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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Dedication of a Church • The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Voyage, Boston

Richard J. Clark · April 21, 2017

HE DEDICATION of a church is a sometimes rare event, especially in many places where parishes are being closed. But with changing demographics, the needs of the faithful change. Such is the case in the booming Seaport District in Boston, Massachusetts.

New construction is everywhere. You can watch a story on Boston’s ABC affiliate WCVB here.

You can read more about the opening in today’s Boston Globe here.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Voyage will be dedicated on Saturday, April 22 with His Eminence Seán P. Cardinal O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap. as Principal Celebrant and Homilist. You may view the partial and unofficial draft of the worship aid here. (Certain music is listed but not included in this PDF.)

NIQUE TO this occasion is that it falls within the Octave of Easter. As such, the Sequence, Victimae Paschali laudes is being sung, optional on the Second Sunday of Easter in the Novus Ordo (and throughout the Octave). The Dedication Mass will also include works by Bruckner, Byrd, Marier, Ostrowski, and Peloquin among others.

It is a rare privilege to be a part of such a Mass, a rare opportunity in a lifetime. As such, I have composed several antiphons specific to the Rite of the Dedication to a Church as well as a communion proper for the Dedication of a Church. Those interested in viewing the settings, please contact me.

Built with a great deal of marble and wood (and no carpeting) Our Lady of Good Voyage is blessed with extraordinary acoustics. The interior is rather traditional in design and makes wonderful use of repurposed materials from other closed churches. In this way, the prayer of the faithful generations before live on in this beautiful place of worship.

Please pray for the good work of this Shrine and of the Universal Church. May the the doors of the Church be wide open and the Gospel spread far and wide.

Soli Deo gloria

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

Filed Under: Articles 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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Quick Thoughts

14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • Gorgeous Book

If there is a more beautiful book than Abbat Pothier’s 1888 Processionale Monasticum, I don’t know what it might be. This gorgeous tome was today added to the Saint John Lalande Online Library. I wish I owned a physical copy.

—Jeff Ostrowski
Sound Familiar?

1 June 1579: “The chapter passes a rule that anyone ascending to the new organ without official permission shall be fined a month’s pay.”

26 October 1579: “The altar boys remain always separate and distinct from choirboys—the one group learning only plainchant and assisting at the altar, the other living with the chapel-master and studying counterpoint and polyphony as well. Father Francisco Guerrero postpones his departure for Rome and instead spends the entire year in Seville making ready for the trip. In the meantime he neglects his choirboys. On 16 November, after considerable complaint against their unruliness and ignorance, he engages an assistant, Bartolomé Farfán.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“A penalty is decreed against clerics, who, being in sacred Orders, or holding benefices, do not wear a dress befitting their Order. […] In these days, the contempt of religion has grown to such a pitch that—making but little account of their own dignity, and of the clerical honor—some even wear in public the dress of laymen…”

— ‘Council of Trent (Session 14, Chapter 6)’

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