TTMS-UNA VOCE TORONTO featured on world's leading Catholic blog!

One of the world's leading blogs, Rorate Caeli, has asked us for a full report on the situation in Toronto with regards to the traditional liturgy. We are humbled and grateful that our work has been recognised internationally.

We Report: Rorate Mass at St. Patrick's Kinkora

The word "Rorate" has its place in the Advent liturgy of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in both Forms of the Roman Rite. It is the Advent Prose - as highlighted in this video; it is also the first word of the Introit or Entrance Antiphon for the Mass on the Fourth Sunday of Advent (in the Ordinary Form - Novus Ordo as well) and it is the first word from the same Introit used in the Votive Mass for Our Lady in Advent and it appears frequently in the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours.

When there is no feast on the day, the Votive Mass can be celebrated. In the new rite, the Ordinary Form, the lectionary specifies the Readings consistent with the Temporal Cycle, but in the old rite or Extraordinary Form, the Sanctoral Cycle specifies the readings for that feast or Votive Mass. As the Mass can reasonably take its name from the first word or words of the Introit -- Missa Quasimodo, Missa Suscepimus, Missa Puer Natus Est -- this Mass is known as the "Rorate Mass."

While it is not a rubrical requirement, there is a tradition from Bohemia, Poland and Bavaria that the Mass be celebrated in the pre-dawn hours by candlelight ending just as the light from the East shines softy from below the horizon and the windows are softly revealed. From darkness into light - the darkness without Christ to being in His light.

The Blessed Mother is the bearer of that light. It grew in her womb for nine months. It was God, the very God come to earth as a baby, taking the flesh and blood of this pure and immaculate young girl of probably 15 in the little town of Nazareth. This woman was the one who would crush the serpent. She is the new "ark of the covenant" that carries within it the law of God as in the Ten Commandments, the power of God as in the Rod of Aaron and the Bread of Life which came down from Heaven, just as the manna in the desert. When this baby was  born he was laid in a manger. Why a manger? Aside from the obvious it is because from that manger the creatures were fed. We are fed the Bread of Life and that He was laid by this new mother in a manger is of no coincidence. This mother is Our Mother, this woman is the Woman. She is the truly the Mother of God, the God who came to earth as a baby to save us.

As Father Paul Nicholson of St. Patrick's Kinkora said in his homily, "the virginal work of the bee, manufacturing wax and producing honey is a prophet of nature, pointing to the Work of the Immaculata. She gave us more than honey, She gave us the BREAD of Life and "it is sweet to taste". She gave us more then wax, she gave us LIGHT"

This is the truth of the faith and this is why we offer Sacrifice to God in the Holy Mass and why we honour His most perfect creature, the one who bore Himself.

In the little hamlet of Kinkora in the Diocese of London in Ontario and 160 kilometres from Toronto, a Rorate Mass was celebrated. In the cold and dark of a December morning they came. From Toronto, Kitchener, Cambridge, London, Walkerton, Waterloo and from places in between. At 5:30 A.M, they gathered to pray and to honour the truth of God and His Mother. Some rose three hours earlier, children in tow to a drive to a beautiful church in the middle of farming country including half of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Traditional Mass Society-UNA VOCE TORONTO who are honoured to have assisted the priest of this parish with the organisation and promotion of this Mass. Three years ago, seven people attended and we gathered for breakfast around the generous table of the Kinkorites Sharon and Patrick. This year there were more than ten times that number and all gathered in the local school gymnasium for a community breakfast. The TTMS-UNA VOCE TORONTO has in its mandate, the assistance to the suffragan dioceses of the Toronto Metropolitan See with the development and support of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Let us pray that the words of that prose; "Drop down ye heavens from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."

