“Mass of the Americas” • Solemn Pontifical High Mass in DC

OLEMN PONTIFICAL High Masses are not common events, but one will be celebrated next month at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. The Mass will be offered by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 10 AM (EST).

This Mass in the Extraordinary Form is being organized by the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music & Divine Worship as a tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Anyone is welcome to attend, and, for those who cannot be present, the Mass will also be aired on EWTN.

Two things are notable about this Mass. First, it is being billed as a “Mass of the Americas,” a reference to the music for the ordinary that will be sung during the liturgy. Composed by Frank La Rocca, the Mass of the Americas was commissioned by Archbishop Cordileone and originally intended for use in the Ordinary Form. La Rocca has now adapted the score for use with the Extraordinary Form. Thus, the upcoming Mass in Washington, DC will be the premiere of this revised work.

The second thing to note is that the Mass will be followed by an afternoon conference cosponsored by the Benedict XVI Institute and The Catholic University of America’s Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art. The interesting program includes the following:

Keynote: The Making of the Mass of the Americas: A Conversation with Composer Frank La Rocca, Conductor Richard Sparks, and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

Craft as Soul Craft: A Poetry Reading and Workshop with James Matthew Wilson

Painting Beauty: A Workshop with Andrew de Sa

The Vision of the Soul: A Conversation with Artists and Philosophers of Art (James Matthew Wilson, poet, Villanova University; Prof. Robert Edward Gordon, The American Culture and Ideas Initiative, College of Fine Arts, University of Arizona; Prof. Sara Pecknold, clinical professor of Sacred Music, Catholic University of America; Andrew de Sa, painter)