Requiem Series

The Traditional Requiem Mass has been the means by which the Catholic Church has guided countless generations through the painful reality of human mortality. Encountered annually on All Souls Day, as well as at the occasion of a Funeral Mass, the prayers are particularly directed towards intercession for the deceased. Offering the teaching of the Church regarding “the last things,” they reassure members of the faith that love (currently being expressed through prayer) continues to have value in eternity. Through the solemn quality of Gregorian Chant, the prayers are presented with a somber beauty that is respectful of the grieving heart.

In this series, I look towards the tradition of illuminated manuscripts to offer visual meditations with each of the Propers of the Requiem Mass. Rather than creating with ink on vellum, the work is expressed through the encaustic (fused wax) medium. With this, the chant is “suspended” within layers of wax; conveying a sense of the free melody found within chant resulting from the absence of a grounding beat.

Through the work, I hope to assist in meditation on the Catholic understanding of mortality; recognizing that in Christ, love is not defeated by death.

This series is dedicated to GySgt Justin Schmalstieg – KIA Dec 15, 2010.

I. Introit

Requiem (4 Esd 2:34, 35 v. Ps. 64:2,3) – Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. v. A hymn, O God, becometh Thee in Sion; and a vow shall be paid to Thee in Jerusalem: hear my prayer; all flesh shall come to Thee.[/tab]

III. Tract

Absolve – Absolve, O Lord, the souls of the faithful departed from every bond of sin. v. And by the help of Thy grace may they be enabled to escape the avenging judgement. v. And enjoy the bliss of everlasting light.

IV. Sequence

Dies Irae – The day of wrath, that awful day, shall reduce the world to ashes, as David and the Sibyl prophesied. / How great will be the terror, when the Judge shall come to examine all things rigorously! / The trumpet, with astounding blast, echoing over the sepulchers of the whole world, shall compel all before the throne. / Death and nature will stand aghast, when the creature shall rise again, to answer before his Judge. / The written book shall be brought forth, containing all for which the world must be judged. / When, therefore, the Judge shall be seated, whatsoever is hidden shall be brought to light, naught shall remain unpunished.

IV. (2)

What then shall I, unhappy man, allege? Whom shall I invoke as protector? When even the just shall hardly be secure. / O King of awful majesty, who of thy free gift savest them that are to be saved, save me, O fount of mercy!/Remember, O loving Jesus, ’twas for my sake thou camest on earth, let me not then be lost on that day. / Seeking me thou didst sit weary, thou didst redeem me by dying on the cross, let not such suffering be all in vain. / O righteous Awarder of retribution, grant me the gift of pardon before the day of reckoning. / I groan as one guilty, while my countenance blushes for my fault: O spare thy supplicant, O God! / Thou who didst absolve Mary [Magdalene], and didst hear the payer of the thief, to me also thou hast given hope

IV. (3)

My prayers are not worthy, but thou who art good, grant in thy kindness that I may not burn in the everlasting fire. / Give me a place among thy sheep and separate me from the goats, setting me on thy right side. / When the reprobate, covered with confusion, shall have been sentenced to the cruel flames, call me with the blessed. / Prostrate in supplication I implore thee, with a heart contrite as though crushed to ashes, O have a care of my last hour! / A mournful day that day shall be, when from the dust shall arise / guilty man, that he may be judged; therefore, spare him, O God! / O tender Lord Jesus, grant them eternal rest.

V. Offertory

Domine Jesu Christe – O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed form the pains of hell and from the bottomless pit: deliver them from the lion’s mouth, that hell swallow them not up, that they fall not into darkness, but let the standard-bearer, holy Michael, lead them into that holy light * which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed. v. We offer to Thee, O Lord, sacrifices and prayers of praise: do Thou receive them in behalf of the souls of whom we make memorial this day. Grant them, O Lord, to pass from death to that life * which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed.

VI. Communion

Lux Aeterna – May eternal light shine upon them, O Lord: With Thy Saints for evermore, for Thou art gracious. v. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them * with Thy Saints for evermore, for Thou art gracious.