Ship of Fools: St Vincent Ferrer, New York City

The Mystery Worshipper

Ship of Fools: St Vincent Ferrer, New York City

Ship of Fools

Read the full Mystery Worshipper report here

Amanda B Reckondwyth

Our Mystery Worshipper (who appears to have jumped ship . . . come back, come back) notes that the celebration of mass in this Dominican church "was the first celebration of mass in the Dominican rite on the East Coast in more than 40 years."

I attended a Catholic college from 1962-1966 and we had a Dominican chaplain, and I well remember my introduction to the Dominican rite. So our reviewer's dates are more or less correct.

A good friend at college was into liturgy even more than I was. I've lost track of him over the years -- last I heard he had become a Capuchin priest. When I told him that a Dominican priest was going to give a mission at my parish church, we both borrowed Dominican altar boy habits from the college chapel and showed up on a Saturday morning to assist at mass for the visiting father. He was pleasantly surprised, even shocked, to learn that there were local parish boys who knew how to serve at a Dominican Rite mass, and vested properly to boot.

Climacus

I want to experience it now.

Pardon my ignorance, but what does the phrase "the priest makes his chalice" mean?

Off to search Dominican chant on YouTube...

Amanda B Reckondwyth

"Makes his chalice" means that the priest adds wine and just a drop of water to the chalice, in preparation for consecration. In the Dominican Rite it is done at the beginning of mass (low mass), whereas in the standard Tridentine Rite it is done after the Creed and offertory prayer. In a Dominican high mass it is done as the Tridentine Rite has it.

In both Rites the priest blesses the water before adding it to the chalice. However, in the Dominican Rite the servers say "Benedicite" (bless) and the priest pronounces the blessing out loud.

Climacus

Thank you very much.