PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOR PAPAL MASS CHOIR IN PHOENIX PARK
- Music, Composers and Liturgical Music Team announced
- Irish music and composers to feature prominently at Papal Mass
Organisers of the World Meeting of Families 2018 got a taste of what the music for the Papal Mass will sound like in the Phoenix Park on Sunday 26 August at the first large scale choir rehearsal in the RDS, Dublin last Saturday.
Of local interest is that the Liturgical Music Coordinator, Derek Mahady is a native of Rooskey, Co. Roscommon and works as a choral conductor, vocalist, piano accompanist and music educator. Derek has been involved in liturgical music from an early age. He began his liturgical music ministry in parishes throughout his home diocese of Elphin and his neighbouring diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.
Mr. Derek Mahady
Also Dr. John O’Keeffe will be Conductor of the Core Choir and Orchestra. he served in the past as Organist at St. Mel’s Cathedral, Longford.
More than 2,000 members of the Papal Mass Choir gathered together to do a full run through of the music for the Closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families 2018. In total, 3,000 voices from across all 26 dioceses will make up the main choir, and many more will contribute to the congregational singing with their own parish choirs in the corrals spread across the Phoenix Park. Individuals and choirs have been rehearsing together locally in their dioceses for a number of months but this was the first time that the countrywide group was brought together.
Commenting after the rehearsal Derek Mahady said that he was heartened by the work and effort that each diocese has put into the preparation of the music for the papal Mass. The coming together of so many voices in song has given all of us involved in leading the music a sense of how uplifting it will be for all those families gathered for the Closing Mass of WMOF2018 with Pope Francis.
The WMOF2018 has also announced the full details of the Liturgical Music and the Music Team for the Papal Mass. The music team includes:
- Derek Mahady as Liturgical Music Coordinator;
- Dr John O’Keeffe as Conductor of the Core Choir and Orchestra;
- David Grealy as Organist;
- Amy Ryan and Dominic Finn as Assistant Conductors of the Massed Choir.
The music chosen for the Papal Mass will place an emphasis on congregational singing so many of the pieces will be familiar to those in the Phoenix Park congregation of 500,000.
Irish music and composers feature prominently throughout the Mass. The Opening Hymn is A Joy For All The Earth which is the official hymn for WMOF2018 written by Ephrem Feeley. Well-known liturgical composer Father Liam Lawton has composed a new Psalm for the Mass which is called The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor.
Two pieces by Ireland’s most renowned liturgical composer, Seán Ó Riada, feature as the Penitential Rite/Kyrie (A Thiarna Déan Trócaire), and at the Lord’s Prayer (Ár nAthair). Fintan O’Carroll’s Celtic Alleluia with an enhanced verse by Ronan McDonagh will be sung as the Gospel acclamation.
The Apostles’ Creed will be John O’Keeffe’s own composition, while Fr. Pat Ahern’s A Thiarna Éist Linn will be sung between the Prayers of the Faithful.
As this is a World Meeting of Families there will be a number of international composers featured in the Mass including Caritas et Amor by Z. Randall Stroope has been chosen for the Presentation of Gifts and three piece from Jean-Paul Lécot’s Mass of Our Lady of Lourdes will feature as the Gloria, Sanctus, and Doxology/Amen.
The Communion hymns will be Ave Verum (William Byrd), The Last Supper (Bernard Sexton), Come Feast at this Table (Ian Callanan), Anima Christi (Mon. Marco Frisina), and Bí Íosa im Chroíse.
And finally, the Anthem to Our Lady will be Go mBeannaítear Duit, A Mhuire by Peadar Ó Riada (son of Seán), and the Recessional Hymn: Jesus Christ, You Are My Life by Mon. Marco Frisina.
Just to give you a little flavour of what to expect. Here is the Recessional Hymn…familiar to many from World Youth Day 2000AD in Rome and ever since.
The Closing Mass of WMOF2018 will take place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin on Sunday 26 August at 3.00pm. Pope Francis will celebrate this Mass which will have a congregation of 500,000 people including 15,000 from overseas.
Biographies of Liturgical Music Team:
- Liturgical Music Coordinator, Derek Mahady is a native of Rooskey, Co. Roscommon and works as a choral conductor, vocalist, piano accompanist and music educator. Derek has been involved in liturgical music from an early age. He began his liturgical music ministry in parishes throughout his home diocese of Elphin and his neighbouring diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois. Currently, he works in music ministry at Newman University Church, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin and has regularly featured as a regional and national tutor for the Irish Church Music Association. Derek holds a Master of Arts Degree in Choral Conducting from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, a Higher Diploma in Education from University of Dublin, Trinity College and a Bachelor of Music (Pedagogy) from the Dublin Institute of Technology, Conservatory of Music and Drama. Derek also features as a soloist on the first recording of the official World Meeting of Families 2018 hymn A Joy for all the Earth.
- Conductor, John O’Keeffe is director of Sacred Music and Choral Groups at St Patrick’s College and NUI Maynooth. The native of Portmagee, Co Kerry, studied Church music at St Finian’s College, Mullingar, before going on to further education at universities in Maynooth, Limerick, and UCD, and at the Catholic cathedrals of Dublin and Westminster, where he served as organ scholar.
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