San Francisco, Calif., Dec 5, 2018 / 14:05 pm
The Mass of the Americas, a newly-commissioned Mass composed by Frank La Rocca, will premiere Saturday for the feast of the Immaculate Conception at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco.
"The Mass of the Americas is a simultaneous tribute to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (the patroness of the United States) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (the patroness of both Mexico and all the Americas)," Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco has said. "It is in the high sacred music traditions of the Church, yet incorporates traditional Mexican folkloric hymns to Mary."
The Mass will be said Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. (PST), and will be televised and livestreamed by EWTN.
La Rocca is composer-in-residence at the Benedict XVI Institute, which was founded by Archbishop Cordileone in 2014 to provide practical resources to help parishes have more beautiful and reverent liturgies, and to promote a Catholic culture in the arts.