Cantorae’s autumn always begins with Founders Day, the annual commemoration of Pedro Menendez de Aviles’ landing on September 8, 1565. This year the event will be on Saturday, September 7th, starting at 10 a.m. There will be reenactors, period music, a Mass of Thanksgiving with Bishop Felipe Estevez, and a performance drawn from a play by Lope de Vega.
Our first choral vespers at the Shrine will be Friday, September 27th at 6 p.m. The calendar for the remainder of the fall season can be viewed here.
New this fall will be Chanted Vespers on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in the Shrine Chapel. These vespers will be in the Benedictine tradition and will use Gregorian chant that is accessible to all. And all are welcome! It’s a great way to add praise and peace in the middle of our hectic weeks. Join us for any or all of these events! Here’s a little more about this:
Something new at the Shrine Chapel of La Leche at the Mission Nombre de Dios, St. Augustine!
Beginning on September 4, 2013, there will be Chanted Vespers in the Benedictine tradition every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Lasting about 20-30 minutes, this office uses Gregorian chant tones with English texts and is drawn from the volume, Benedictine Daily Prayer, prepared by St. Johns Abbey, Collegeville, MN. It is the prayer that thanks God for all his works throughout creation, history, and our own lives.
In the 6th century, the Rule of St. Benedict established the weekly rotation of psalms and canticles that came to be known as the Divine Office. And Benedictine monasteries have continued this tradition to the present day. The Roman Breviary and later Liturgy of the Hours came from this tradition, although their structure is slightly different.
Come and join in a 1,500 year old song of evening praise. It is a chance to connect with our heritage – and what place could be better than the oldest Marian shrine in what became the United States? All are welcome to come and participate.
