Guild of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Jesus Guild presents a celebration of Celtic music!

Two of the premier Celtic musicians in the United States, piper and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Ofgang and the 2019 All-Ireland singing champion Kevin Elam, will join forces for a festive concert featuring traditional and contemporary tunes and songs from the Celtic nations.

Join us for these amazing events! Contact [email protected] for more information.

Word and Song - One Life, One Love

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the performers for their exceptional talent and devotion. Special thanks to our gracious venue, St. Mary Church in Greenwich, and volunteers for providing a beautiful setting for this unforgettable evening. To all who attended, your support and presence made this event truly special. Thank you!

Some photos from last year’s beautiful celebration!

Join us for the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

Saturday, June 22nd- St. John’s Eve (transferred)
Holy Mass (1962) 8:30 AM
Vigil Mass 4:00 PM
Solemn High Mass 6:00 PM with Procession and Blessing of Fire
Bonfire with S’mores, Lawn Games, and a Surprise...
Bring a lawn chair to enjoy Midsummer’s night with friends

Sunday, June 23rd- Nativity of St. John the Baptist (transferred)
Sung Mass in English 9:00 AM
Sung Mass in English 10:30 AM
Missa Cantata (1962) 12 Noon

The Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is June 24th, which falls on a Monday this year. For pastoral reasons, an indult has been granted to anticipate the Feast on the previous Sunday.

Building on the success of the last concert, ‘A Gentle Whisper,’ internationally-acclaimed concert pianist, Sue Song, returns with an inspiring program of classic repertoire interspersed with readings by Douglas Dewey. Join us for Word & Song, where a touch of heaven is guaranteed.

Why a bonfire?

The tradition of a bonfire on the Vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is a very ancient and special one. The Feast itself is quite curious - only Our Lord, Our Lady and St. John the Baptist are celebrated with a Feast of Nativity. It is the highest honor the Church bestows - reserved for those without spot or stain.

But it is also a cosmological feast. It coincides with Midsummer - the longest day. From now on, gently but insistently, the powers of this world will begin to wane. The proud sun will dim his light until in the cold depths of Winter the true Light, who was coming into this world appears.

John is his forerunner - and as the herald keeps watch in the night, so John is the fire before the dawn, keeping Vigil until the dazzling whiteness of Christ’s new life bursts upon a desperate Earth.

John knew his time was short. In proclaiming that spotless Lamb of God - as we recall his words at every celebration of the Eucharist - he also said “he must increase; but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30) and in an exquisite way, Creation agrees. Just as the sun is highest in the sky, he begins to decrease, so that the Sun of Righteousness might rise.

Master of Ceremonies: position vacant

Georgetown Oratory is looking to appoint a Master of Ceremonies for Sundays, Wednesdays and special Feast Days. Training could be provided if necessary. If you are interested in serving in this role, or know of someone who might be, please contact the Rector, Fr. Michael Clark [email protected] who will be very happy to speak with you.

Do join us!

…he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

2 Corinthians 9:6

O God, who didst will that Thy Word should take flesh, at the message of an Angel, in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant to Thy suppliant people, that we who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

Today’s Collect - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Resurréxi, et adhuc tecum sum, allelúja: posuísti super me manum tuam, allelúja: mirábilis facta est sciéntia tua, allelúja, allelúja. (Ps. 138: 1, 2)

I arose and am still with thee, alleluia:
Thou hast laid Thy hand upon me, alleluia; Thy knowledge is become wonderful, alleluia, alleluia. (Ps. 138: 1, 2)

Wishing you a most Blessed Easter 🙏🏻

Faithful Cross!
Above all other,
One and only noble Tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom,
None in fruit thy peer may be;
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
Sweetest weight is hung on thee.

But it behooves us to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ: in Whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection: by Whom we are saved and delivered. (Ps. 66:2) May God have mercy on us, and bless us: may He cause the light of His countenance to shine upon us; and may He have mercy on us. But it behooves us to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ: in Whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection: by Whom we are saved and delivered.

Peace I leave you, my peace I give you.

Wishing you a Blessed Palm Sunday 🙏🏻

An Exciting Discovery!
Intricate Wall Paintings at Sacred Heart come to light in family photographs

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When you do not know for sure what was there before, the question of restoration is moot. But when you have evidence of what went before, you have two choices: either (a.) the decoration may still exist under the later, textured whitewash, and should be restored, or (b.) it can, (and should,) be authenticated as it was, as much as is possible.

But this was not the only phase of change and adaptation at Sacred Heart. For reasons that may become clear as we investigate further (water damage, perhaps, or other settlement of the plaster) the old scheme was replaced in the 1950s with a much starker, but still equally inventive, liturgical scheme, which replaced the marble Reredos with the classic ‘riddel posts’ and curtains of the ‘English Altar.’ Interesting that this design lasted at most twenty years before it was consigned to the garbage, and the whole scheme obliterated with a wash of Magnolia house paint.

