Vatican II Celebrated at Annual Prayer Day

Each year we dedicate a day in the life of our parish to the study of and participation in prayer. We see this as a part of being a stewardship parish and connecting back to the concept of Pray, Serve, Give. Being the 50th Anniversary of Vatican II, we decided to celebrate some of the highlights of how the Spirit of the famous world-wide church council of the Catholic Church influences our prayer and liturgy today.

While the changes in the liturgy emanating from Vatican II has been hailed inside and outside the Church as a revolution, most of us who've lived and worshiped through the last 48 years more accurately describe the experience as an evolution, filled with equal portions of exuberance and growing pains. Prayer Day 2013 helped to guide us in a reflection on that journey.

Prayer Day 2013 feature event: The Vatican II Musical Revue (video shown is of the second half of the revue)

Our featured event was the  

Vatican II Musical Revue, a musical journey of songs sung at Mass through the years prior to Vatican II and into the decades immediately following the Council until now. The event began upstairs in the church where 2,000 years of development of church music was explored in 20 minutes!  

The lecture was led by

Patrick Sinozich, Assistant Director of Music, with the Schola Clementis choir performing under the direction of Paul Nicholson, Director of Music. Then all were invited downstairs to the chapel to explore the music since Vatican II, accompanied by the Saint Clement Chapel Choir, under the direction of Patrick. Participants were encouraged to join in and even were quizzed on how many songs they knew! For parishioner Mike Flannigan, the musical revue "brought home a flood of memories." Parishioner Dennis Walter reflected, "I didn't know what to expect from the 'Vatican II Revue' but when the musical medley included 'The King Of Glory,' it took me back to my grade-school choir days!" 

Prayer Day offered other opportunities to learn and pray. "Participation and Liturgy: Our Right and Duty" challenged us to think more deeply about why we come to Mass, and how it, through the prism of the various Eucharistic prayers, makes us a body at one in praise and thanksgiving around the consecrated bread and wine; first, with our parish community and then with the various groupings of the Church-at-large, past, present, and future.

 In "Liturgical Objects and Spaces" we learned about the history of our beautifully appointed worship space--led by Maria Leonard, who leads the monthly Art and Architecture Tours of our church.

Mike Flannigan commented, "Every time Maria Leonard walks us through the various phases of Saint Clement Church's history, I never fail to become deeply appreciative of the vision and sacrifices of our founding pastor and parishioners, the ingenuity and faithfulness of its original artisans, the dedication of those who aided in its restoration and renewal decades later, and the ongoing generosity of us who wish to keep the 'Jewel of Lincoln Park' shining brightly. I take great comfort praying in the company of interceding saints and angels depicted in mosaic, glass, mural, and stone."

In "Conscious Prayer -- From Mass to Personal Mission in Everyday Life" we found that the Liturgy compels us to both action and contemplation. Developing a personal prayer practice helps us to integrate the Sunday Mass into our everyday life. Through prayer we discern what we have to offer when we celebrate the Mass. We bring our lives before the altar along with the gifts of bread and wine and ask God to transform us so that we can be nourished and energized to go back out into the world again each week to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Dennis Walter appreciated that "Prayer Day offered an opportunity to not only learn more about the Liturgy (the take-home handouts were great!) but also hear insights from fellow parishioners who experienced the Liturgy both pre- and post-Vatican II."

We ended the day with a beautiful candlelit Vespers prayer service, refreshed and renewed in God's presence. Thank you to all who participated in this prayerful day!