Victoria's Requiem Mass

On November 3rd, St. Patrick's Seminary hosted the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship with its Victoria's Requiem Mass, featuring “The Benedict Sixteen”, a 16-voice professional choir, directed by guest conductor John Renke. This special Mass for the souls of the faithful departed was celebrated by two great Church leaders: His Eminence Francis Cardinal Arinze and His Excellency, The Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone. A reception with Cardinal Arinze and Archbishop Cordileone followed the Mass and included a reflection by Cardinal Arinze on Sacred Liturgy and a vibrant Q&A session.

The music for the Mass was composed in 1603 by Spanish Renaissance composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. Included in the program was the Missa Pro Defunctis from the Introit through to the Communio. The choir also sang a wonderful rendition of Dies Irae. You can see the entire Mass in the video below - beautifully filmed by MS Photo and Video.

After the Mass, at a reception in our refectory, Cardinal Arinze provided a reflection on Sacred Liturgy. With a charming sense of humor, he was able to provide tremendous insights into the current issues with today's practice with Sacred Liturgy and how our seminarians should set high standards for the practice of Liturgy after they are ordained. One memorable point was the role of the celebrant in the Mass. If the priest allows his personal actions to become the center of the liturgy, he places himself between Our Lord Jesus Christ and the people. Consequently, he hinders the communion with Jesus. The priest must act with humility in his critical role in the Mass. Below the article, you can see a slideshow of the entire event.

As a spiritual and educational center on the Pacific Rim, St. Patrick's was honored to host this wonderful event by the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship. In Q&A session, Archbishop Cordileone talked about the Benedict XVI Institute's next event, the Mass of the Americas, on December 8th at Cathedral Of Saint Mary Of The Assumption in San Francisco. It will feature the world premier of the first new Mass commission for St. Mary's since the installation Mass in 1971, by world renowned composer Frank La Rocca. It promises to be an amazing afternoon of music and liturgy.