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| 2617: Our Lady
of Mount Carmel, Chicago, Illinois, USA |
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Mystery
Worshipper: Paterfamilias.
The church:
Our Lady
of Mount Carmel, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Denomination:
Roman Catholic,
Archdiocese
of Chicago.
The building:
A traditional structure in English Tudor Gothic style, dating
from 1913, built of Indiana limestone. There is a rear gallery
for choir and organ. The most distinguishing characteristic
is a series of stained glass windows, designed by the John J.
Kinsella firm of Chicago, whose windows in the Tiffany style
grace numerous churches in the Chicago area. The four archangels
are located in the church's apse; the central window in the
apse is an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. On the side walls
are ten windows of various saints, Mary Immaculate, and the
Good Shepherd. Appropriately, a St Cecilia window illuminates
the rear choir loft. There is also a chapel (the Eden Chapel)
where weekday masses are celebrated.
The church:
The parish was founded in 1886 as the mother parish for English-speaking
Catholics on the north side of Chicago. It seems best known
for its school and its music program, with four choirs and two
excellent organs. Their ambitious choral plans for 2013-2014
can be seen on their website.
The neighborhood:
The church is in Lakeview East, one of Chicago's older neighborhoods:
a mix of apartment dwellings, small businesses and ethnic restaurants.
It is about five miles north of the Loop.
The cast:
The Revd Patrick J. Lee, pastor, was homilist and celebrant.
I assume that Paul French, music director, conducted the choir,
and that Kelly Dobbs-Mickus, organist, presided at her instrument
(no information was given in the service leaflet).
The date & time:
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 20, 2013, 11.00am.
What was the name of the service?
Eucharist.
How full was the building?
People kept streaming in as late as the second reading. I would
guess the church holds about 700, and by the time everyone was
in, it was slightly over one-half full. The congregation were
both racially and generationally diverse.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
An usher handed me a service leaflet.
Was your pew comfortable?
Quite, with kneelers under the pew in front.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Very quiet and reverent.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
From the cantor: "Good morning. Please take a moment to silence
all cell phones." Following the opening hymn, the standard "In
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the the Holy
Spirit."
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
A four-page service leaflet, and the hymnal Ritual Song,
a publication of GIA, Inc. which is located in Chicago. Taped
into the inside back cover of the hymnal was the order for mass,
with the new translation of the missal.
What musical instruments were played?
The parish has two quite fine organs: in the rear gallery, a
1928 opus of the venerable organ builder E.M. Skinner, restored
(but not altered) by Fabry Pipe Organs of Antioch, Illinois,
and one of the only unaltered Skinner organs in existence; and
along the north wall, a 1987 mechanical action instrument by
Visser-Rowland of Houston. Only the former instrument was used
for this service.
Did anything distract you?
I had to tolerate yet another crying baby. This one was something
else: incredible lung capacity, capable of drowning out much
of the first reading and psalm. Its parents seemed to be very
reluctant to take it outside. I don't think I've ever heard
an infant quite so vocal in church before.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
Stiff upper-lip, to be sure. Incense was used (first censing,
gospel, and offertory, but nothing at the elevation). Bells
were rung during the institution narrative, and there was a
good bit of chant: the alleluia refrain, sursum corda,
Lord's Prayer, and (in Latin) the proper communion antiphon
for the day. Announcements at the end of mass were kept to a
minimum, and the sharing of the peace was over pretty quickly.
Communion was in one kind only.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
8 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
10 – Low key but effective and thought-provoking.
In a nutshell, what was
the sermon about?
Father Lee preached on the gospel for the day, Luke 18:1-8 (the
parable of the persistent widow who finally wins justice from
a hard-hearted judge). This parable illustrates Jesus' sense
of humor – he was trying to turn our thinking upside down.
Because we think of God as all-powerful, we are tempted to compare
him to the judge in the parable. But Jesus did not come in power,
but rather as a servant. God gently persists in turning our
hearts back to him. The judge in the parable does not embody
this notion; rather, the widow does! We are the ones who have
become selfish and self-concerned, like the judge, but prayer
breaks down our resistance to God's grace.
Which part of the service
was like being in heaven?
An extraordinarily generous offering of music, beautifully done.
Three choruses of Mendelssohn (two from the oratorio Elijah,
and the Da Nobis Pacem); the Kyrie, Gloria
and part of the Agnus Dei from Mozart's Missa Brevis,
K. 275; and stunning settings of the psalm verses and alleluia
verse by the parish's former music director, William Ferris.
The prelude and postlude were from Mendelssohn's Organ Sonata,
op. 65, no. 2, and the opening and closing hymns were embellished
with improvised introductions and interludes as well as soaring
soprano descants. Ms Dobbs-Mickus was a superb accompanist on
the Mozart Kyrie and Gloria.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
After the peace, the choir began to sing the Agnus Dei
to the simple Gregorian chant that most Catholic parishes know
well. But I was taken aback when, for the third petition, the
choir sang a fragment from the Mozart Agnus Dei. The
effect was weird, and I'm not sure that such a little snippet
of a Mozart movement added much to the proceedings. (Granted,
if this is the worst hell has to offer, it may not be so bad!)
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I remained in my pew to hear the Mendelssohn postlude; by the time it was over, the church was virtually empty and the lights were being turned off.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
There was none.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
7 – My first reaction is no, it's just too liturgically
conservative for my tastes. But as I recall the exquisite music,
the diversity of the congregation, and Father Lee's homily,
I start to rethink. Should Materfamilias and I move to Chicago,
we would probably try Our Lady of Mount Carmel for a few weeks.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Absolutely.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
Hearing a chant Agnus Dei suddenly interrupted by Mozart. |
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