The Visitation

Concelebrated Pontifical High Mass and Outdoor Procession today. The principal celebrant and homilist was the Lord Bishop of Jamaica. The rector of the Church of St Mary Magdalene was deacon and a female member of the Society of Mary was subdeacon. Three priests from St Thomas's, Huron Street, concelebrated, the interim superior of the SOM Ward of Our Lady of Hope, the chaplain of Royal St George's College, and another priest whom I could not identify who was one of the inductees into the Society.

Three Marian motets by Willan were sung by the Gallery Choir before Mass. The music of the Mass was listed as Missa Quarta by Palestrina, but as it was set to the Prayer Book words, I imagine it was in fact a Willan setting. The Gloria was sung antiphonally to the Missa Kyrie Deus Sempiterne and the Credo was denoted "Authentic Tone." A new statue of Our Lady of Viggiano, commissioned by a parishioner from Viggiano, Italy, and executed by the sexton, was blessed by the bishop.

The white and blue High Mass set was worn, minus maniples, and splendid gold copes were donned at the end for the procession down Bathurst street. The bishop shouted the Ecce Agnus Dei over the singing of the Agnus Dei, and sang the final blessing (after the reciting of the Regina Coeli). Over lunch, I got to kiss the bishop's ring, of course.