We Report: Immaculate Conception Mass at St. Joseph's, Mississauga

Bordering Toronto’s western boundary is the City of Mississauga which means in Anishinaabe – the language of the aboriginal people of this area, “those at the great river mouth.” It reminds one of Canada’s motto on its Coat of Arms from the 72nd Psalm, "Et dominabitur ‘a mari usque ad mare,’ et a flumine usque ad terminos terrae"  At the most westerly church in the Archdiocese of Toronto and one dedicated to St. Joseph, Canada’s Patron Saint, over 450 people gathered on the feast of the Immaculate Conception  to give glory to God and to honour the great Patron’s Immaculate Spouse with the celebration of a Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

This was the first Solemn Mass in the "Old Rite" in this City of over 700,000 in almost half a century. The pastor of St. Joseph’s Church is a very dedicated and welcoming priest and in September 2011 a Missa Cantata was held there on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the parish was used for the first Anglican-Use Mass celebrated in Canada the previous March during a diocesan conference on the Anglican Ordinariate. Built in the early 1990’s the church is typical of its time but it has undergone a beautification using high quality altar-ware, frontals and tabernacle veils, vestments, beautiful statues, colour and stenciling and of course, adherence to the rubrics of the GIRM in the Ordinary Form - there is here, truly a love of the holy liturgy. The choir is, without a doubt, the most skilled and most liturgically correct of any Catholic parish in Mississauga; they utilise the Propers in English and Latin for the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the Parish Book of Chant and polyphony. Last year, the parish and its pastor hosted a Chant Workshop with Father Samuel Weber, O.S.B.

After Mass, a woman remarked to the Pastor, that “it was as if we were transported to heaven.” A young Altar Server told of dozens of people coming to receive Holy Communion with tears in their eyes, some were quivering. When these kinds of comments are heard, it is a joyful but incredibly humbling experience for all involved with this work at the Toronto Traditional Mass Society—Una Voce Toronto and it reaffirms to us all, why it is that we do this work.

A great blessing to Toronto was the erection, almost 35 years ago, of the Toronto Oratory of St. Philip Neri who began celebrating the Usus Antiquior under the former indult, only the second in the entire Archdiocese of Toronto the first being said by a kind and humble priest that was once alone in this work. He is still going strong with two Masses on Sunday at nearly 80 and the Oratorians celebrate daily in their primary parish, on Sundays in their second and within their various chapels at the Oratory and St. Philip’s Seminary.

The former Cardinal Ambrozic, rejected our repeated request to invite the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter to Toronto.  The Society was joyous when Archbishop, now Cardinal Collins acceded to our request and invited the FSSP to Toronto. The Fraternity, shabbily treated whist here, left Toronto after a short 19-month Apostolate and it was up to the laity to pick up the pieces to ensure that the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite was brought far and wide. In the months since then, the Society has organised Sung or Solemn Masses on Corpus Christi, Assumption, Holy Cross, Christ the King, Immaculate Conception, Epiphany, Candlemas, Ascension, All Saints and All Souls and we are now in our second year of doing this. These Masses have been celebrated in parish churches and even the beautiful chapel at Loretto Abbey where we will return next year for the Ascension of the Lord. We are deeply grateful for the five Priests and even the Permanent Deacon who have helped us to fill the vital need of the faithful. The Cardinal Archbishop has also ensured that the former indult/FSSP apostolate was moved to a beautiful church with a Chaplain appointed and now the Mass is there daily as well in the eastern part of Toronto, known as Scarborough.

The Toronto Traditional Mass Society-Una Voce Toronto was established in 2004 and is a Chapter of Canada’s original Member of FIUV, the International Una Voce Federation. We have a strong, united and elected Board of Directors and we continue to grow our membership and acquire liturgical items including custom made catafalque candles, vestments and Missals and altar-ware. As a registered charity we have raised funds and provide financial support and stipends to seminarians at home and those from the Archdiocese studying abroad having a devotion and commitment to the full expression of the Roman Rite. Given our own statutes to aid the suffragan dioceses of the Toronto Metropolitan See where no organised laity is formed, we are working in the Diocese of London and this coming Saturday at St. Patrick’s in Kinkora we are assisting with the organisation of a “Rorate” Mass at 5:30 A.M.

For more information or to support our work we invite you to visit www.unavocetoronto.com (which you will shortly find, re-constructed) or write us at unavocetoronto@gmail.com.

Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite

Regularly Scheduled Masses in the Archdiocese of Toronto

St. Patrick’s Church

91 Church Street,

Schomberg

905-939-2256

Sunday at 9:00 A.M.

Read Mass with Music

Toronto Oratory Church of St. Vincent de Paul

63 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto

416-535-7646

Sunday at 9:30 A.M.

Read Mass

Toronto Oratory Church of the Holy Family

1372 King Street West, Toronto

416-532-2879

Sunday at 11:00 A.M

Solemn Mass (Sept-May)

Sung Mass (June-July)

Read Mass (August)

Monday to Friday 11:30 A.M.

