Magnificat Magazine

by Gary D. Penkala

I don't often make glowing recommendations, but here's an exception. Magnificat Magazine is an excellent source of liturgical, theological and inspirational material, which is fully orthodox, faithful and … beautiful!

Magnificat is published 13 times per year [monthly, plus Holy Week], in two-sizes: Regular (4.5 x 6.7 inches) or Large-print (5.0 x 7.7 inches). Subscription price begin at $24.95 for a 6-month subscription, and include substantial discounts for longer periods. A subscription offers free access to the online version [web or iPhone versions].

There is a wealth of wonderful material in this magazine, of practical use to liturgists and musicians. The 2015 Holy Week issue contains full texts for all the Liturgies of Holy Week [including Propers, Antiphons, Orations, Readings, all other ritual texts and rubrics].

• Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
• Monday of Holy Week
• Tuesday of Holy Week
• Wednesday of Holy Week
• Chrism Mass
• Holy Thursday: Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper
• Good Friday: Celebration of the Lord's Passion
• Easter Vigil
• Easter Sunday

The full Ordinary of the Mass can be found in every issue. There are sample Universal Prayers [Prayers of the Faithful] for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Easter.

There is a short, non-official version of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer for each day. Additional devotions include:

• Preparation for the Priest before the Chrism Mass
• Adoration Vigil for Holy Thursday Evening (Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete)
• Way of the Cross for Good Friday (Msgr. Charles Fink)
• Meditations on the Seven Last Words (Fr. Richard Veras)
• Via Matris: The Way of the Sorrowful Mother (Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete)
• Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Beyond these materials, you'll find very good spiritual reading. Much of this is written by Editor-in-Chief, Father Peter John Cameron, OP. He was ordained a Dominican priest in 1986. In addition to his work at Magnificat, he is the chairman of the department of homiletics at Saint Joseph Seminary, Dunwoodie, New York, and the artistic director of Blackfriars Repertory Theatre in New York City. He is the author of ten books. The spiritual prose in the Holy Week edition, by prominent authors of the past and distinguished contemporary writers, includes:

• an Editorial on parables (Fr. Cameron)
• Tenebrae and How to Pray It (Sr. Genevieve Glen, OSB)
• Palm and Passion Sunday (Bl. Guerric of Igny)
• The Anointing (Carryl Houselander)
• Saint Who? -- Saint Gudula [Patroness of Brussels, Belgium]
• Making the Journey with Peter (Fr. Julián Carrón
• Saint Who? -- Saint Louis Bertrand [Patron of Colombia]
• The Sin of Judas (Fr. Pius Parsch)
• Saint Who? -- Saint Boris [Patron of Moscow, Russia]
• The Priesthood of the New Evangelization (Léon Bloy
• Good Friday (Saint Thomas Aquinas
• Holy Saturday Silence (Msgr. Romano Guardini)
• Easter (His Holiness, Pope Francis)
• Contemplate the Death of God (Pierre-Marie Dumont)
• The Last Supper: painting by Natalia Tsarkova (Elizabeth Lev)

In addition to the painting and analysis above, there are two other full color prints on glossy paper: The Entombment (1854) by Ary Sheffer (1795-1858) from the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Australia; and The Resurrection (1715-1716) by Sebastiano Ricci (1639-1734) from the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London UK.

Of particular note to musicians, various hymns are printed: a Holy Week Hymn, Caligaverunt oculi mei, one hymn for Prayer for the Morning and one for Prayer for the Evening for each day, as well as ritual hymns for Holy Week, like Pange lingua (in Latin and English) for Holy Thursday, and the Reproaches and Faithful Cross for Good Friday. Some of these daily hymns are reprinted from CNP's Hymns for the Liturgical Year by Kathy Pluth.

A subscription will provide you with abundant resources for your liturgical duties and for your spiritual life. You can even request a free sample copy.

Article written 16 March 2015