Friday, January 1, 2016

Te Deum laudamus!


There has long been a plenary indulgence granted to those who pray the solemn hymn of thanksgiving, Te Deum, in thanks on the eve of a new year. In medieval times, the hymn was oft used to conclude coronations, the signing of peace treaties, or the end of calamities; so Shakespeare has Henry V say, at the end of the battle of Agincourt, "let there be sung Non Nobis and Te Deum".

This photo was taken at the end of our nuptial Mass, after the last Gospel. The altar servers are lined up for recession betwixt the schola/choir, who are singing Te Deum in alternation with the organ like this: