L'Antimodérniste

Dear jam-sessioners, and dear Father,
In one of our many emails Bibiana made a really beautiful and interesting point, quoted below:

I have a theory: I think music and art in general, especially the fine arts, are the "soft underbelly" of the modernist monster we are fighting...the modernists have not been able to compete with the art of the Catholic past, so this is where We (the new generation of artists and musicians) can conquer the beast!

Inspired, I wrote the following war-song for us. Bibiana, dubbing it the Antimodérniste, has promised music!! So we have a new jam-sessioners' anthem.... "Coming this August... only in St. Louis!" (in movie-preview tone). :)

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Christ set up His Church on a Rock firm and strong,

And Hell's gates will never against it prevail;

The Ship of St. Peter sails bravely along,

Though tossed by the breakers and bent by the gale.

The modernist monster, a sea-serpent sly,

Attempts to engulf her in waves of deceit;

But we her brave sailors stand watchfully by;

With Christ at the helm, every foe we'll defeat!

Our foemen with vigor and lies do assault,

To banish the glory we held for so long;

But we can defeat them, we'll never default;

We'll beat them with beauty and smash them with song.

They drag down to earth those who strain for the skies

And turn to grey shadows the bright and the clear;

Their weapons are foulness and malice and lies;

Then fight them with that which they know not, and fear.

They fear what they know not -- the true and the fair;

Let those be our weapons, our beauty and truth,

With sword and with word, and with war-song and prayer,

The modernist monster will flee from our youth!

With art and with music, with grace on our side,

We'll battle our foes till they flee from the plain;

And then we'll pour out Palestrina with pride,

And Vittoria we'll sing-- and vittoria we'll gain!

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Hymn to Mary, Queen of Angels

Here is a prayer to Our Lady. Enjoy!

O Queen of Angels - hear our prayer!
We come to kneel before thy throne,
The sinful sons of Eve, who dare
To claim thee, Mary, for our own.
O Mary, Mistress of the world -
Splendid as armies in array
With swords aloft and flags unfurled -
We kneel before thy feet today.

Worn with the long and cruel fight,
Wounded in many hard-fought fields,
Victorious seldom, strength grown slight,
With splintered swords and shattered shields,
We weary warriors kneel, and cry,
With banners trailing in the dust,
"O Mother, aid us or we die;
Without thy help, then fall we must…"

Seven swords pierced thy heart, the swords
Of sorrow, pain and misery,
But if thou draw them, all the lords
Of hell cannot but break and flee.
O Maiden fair, unstained, serene,
Hear then thy sons who cry to thee;
Take up the fallen sword, O Queen,
And lead us on to victory.

--Inés de Erausquin