by Pat Lythe
I recently returned from Europe having experienced three very different Sunday Eucharists.
The first Sunday was the main Mass in St Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna. It was Mission Sunday and was observed by all parts of the Mass being sung or spoken in various languages, or by different
ethnic community groups.
The author outside St Stephen’s Cathedral, a 12th century church regarded as the symbol of Vienna.
There were two celebrating bishops — one the auxiliary bishop Franz Scharl of Vienna, the other a black African, and several priests of differing nationalities.
The opening hymn was in German, the Kyrie and Gloria were sung by a Filipino choir. The first lesson was in Arabic, the psalm in Indonesian, the second reading in Spanish and the Alleluia Features in Indian. The Gospel was proclaimed in German and English.
The homily was given by guest Patriarch Gregorios III Laham of Istanbul. The creed was in German, and the prayers of intercession were in Vietnamese, Persian, Afghan, Ibo (African), French (African),
Chinese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Korean, Arabic and German.
During the procession of the gifts, the following were taken up: an icon by the Melkites, incense by
the Indian community, handcrafts by Japanese, rice by Indonesians, flowers by Vietnamese, fruit by English speaking Africans, corn and beans by Latin Americans, bread and olives by Maronites, and dried fruit by the Iranians and Afghanis. The bread and wine were brought forward by the Vietnamese and Koreans.
The Sanctus (Holy, Holy) was sung by the Latin Americans. We were invited to recite the Our Father in our languages, the Lamb of God was sung by the Chinese,and the Communion hymn was sung by the English-speaking Africans.
The recessional was supposed to be in German, but the African group took over with bongo drums and castanets for about 10 minutes after the recessional procession was finished.
There were two leaflets for visitors.
One in German had all the above ministries listed. The other had the three readings in German, English, Chinese and French.
We came out having experienced the variety of the Church — different communities and differing rites and its missionary activities. We emerged into the square crowded with tourists, open air cafes, buskers, and entertainers.
The church of St Gall was founded in the 13th century as one of the four Prague Old Town parish churches. St Gall is an old romanesquegothic church, rebuilt in baroque style during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Mass had just begun, so we stayed. It was a nondescript-looking church from outside but, like most Czech churches, baroque in style. It was dripping with gold and side altars and pictures of saints on every conceivable surface.
The congregation was small — about 100 locals, mostly older people, but a handful of young families in
the front pews. Incense seemed to be used often and the boy who carried the incense could have been
no older than 5, a wee blond-headed fellow shepherded by a big M.C. Whether he was lay or a deacon, I couldn’t tell.
There were 4-5 other altar servers, all young. One, a girl, looked as though she was the sister of the other 4 or 5. Despite the small congregation there was an organist and the people sang well.
Again all I recognised was the alleluia.
At the procession of the gifts, the parents of a young family came down to take up the ciborium containing the hosts and the wine, but their two-year old was adamant she wanted to take up the hosts so, with it tilting alarmingly, dad anxiously ready to grab it, they made their way up the aisle safely. The older daughters (about 7 and 9) took up the collection.
This was obviously the pattern, as everyone was smiling and nodding at the girls, who were persistent, even clambering over people to reach the end of the pew.
I think every child in the congregation played a part in the liturgy.
Mass finished, but that wasn’t the end. The priest and servers and incense bearers and thurifer carrier came down and began an extended procession, or litany of the saints. Stopping in front of
every side altar or picture or statue of a saint, genuflecting, praying a prayer, incensing it, then singing a three- or four-part acclamation, to which the congregation sang a response. We left after
half an hour, as they were only halfway around the church.
The church is dedicated to Svatý Havel, or St Gall. He was an Irish monk, and the church was founded in the 13th century and built to serve the German community, which had been invited to the city. It was one of the Old Town’s four parish churches and, after reconstruction in the 14th century, became
a centre of the Reformation movement.
Reformer Jan Hus preached there.
Later the Protestants were expelled, and the church was acquired by the Carmelites, who remodelled it in the Baroque style.
On our last Sunday in Europe we were in Paris with our son and his two children and went to Notre Dame at 10am, advertised as a Gregorian chant Mass. Federico, our grandson, sings in the Leeds Catholic cathedral choir, so is familiar with Gregorian chant.
The last time I was in Notre Dame was in 2002 when I was part of the group who brought back the remains of Bishop Pompallier. We spent a day in a side chapel there accompanying the coffin before an evening Mass celebrated by the French cardinal and our bishop, Patrick Dunn.
This Sunday was different. At least half the congregation were tourists (as was probably the case in Vienna), all spoken words were in French and a cantor and choir sang the Gregorian parts.
The congregation was not encouraged to join in. A thunderous organ played instrumentals instead of hymns, so there was no opportunity to take part.
My husband and son could follow the sermon and gave the rest of us a potted version later.
Communion at all three Masses was the host only, and in Vienna and Prague most received on their tongue, but we were able to receive on our hands with no problem. These churches are centuries
old and their decoration, gilded embellishments, paintings, statues were designed for a time when people didn’t read, when Mass was in Latin, and pictures told the stories of Jesus, Mary and of the saints.
It was great to return home to my multicultural parish, which often celebrates a multicultural Mass like that in St Stephen’s, although not so grand. We always welcome visitors, too — something I think should be an essential part of eucharistic hospitality.
St Stephen’s and Notre Dame did have multi-language sheets of the readings.
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