Mater Ecclesiae Roman Catholic Church, Berlin, NJ, Diocese of Camden, welcomes you to attend the 14th Annual Assumption Mass. The Mass, in the Extraordinary Form, will take place on Friday, August 15, at 7:00 PM, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103. There is a parking lot next to the Cathedral and there is an underground garage at the Sheraton Hotel on 17th Street.
The celebrant of the Mass, who will also deliver the sermon, is Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth. Msgr. Wadsworth, originally a priest of the Archdiocese of Westminster, London, is now the superior of the Oratorian Community of St. Philip Neri, an oratory in formation in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Since 2009, he has been Executive Director of the International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL), responsible for the proposal of English translations of Latin liturgical texts for use in places where the liturgy is celebrated in English. Msgr. Wadsworth has written and lectured widely on both forms of the Roman Rite and the 'ars celebrandi'.
This Mass was begun fourteen years ago to thank and honor our Lady for the establishment of Mater Ecclesiae. We also wanted to feature some of the greatest works of orchestral/choral music ever written for the Sacred Liturgy. Under the direction of Dr. Timothy McDonnell, the setting for the Ordinary of the Mass is the "Missa in Angustiis," or "Lord Nelson Mass," by Franz Joseph Haydn sung with full orchestra. Other works include the motets "Salve Regina" by Antonio Salieri (1750-1825), the "Salutatio D.N.I.C." by Ludwig Senfl (1486-1543), the "Beata Viscera" by Gregor Aichinger (1565-1628), the "Adagio" from Concerto for 2 oboes in G Major by Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751), the "Hodie Maria Virgo" by Luca Marenzio (1553-1599), the "Tantum Ergo" by Wolfgang A Mozart (1756-1791) and a Postlude, "Concerto for 2 trumpets in D Major", by Giuseppe Maria Jacchini (1663 - 1727). The traditional hymns, "O Sanctissima and Hail Holy Queen," arranged by Dr McDonnell, will also be sung.
We wish to thank His Excellency, Archbishop Charles Chaput, as well as the rector of the Cathedral Basilica, Father G. Dennis Gill, for the great privilege of celebrating this Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Please spread the word about this grand celebration of Our Lady's Assumption.