I was able to attend this most beautiful event, the first Mass using the 1962 Missal for which I have been present.

Having arrived approximately twenty minutes early, I was able to find a seat in one of the last three pews. By Mass time, the church was full of people of all ages.

The congregation sang at various times with a very full and warm sound. In fact, they sang the Asperges Me from memory, and I must confess that I was lucky to have a Graduale Triplex with me so that I could join them. Clearly, congregational singing is thriving at Mater Ecclesiae.

The chorus, orchestra, schola, and organist made magnificent music worthy of being heard in the world's greatest cathedrals. It is worth noting that their work was not a performance, and it did not impede participatio actuosa. In fact, as the sounds of Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass rang out from the choir loft, there was a sense that we were indeed participating in the Heavenly Liturgy.

The Recessional Hymn is entitled to special mention. Dr. Timothy McDonnell, who directed the orchestra and chorus, arranged "Hail! Holy Queen Enthroned Above" in splendid fashion, employing congregation, choir, orchestra, and organ in a work of overwhelming beauty.

A few thoughts about this event in relation to modern liturgical practice are inescapable.

The Tridentine Mass is often said to be unappealing, even irrelevant, to modern man. Those who believe this should have been at the cathedral on Sunday, although they would have had to stand in the back of the church for lack of an available seat. It would have been instructive, too, to see the number of priests who participated in choir, not to mention several more who were present in the congregation. It is clear that Pope John Paul II has called for a "wide and generous application" of the old rite for a very good pastoral reason.

It was quite evident that Mater Ecclesiae is a community in the best sense of the word. Many worked together in all kinds of ways in the planning of a glorious liturgy; it was truly a work of the people. Yet, all of this was accomplished without one single hint of the self-conciousness and self-congratulation so typical of worship in many places today.

Having attended this Mass, I wonder all the more whether those who unleash verbal attacks against the Tridentine Rite and its devotees do so in order to discourage a widespread rediscovery of its sturdiness and beauty. Perhaps this comes from a fear of how such a rediscovery could influence the continuing implementation of the Second Vatican Council. After all, I left the cathedral thinking that there was a lot to be learned from this experience.