Maybe what is needed at this point is harmonious combination of the two: a restoration of the wall paintings, but with Fr. Cleary’s English Altar at the center. I am not sure anyone would welcome a return of the petrol-blue and grey Sanctuary paint scheme. As for the window: is it just possible it still exists, somewhere? We can only hope!

An Exciting Discovery!
Intricate Wall Paintings at Sacred Heart come to light in family photographs

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When I saw these images, my reaction was: ‘oh, how interesting, a Victorian interior. I wonder what it looks like now?’ I only had to step out of the Sacristy to find the answer: because the photographs are actually of my own church. I could not believe it.

These photographs were taken in 1945 at the nuptials of Louis and Serena Nazzaro, whose family still attends Sacred Heart, and whose granddaughter, Kaelen, is shortly to be married at the same Altar. They show the original marble Reredos and a two-light, traceried window depicting the apparition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

The style and design of the window, and the glass within it, is of the Thirteenth Century, whereas the decoration of the wall paintings is of Fourteenth-Fifteenth Century inspiration, with flowing, reticulated tracery and exuberant foliage designs.

I suspect the paintings were executed in grisaille (that is, a subtle monochrome palette in shades of gray, to mimic masonry) with the exceptions of the attendant angels holding instruments of the Eucharist, which may even belong to an earlier scheme. What is certain is that these paintings must date to the late Nineteenth Century, i.e. the earliest phase in the history of the Church, and not to the successive expansions in the 1920s and 1930s.

Discoveries like this change everything....

(Cont.....)

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But what is common to much of this content is how it purports to show real life; but in actual fact, it is fake: video clips that claim to be a snapshot of someone’s exciting life are shown to be heavily edited projections for consumption by strangers. What is at stake here is the ability to discern truth from fantasy: what are realistic expectations for life? Why has no-one asked me to do the latest dance craze? What if my life does not look half as exciting?

God is interested in every life: in Max Ehrman’s famous poem Desiderata of 1927 there leaps out the line: “you have a right to be here” - and you indeed do. You are part of the plan, and God subscribes to your feed with passionate interest. But He is not content to leave you where you are - instead, He veils Himself, in order to draw you in, closer and deeper. If you are of the postwar generation, perhaps the call is to embrace mystery more fully; whereas if you are a Tiktokker, maybe such unveiling consists of committing to the reality of a life well-lived.

Either way, Christ is the answer, as He always is. In Christ we see our nature glorified and perfected; we see the intrinsic value of every human soul created in God’s image, and we recognize that the call to holiness is a call to a constant state of discovery: “to live is to change; to be perfect is to have changed often” - St. John Henry Newman (1801 - 1890.)

Ite ad Ioseph!

Join us for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, this evening at the Georgetown Oratory, 6PM.

“Valiant and strong is the man who, like St. Joseph, perseveres in humility; he will be conqueror at once of the devil and of the world, which is full of ambition, vanity, and pride.”

- St. Francis de Sales

St. Joseph, Head of the Holy Family, Terror of Demons, Protector of the Holy Church, ora pro nobis 🙏🏻

(St. Joseph and the Christ Child by Jacob Zumo)

Goldfinches in Flight!

The countless varieties of birds that God created to fill the heavens never cease to delight us. In this sacred time of Lent we turned our focus to one in particular, the European Goldfinch, for this week’s art project, and the beautiful legend that surrounds it.

The story of this thistle loving bird is that it tried to comfort Our Lord by removing a thorn from His crown of thorns at the Crucifixion, and in so doing, its feathers got stained with His Precious Blood, hence its red face.

Extremely popular in the Italian Renaissance as a symbol of both crucifixion and resurrection, it is said that the European Goldfinch can be found in no less than 486 religious paintings and images.

There are many depictions of Our Lady with the Child Jesus holding a goldfinch, or being handed a goldfinch, including one called Madonna of the Goldfinch by Renaissance artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, popularly known as Raphael, in c. 1505.

In this painting a young John the Baptist is handing the Child Jesus a goldfinch as he leans upon his mother Mary, his foot resting upon hers. It is a potent symbol and foretelling of the crucifixion. This painting can be seen at the Uffizi in Florence.

In class we looked at a few of the Renaissance paintings as well a French statue of Our Lady holding a goldfinch for the Christ Child to touch which resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the Medieval Gallery.

We also looked at pictures of real European goldfinches, whose coloring is very different than that of an American goldfinch, as well as pictures of thistles in bloom. We then began our drawings with the faces of the European goldfinch which is quite complicated.

The children very patiently worked one step at a time so as to capture the face accurately. The most fun part was the freedom with which they painted the blooms of their thistles, especially after the intense focus of the bird’s face and body.

