My Roman correspondent indicates that the Litany of Saints was prepared especially for this event and wanted me to know that Saint Gaspar had been included in the Litany of Saints. Of course I heard it twice. I heard Gaspar's name sung when they were transpering the body to the Basilica, and also when they sang the litany of saints during the funeral. I got up and watched the funeral in its entirety in real time. Other correspondents also wrote to ask if I had noticed. (Thanks, Don Marco)
You can find the litany here: The Funeral Mass for Pope John Paul. The text here is in Italian and the other languages used at the Mass.
When Saint Gaspar was invoked in the Litany of the Saints, Alice, Maggie and I all thought of you and grinned.
And of course I'll post on this in a bit, but it was such a beautiful Mass.
Erin Rice would have thought of you, too, but she fell asleep as the cardinals were processing in. We watched the funeral in the Broadview lounge, and St. Gaspar gave us a sweet memory in the midst of our mourning.
By the way, Father— did you notice that today is one year since last Easter, when I was baptised and confirmed?
So they forgot Dorothy Day and Oscar Romero, huh?!
Yes, I also heard it and thought of you, Father! I am a regular reader but I don't comment very much.
It was great to hear Saint Gaspar invoked in the Litany. I did a double-take, wasn't sure I heard correctly. Helps for him to have been Italian!
So Greg, when were Day and Romero canonized?
I had two wonderful moments (of hope for better ltirugy,) as a result of the broadcast of Pope John Paul's funeral.
We had our our school memorial Mass Friday morning, and most of the students then watched a tape of the funeral. That afternoon at Junior Choir practice (2nd through 4th grade,) they were very excited, "how neat it was" that they had heard the same "Alleluia" on TV, that we had sung that morning at Mass. I imagine they will sing it all the more lustily tomorrow morning as a result. Their enthusiasm made it very easy to teach them the Sanctus and Kyrie that had been used for the Pope.
The other was an adult saying how interesting it was that she had heard "that same thing you sang at the vigilm" at the Pope's funeral.
She meant the Litany of Saints, which we sang at the Easter Vigil for the first time since I have lived in this town (6 years,) after I talked the pastor into allowing it instead of the Becker "Litany" which is a favorite hereabouts.
(I admit, I was kind of appalled that this middle aged woman seemed not to have known the music beofre. This is a point I can't seem to get through to some others in the parish -- not that any traditional forms of Catholic worship I might [re]introduce, or at least WISH to use, should be used excluviely but that it is flat wrong to neglect them utterly. I don't, despite jokes, want to ban it -- but Haagen-Hasz should not be the default, the NORMATVE.)
I heard it too, but wasn't sure about it, as there's at least one other St. Gaspar: Bertoni, founder of the Stigmatine Fathers.
Is the litany of Saints that was done at the Pope's funeral available on cd? I would love to have the music as it is beautiful.....thank you, Ida