Each year on the Wednesday of Holy Week the Bishop and priests of our Diocese come together for the celebration of the Chrism Mass. This Mass has two special purposes - firstly, to bless the holy oils used in the churches ministry throughout the year. Secondly, for the priests to renew their commitment to the church.
The Chrism Mass is held in the Cathedral, and this year the music was led by the Cathedral Boys' and Adult choirs. During the procession of priests at the beginning of the Mass, the choir sang the words of the psalmist 'I was glad, when they said unto me, let us go up to the house of the Lord!' However, this was not in the well known setting by Parry (sung at the coronation of British Monarchs) but to the original Latin text 'Laetatus Sum' set to music by Juan García de Salazar. You can read more about this piece, and even hear clips on the Amazon website.
Other music for the Mass included Colin Mawby's popular 'Ave Verum,' a movement of the Vivaldi Gloria and parts of the Mass of St. Anne by James McMillan. A notable feature of large diocesan celebrations in the Leeds Diocese is the communal singing of the Eucharistic Prayer by the Bishop and Priests accompanied by the organ: a very powerful sound indeed!
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