Statement on Mrs. McGill's departure to the Granite School District

Dear Parents,

It is with regret that I write to inform you that our Principal, Christina Vierra-McGill, has accepted another administrative position with the Granite School District. She will begin her new assignment on August 1st.

Firstly, I want to congratulate Mrs. McGill on the acquisition of a new post that meets both her professional and personal needs. Throughout this process, Mrs. McGill has indicated to me her deep commitment to the mission of the Choir School. Unfortunately, with a child going into Gonzaga University and two students at Judge Memorial, financial realities are necessitating this move to the public system. It is regrettable that we are not able to match both the salaries and the benefits of the public school system, but that is indeed far beyond our means. As she has stated, while her heart is at the Choir School her family exigencies make this move crucial.

Mrs. McGill has accomplished a great deal in her three years as Principal and the eight years of service to the Choir School. In recent years, she oversaw the acquisition of a new technology lab, she has accessed more public funding to assist us with the professional development of the teachers and students with special needs, and she leaves us with a complete faculty ready to begin its work this August. Plans to celebrate her work among us are taking shape and we will inform you as soon as details become available.

Secondly, I want to assure that while this is a loss to our professional staff, plans are already underway to carefully manage this change and ensure that the coming school year is highly successful. The leadership team, school board and key members of the faculty are being consulted at this time in order to provide for a seamless transition and a thorough search and hiring process. Given the late notice of this new assignment, it would be imprudent of us to rush to hire a replacement. We will work together to put into place a very effective interim situation that will ensure that our coming fifteenth school year will be even better than year fourteen. I have every confidence that our very talented faculty and staff will continue to engage our young people with academic rigor, effective character formation, challenging activities and athletics, and music that inspires both performer and listener alike.

Because of this extraordinary situation, I will stay in contact with you throughout the summer to provide further information as details become available. If you have any concerns or questions, I urge you to contact me by email at gglenn@madeleinechoirschool.org. Please do not hesitate: no question or concern is trivial. Changes are always unsettling, but you have my assurance that the Choir School will continue to grow and develop in its service to the young people entrusted to our care. We will thank and congratulate Mrs. McGill, and have a great school year ahead.

Respectfully,

Gregory Glenn
Pastoral Administrator

New book by one of our own...

Dr. Glenn Olsen, a member of the Cathedral Parish and a member of the School Board for the Choir School has recently had a new book published by the Catholic University of America Press entitled The Turn to the Transcendence.Dr. Olsen's book is described by the CUA Press as

"an exhaustively researched and persuasive account of how religion has been reshaped in the modern period. Though ancient and medieval western writers used various metaphors to express the idea that humans are aligned to the universe, they also believed that humans are oriented toward something “above” or transcending themselves. In recent centuries, however, the sense that humans, while living in nature and history, are oriented to transcendence has seemingly diminished. For many, God or the gods have all but disappeared from secular life."

For more information on the book the CUA Press information can be found here, and as an alternative you can watch for publication details here.

Dr. Olsen's grandchildren Joseph (7th), Maria (6th) and Michael (2nd) are students at the Choir School. Congratulations to Dr. Olsen!

Kindergarten Does It Again...

In my daily walks through the Kindergarten Class rarely am I not caught by something of interest: nocturnal animals were big last week, and there is of course the inimitable "Haddie was a Hungry Horse" song used during "H" week a few months ago.



This week I noticed that all of the students had donned a new shirt: On the front, it simply stated "Team Madeleine Choir School," implied by the logo beneath the word "Team"



It was the back of the jersey that perplexed me. What possibly could it mean that ALL of the students had the number "18" emblazoned on their backs?



After humble inquiry, Ms. Kmetzsch gently set me straight: "That is the year this class will graduate from the Choir School!"

Ugh...yo siento muy viejo...Kindergarten Rules!

Statement on the departure of Christopher White from the Faculty

Dear Parents,

After careful deliberation, it has been mutually decided that Christopher White will begin a leave from his teaching responsibilities as of Monday 19 April, using the remaining weeks of the term to concentrate on his future pursuits as an educator. On Monday, Andrea Sline (Hall) will assume the post of Sixth Grade Teacher. A meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, April 19th, at 7:00 PM in the Sixth Grade Classroom at which time we will answer any further questions you may have and provide you with an opportunity to meet Ms. Sline.

