SSGG's Schola Assists at Masses in Prineville, Madras

Part of the mission of the Society of St. Gregory the Great is to enhance all legitimate forms of worship, and to add some Latin chant to Novus Ordo English Masses in the Diocese of Baker.  

To this end, the Schola Cantorum of the Society of St. Gregory the Great visited St. Joseph Church in Prineville on October 29, and sang some of the Latin chants for the 6pm Saturday night Mass. Four members of the schola sang the first chants of the Kyrie Simplex for the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei; they sang the Gloria from the Missa de angelis.  

The Schola also sang an English hymn at the beginning of Mass; the offertory hymn was Adoro te, devote; and the chant Ave Verum was sung for Holy Communion. As a recessional, the simple Salve Regina was chosen.

This was the Schola’s second visit to St. Joseph’s. Father Robert Greiner, pastor of St. Joseph’s, was happy to welcome the schola back. He sang most of the prayers and responsories of the Mass. Since there is no one who normally sings at the Mass except Father Greiner, it was an occasion he wanted to celebrate with as much singing as possible. This puts him right in step with the intentions of the US Bishops: the new Roman Missal contains more music than any previous edition, and the Bishops are encouraging priests to sing their parts of the Mass.

The Schola has also sung at St. Patrick Church in Madras. The pastor, Father Luis Flores-Alva, has invited them to return at the end of November. Father Flores-Alva is currently having his choir trained to sing a simple Latin Mass, as well as a Mass written in both English and Latin.

This is all in keeping with the documents of Vatican II, which state that the faithful should be able to sing Latin chants for the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei – and this is the minimal level of knowledge to be expected.  Besides reflecting the mind of the Church, the use of Latin and Gregorian chant in the Mass can also be a unifying factor in multicultural congregations.

The Society of St. Gregory the Great is willing to help any parish or choir who desires assistance with the Latin chants. A monthly chant workshop is held in Bend. In addition, on November 11-12, we are hosting a “Mystical Body, Mystical Voice” workshop which addresses the changes that we’ll be experiencing with the new translation beginning on November 27.  

See the side bar for more information on the workshops, or contact Stephanie Swee at swee0574@gmail.com or Judith (Jay) Boyd at drjayboyd@msn.com with any questions.