We had the Bishop at SMV this morning--with 12 confirmands (at least) and 4 being received into the Church. The other cool thing? A small, mostly Nigerian, Episcopal church was visiting us this morning, and many of them came in Nigerian dress. It was beautiful! And the headresses the women wore were outstanding! We could use some more of that. I hope they'll come again. Anyway, it was a Mass full of pomp and circumstance, smells and bells. My favorite kind.
The processional/introit today was, of course, The Great Litany. I won't type it out here, as I'm sure lots of you did the same thing.
Offertory was:
"Sleepers, wake!" A voice astounds us,
the shout of rampart-guards surrounds us:
"Awake, Jerusalem, arise!"
Midnight's peace their cry has broken,
their urgent summons clearly spoken:
"The time has come, O maidens wise!
Rise up, and give us light;
the Bridegroom is in sight.
Alleluia!
Your lamps prepare and hasten there,
that you the wedding feast may share."
Zion hears the watchman singing;
her heart with joyful hope is springing,
she wakes and hurries through the night.
Forth he comes, her bridegroom glorious
in strength of grace, in truth victorious:
her star is risen, her light grows bright.
Now come, most worthy Lord,
God's Son, Incarnate Word,
Alleluia!
We follow all and heed your call
to come into the banquet hall.
Lamb of God, the heavens adore you;
let saints and angels sing before you,
as harps and cymbals swell the sound.
Twelve great pearls, the city's portals:
through them we stream to join the immortals
as we with joy your throne surround.
No eye has known the sight,
no ear heard such delight:
Alleluia!
Therefore we sing to greet our King;
for ever let our praises ring.
Sung at SMV this morning to Wachet Auf.
Communion hymn was:
O God, unseen yet ever near,
thy presence may we feel;
and thus inspired with holy fear,
before thine altar kneel.
Here may thy faithful people know
the blessings of thy love,
the streams that through the desert flow,
the manna from above.
We come, obedient to thy word,
to feast on heavenly food;
our meat the body of the Lord,
our drink his precious blood.
Thus may we all thy Word obey,
for we, O God, are thine;
and go rejoicing on our way,
renewed with strength divine.
Usually sung at SMV to St. Flavian. I don't know about today, because I had to sneak over to the parish hall to finish putting out the reception stuff, and only sneaked back in during the post communion hymn. So shoot me!
Post communion hymn was this:
Lo! he comes, with clouds descending,
once for our salvation slain;
thousand thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.
Every eye shall now behold him,
robed in dreadful majesty;
those who set at nought and sold him,
pierced, and nailed him to the tree,
deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
shall the true Messiah see.
Those dear tokens of his passion
still his dazzling body bears,
cause of endless exultation
to his ransomed worshipers;
with what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
gaze we on those glorious scars!
Now redemption, long expected,
see in solemn pomp appear;
all his saints, by man rejected,
now shall meet him in the air:
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
See the day of God appear!
Yea, amen! let all adore thee,
high on thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory;
claim the kingdom for thine own:
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and thou alone.
We sing it to Helmsley.