Changes of this kind prior to the end of the school year are difficult. We ask that Sixth Grade parents be particularly sensitive to your children and inform us of any difficulties with which we may be able to assist. The children hold Mr. White in high esteem, and they will need some time to process this change. As always, the children will look to you as parents, their role models, for appropriate ways in which to handle this transition.

As a Choir School community it is critical that we proceed with the utmost respect for all involved in this transition. Firstly, the Choir School recognizes that Mr. White is a highly capable educator and an excellent colleague, and we wish him only the best as he begins more serious pursuit of other educational opportunities. Secondly, we must recognize how challenging it will be for Ms. Sline to step in for these last seven weeks. In the weeks ahead, our community needs to show Ms. Sline extraordinary support for her work with our young people.

Please remember that it is critically important that you contact Mrs. McGill or me directly if you have any further questions or concerns. Change is always difficult, and it is a test of the quality of our community as to the manner in which we proceed.

I am grateful to you for your support and understanding.

Sincerely,

Gregory Glenn
Pastoral Administrator

Holy Week and Triduum Close with Easter Vespers

Special thanks to all of our choristers, servers, and parents who made so many sacrifices to support the prayer of the Cathedral Church over the last week and during the Paschal Triduum. The children served as musicians for twelve different services in the last seven days. In these most important days of the year, they offered some of the Church's most venerable ancient musical settings and they performed newly composed settings of this year.

The Services covered by the boys and girls this week...

Bishop's Mass for Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
Monday Mass of Holy Week
Tuesday Mass of Holy Week
Wednesday Mass of Holy Week
Cathedral Mass of the Lord's Supper
Good Friday Lauds
Cathedral Celebration of the Lord's Passion
Choral Meditation: Stabat mater by G. B. da Pergolesi
The Great Paschal Vigil
Cathedral Easter Sunday Mass at 10:00 AM
Bishop's Easter Sunday Mass at Noon
Easter Sunday Vespers and Benediction


All of the music staff are deeply grateful to you for your hard work, and wish a very restful Easter Week ahead.

Holy Saturday - The Harrowing of Hell

From the Paschal Homily proclaimed in every Greek Orthodox Church Easter Morning...

He that was taken by death has annihilated it!
He descended into Hades and took Hades captive!
He embittered it when it tasted his flesh! And anticipating this Isaiah exclaimed: "Hades was embittered when it encountered thee in the lower regions".
It was embittered, for it was abolished!
It was embittered, for it was mocked!
It was embittered, for it was purged!
It was embittered, for it was despoiled!
It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!
It took a body and came upon God!
It took earth and encountered heaven!
It took what it saw but crumbled before what it had not seen!
O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?
Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life reigns!
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!
For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the first-fruits of them that slept.
To him be glory and might unto ages of ages. Amen.

St. John Chrysostom

Good Friday

The British-American poet T. S. Eliot considered his Four Quartets his masterpiece. Below is an excerpt from East Coker as Eliot attempts his "raid on the inarticulate" aspects of today.


IV
The wounded surgeon plies the steel
That questions the distempered part;
Beneath the bleeding hands we feel
The sharp compassion of the healer's art
Resolving the enigma of the fever chart.

Our only health is the disease
If we obey the dying nurse
Whose constant care is not to please
But to remind of our, and Adam's curse,
And that, to be restored, our sickness must grow worse.

The whole earth is our hospital
Endowed by the ruined millionaire,
Wherein, if we do well, we shall
Die of the absolute paternal care
That will not leave us, but prevents us everywhere.

The chill ascends from feet to knees,
The fever sings in mental wires.
If to be warmed, then I must freeze
And quake in frigid purgatorial fires
Of which the flame is roses, and the smoke is briars.

The dripping blood our only drink,
The bloody flesh our only food:
In spite of which we like to think
That we are sound, substantial flesh and blood—
Again, in spite of that, we call this Friday good.

Choir School Grad named Sterling Scholar

This morning we received word that Clara Purk (class of 2006) daughter of Gary and Mary Purk, sister to Choir School students Connor (8th) and Michael (4th) was named the Utah Sterling Scholar for the area of speech and drama. Clara also serves as an Altar Server at the Cathedral. Needless to say, the competition for this award is very extreme, and we send our deepest congratulations to her from her parish family and from her alma mater. The Deseret News article can be found here. Clara has been accepted at USC and hopes to enroll in the Film Studies program. Congratulations Clara!

