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by Jim Holman.
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ROAMIN' CATHOLIC
March 2006

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ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, SHERMAN OAKS

Huggy, but with Good Music

It is rumored that St. Francis de Sales Church at 13360 Valleyheart Drive in Sherman Oaks was originally built to be the cathedral of a projected San Fernando Valley diocese. Whether or not that is true, the church is an impressive building, erected in a unique art deco/Romanesque style. In keeping with its location, the parish has numbered many famous folk among its members, including such entertainment luminaries as the late actress, Penny Singleton, talk show host Morton Downey, Jr., and agent Rudy Cota. On a less positive note, it is where media mogul and Presbyterian Rupert Murdoch received communion during his January 11, 1998 reception into the Knightly Order of St. Gregory by Roger Cardinal Mahony. In any case, the church boasts a certain social prominence.

In keeping with this stature, St. Francis features an extraordinary choir, for years presided over by Roger Wagner, one of the greatest church and secular musicians this archdiocese has ever produced. Carrying on in her father's tradition is Jeannine Wagner-Gallardo, who, since her father's death in 1992, has continued the choir's program of concerts, national and international tours, and, most importantly, the 10 a.m. Sunday Masses.

It was one of these I attended on January 15, 2006, the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Despite the classic repertoire of its choir, St. Francis' interior offers evidence of extensive architectural surgery -- the altar rail is gone, the sanctuary looks bare, despite its carpet and the baptismal font having been moved in. But there are side altars, and the tabernacle (of the "circus tent" variety common in British Catholic churches, but rare over here) remains in the center. The Stations of the Cross are flat plaques, and the walls are covered in brown wainscoting.

The entrance procession, marching to the strains of "Gather Us In," featured a tall crucifetrix in cassock and surplice, two younger and shorter female candle bearers, two altar boys, a lector and lectoress, and Father Tony Scannell. Although the celebrant is a Capuchin, he was listed as "weekend associate" in the bulletin; St. Francis de Sales is not an order church. After the sanctuary party took their places, and Father led us in the penitential rite, the choir sang the Kyrie from Roger Wagner's Mass in Honor of St. Francis, a beautiful and traditional chant. Instead of the priest, a soloist intoned the first phrase of the Gloria.

The first reading, delivered by the lector, was 1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19, in which God repeatedly calls Samuel. Then followed the responsorial psalm, taken from Psalm 40, to which the response was, "Here am I Lord; I am come to do your will." The second scripture reading was of 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20, in which St. Paul counsels his readers that the body is not to be used for immoral purposes, seeing that it is a temple of the Holy Spirit and joined to Jesus Christ. Father Scannell then read the Gospel, John 1:35-42, wherein Ss. Andrew and Peter (then still called Simon) first meet Jesus, who tells Simon about his future renaming.

After finishing Gospel, Father launched into his sermon. "Ordinary Time is a bit misleading," he said. "All liturgical times are extraordinary. So too, we who are ordinary are extraordinary, because Christ has called us to Himself." Likening that call to the one Samuel received, he went on to explain that we must answer that call with whatever talents we have and that God has called us, not because of any great qualities on our part, but because He loves us. All human beings receive this call, and all should accept it, though many do not.

The homily finished, we recited the creed -- although, I suspect, that Wagner's Mass of St. Francis probably has a beautiful Credo. After the intercessions, the altar servers assisted with preparing the table, during which the choir sang a Negro spiritual. In keeping with that genre of music, the words were simple: "I want Jesus to walk with me. / All along my pilgrim journey, I want Jesus to walk with me. / When my heart is almost breaking, I want Jesus to walk with me. / When I'm in trouble, I want Jesus to walk with me. / When my head is bowed in sorrow, I want Jesus to walk with me."

The singing of such spirituals is an innovation introduced by the choir mistress after her father's death. While many members of the choir have indicated their pleasure in singing these songs, as I noticed that day, classical choirs rarely are able to put into spirituals the emotional depth they require to be effective (and which is so often to be heard from choirs in black churches). The result is both oddly lifeless and a bit jarring when most of the Mass' music is chant. Ironically, the effect is heightened when the chant is so expertly delivered, as it was on this occasion. This was evident when Wagner's Sanctus was sung -- it was rather an abrupt transition in mood.

Father Scannell offered Eucharistic Prayer II. There was no sign of the stemware so beloved by the cardinal, as metal cups were used to contain the Precious Blood. Although Father had only bowed to the tabernacle, he did genuflect to the consecrated elements. An army of at least twelve extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist came up from the congregation. The congregation sang the "Our Father," and the handshake of peace was vigorous, in keeping with what one congregant has described as the "huggy" nature of the parish. The choir delivered a beautiful Agnus Dei, after which the communion antiphon, in Latin, was Dicit Andreas Simoni fratri suo: invenimus Messiam qui dicitur Christus; et adduxit eum ad Jesum. ("Andrew said to his brother, Simon: 'we have found the Messiah,' which means Christ; and he led him to Jesus.") The congregation remained standing after the Agnus Dei.

In keeping with the cardinal's liturgical dictates, the congregation came up back to front to communion, and most received in the hand, while the choir sang, "Shepherd Me, O God." The recessional hymn was "Lift High the Cross;" the two altar boys were the only members of the sanctuary party who genuflected upon their departure, all others bowing. When they had left and the choir finished, the congregation administered the traditional applause.

Afterwards, no coffee or doughnuts were in evidence.

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