Solemn High Mass of Easter, Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Natchitoches, Louisiana

Rather unexpectedly – for me, at least (it is true what I say, I'm always the last to know – in this case even though I'm in the Chant Schola that provided music...) – the weekly 5 pm Sunday Mass in Latin at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was for this Easter Sunday 2014 a full-blown Solemn High Mass, with several priests, deacons, and seminarians filling the various roles making a High Mass “Solemn.” It was the second Solemn High Mass within two months, a full fifty years after the last one previous. As was the one a few weeks ago during the Lenten Mission with Fr. John Zuhlsdorf [LINK], it was astoundingly beautiful. We are truly blessed here at the Basilica to have this wonderful, traditional form of worship available to us.  Here are a couple of pictures I took from the choir loft with my phone.

Typical attendance at the Traditional Latin Mass is from about twenty to over fifty.  It is the fourth Mass of the weekend, and has been offered on a regular basis only since the beginning of Advent last December.  I counted 35 in the congregation that I could see, but since the Baptists don't have a monopoly on the "Back Row" mentality and I know there are usually some people in the several back rows over which the choir loft extends, I would bet there were at least a few more than that.

Fr. Ryan Humphries, Rector, provided the homily [available here:  LINK - 20 April, Easter Sunday, TLM].

Christus resurrexit! Alleluia, Alleluia!