Saturday 8:30 A.M.

Carmel of the Infant Jesus

12519 2nd Concession Road, Zephyr

905-473-9801

Sundays at 11:30 A.M.

Read Mass

St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Church

2210 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto (Scarborough)

416-759-9359

Sunday at 1:00 P.M.

Read Mass with Music

Monday to Wednesday at 11:00 A.M.

Thursday at 7:00 A.M.

Friday at 7:00 P.M.

Saturday at 10:00 A.M.

Upcoming Traditional Latin Masses in Toronto

Friends,

We are so grateful that on All Saints Day and All Souls Day the Toronto Traditional Mass Society was able to welcome so many for the two Solemn Masses. Much thanks is to be given to the priests, deacons, seminarians, servers and choir members for all of their faithful work and commitment.

We are happy to announce the following Masses:

Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 11:00 A.M.
Solemn Mass
Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Joseph's Catholic Church
5440 Durie Road, Mississauga

Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 5:30 A.M.
Sung Mass 
"Rorate" Votive Mass for Our Lady's Saturday in Advent
St. Patrick's Church
Kinkora

Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 10:00 A.M.
Solemn Candlemas
Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary & Presentation of the LORD
St. Patrick's Church
Kinkora

Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 7:00 P.M.
Solemn Mass
Feast of the Ascension of the LORD
Loretto Abbey
Toronto

Also, please note that the Toronto Oratory has now changed its Sunday schedule beginning next Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent 2012. With Epiphany falling in 2013 on a Sunday, the TTMS will not be organizing a Mass and reminds you of the following regular diocesan parishes offering the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite every Sunday.

Toronto Oratory Church of St. Vincent de Paul
Read Mass (Low Mass) 
9:30 A.M.

Toronto Oratory Church of the Holy Family
Solemn Mass
11:00 A.M.

And a reminder:

St. Patrick Church, Schomberg
Read Mass with Music
9:00 A.M.

The Carmel of the Infant Jesus, Zephyr
Read Mass
11:00 A.M.


St. Lawrence the Martyr Scarborough
Read Mass with Music
1:00 P.M.

Clarity

Did you know that, in Canada, there are two Member of FIUV, Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce. These are the Vancouver Traditional Mass Society and within the last few months, the Latin Mass Society of Canada which operates out of Ottawa and Quebec. Each "Member" can grant recognition of "Chapters." Since 2004, the Toronto Traditional Mass Society has been a recognized "Chapter" of the Vancouver Traditional Mass Society the original member of FIUV in Canada.

Catafalque Candles for the Requiem Mass

My friend over at The Spirit's Sword has a little hobby. In preparing for the Solemn Requiem Mass at St. Isaac Jogues in Pickering, it was necessary to obtain catafalque candles for the Prayer at the Catafalque.

In the new Rite of the Mass, the Paschal Candle is lit at the head of the coffin. In the traditional Latin Rite, the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, this is not the case. The coffin on the catafalque or "trolly" if you will, is surrounded by six candles and the coffin is covered in a black pall, not white. While every church had these prior to the liturgical reforms they cannot be found today. To be sure, one could use floor mounted candles which are often used around the versus-populum altar but they are generally too fancy. These candles should be rather subdued. As well, the candles themselves should be unbleached and 100% beeswax.

So, what to do?

My friend over at The Sprit's Sword has a little hobby; well, he obtained his first commission and he did a fine job. Here is the story reprinted from his blog, with permission:

What I've been up to lately.

Posted by Bear-i-tone at 8:08 AM 

I spent much of my spare time in the month of October building these.

Catafalque candles, used in funerals in the extraordinary form Mass.

I was e-mailed by a friend who wished to purchase some for the EF All Souls Mass around the end of September.  A quick web search turned up a design that was acceptable, and I made a prototype out of scraps I had lying around the garage.  The friend suggested a  possible colour scheme which I tried out...

..and which was quickly rejected.  We decided to go with the dark colour, with the sticks made out of oak. The buyer wanted the wood to be all new, so I went to the local lumber yard (a Home Depot, sadly.  All the good lumber yards I used to know when I bought wood regularly have all closed down)  and priced out some wood, sent him an estimate, to which he agreed.   I started buying wood and gluing it into blanks big enough for the candlesticks. 

