Beautiful Liturgical Services

The purpose of this thread is to provide a place for TT members to post various videos of splendid liturgical services.

I'll start with a selection of Orthodox liturgics:

So that my Roman Catholic friends like @DrBubbaLove, @Aelred of Rievaulx and @antletems, among others, know how much I love them, some epic Latin Rite masses:


I much admire that particular archbishop. Nearby, the Bay Area also offers a rare opportunity to enjoy the Dominican Rite liturgy, which is distinct from the Tridentine mass, being somewhat simpler:


A priest known to me personally, who used to preside over a TLM near my residence, now offers the TLM at this parish, also in the Bay Area:


Here is a rather good Requiem Mass:


Lastly, the Ambrosian Rite is one of the more interesting parts of RC liturgics, and this fascinating baroque service, in which a fragment of the cross is retrieved by means of a cable-elevated Rococco gondola, is one of the more thrilling liturgical experiences on offer:

The Assyrian Raza:


In English, with an Australian accent:

Darth Bagel said:

It's long (1:22:30) but this is a Tridentine Latin Mass at the Cathedral in my diocese, about 90 minutes south of where I live. From what I understand, it was offered with an FSSP parish down there (maybe the FSSP priests offered it at the Cathedral?)

Still looking forward to attending a TLM in person:

It's beautiful just listening to the music alone, but add in the visual beauty of the Latin Mass and it's quite stunning.

Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, do you live in Chico? I used to, and if memory serves it was a 90 minute drive down the very unpleasant 99 to Sacramento.

In Chico there is at least an SSPX chapel; the liturgical enthusiast might also savour the high church Continuing Anglican parish, the OCA parish, and the Syriac Orthodox parish.

This video contains footage of the liturgy of the Russian Old Believers (priested Old Believers, edinovertsy perhaps):

Now here is something interesting: the EO Divine Liturgy of St, James (as opposed to the Syriac version), cekebrated using the Greek rubrics by one bishop and twelve priests, versus populum:


Now, I myself am of the view that celebrating this liturgy versus populum in front of the iconostasis is perhaps a bad idea; in ancient times, we have no reason to doubt this liturgy was served ad orientem, and the Syriac Orthodox continue to serve it in this manner; also the Russian and Slavonic users. I have not had the ability to ascertain whether or not the Greek practice reflects how this liturgy was actually served before its popular revival in the 1890s, in Jerusalem and on one remote island in Greece; it is possible this form is historical.

However as a general rule, I don't think we want Orthodox liturgics to devolve into the show and tell style of the Novus Ordo Missae; I bristle at proposals to do away with the iconostasis, and I believe this liturgy ought to be served firmly behind it as a rule. Also, I would lament to note that some traditionalists are taking exception to the whole project of using this liturgy and other ancient somewhat disused liturgies, like St. Mark, owing to these perceived irregularities, which are in fact rubrical and questionable, and also superficial.

This is one of my favourite videos, in that it depicts the late Metropolitan Philip Saliba (memory eternal) celebrating a hierarchical divine liturgy. He had a very beautiful voice. In addition, much of the filming was in the altar, and this provides a rare opportunity to see the very complex process that occurs behind the iconostasis during an Orthodox liturgy.

MarkRohfrietsch said:

This saddens me that their original building burnt down. I saw that Church a number of years ago, driving by, and thought I would love to see it up close and it's interior. It's location is no more than 1 1/2 hour from my home.

Click to expand...

Too many beautiful historic churches have burned down, like St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Rhode Island.

Here is an epic liturgy, nearly six hours in length, from the reunification of ROCOR and the MP in 2007:


I myself like the idea of a liturgy six hours in duration.