "bell and whistle" has to be added in to prove a point.

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