High Mass in Lublin

Last Thursday I was celebrant for High Mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Lublin. Here is a view of the outside of the Church:

Poland 129

The digital camera has been flattering: the Church did look a little dilapidated from the outside. Its renovation is one of many projects still remaining after the communist era. However, inside the Church, the visitor is greeted with this:

Poland 131

As with many Churches in Poland, the furniture has been superbly restored and enhanced with gold leaf.

The High Mass was for the feast of the Ascension. I was assisted by two sacred ministers from the seminary of Lublin, both still students. The deacon was Rev Michał Strudzinski, and the subdeacon Kamil Mielniczuk. The MC for Mass was Michał Mycka who is 18 and about to go to university in Warsaw. He has closely studied a copy of Fortescue (bear in mind that he is Polish and he read it in English. The ceremonies went very smoothly. Deacon and subdeacon needed little prompting and it is always a joy to experience the unity of the Roman liturgy in the usus antiquior. I speak virtually no Polish but from the point of view of the ritual of the Mass, I could have been at home in Blackfen.

Here are some photos from the Mass,




And here is a photo of the excellent schola which sang the Gregorian chant flawlessly. It was primarily according to the conventions of Solesmes, though I think I heard a touch of the "ancient music" style at one point. The schola sing regularly for the old rite Masses in Lublin but I think that one or two students from the university joined them for this occasion.


You can find more photos on the gallery page of the Introibo website (Click on the menu item "Wniebowstapienie, 17 V 2012"). Thanks to Mr Gregory for taking them.

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