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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Gregorian Propers at a Nuptial Mass in “Southie”?

Richard J. Clark · January 17, 2014

OUTH BOSTON, KNOWN around here as “Southie” is a section of Boston most familiar to many around the country from the films “Good Will Hunting” and “The Departed.” It is also infamous for the convicted murderer and gangster, James “Whitey” Bulger, who inspired the latter of the two films. Yes. Glorious Gregorian Propers, polyphony, and hymnody at a Nuptial Mass in “Southie.”

South Boston (nowhere near the “South End” where the Cathedral of the Holy Cross is located…Boston geography is complicated…) is a colorful neighborhood, but forget what you know from TV and film. Historically a neighborhood of Irish immigrants, it is a deeply proud and Catholic neighborhood and a world unto itself. Once you go over the bridge into “Southie,” be certain you have entered a different realm.

This unique realm is where the wedding of Nori Elisabeth Pifer and Stephen David Fahrig enters, celebrated at the beautiful and historic Gate of Heaven Church, established in 1863. (Church musicians’ weddings are often extraordinary and unusual. We all might have our own wonderful stories. Please share them in the combox!)

O WHEN A GREAT PROPONENT OF GREGORIAN CHANT marries a Professor of Sacred Scripture at both St. John Seminary and Blessed John XXIII National Seminary, one is treated to a liturgical delight of joy, reverence, and catechesis. Not only was the Word of God sung in the propers, but the level of congregational singing was astounding, evident in the singing of the dialogues, the responsorial psalm and the glorious hymns.

Perhaps a model wedding in the Ordinary Form, it was also a model of catechesis. In the beginning of the wedding program, the couple offered no less than four pages of beautiful and fully accessible commentary on the Nuptial Mass. You can download the entire program (sans copyrighted material) here. Some excerpts:

“As our wedding ceremony begins, some of you might be asking yourselves, “Where are the bridesmaids? Where are the groomsmen? Why are the bride and groom walking down the aisle together instead of meeting at the altar?” Others might be wondering, “What’s with all the rituals? Incense, candles, Latin chant—I’ve never seen any of this at a wedding, and I’ve been to plenty of weddings!

“These are all excellent questions. While it is entirely permissible for Catholic couples to incorporate such traditions as bridesmaids and flower girls into their ceremony, these customs are actually rooted in royal and secular traditions that have little to do with the Catholic nuptial Mass. In fact, the rubrics (ritual instructions) of the present-day Catholic Rite of Marriage call for the nuptial Mass to begin with a procession of altar servers and clergy followed by the bride and groom, who walk down the aisle together…”

Take note that the procession included the hymn “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!” followed by the Introit, Deus Israel during the incensing of the altar. Listen to the recording and you can almost smell the incense!

The couple writes further:

“Because we believe that Jesus is truly present in the Holy Eucharist, it is deeply fitting that our wedding vows should be celebrated within the context of the Mass…How appropriate it is then, that we begin our married life together by being united with one another and with our Lord in the sacrament of the Eucharist.”

Notable too was the large number of clergy and seminarians present:

”The elaborate ritual gestures – precessions, incense, involvement of many deacons and priests – is not for the sake of pomp or show, but to give glory to God. In a particular way, we hope to glorify God through the beauty of the sacred music that we have selected for our nuptial Mass….”

HE CHANT AND HYMNS were exquisitely directed by composer, tenor, and founder of the Blackstone Valley Catholic Youth Choir, Michael Olbash. The greatly acclaimed virtuoso organist Mark Husey and rising star Ryan Lynch played the hymns with soaring dignity and transcendence. A beautiful Responsorial Psalm by Brian Michael Page was cantored by Sarah Rogevich. The incomparable Emily Lau cantored the the Gregorian Alleluia. Such remarkable voices graced the choir: Amanda White, Camilia Paris, Clare MacNamara, Erin Seaver Blazek, Patricia Almond, Sarah Mitchell, Matthew Stansfield, and longtime CMAA friend, Richard Chonak.

While I had the privilege of conducting two works by Victoria, these singers were so wonderful, I could have waved my arms like a chicken (I most assuredly did at times) and they still would have sounded beautiful.

UESTS AT A WEDDING USUALLY bring gifts for the bride and groom. But I felt as though the couple had given us a gift with such a profoundly prayerful experience. This experience uplifts and fortifies the soul, strength that we can take with us for a long time to come. Mark Husey put it best when he said of his experience, “I was so blessed to be a part of this. Such a rich harvest of grace was gleaned from this extraordinarily spirited celebration…we couldn’t help but be moved to greater love and joy.”

Congratulations, Nori and Stephen! Thank you for the gift!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: congregational singing, Nuptial Mass, Propers, Singing the Mass Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 26 October 2025, which is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the top-notch feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Little Encouragement?
    In the Gospel, our Savior tells about 10 lepers who were healed. Only one went back to give thanks. Precious few express gratitude, yet many have endless energy to complain. For that reason, I deeply appreciate receiving messages like the following, which arrived a few days ago (about the parish where I direct in Michigan): “Last Sunday, a couple I knew from Grand Rapids was at Mass at 10:00 a.m. I got a chance to talk to them after Mass. I wanted to let you know what they said about the choir. They were absolutely floored by our sound!!!!! They both said they could continuously listen to our choir and the beauty of it. They asked me: “Do you always sound like that?” And they were also very surprised at how packed the church was. They said it was nice for them to be in such a full church. I just thought you would be interested to know their thoughts about our choir.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Far from dreading an encounter with the Iroquois, Fr. Garnier often told us he would be quite content to fall into their hands and remain their prisoner if—while they were torturing him—he at least had a chance of instructing them as long as his torments lasted. If they allowed him to live, it would afford him a golden opportunity to work for their conversion, which was now impossible, since the gateway to their country was closed as long as they were our enemies.

— Father Ragueneau (Jesuit Relations)

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