Praying Twice

The First Sunday in Lent March 1, 2020 T oday is the First Sunday in Lent, a season of penitence, repentance, and renewal. During these forty days, we prayerfully prepare for the annual observance of our Lord’s passion and resurrection. Our worship reflects the contemplative nature of the season. We sing a peaceful, reflective mass setting by Franz Schubert  Psalms and prayers are intoned using simple, ancient chants A longer period of silence is observed after the readings and at the breaking of the bread The word "Alleluia" is not spoken or sung There are no flowers adorning the altar The sound of the organ is less brilliant. The festival trumpet stop (the horizontal pipes on the back wall) will not sound again until Easter. Preludes and postludes - often based on Lenten hymn tunes - are more subdued. Today's 10:30 Eucharist begins with a fine Anglican tradition: the chanting of the Great Litany in procession. We can trace its origins to t...

The Last Sunday after the Epiphany February 23, 2020 Today is the Last Sunday after the Epiphany – a day when we say fare­well to “alleluias” before the penitential season of Lent begins. The gospel reading for this Sunday tells the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration. His identity as the Son of God is dramatically revealed, just as it was proclaimed at his Baptism on the First Sunday after the Epiphany.  During recent weeks, we have heard the gospel accounts of the calling of the disciples and Jesus’ teaching and miracles. As we are called to respond to Christ in faith, we raise our voices in joyful praise.  At the 10:30 Eucharist, festive music for congregation, organ, choir, and handbells marks the culmination of this season of light. Hear a recording of this Sunday's anthem by one of the greatest composers of the Classical era, Franz Joseph Haydn:  Great and Glorious We're having a contest with the children in our Laudate Choir this Sunday. We've been learni...

The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany February 16, 2020 This Sunday, we're singing another Trinity hymn with distinctly Episcopal roots. "Holy Father, great Creator" ( The Hymnal 1982 , # 368) was written by the fifth presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, The Rt. Rev. Alexander Viets Griswold (1766-1843).  In this era of American history, the eldest bishop automatically served as presiding bishop while continuing to serve as a diocesan bishop. (Today, presiding bishops are elected for a single, nine-year term.) Bishop Alexander Griswold served in this capacity from 1836 until his death. He was the bishop of the Eastern Diocese, which at that time included all of New England with the exception of Connecticut. The Rt. Rev. Frank T. Griswold, the 25th p residing bishop and a regular visitor at Trinity Cathedral, is a cousin. This is the only hymn by Bishop Griswold that remains in constant use, and it currently only appears in the Episcopal hymnal. The text, a pra...

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany February 9. 2020 This Sunday is our annual parish meeting at Trinity Cathedral, so, naturally, we sing some Trinitarian hymns! Last year in Praying Twice , I wrote about "God of hope and joy and wonder," our Trinity Cathedral hymn written by Nebraska hymn poet Rae E. Whitney. Read more here:  Our Trinity Hymn Perhaps t he best-known example of a Trinitarian hymn is "Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty." The text by Bishop Reginald Heber was first published in Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1861 and has appeared in every Episcopal hymnal published since that date. The tune, Nicaea , was composed specifically for this text by John Bacchus Dykes. As The Hymnal 1982 Companion states: "Dykes' specially written tune has become universally regarded as the tune for the text; indeed, it is often regarded as the archetypal Victorian hymn tune." The tune bears similarity to plainsong Psalm tone 5 and several earlier h...