The Paschal Triduum Begins

Tomorrow evening we begin the most important celebration of the Church year: the Paschal Triduum or "three days". Beginning on the evening of Holy Thursday, this celebration of the Lord's suffering, death and resurrection extends for three days, finally closing with Vespers on Easter Sunday.

Now for all of you who are shaking your heads and grateful that I am not a math teacher at the choir school, it is important to point out that we use the jewish accounting of time in calculating the three days: from sunset to sunset. So, we count Holy Thursday evening to Good Friday evening, Good Friday evening to Holy Saturday evening, and Holy Saturday evening to Easter Sunday evening.

The entire three day celebration begins with words from St. Paul in the Introit for Thursday night, Nos autem gloriari: We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, by whom we are saved and delivered.

Tomorrow's Mass of the Lord's Supper with Bishop Wester begins at 7:30 PM.

UPDATE - $100 Discount for Adult Tour Only

Apologies to all for the confusing previous post - the $100 Discount applies only to the Parent/Family/Friend Tour if you register by 31 March. The Student Tour cost already reflects the discounted rate. We are sorry if this has presented any difficulty in the registration process.

And for reparation, here is a link to a video produced from our last pilgrimage to Italy in 2006.

SAVE $100 ON THE COST OF THE ROME PILGRIMAGE!

If you register online by March 31st with a $150.00 deposit, you will receive a $100.00 discount.

Go to www.encoretours.com and select on the menu item “Participants”.

On the next menu select “Register” and select “Participant/Student”.

The next page will ask you for your group leader’s ID number: it is 14084 and your group leader’s last name: Glenn.

The next page will ask you to select the appropriate tour – the top entry “The Madeleine Choir School Tour of Italy” is for students and performers. The second entry “MCS Family Members” is for parents, relatives and friends who wish to travel on the accompanying tour. The final entry is for individuals wishing to depart from New York City (i.e. for a relative or friend who is traveling from somewhere else in the United States.)

Last night’s parent meeting was well attended – please let us know if there are any further questions.

CNN's Annual Holy Week Dust Up

A few years ago it was the discovery of alternate Gospels which painted an entirely different picture about the person of Christ, Mary Magdalene, etc. (these alternate gospels have been studied and considered for centuries - nothing new really) and this year it is philosopher Sam Harris's claim that we should ditch religion. While most of Harris's arguments are also nothing new in the world of religious criticism - from the third century Neo-Platonist critic Porphyry to Bertrand Russell's famous lecture of 1927 - the most recent press argues that religion detracts us from solving the world's problems.

There is no question that bad religion exists. Recent infighting between Muslims and Hindus in Hyderabad, India give witness to this reality. There are countless episodes in our history of horrific acts in the name of religion. And, the arguments that religion has no place in the public square and should not have a voice in political matters (a la Glenn Beck's recent rants) push believers in God to a more self-centered and individualistic understanding of faith.

Harris argues that the real problems - nuclear proliferation, genocide, poverty and crisis in educations - are matters to be concerned with and the ditching of religion will allow us to really focus on these matters. The Roman Catholic Church, with its many flaws and failings, has been focused on these large matters for centuries. Our educational system throughout the world has provided a quality education to many who would not have access to such a basic need. Fighting poverty, standing up to injustice, and even questioning the current reality wherein several nations can destroy the earth not once, but as many as eleven times with our nuclear arsenals, these are all matters that we have addressed before. Just a quick glance at statements from the Bishops of the United States here reveals a growing concern for the major concerns of our planet. Pope Benedict's recent encyclical letter Caritas in veritate offers very direct challenges to current economic practices which keep the poor as poor, and offer little hope to workers in developing countries.

This week the challenge of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is represented to us in our celebration of the three most important days of our year: the Paschal Triduum. Mr. Harris's challenges are not without merit - if Christians continue to live without serious reflection on the call that Jesus Christ makes to us in these holiest of days to selfless service, sacrifice for others, and a commitment to building a civilization of love, then we are a meaningless social organization without any really compelling purpose for existence other than nice holiday festivities and cute celebrations of baptism, first communion and the like. One writer's claim that we are little more than a covenanted fat farm, or an ecclesiastical disneyland that has tamed the Lion of Judah and put him into a zoo to entertain suburban children certainly begins to ring true.

