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.

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).

“Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). 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 feasts website.

—Jeff Ostrowski

This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon

This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly

Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Pope Pius XII Hymnal?

Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Hybrid” Chant Notation?

Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

Antiphons Don’t Match?

A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).

—Corpus Christi Watershed