by Shawn Tribe
On Sunday 8th May 2011 students at the University of St Andrews - Scotland's first University and the third oldest in the English speaking world - were privileged to be able to attend the third celebration of Holy Mass in the extraordinary form in St Andrews since the motu proprio. A Missa Cantata was sung by Fr John Emerson FSSP in St James' Parish Church with the generous permission of the chaplain and pastor, Fr Andrew Kingham, and the ongoing support of the local archbishop, Keith Patrick Cardinal O'Brien. Fr Emerson travels to St Andrews on the second Sunday of each month to say Mass at 5pm, with the students making every effort to provide the proper ceremonies and music to the highest possible standards. On this occasion Fr Emerson was assisted by a team of four student servers and was accompanied by a quartet of student voices singing parts of Victoria's Missa O Quam Gloriosum and motets by Viadana and Palestrina. The introit was sung to a setting by Pitoni. There were over forty people in attendance, the vast majority of whom were students.
The church, which celebrated its centenary last year, was funded in great part by John, third Marquess of Bute, whose taste for marble is clearly present in its beautiful design.
(reposted from The New Liturgical Movement; photo: Matthew Hudson)
