A Guardian of the Sacred Tradition in the South

WILL BE PRESENTING at two conferences this summer and I am really excited to share my gifts with others. I am so thankful that God gives me the ability to praise him with music and I am so blessed to have experienced the Church’s music, the most powerful music in the world.

The first conference sponsored by the Tridentine Mass Community will be held in Hong Kong in July and the second one will be held at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, TN, from July 22 to July 23. Both of these places have a very special place in my heart: Hong Kong is where I grew up and started my musical training. When I first learned Gregorian chant, the schola members of the Tridentine Mass Community were very kind and let me sing with them. It was through those practical experience that I became a more confident and proficient cantor.

The Basilica in Chattanooga is truly a guardian of the Sacred Tradition. They are one of the few that offer traditional liturgies and music. They also have a very active faith formation program. The basilica is where I go relax, pray and sing with friends when I was working in Georgia. They offer a weekly Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form and a monthly Missa Cantata in the afternoon on the fourth Sunday of the month, which is perfect for someone like me who works in a parish all morning. I love the Latin Mass and it really has helped me a lot in my spiritual life. I am so glad that the Basilica offers them because it’s hard to find them in the South. In my experience, their liturgies are celebrated very reverently. Their Masses are always well-attended and people participate actively. There are some instructions given to the visitors and those who are new to the Traditional Latin Mass to help them participate both internally and externally. The congregation is “trained” in making responses and following the different postures during the Mass.

The Sacred Music Program at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul is a vibrant one. I am very excited to go back for the Summer Sacred Music Workshop II that they will be hosting this July. The church itself is a beautiful space and it has the perfect acoustic for choral singing. I am looking forward to play their beautiful pipe organ again and hear the Basilica Choir, and hopefully their children’s choir too.

We have invited Dr. Jennifer Donelson to be our plenary speaker this year. She is an expert in Gregorian chant and I really enjoyed her chant breakouts at the last Colloquium. Also, Mr. Bruce Ludwick from the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, AL, is the newest addition to our faculty. Bruce is the famous organist who accompanied Fauré’s Requiem at the Colloquium 2015 in Pittsburgh and Mother Angelica’s funeral at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. He will be our organ instructor and offering advice to any participant who might be interested in learning more about the “King of the Instruments”.

If you are interested in joining us for the Summer Sacred Music Workshop II, you may register now!