Around this time, I mentioned to a co-worker that I had this commission, and he offered me the use of his duplicating attachment for the lathe.  That would make everything so easy and just perfect.  I wrote to the buyer and told him that it looked like everything was just hunky dory, and there should be few problems from here on in.

Problem #1:

The co-worker wrote to me to tell me that his garage is such a mess that he couldn't get into it enough to find the duplicator.  I wrote back to him thanking him for the offer of help, and telling him I would send over the crew from Hoarders posthaste.  Inside I was a little annoyed.  I would have to freehand the whole thing.

I began by setting up a couple of storysticks.  A storystick is basically a stick with the measurements laid out on it.  I hold it up against the piece on which I am working, and take the measurements off it, rather than, say, using a measuring tape every time.  It is more useful than a measuring tape, as it is more stable, and, if a mistake has been made in the measuring on the stick, it will be a consistent mistake- and in making six identical as possible candlesticks, consistency is more important than accuracy.  With a measuring tape, there would b a chance of a random error creeping in to my measurements on every individual piece.  I also set my calipers, sharpened my turning tools (since I was working in oak, I would be doing a lot of sharpening over the course of this project) mounted the wood, and fired up the lathe.

I turned the main blank round, and transferred the marks from the stick onto the blank.  The only real problem now would be variations about the thickness of a pencil line.  A pencil line is about a thirty second of an inch wide, depending on sharpness etc.  A deviation about the thickness of a pencil line is not too much of a problem, as it tends to be offset by other deviations.  What that means in practical terms is that if you are off- say, too short- by a pencil line thickness for one detail, you are just as likely to be off in the other direction- say, too long- for the next one, and the two deviations will cancel each other out.

Problem #2.

Sometimes the deviations line up in the same direction.  So if you make four lines, and are off the thickness of the line the same way each time, the error accumulates and instead of cancelling each other out, you will ultimately be off by an eighth of an inch, which is a much greater variation than it sounds.  At least for the maker, of which I will say more later.

This problem really appeared after the turning was all done and I began to glue up the candlesticks.  Two were the same size; the other four were off by an eighth of an inch or more.  I cut them apart, reglued them.  The four were now correct.  The other two were off, so I sawed them apart, etc.  I also noticed that one of the top pieces was unacceptably off.  I glued up another blank, and made a better one.  Next I had to make sure they all stood up straight.

This was tricky.  Because of the height of the candlesticks, being out of true, even by a very small amount, would create a noticeable tilt in the sticks.  This is where the feet on the sticks come in.  I can plane a little bit off here and there off the feet to make the sticks stand up straight.  Except that no matter what I do, the sticks are always tilting a little.  And then I notice that, no matter what I do, the sticks are always tilting in the same direction, depending on which section of floor I have put them, which brings me to

Problem #3.

The floors in my house are not level.  Unless I can find a flat patch in the house, I cannot true up the sticks.  I find a flat patch in the kitchen, so, huzzah, but then I realize that, with all the adjusting I had done trying to get them to stand up straight in the living room, I had more or less ruined the feet.  So, remove feet, and put on a new set.  A very small amount of adjustments later, and everything is hunky dory.  The sticks were now ready for finishing.

The finishing process actually went quickly and smoothly.  Three applications of stain (I used a water based aniline dye, dark walnut colour.  One of my gloves leaked, and the dye soaked into my skin, and it was impossible to get off.  My hand was dark brown for over a week until the skin die and flaked off.) and another five of varnish. Apply thin coats, sand in between, and voila, the job is finished.  Call up the buyer.

Problem #4

This is mainly psychological.  As a builder, I know every flaw and misstep in my work.  To me, it stands out like a sore thumb, and I see the flaws every time I look at my work.  No one else ever sees it, but I do, and it makes me a little paranoid sometimes.  I find myself thinking, he'll see it.  He'll hate it.  He won't pay. I don't blame him.

But it was all for nothing.  The buyer came, loved them, and picked them up.  He even sent me a photo from the All Souls Day Mass.

Not bad, even if I do say so myself.

Now, back to the Christmas Bazaar stuff, and the home altar, and the medieval clock, and the hope chests, and the desk, and....
 