We cannot be content with the present circumstances. Holy Week is here to shake us from our complacency, calling us to follow Christ in his suffering and death to authentic life. Let's continue to seek God's mercy, and pray profoundly in these days ahead. What should the Church of Jesus Christ in Utah be doing in the months and years ahead? The status quo is not the answer, or Sam Harris may be right.

Parent Meeting for the Pilgrimage to Italy Monday Night

Tomorrow evening, Monday March 29th at 7:00 PM we will conduct a meeting for parents in preparation for next school year's pilgrimage to Italy. We will meet in the Song School of Erbin Hall. The meeting will provide detailed information to date regarding itinerary, performances and costs and will include tips for planning your child's travel.

The coming pilgrimage and performance tour will depart on Friday November 5th and return to Salt Lake City on Monday November 15th. The pilgrimage/tour will begin in Milan, and will include stays in Florence, Assisi, and Rome.

Where in Rome is the great Archangel Michael found? (Hint: it was originally a tomb, was the refuge place for Pope Gregory VII and it is featured in the tragic end of Puccini's Tosca)

Here is an elephant at the base of one of Egypt's many obelisks brought to Rome. The elephant is the work of Bernini - what are other major architectural and artistic works of Bernini in Rome? Where are more ancient obelisks found?

So much to see and learn in Rome!

Tough Week to be Catholic

It was a tough week to be a Roman Catholic. Still reeling from the fallout of the Church in Ireland's troubles and with growing reports of difficulties in the rest of Europe, the Catholic Church took a beating in the media in the last several weeks.

As a community, we should be held accountable for every child that has suffered this heinous crime under our watch, and decidedly more troubling and worthy of increased liability are further crimes that have occurred because of cover-ups and the knowing transfer of sexually misbehaving personnel. There is simply no defense for these actions, and we must do everything we can to be watchful and continue to reach out to those who have suffered so terribly.

My Ninth Grade World History Teacher had a healthy dose of skepticism about politics, large institutions, and more. One of his adages that stays with me is "facts never lie, but liars use facts." The recent coverage featured in the New York Times and spread to every media outlet about our Holy Father Pope Benedict may be a case in point. Outrageous headlines of 'cover-ups' the Pope's personal guilt and more have centered around only two cases: that of the Fr. Peter Hullermann from Essen, Germany, and that the Fr. Lawrence Murphy of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The acts of these two priests are abominable, this goes without question. But the effort to tie them both directly to the malfeasance of Pope Benedict in his former roles as Archbishop of Munich and Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith is strained at best. While the headlines make shocking and disingenuous claims, when one reads the actual facts you begin to surmise the journalistic reach. Missing from the headlines, of course, are the thousands of cases in which Pope Benedict has handled cases such as these swiftly, justly, and in some cases severely.

Syndicated Columnist Gwynne Dyer wrote a scathing op-ed piece published in the Salt Lake Tribune this morning. Again, for every child that has suffered under our watch we must assume responsibility. But this column seems to be a re-hash of material from ten years earlier, smacking of bandwagon journalism and riding the wave of disgust with the Catholic Church. Mr. Dyer accuses the Church of considering itself above the law. Did Mr. Dyer miss the June of 2002 United States Bishops Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People? In the last eight years the Catholic Church in this country has invested enormous resources and time in getting down to the business of fixing this problem, and recent independent audits indicate that there has been a great deal of success in healing, correcting and preventing any further abuse of children. Each Diocese has extensive guidelines, inservice training and background checks for employee and volunteers. A basic provision throughout this land is that these matters are to be immediately turned over to government authorities. I would invite Mr. Dyer to step off the wave, review the actual facts, and perhaps give credit where credit is due to an institution that has done a great deal of soul-searching, changed its procedures and now follows strict guidelines and policies.

As a Church, we are entering Holy Week tomorrow. We celebrate our most important days of the entire year on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this week. We go deeply into the mystery of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection, and we consider how these events are to shape our individual lives as followers of Christ and the very nature of the Church. The messages of humble service, standing with victims and the poor, real life found in the emptying of one's self for the other will come to us over the course of these days, inviting us to be more authentic servants of the Lord and his people. Let us pray that this Holy Week will challenge and inspire us to engage more deeply in advancing God's reign among us.

