Good Friday- "O vos omnes"

A Good Friday tradition at Saint Anthony Parish is the "Enterro do Senhor" or Burial of the Lord.  “O Vos Omnes” is the chant that is sung. The action is that of the "andores" or carriers brought around the church, one with the laid out body of Christ, followed by the Sorrowful Mother. The words, however haunting, could use some explanation. The text seems to be as ancient as the Book of Lamentations from the Old Testament. It is adapted from the Vulgate translation (Latin) of chapter 1 verse 12a.

           

            Come, all who pass by the way,

            pay attention and see:

            Is there any pain like my pain. –Lamentations 1:12a

It is a responsory originally sung as part of Church liturgies for Holy Week. It was often set, especially in the sixteenth century as part of the Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday.  Tenebrae (Latin for 'shadows' or 'darkness') is a Christian religious service celebrated by the Western Church on the evening before or early morning of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, which are the last three days of Holy Week. The distinctive ceremony of Tenebrae is the gradual extinguishing of candles while a series of readings and psalms is chanted or recited. In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church the Tenebrae readings and psalms are those of Matins and Lauds.

The following are the words used here at Saint Anthony Parish:

O vos omnes qui transitis per viam,

attendite et videte:

Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.

V. Attendite, universi populi,

et videte dolorem meum.

Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.

O all you who walk by on the road,

pay attention and see:

if there be any sorrow like my sorrow.

V. Pay attention, all people,

and look at my sorrow:

if there be any sorrow like my sorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uma tradição da Sexta-feira Santa na Paróquia de Santo António é do Enterro do Senhor. "O Vos Omnes" e cantado em quanto os andores, um com o Senhor morte e o outro com a Nossa Senhora das Dores entram em procissão na igreja. O cântico já se tornou familiar para nossa comunidade, mas as palavras tristes, diversas vezes repetidas durante o entoar de sua melodia, merecem uma explicação. O texto parece ser tão antigo quanto o Livro das Lamentações do Antigo Testamento. É uma adaptação retirada da Vulgada (tradução para o Latim da Bíblia):

Venham, vós todos que passais pelo caminho,

            Prestai atenção e vede:

            Se existe alguma dor semelhante à minha dor. – Lamentações 1:12a

É um responsório originalmente cantado como parte da liturgia da Semana Santa. Era cantado com freqüência, especialmente durante o Século XVI, como parte dos responsórios chamados de Tenebrae, no Sábado Santo. Tenebrae (palavra em Latim que significa “trevas” ou “escuridão”) é uma cerimônia religiosa Cristã da Igreja do Ocidente que é feita na noite anterior ou na madrugada da Quinta-feira Santa, da Sexta-feira Santa e do Sábado Santo, ou seja, nos três últimos dias da Semana Santa. A cerimônia da Tenebrae consiste em ir apagando gradualmente algumas velas enquanto uma série de leituras e salmos são cantados ou recitados. No Rito da Igreja Católica Romana, as leituras e os salmos do Tenebrae são retirados do Ofício das Leituras e das Laudes.

 Aqui na Paróquia Santo António, o responsório é cantado do seguinte modo:

O vos omnes qui transitis per viam,

attendite et videte:

Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.

V. Attendite, universi populi,

et videte dolorem meum.

Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.

Ó vós todos que andais pelos caminhos,

Prestai atenção e vede:

Se há dor semelhante a minha dor.

V. Prestai atenção, todos os povos,

e olhai a minha dor:

Se há alguma dor semelhante a minha dor.

Mr. Mario E. Rosa has been a parishioner at Saint Anthony Parish since coming to the United States in 1958. The reason for his departure from his home island of Faial in the Azorean Islands was due to a volcanic eruption that lasted for 13 months, from September 27, 1957 until October 24, 1958. What could have been a disaster turned into an opportunity. Certainly coming to the United States, especially after the devastation of such an earthquake would become for him and his wife, Maria Fernanda, an opportunity, but more importantly it became an opportunity and a tremendous gift for the priests and the parish of Saint Anthony in Cambridge. Mr. Rosa served as a sacristan at his home parish in Faial. From the time he arrived in Cambridge he became the all around caretaker of the many and sundry needs of the parish complex.

