Our parish will begin singing the Latin Gloria, in addition to a new setting of the Latin Sanctus and Agnus Dei, at the 10am Sunday Mass during the month of May. Click on the links below to hear the new settings. While this setting, commonly called the "Missa de Angelis" (Mass of the Angels) or "Mass VIII" may be new to our parish, it has been sung by Catholics throughout the world for many centuries. The Kyrie (Greek), Gloria and Agnus Dei can be traced back to the 15-16th centuries, and the Sanctus first appeared in the 12th century!
Two obstacles present themselves for many Catholics learning Latin chant for the first time. The first is the language itself - Latin is not pronounced according to the same rules as English, and this can be a challenge. Secondly, chant is most accurately notated on a four-line staff with square notes (neumes), which may be unintelligible even to adults who have studied piano or other instruments. The two resources linked below will assist you with both of these challenges, opening the door to the beautiful sung prayer of our Catholic faith.
Singers of all voice parts are invited to sing in the choir at Queen of Peace! Your voice can add beauty and reverence to the liturgy, and is a wonderful way to pray the Mass fully and build a Catholic community within our parish. We are committed to doing what the Catholic church teaches regarding sacred music - chant, polyphony, and sung propers - but we need your voice to do it!
Rehearsals take place in the choir loft on Thursday evenings from 5:30-6:30pm, and the choir sings for the 10:00am Mass on Sundays, with a rehearsal before Mass at 9:15am in the Schola Room (basement). Fill out this form to get more information about Sacred Music at Queen of Peace and joining the choir. I look forward to meeting you! Feel free to come up to the choir loft after Mass to introduce yourself.
Mater Dei students and Queen of Peace students in grades 3 and up may also sing with the parish choir on Sundays - just show up for rehearsal at 9:15am in the schola room. Rebecca Visser Director of Sacred Music Queen of Peace Catholic Church
Choir Schedule
There are no Thursday evening rehearsals during the summer. However, new singers are always welcome to join us to sing for the 10am Mass. Rehearsal is at 9:15am on Sundays in the Schola classroom (basement)
Sun, June 1 - choir does not sing (school Mass)
Sun, June 8 - Pentecost 10am
Sun, June 15 - Holy Trinity 10am
Sun, June 22 - Corpus Christi 10am Mass with procession following Mass
Rebecca Visser, our Director of Sacred Music, will offer organ lessons this summer at Queen of Peace. Rebecca holds a M.A. in Liturgical Music/Organ, and enjoys teaching beginning organ students. This opportunity is for both youth and adults who wish to explore this magnificent instrument! Prior piano lessons and the ability to play piano with both hands is necessary for your organ lessons to be successful. Practice time on the Queen of Peace organ will be arranged in addition to your weekly lesson time, but you can also practice at home on a keyboard or piano. Dates: July 1 - August 8 Cost: Reduced rate of $50 for five 30-minute lessons Contact: [email protected]