Patricktide came early this year!

On Sunday March 10th (which was Laetare Sunday) Jesus Guild celebrated an early St. Patrick’s Day. With the preponderance of Celtic patrons at this time of year, perhaps it’s appropriate for Patrick to slide into the whole of March after all.

At Mass the Rector remarked the Introit for Laetare Sunday almost compelled us to have a party: Laetare Ierusalem et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam. Which could defensibly be translated: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and throw a party all you who love her.” So, throw a party we did.

Pryor-Hubbard Hall resounded to our good friend, Jesse Ofgang playing a range of bagpipes with incredible skill and great beauty. Jesse gave us a lively commentary, explaining the different instruments and the influences on him, particularly concerning pieces he himself had written.

Our extended Oratory family includes some very talented folk, none least the the fantastic Herrmanns, of whom, Chloe (now Quigley) and her brother Jared amazed us with truly captivating dancing. How those high kicks are possible is a question us non-Irish will never know! But it was truly thrilling to watch: thank you Chloe and Jared!

Thanks also to our amazing hospitality team, who put together a true Hibernian spread of Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes or Shepherd’s Pie with a tossed salad (even if we’re Irish, we’re Italian) followed by a range of sweet treats. Fr. Rector, it is told, sequestered the pot of gold cake however…

St. Patrick, ora pro nobis 🙏🏻

Do join us 🙏🏻

Sarum Lives...
Choral Vespers at Princeton University
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So would Sarum apply to the United States? Well, before the Reformation, Sarum had risen to pre-eminence across the whole Realm of England. During the reign of Mary I, (1553 - 1558) it was adopted by the reforming legate, Cardinal Pole, for all of the Queen’s dominions, wherever they may be, and none of the penal legislation of Elizabeth I changed that. This means that in the Roanoke Colony in 1585, the Virginia Colony in 1609, or even Plymouth in 1620, had there been a priest among the party, he would have been peacefully within his rights to use either Sarum or the Roman Missal. Furthermore, none of the legislation concerning the Roman Missal, then in 1570 - or now - affects Sarum in any way.

But what of Maryland, you ask? It is true that Fr. Andrew White SJ arrived in 1633 and celebrated Mass on (what became) St. Clement’s Island. He used the Roman Missal, as Jesuits did. But he would have been entitled to use the Sarum Missal, had he chosen to do so, because the competent ecclesiastical authority in Maryland, as in the whole of the English Colonies was not the Society of Jesus, nor Propaganda Fide. It was, instead, the Apostolic Vicariate of England, the successor to a Catholic hierarchy eviscerated by Elizabeth, and extinguished at the deaths of Thomas Watson of Lincoln (held prisoner in Wisbech Castle) in 1584 and Thomas Goldwell, Bishop of St. Asaph, in Rome in 1585. This ecclesiological link is confirmed by the fact that even after the Revolutionary War, the Catholic Church in the new United States was still under the control of the Vicar Apostolic in London. The American Church truly is the daughter of the English Church, with all her rights and privileges.

Click the link in our story to view the whole service, because it was professionally recorded by Allison and John Girone of G Photography and Films (see their website here: www.gphotographyandfilms.com) who very graciously permitted us to use their photographs in this article.

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Sarum Lives... 
Choral Vespers at Princeton University 
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Georgetown Oratory also contributed in a very concrete way to the Liturgy - the Celebrant, Fr. Armando Alejandro Jr. used one of our (antique, French) cloth-of-gold copes, with the Pelican in her Piety embroidered in metal thread on the hood. We can all agree it looked magnificent in the building. 

But didn’t Sarum die out at the Reformation? In any event, didn’t the Roman Missal of 1570 exclude all other forms? The answer to both questions is: ‘no.’ It is a point of fact that Mass continued to be celebrated in England and Ireland, even after it was officially prohibited by law. And whilst, due to the influence of the Jesuits on the Counter-Reformation priests, most of them hastily adopted the Roman Missal of 1570 once it was available, it is simply inconceivable that everybody had ready access to a book officially outlawed for divine service. Priests visiting recusant houses would simply have had to make do with what they had, and what they had was Sarum. 

As for the legislation of 1570 ‘outlawing’ Sarum, the precise opposite is true: Quo primum specifically preserved uses that have a pedigree over 200 years and prevented the introduction of the Roman Missal except by consent. The problem with law is that it is often interpreted more strictly than the text itself permits. In short, wherever Sarum was permissible in 1570, it is still permissible today, and any opinion to the contrary is against the plain wording of Quo primum. 

(Cont…)
 

Sarum Lives... 
Choral Vespers at Princeton University 
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On Friday March 1st, the Rector and Vice Chair of Jesus Guild participated in Choral Vespers (also known as ‘Evensong’) according to the Use of Sarum in the Chapel of Princeton University. 1,000 people filled the Nave to witness a truly historic evening.

