Glorifying the Resurrected Christ

Celebrating the joy, hope and beauty of the Easter season, the Athenaeum/Mount St. Mary’s Seminary offered beautiful sung prayer, scripture reading and a homily by Father Anthony Brausch for Easter Vespers on Sunday, April 23. 

Mary Ann Ey of Guardian Angles parish has been coming to the Athenaeum’s Vesper services in the Chapel of St. Gregory the Great for three years. She said, “It’s just beautiful! It’s so inspirational – you can really feel the presence of God.”

Indeed, the combined energy and beauty of the Athenaeum Chorale, brass and timpani at the Easter Vespers united the hearts, minds and souls of the congregants and propelled their worship heavenward. “From the minute it starts, you just feel like there is nothing else in the world besides right here and right now”, reflected Mary Ann.

Vespers, also known as evening prayer, is part of the Divine Office, the daily prayer of the Church.  Along with the psalms, antiphons, and canticles for the second Sunday of Easter, the Chorale also sang Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams, which contained the beautiful poetry of George Herbert.  “Liturgical music has a special way of lifting the mind to God”, says new Chorale member, Meaghan Heling. "I was really happy to celebrate the Easter season this way.”

Cheri Klink, a theology student at the Athenaeum, has attended liturgical events here for several years and was inspired to become a patron of the chorale. “I think it’s worthwhile to support the sacred arts – they’re beautiful and valuable. It’s just something I care about, something I have a passion for.”

Also touched by the Vesper service were Maureen Pettit and her young granddaughter, Sienna. Maureen attends a Presbyterian church but finds herself being drawn back to Catholicism, the faith of her childhood. Not knowing what to expect of Easter Vespers, Maureen said it was uplifting and inspiring that these beautiful traditions continue in the Church. She shared, “The quality of the music, the beauty of the stained glass windows, the presence of the Lord…I need inspiration and I certainly find it here.”

Click the following link to view a photo gallery from the 2017 Easter Vespers service http://www.mtsm.org/photogalleries/PhotoGallery53.aspx

Photo Credit: E.L. Hubbard Photography. Text Credit: Colleen Kammer.