  

He has taken care of all the locks in the church, fixing them, including the one of the tabernacle in the chapel, which was stuck closed. He kept track of the keys- even taking those with no designation and hunting down the lock that they fit. The kneelers in the church were under his vigilant care making sure all the brackets and hinges were in good working order or making sure there were there were enough replacements on hand. If anything appeared to be unfixable, Mr. Rosa would find a way to repair it. All of these were done at little or no cost to the parish, at times paying for parts out of his pocket.


I have known Mr. Rosa and his wife, always at his side, since first assigned here in 1995. I think that makes me one of those knowing him the least amount of time. They would come by at least two or three times a week either dropping something off that he had repaired or to see what else might need to be taken away for his gentle fix. Their most constant presence at the parish has been at the 4:00 o’clock Mass on Saturday. With the exception of being kept away due to illness they are usually here between 2:30 and 3:00 o’clock, putting the bulletins in place, as well as the Pilot and the Portuguese and Brazilian Journals.  And then he would set up for Mass making sure everything is in place, form setting out enough hosts so there is no need to go to the tabernacle, and finding out which priest is celebrating so our personal chalice is set out.


When he was diagnosed with cancer he remained stoic in the face of the illness and talked of having lived a good life, never intentionally hurting another person. Being a realist he knows that life doesn’t last forever. Both he and his wife have discussed his passing, naturally, they would prefer to remain together but are prepared, confident that they will be together for eternity.

In November Cardinal Seán celebrated a service at which 121 faithful of the Archdiocese of Boston received the Chevrus Award. While the award is given each year, only a third of the parishes of the Archdiocese may submit a name, and so the award at each parish is only received once every three years. The parish recipient this year was Mr. Mario Rosa. It was with great pleasure that I received the news that he would be receiving the award. It is an honor for him and also for us that a gentleman of such openness and charity received this distinction.  

Mr. Rosa passed away at 4:00 pm on January 25th. Since I have known them, Mr. and Mrs. Rosa attended the 4:00 pm Mass every Saturday, barring any illness. Even after he was diagnosed with cancer he was at Mass each weekend unless his therapy was too taxing. Last week on the Saturday prior to his passing he mentioned to his wife that he wanted to come to the 4:00 Mass. She said they would do whatever he wanted as long as he was up to it. He was and they came. It was the last time he drove. He was 91 years of age at his passing. For reasons known only to himself, he had told others that he preferred to die in the hospital, rather than at home. His wish was granted having been taken to the emergency room at Mt. Auburn Hospital.

He will be sorely missed by this priest and, I know by the other priests at the parish as well as the parishioners. Thank you Senhor Rosa for all that you did in service to this parish and to the Lord.





Mario Egidio Rosa, of Cambridge, January 25^th. Devoted husband of Maria (Fernanda) Rosa. Loving brother of Angelo Rosa and the late Gabriella Tanjo, Jaime, Gabriel and Eduardo Rosa. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and many other loving relatives and friends. Funeral from the Rogers Funeral Home, 380 Cambridge St., Cambridge Monday at 8 am. Funeral mass at St. Anthony’s Church in Cambridge at 9 am. Visiting hours Sunday 2 to 6 pm.
In lieu of flowers donations in Mario's memory may be made to St. Anthony's Church, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Ave, Cambridge MA 02141.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon him. 
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, 
Rest in Peace.
 
May Christ, who called you, take you to himself;
may angels lead you to the bosom of Abraham.
May choirs of angels welcome you
and lead you to the bosom of Abraham.
And where Lazarus is poor no longer
may you find eternal rest.