Cantores Matris Dei

It was like being at Mass in the Vatican

The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.

Gregorian chant, which the Roman Church considers her own as handed down from antiquity and kept under her close tutelage, is proposed to the faithful as belonging to them also… it makes the celebration of the sacred mysteries not only more dignified and solemn but helps very much to increase the faith and devotion of the congregation.

We are most privileged to have Cantores Matris Dei sing at various celebrations of Holy Mass in our parish, from the monthly Mass in the Extraordinary Form to Rorate Masses and other special liturgies in the Ordinary Form. So many parishioners praise the beauty of their sacred music, commenting how it lifts their hearts and minds to Almighty God.

The unity of faith, on the other hand, stands out in a marked manner through the use of Latin and Gregorian chant. This, as we all well know, has through the ages been the accompaniment for the liturgy of the Roman Rite; it has nurtured faith and devotion; it has achieved such perfection that the Church rightly regards it as a special heritage of incomparable excellence; finally, it has been acknowledged by Vatican Council II as ‘the chant distinctive of the Roman liturgy.

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Gregorian Chant has always been regarded as the supreme model for sacred music, so that it is fully legitimate to lay down the following rule: the more closely a composition for church approaches in its movement, inspiration and savor the Gregorian form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out of harmony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of the temple.

Common experience has shown that [the chant] not only adds a certain grandeur to divine worship, but also attracts souls heavenwards in a most wonderful way.

Take away the language that transcends national boundaries and possesses a marvellous spiritual power and the music that rises from the depths of the soul where faith resides and charity burns- we mean Gregorian Chant- and the office will be like a snuffed candle, it will no longer shed light, no longer draw the eyes and minds of people.