Annual General Meeting 2011-- We Report

On Saturday, October 27, 2012 the Toronto Traditional Mass Society--Una Voce Toronto held its 8th Annual General Meeting following its founding in 2004. We present here, our summary.

As has become our custom, the day begins with the Holy Mass, this year, a Missa Cantata for Our Lady's Saturday after Pentecost followed by a wonderful brunch. Our Guest Speaker, Mr. Damian Goddard was our guest speaker and spoke from his heart about his love for Christ and His Church and his conviction to the truth. We provided our Treasurer's Report and President's Report. The Constitution of the Society was significantly amended. Those of the existing Board were re-elected and new Directors were added for a total of nine. All votes were unanimous; note, there was not one dissenting vote!

The fact that the votes were unanimous is a great blessing. The meeting was the largest attended ever since the founding of the Society and there were more paid-up members at the date of the AGM than at any other time in our history.

Our liturgical assets continue to grow and now include:

Missale Romanum

Missale Defuctorum

Processional Cross

Acolyte Processional Candles

Torches

Sanctus Bells

Solemn Mass and Requiem Mass Altar Cards

Catafalque Candlesticks and Candles

Altar Candles

Solemn Set of White/Blue Marian Vestments

Our plans for the next year include a Solemn Mass on the each traditional Holy Day of Obligation and other First Class Feasts. We are planning a conference on the Usus Antiquior a major fundraising dinner and collaboration with those who are prepared to move forward in faith, harmony and fraternity.

Friends, your membership in the Society is needed. You can join as a Single Member for only $20. A family membership is $30 and includes both spouses and children who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation and are under eighteen years. We are federally registered charity and your contributions of $100 or more less the membership amount, will be receipted for tax-deduction purposes. Your contribution helps the Society to gather necessary liturgical items, promote the Holy Mass according to its traditional rite and provides support for Seminarians from the Archdiocese of Toronto. Won't you help us in this regard?

You can email us at:

unavocetoronto@rogers.com

You can visit our soon to be upgraded web page and our future paypal button at:

www.unavocetoronto.com

or you can write us at:

Toronto Traditional Mass Society-Una Voce Toronto

3701 Lakeshore Boulevard West

P.O. Box 48577; STATION LONG BRANCH

Toronto, Ontario

M8W 4Y6

May God grant us all His pardon and peace,

The President

  

Upcoming Solemn Masses in Toronto

Did you know that Toronto has an Abbey?

 Nestled in a quite residential neighbourhood high over "Hogs Hollow" is Loretto Abbey and in this beautiful early 20th century edifice is a lovely gothic chapel in honour of The Holy Family and it is there that we shall gather on November 1, the Feast of All Souls for a Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite at 7:30PM.

After we celebrate the Church Triumphant, we turn our minds and our prayers to the Church Suffering and on November 2, we shall gather at St. Isaac Jogues in Pickering for a Solemn Requiem with prayers at the Catafalque at 8:00PM. A Requiem will also be held at St. Lawrence the Martyr in Scarborough.

On December 8 at 11:00AM we in Mississauga at St. Joseph's there will be a celebration of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

All in all a busy few months in the service of the LORD, His Church and the restoration of the sacred.

If you are interested in singing or serving at one of these Masses please contact us at unavocetoronto@rogers.com.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Missa Solemnis!

Ascension of the Lord - Missa Solemnis

While we still dwell in the grace of Paschaltide, it won't be long until we celebrate the culmination of the Paschal Mystery - the Ascension of our Lord into heaven.

To celebrate, we shall have a Missa Solemnis at St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Church on Lawrence Avenue in Scarborough, just east of Kennedy Road at 7:30PM on Thursday, May 17, 2012.

Please visit our Facebook page for more information and share this with your friends.

 MUSIC PROGRAM

Organ Prelude: Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV553; J.S. Bach
Processional Hymn: Sing We Triumphant Hymns of Praise;  Venerable Bede
LASST UNS ERFREUEN
Gregorian Chant Propers
Missa de Angelis
Credo III
Jesu Rex Admirablis; St. Bernard of Clairveaux - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Panis Angelicus; St. Thomas Aquinas - Cesare Franck
Regina Caeli
Recessional Hymn: Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise  Charles Wesley LLANFAIR
Organ Postlude: Choral Variations on "Veni, Creator Spiritus" Op. 4. Maurice Duruflé