Music for Dedication of St. James’

Parry’s beloved anthem I was glad most likely calls to mind the British coronations, dating back to that of King Edward VII in 1902, for which occasion the piece was commissioned. In addition to being sung at every such ceremony since 1626, this translation of Psalm 122 also bears a strong presence in calls to prayer within Judaism, Catholicism, and Anglicanism (recited at the morning office on Day 27), evoking an image of a joyful faithful entering a place of worship to join together their praises.

The imagery of entering “the house of the Lord” cannot be confined to a definition of one singular place of worship, but rather refers to a “heavenly Jerusalem.” Irish priest and commentator Patrick Comerford notes of the psalm’s author:

“He has a vision not of Jerusalem as it was at the time, but of the heavenly city where God dwells and where all people dwell in unity.

His response to this vision is to pray for the peace of the heavenly city and for all who live within its walls, for his family, and for the house of God.”

On this feast of the Dedication of St. James’, Parry’s setting certainly calls to mind all the sacred moments we have gathered in this building; yet it also reminds us of a unity that extends beyond our walls, diocese, and denomination, joining believers in the vision of a new heaven, a heaven towards which many have looked since antiquity.

In the closing organ voluntary, we hear another depiction of this “Eternal Church,” written by Olivier Messiaen in his early life. Inspired by a trip to Mont-St-Michel in Normandy, the setting evokes the stark vision of a towering spire rising up out of the surrounding waves, the structure residing on the highest point of a small island just off the coast. Its structure, gradual but unyielding swells to an almost overwhelming height above us before receding just as gradually into the mist.

–  Abraham Ross

Solemn Mass takes place at St. James’ Anglican Church, Vancouver at 10:30 am every Sunday.