Mass of the Americas

A Message from Archbishop Cordileone:

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

On December 8, 2018, at 2 p.m. St. Mary's Cathedral will celebrate something new and historic: The Mass of the Americas.

It is the first new Mass commissioned for the Cathedral since the Installation Mass in 1971. The Benedict Sixteen 16-voices professional choir will carry the chorale sacred beauty. The Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship is sponsoring the Mass, which was written by our composer-in-residence, award-winning Bay area composer Frank La Rocca.

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). It is written in Spanish, Latin, English and Aztec, the language Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to San Juan Diego. It is in the high sacred music traditions of the Church, yet incorporates traditional Mexican folkloric hymns to Mary, especially La Guadalupana.

The Mass of the Americas thus embodies the way Mary, our Mother, unites all of us as God's children. After this historic first celebration, The Mass of the Americas will be going on an international cathedral tour, including Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedrals in Dallas and Tijuana.

Please come if you can.  EWTN will be televising and livestreaming the Mass of the Americas if you can't.

May God's blessings be on your and your loved ones,

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

About the Mass of the Americas

What is the Mass of the Americas?

• The Mass of the Americas is a unique intertwined 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).

• The Mass of the Americas is the first new Mass commissioned for the Cathedral since the installation Mass in 1971.

• The Mass of the Americas was written by the Benedict XVI Institute’s composer-in-residence, award-winning Bay area composer Frank La Rocca. (FrankLaRocca.com)

• The Mass of the Americas was composed for 16 voice mixed chorus, organ, string quartet, bells and marimba (a native Central and South American instrument).

• The Mass of the Americas is written in Spanish, Latin, English and Nahuatl, the Aztec language Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to San Juan Diego.

• The Mass of the Americas is splendid sacred polyphony in the ancient Catholic tradition, yet incorporates traditional Mexican hymns to Mary, especially La Guadalupana.

• The Mass of the Americas was originally conceived by Archbishop Cordileone as the musical equivalent of mission architecture: Both rooted in the tradition AND incorporating local elements to create something new.

• The Mass of the Americas is sponsored by The Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship, whose mission is opening the door of Beauty to bring people closer to God. (BenedictInstitute.org)

• The Mass of the Americas will be televised and livestreamed by EWTN.

• The Mass of the Americas was partly inspired by the fact that this year the Feast of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception falls on the Saturday before the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is the day the Archdiocesan Guadalupan celebrations take place, offering a unifying moment for the Anglo and Latino Church.

“The Mass of the Americas embodies the way Mary, our Mother, unites all of us as God's children,” says Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.

For more information or for inquiries into bringing the Mass of the Americas to a cathedral or mission near you, contact Rose Marie Wong, wongr@sfarch.org

To hear Alma Redemptoris Mater harmonize in sacred beauty with La Guadalupana, click here.