HE RECENT passing on Christmas Day of Msgr. Michael F. Groden punctuated not only what was, but what is, and what hopefully is yet to come. Something of a “quite lion,” his presence came roaring back as a great reminder of his contributions to the Church, the City of Boston, the liturgy, and the the…
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Kelley & Clark in Concert • St. Patrick’s Cathedral • All Souls Day
EW YORK — Thursday, November 2, 2017 • 7:00 p. m. • Richard Kelley, trumpet, and composer/organist Richard J. Clark team up again at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in a concert of American composers Clark, Hovhaness, Pinkham, and Sowerby. In observing All Souls Day—Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, the featured work is…
Communion Antiphons for Lent & Easter • NEW • World Library Publications
I AM PLEASED to announce the release of my Communion Antiphons for Easter with World Library Publications. These thirteen antiphons are set from the English translation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition. All the verses set are those prescribed by Graduale Romanum. On a personal note, this is perhaps my favorite collection to date. You…
The Unhealthy Liturgical Obsession with Self
N OBSESSION with self-affirmation can lead to problems in everyday life. Those who do not need it, even in the face of adversity and criticism, tend to be happiest. (This is no easy thing and requires a lifetime of struggle.) Those who are in service to others tend to also be happiest. But those who…
The Power of Wordless Presence
ECENT GOSPEL passages have contained an interesting exhortation—one somewhat outwardly uncharacteristic of Jesus himself. Jesus tells a parable of the difficulty of passing through the narrow gate. When those knocking on the door, asking to be let in, not once, but twice, the master of house says, “I do not know where you are from…”…
Five Things Directors and Choirs Must Remember This Week
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christ Watershed’s, “Views from the Choir Loft” — published March 27, 2015. ELCOME TO Holy Week. For many, preparations have been well underway and are still ongoing. But once the onslaught of liturgies begins, it’s a bit like the morning of a final exam: One can’t study or prepare…
The Lord Is My Shepherd | SSA Choir
HE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD is now available for digital download. Composed for SSA choir and piano, it can be learned quickly in one or two rehearsals.The text from Psalm 23 is taken from the universally known King James Bible. You may purchase a downloadable Digital PDF of the score. Upon purchase, you will receive…
Mardi Gras and Burying the Alleluia
HE HEBREW WORD, “הללויה” or “Hallelujah,” is a word of unsurpassed joy. It is an acclamation of praise, thanksgiving and victory. “Hallelujah” is really a two–word phrase meaning “Praise Yah.” It is a joyous and unabashed song of praise to God and appears many times in the Book of Psalms, most prominently in Psalms 111-117…
Ascent to Freedom
True freedom does not rise from the capacity to fulfill all desires. Freedom is captivity, followed by battle, followed by faith, followed by wisdom and compassion as seen through the eyes of love. Of this struggle, true liberation is born. The Boston Music Intelligencer writes: “… Its five movements are quite accessible, sometimes displaying a…
The Thoughts of His Heart
HAVE LONG BEEN FASCINATED with the text of the Introit for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cogitationes, Ps. 33 (32): 11, 19: “The thoughts of his heart stand from generation to generation: that he might deliver their souls from death, and nourish them in times of famine.” Digital PDF copy ($8.95 comes…