Last week, we sang for the Feast of our Diocesan Patron, St. Didacus, according to his feast day in the Universal Calendar. Our chants selections included Mass VI, Credo IV, Iste confessor Domini sacratus (the pre-1632 hymn of a Confessor), and Dulce lignum. Following Mass, the Brothers and Chorus Breviarii continued the tradition of enjoying dinner at Rudford's Diner on Old Highway 80 (El Cajon Boulevard). As a Solemn Feast that would have been considered a Holy Day of Obligation for our diocese centuries ago, we found it fitting to feast rather than fast despite it being a mere day after the beginning of St. Martin's Lent!
A small group from the Brothers of the Little Oratory and Chorus Breviarii will be singing for one of the morning Masses at St. Anne Catholic Church. At three years of age, the Most Pure Virgin was brought to the Temple of Jerusalem by her parents St. Anne and St. Joachim in thanksgiving for the miraculous birth of Mary in their old age. At the temple, the child Mary would be consecrated to God and educated in preparation for her role as the God-bearer. Come and celebrate this wonderful Marian feast at this holy temple dedicated to the Virgin's pious mother, St. Anne.
A small group of Chorus Breviarii members sang Vespers of the Dead for the repose of the souls in Pioneer Park, formerly known as Calvary Catholic Cemetery, San Diego's second Catholic cemetery. Following the chanting of Vespers under the large eucalyptus trees, we processed with the crucifix down the hill to the collection of gravestones at the edge of the park overlooking Washington Street / Old Highway 80. The full story of Calvary Cemetery's abandonment is too messy to detail here, but to summarize, it appears that the Diocese under Bishop Buddy and the City of San Diego couldn't agree on who should be in charge of maintaining the cemetery following the establishment of Holy Cross. The City owned the land, but City Council expected the Diocese to maintain the grounds. Vandalism and plant overgrowth worsened over the years, and the City soon decided to take advantage of a newly-passed California law that allowed abandoned cemeteries to be converted into parks. Overall, it seems that while the individuals buried in El Campo Santo in Old Town have fallen victim to secular revelries and distorted views of the afterlife divorced from the Catholic heritage of San Diego's first cemetery, the individuals buried in Calvary Cemetery have fallen victim to apathy. There are still tacky ghost tours that occur at Pioneer Park during October and November, but because the cemetery site is located in a residential area rather than a popular tourist destination like Old Town, it's more likely for visitors to Old Calvary to be interested in physical activity or a relaxing outing, rather than ghost hunts.
For further reading, there is plenty of information online about the founding and eventual abandonment of Calvary Cemetery on various websites about San Diego's local history and unique sites.
For the holy souls buried in this park, may they find eternal rest.
St. Martin's Lent begins today, though for us in the Diocese of San Diego, it would seem more proper for our fast to begin either on November 14 or November 21 due to the Octave of our Diocesan Patron, St. Didacus. Last night, the Brothers had a Martinmas supper with the traditional main course of roasted goose at Walsingham Burrow. Frater Ron began our night with a cocktail hour, and we also sang Martinmas Vespers as the goose finished its slow roast in the oven. More details, pictures, and videos to come!
The Brothers of the Little Oratory are pleased to announce that the Patron Saint of America's Finest City will be honored with a Missa Cantata at St. Anne Catholic Church. The Brothers will sing the ordinary, proper, and additional votive chants: Iste confessor, the common hymn of Confessors; and Dulce lignum, the last words of St. Didacus on his deathbed. If need be, we will also minister to the celebrant. Please do join us!
We were happy to return to the ruins of the Presidio Chapel to sing First Vespers of All Saints with 15 men in choir and a few others in attendance. The last time we sang here was on Christ the King in 2021, a year where Hallowe'en fell on a Sunday. Photos from that occasion are viewable here on the blog and at New Liturgical Movement. The chapel grounds have dried out quite a bit since our last visit, with barely any grass cover left, extremely loose and dry soil, and the remaining ground vegetation not even being green.
The junction of the two Interstates nearby may have been loud, but our voices still soared upward to heaven to be heard by the Saints above, who intercede for us below on the eve of their great and hallowed feast. More photos will hopefully be available tomorrow.
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