Sacred Music at St. John Cantius Church
Many people have enjoyed choral Masses and other greatorks of music in concert halls. St. John Cantius offers a different experience—classic choral Masses sung as an integral part of the liturgy, as the composers intended. Their sacred music is offered within its sacred context—the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
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At St. John Cantius Church, you can experience choral masterworks from the Church’s treasury of sacred music, including those by Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Palestrina, as well as others. One will hear the Mass sung in Latin, the Church’s official language, as well as Gregorian Chant, sung by our Schola Cantorum, all within the glorious splendor of St. John Cantius Church.
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Our several choirs enhance our offering of Divine Worship with sacred music from the Renaissance era, the Viennese choral tradition, and modern choral works that are consistent with Roman Catholic tradition.
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Except when otherwise indicated, Gregorian Chant propers and ordinaries of the Mass are sung every Sunday at the 9:00 am and 11:00 a.m. Ordinary Form of the Mass (2002 Missale Romanum), and the 12:30 p.m. Extraordinary Form of the Mass (1962 Missale Romanum). Music is sung by the parish choirs and in Latin unless otherwise noted.
THE ‘WASTE’ OF SACRED MUSIC
Our program of Sacred Music at St. John Cantius is recognized locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. You may be surprised to learn that no parish funds are used for our sacred music costs. It is an expensive program when measured against routine music costs in most parishes. Annually, our cost is in the realm of $125,000.00. Some might ask, “Could not these resources be used to feed the hungry and minister to the poor and homeless as well as to support other worthy causes and needs? Why this waste?”
