For much of the Church’s history the Solemn High Mass set the gold standard for iconic Catholic worship. If Hollywood wanted “the Catholic Church” in a movie it would show a High Mass in the cathedral, clergy and servers engulfed in clouds of incense, backed by a Gregorian choir soundtrack. To a liturgically sensitive person, there is nothing more beautiful than a Solemn High Mass done well. Our parish is one of the few in Northern California that attempts the High Mass, and we are finally, they tell me, doing it tolerably well. It is a treasure made possible by God’s grace and the hard work of our music department, our dedicated servers, priests, and support staff. Earlier this month Fr. John Chung, Fr. John Fewel, and I offered a High Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation. For the first time I felt at home in the Solemn High Mass, moving with the other priests as one body, in serene prayer.