The setting was magnificent, and the music provided by Gabriel Crouch’s Gallicantus group, and Clara Gerdes, organist, was almost faultless. It included both polphony and (Sarum) chant, with the psalms inventively decorated with fauxbourdon harmony.

The service was organized by Peter Carter and James Griffin of the Catholic Sacred Music Project, and co-sponsored by the Benedict XVI Institute, Durandus Institute, Scala Foundation and our friends at the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny.

Princeton’s chapel has the proportions of a medieval cathedral. Designed and built by Ralph Adams Cram and completed in 1928, it takes its cues from both collegiate architecture (notably, King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, and Magdalen College in Oxford) and also from the great English cathedrals of the Fourteenth Century (the bay elevation is derived from Exeter, for example) yet the Princeton vault is higher than most of them. Such a distinctly English atmosphere was the perfect liturgical space for Sarum Vespers.

(Cont…)

We have received a few requests for Fr. Clark’s Lenten sermons to be shared this year. In due course we will have the technology to record video and upload them to YouTube. However, for the moment, you need to come to the Oratory to hear them! However, Father has provided the following synopses for those who might be interested.

2nd Sunday of Lent: Doubt

St. John Henry Newman said that ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt. We feel terribly guilty when we have questions about our Faith, as if we were the only person ever to waver, or stumble. But that in itself is prideful, because Faith is the assurance of things hoped for; the certainty of things unseen. By contrast, Doubt must be skepticism of things hoped for; and certainty only in the things that are seen. But what connects Faith and Doubt under these definitions is hope. Our Faith is the supernatural gift to put out into the deep, to keep going even when all the circumstances are not known, or neatly arranged. We have only lost Faith when we lose the desire for God - or rather, when we lose hope. Such a person says “I don’t believe what God says, and I don’t want to believe it, either.” Unless we find ourselves in that position, what we are experiencing is not Doubt, but difficulty.



Georgetown Hedgerow Project
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A hedge is ‘laid’ by what looks like an incredibly violent intervention - the side shoots are removed from each plant, to permit light at the roots, and the main stem is 2/3 severed (or ‘pleached’with a billhook. The stem is then laid on its side (the angle varies according to tradition - where the Rector is from, the pleachers are laid almost horizontally and then staked in with hazel uprights. The wounded trees are then stimulated to produce new growth that fills in the gaps, leaving a dense, interwoven hedge of prickly thorns that will block even the most adventurous of our cervid friends. 

Whilst it is a longer term investment, we at Jesus Guild believe a traditional hedgerow on our campus will provide a most attractive screen at the edge of the property where the trains speed by on their way to Grand Central Terminal, keeping us and our children safe, and providing a wonderful habitat for birds, bees and other wildlife. Watch this space for hedging updates - and if you would like to get involved, let us know!



Georgetown Hedgerow Project
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In Britain, and Ireland, property divisions along ancient boundaries are often marked by a hedge. But these are no ordinary hedges - and a far cry from the ugly arborvitae conifer screens that predominate when a quick green fix is desired. British and Irish hedgerows are living fences - and designed to be stockproof, that is to keep valuable animals in, and undesirable animals out. 

Hedgerows sustain remarkable biodiversity - forming a green corridor for smaller animals, and sheltered nesting sites for birds, not to mention ample food sources from flowering and fruiting trees and bushes. It may be thought at first sight that they are entirely natural, but in fact, hedgerows are very much managed features. 

To create a hedgerow, first, a line of small trees or shrubs is planted, quite close together, around 9 inches apart. The line should include around 60% hawthorn or blackthorn, with holly, hazel, maple, apple, rose or other native deciduous trees in the mix. The trees are left on their own for up to 8 years or so, when the saplings are as tall as half the height of the desired hedge. Then the fun begins……
 

Georgetown Hedgerow Project
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One of the distinctive features of the Oratory campus in Georgetown, CT is the railroad that passes along its Eastern boundary. Indeed, this has always been the case. The line from South Norwalk to Danbury was begun in 1850, construction proceeding steadily north up the Norwalk Valley until on February 2nd, 1852, the line was complete, linking Danbury to New York City via the New York & New Haven Railroad which had opened four years previously in 1848. 

So when Sacred Heart Church was begun in 1880, the railroad had already marked out the property line for 30 years. In the photograph above, you can clearly see the path of the Danbury & Norwalk Railroad running behind the church, as it still does today. But what you cannot see is the fact that the tracks are no longer fenced in, as they once were. 

Clearly a fence is now not just desirable, but necessary. But how to ensure the beauty of our tranquil Connecticut campus? A large metal fence would lend a rather suburban air to what is still the back woods of Fairfield County. Here, the Rector’s British roots come to the fore again……
 

St. Thomas Aquanis, ora pro nobis