The Jazz Mass
In opening his homily at last year’s Jazz Mass, Dr. Norman Cornett boldly welcomed the congregation to the first Jazz Mass at the Red Roof. If there had been any doubts about making the event a Perennial one before, we were on the hook after that! Tony Whitehead was thrilled after trying for five years to get a Jazz Mass at St Johns! Fr. Alain took the idea with joy and enthusiasm!
Going into that first Mass, we were dealing to some extent with an unknown quantity. It began with Fr. Alain, who wondered how we might engage with the Festival Season going on around us all summer in the Quartier des Spectacles. From the outset, we were determined not to try to appear to be something we are not. I sought to reassure anyone concerned about the Jazz Mass turning into something 'off-brand' for St. John’s. I would not have been party to the planning if any significant departure from our rite and usages had been on the agenda.
By happy chance, it was a feast of Our Lady, namely the Visitation, and I personally requested the Marian blue and gold chasuble for Mass for Mtr. Wendy, who was a fitting choice of Celebrant. Not only is she a jazz fan, but women in Holy Orders still provoke curiosity in Quebec, and curiosity is often what helps people make the leap of trust to cross the Church’s threshold.
And it worked - the strength of the response we got ensured that we would repeat the event. This year’s Jazz Mass was even bigger. Attendance rose by 25% for a total of some 165 Souls.
Our Guests of Honour enriched the liturgy with their contributions. Ranee Lee’s choices of songs for the Offertory and Communion did not sound like popular songs inserted into the liturgy but meditative, with lyrics easily construed as prayers.
Dawn Tyler Watson’s homily reflecting on God as love and Church as community echoed the reading taken from St. John’s Epistles.
Make sure to mark your calendars for next year’s Jazz Mass, which is set for Sunday, 1 July. As Saint-Jean-Baptiste is a Sunday in 2018 (regrettably depriving us of an extra High Mass during the week!) the first Sunday in July will be its Octave Day. We are looking for more people to get involved and share the labour of love that makes this event happen. If you are interested in helping with planning, serving, greeting, hospitality, or communications, we want to hear from you!
Artist Martine Fourcand, Dawn Tyler Watson, Ranee Lee, and Dr. Norman Cornett