And finally, I wonder if any insight from last Sunday's Gospel lesson may apply here? At the public outcry against an adulterous woman, Jesus says to the outraged public that the first stone should be cast by the one without sin. Certainly food for thought.

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion this weekend

From a Sermon by St. Andrew of Crete, Bishop...

Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish. Then we shall be able to receive the Word at his coming, and God, whom no limits can contain, will be within us.

In his humility Christ entered the dark regions of our fallen world and he is glad that he became so humble for our sake, glad that he came and lived among us and shared in our nature in order to raise us up again to himself. And even though we are told that he has now ascended above the highest heavens – the proof, surely, of his power and godhead – his love for man will never rest until he has raised our earthbound nature from glory to glory, and made it one with his own in heaven.

So let us spread before his feet, not garments or soulless olive branches, which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather, clothed completely in him. We who have been baptised into Christ must ourselves be the garments that we spread before him. Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches as we join today in the children’s holy song: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel.

With 'ave' it went away

Tomorrow Christians throughout the Western Church will celebrate one of two Solemnities that fall within our Lenten disciplines: the Solemnity of the Annunciation. With the possible exception of the crucifixion of our Lord, this event may have received the largest number of artistic settings throughout history, with seemingly every major artist commissioned or inspired to set this scene from Luke's gospel. Above you see the setting of Blessed Fra Angelico, from St. Mark's Convent in Florence. We will see this work, located at the top of the stairs in the convent during our pilgrimage to Italy in November.

Tomorrow we will hear again the account of the Archangel Gabriel's remarkable greeting, which has crossed the lips of countless believers in their life of prayer: Hail, full of grace.

And equally powerful are the words of young Mary of Nazareth, poor, uneducated, unmarried, not by any means what one would consider the appropriate vessel of God himself. She responds: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.

An excerpt from a very beautiful medieval hymn expresses the wonder of this moment...

All this world was forlorn
Eva peccatrice,
Till our Lord was y-born
De te genetrice.
With ave it went away
Darkest night, and comes the day
Salutis
The well springeth out of thee.
Virtutis.

Mary is the first Christian, the first to know of the Lord's plan to remove the forlorn world and darkest night. She is both mother and model. Now is the time for our "Yes".

Masses will be celebrated in the Cathedral at 8:00 AM, 12:00 Noon with the Choristers of the Choir School, and 5:15 PM.

Thirty Years and the Murder of Archbishop Romero

Tomorrow is the thirtieth anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador. He was sixty-two years old and had served in his position as archbishop for only three years. He was an outspoken critic of the violence and looming possibility of the outbreak of civil war in El Salvador. He spoke out on behalf of the poor of his country, and criticized the flaws inherent in both capitalism and marxism, something that Pope John Paul II was to do seven years later in his encyclical letter On Social Concern.

Romero was celebrating Mass in the chapel of a hospital for terminally ill cancer patients, when after the homily a shot rang out as he stood before the altar. He was shot with an M-16 rifle only one day after a sermon where he had called on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to obey God's higher order and to stop carrying out the government's repression and violations of basic human rights.He quickly collapsed to the floor and was soon dead.

His funeral Mass was attended by some 250,000 mourners. Tragedy occurred at the funeral when a smoke bomb exploded in the plaza in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral and shots began to ring out. An estimated thirty to fifty people were killed by sniper fire.

He gave his life standing up for truth, justice and the compelling argument to place God's kingdom first about all.

Alumni Update - Clara Purk involved in PBS Program

Class of 2006 Alumna Clara Purk (pictured above) was featured among other West High School students in today's Salt Lake Tribune as being chosen by PBS to participate in a national program for broadcast journalism entitled Newshour Extra, an educational effort of the Newshour with Jim Lehrer. Clara's program at West High was one of only six throughout the United States to be included. You can read the full article and view an embedded video of Clara's work here regarding student and parental rights and the first amendment. Clara has already received a debate scholarship to USC, where she hopes to be accepted into the Film School. Clara's brothers Michael (4th Grade) and Connor (8th grade) continue as students at the Choir School.

Congratulations Clara!

Peaceful March to Promote a Greater Understanding

Today's March in Salt Lake City, coinciding with a larger gathering in Washington, D. C., was a peaceful procession of an estimated 10,000 people. While Bishop Wester was participating in the Washington, D. C. gathering, Fr. Omar Ontiveros, Fr. Javier Virgen, Deacon Ricardo Arias and members of the Cathedral's Spanish Choir and families participated in the local event which began at the City/County Building, circled the State Capitol and returned to the 400 South and State Street origin.



