NEWS
Dominican Conventual Mass Now Airing Daily
At the first of the year, Sacred Heart Radio began airing the Dominican conventual mass at St. Getrude at noon every weekday.
But just what IS a conventual mass? How is it different from other masses? Where is St. Gertrude, and what does it have to do with the Dominicans? And why is the mass on Sacred Heart Radio?
The last question is easiest: One of Sacred Heart Radio's missions is to present more local programming, and the daily Dominican mass is both local and unique. A conventual mass is the mass celebrated by an entire religious community. The Order of Preachers ("Dominicans," after founder St. Dominic, for short) from the Province of St. Joseph staff the parish of St. Gertrude on the east side of Cincinnati -- and train their novices for a year at the parish. In recent years, the number of Dominican novices has been growing to more than a dozen a year, so an average of 20 priests and novices celebrate mass every day.
Station Manager Bill Levitt said he came up with the idea of broadcasting the masses locally after attending several. "I knew we had to show how alive and vibrant it is to have the Dominican novitiate here," he says, "and celebrate that this is happening right in our own back yard. You can see the future of the Church right here in our community."
Like many Catholic radio stations, Sacred Heart Radio has carried the EWTN daily mass for years. Recent technological advances have made it much easier to set up a regular local radio broadcast, but there's no reason to do so unless a station can offer something unique. St. Gertrude's mass, Levitt says, is just that.
I asked St. Getrudes pastor, Fr. André-Joseph LaCasse, OP, to explain what listeners will hear when they tune in. Daily mass is shorter than Sunday mass, he reminds listeners, but Dominicans do not have a separate rite. They do, however, celebrate additional feast days for Dominican Saints. "This gives the listeners of the greater Cincinnati area an insight into our great Dominican heritage," he says. "Once a week our Constitutions also require us to celebrate a Requiem Mass This gives an opportunity for all listeners to offer up a mass once a week for their beloved deceased as well."
Instead of the hymns typically used at American parishes, the Dominicans chant the entrance and communion antiphons from the Roman Missal. It's just one musical difference listeners will notice. The Dominicans sing or chant most of the mass, and on special feast days the novices also sing special hymns, Fr. LaCasse says. "Many of them are Dominican in nature, and most of the time done in chant." Listeners will also hear homilies from a variety of Dominican priests specially trained -- like all Dominicans -- to preach.
Finally, Sacred Heart Radio is broadcasting Midday Prayer following the mass. Part of a day-long cycle of prayers known as the Divine Office, Midday Prayer lasts about 15 minutes when chanted and read out loud. On Wednesdays, Midday Prayer begins with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the O Salutaris, and then the chanting of the psalms. So listeners tuning in at noon will hear something different from a typical daily mass, yet something still very much a part of their Catholic heritage.
The conventual mass at St. Gertrude is celebrated every weekday at 11:30 am and broadcast at noon -- a technical feat we will tell you about next week. Between 125-200 people attend the mass every day, Fr. LaCasse says, and all are welcome. But the Dominican fathers know most people can't make it to Madiera, Ohio, church.
"We hope we can reach more people through the broadcast of the mass," Fr. LaCasse says. "The motto of the Order is, 'Contemplate the truth, and bring the fruits of our contemplation to others.' We believe that utilizing the media in all its forms is a wonderful way to proclaim the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. The ultimate goal is for the salvation of souls. We hope that our cooperation with Sacred Heart Radio will bring much fruit to all of us."
Photo courtesy St. Gertrude parish.