Both organizers and the police were surprised by the large turnout. The clear message from all gathered was an affirmation of the greatness of the United States and a desire to participate fully in the cultural and economic fabric of this nation. There was no hint of cultural triumphalism, insistence on the Spanish language or a call for amnesty. Only an opportunity through legal channels to redress their status and become active participants in society, engaging the culture in the same way that Irish, German, Italian and many other immigrant communities have before.



Choir School Families and Students, Members of the Cathedral Parish and the Cathedral's Spanish Choir all took part in this afternoon's march.



And, of course, on the way home there is always trouble in the back of the bus!

Young Children's Spring Concert at the Choir School

If ever there was something to give you hope for the future, cheer you up, or cause you to smile, the Spring Concert featuring grades Pre-K through three of the Choir School was that event. Taking place today in Erbin Hall at 4:30 pm, over one-hundred youngsters took part in an energetic, well-choreographed presentation of singing, dancing, choral reading and drama. I only wish that we had more photographs!

The Kindergarten, always a stiff competitor when it comes to performances, stunned the audience with dancing girls and...








...just where did Ms. Kmetzsch get those hats for the boys! The Kindergarten was a knock out.





Pre-K performed The cuckoo and the donkey, scoring high marks for their simulated cuckoo and donkey sounds.

Because of a poorly prepared cameraman I did not get pictures of the third grade and their tale of Western expansion with Sweet Betsy from Pike. It brought the house down. Also performing well were the third grade violinists and several soloists.

Second Grade wowed the audience with an opening dance piece sung to Hava Nagila which they performed with dizzying precision.

Their violin performance, led by string instructor Ginger Christiansen was also well received.



The first grade class presented a series of activities on the meaning of friendship, including individual contributions by each student in the class from memory.

It was a great afternoon at the Choir School. Special thanks to each of the faculty members involved - Michelle Pringle, Jamie Kmetzsch, Megan McGill, Sara Lemcke and Megan Peterson - and to the music staff who coordinated the performance - Choir School Director of Music Melanie Malnka, Julie Maughan and Ginger Christiansen. Additionally, art projects produced under the direction of Ms. Erin Mattes were displayed throughout the school.

The annual event also directs a contribution to our sister school in Tanzania, the Moshi Airport Catholic School.

Join the March for Comprehensive Reform

On Sunday March 21st, members of the Cathedral Parish will join a march beginning at the Salt Lake City County Building at 12:00 Noon and concluding at the Utah State Capitol. The march coincides with a similar event in Washington, D. C. calling for comprehensive immigration reform. Bus transportation will be available from the Cathedral at 11:30 AM, and again from the State Capitol at the conclusion of the march.

The march is a call to action by our legislators and executive leaders to develop a reasonable solution to years of negligence which have now created many difficult situations for children, young people and families. The march is not a call for amnesty or lawlessness, but a call for a thoughtful, just and family-centered solution to the current difficult realities.

You can find out more at the United States Bishop's official website. An interesting assessment of the economic realities and the contributions of immigrant workers is found here.

There has been plenty of hate-mongering and xenophobia. Let people of good will stand for a solution to this situation that makes the dignity and respect for each human life a priority.

Jerusalem's Saint Cyril

Ok, let's face it - when you are the saint that follows after St. Patrick's Day, you are probably going to be passed over by exhausted celebrants. Tomorrow, the Church in both the East and the West honors St. Cyril of Jerusalem, the Bishop of Jerusalem from 348 through 386. Now why should we honor Cyril? Well, these were both heady and very troubling days in the Church. The Church was struggling to carefully define to the best of its ability the relationship of Christ to the one God. All of the Bishops met in 325 to hammer out the foundations of what we now profess each Sunday in the Nicene Creed. But subsequent gatherings would further refine and clarify our understanding of Jesus Christ. The Bishops met again in Constantinople in 381 (our friend Cyril was in attendance) and again in 431 at Ephesus and 451 in Chalcedon to finalize the confession of faith in the most accurate language available. Cyril worked tirelessly to help with this effort until his death in 386, and he fought of what had become a more fashionable approach to Christianity (akin to those in our time who might describe themselves as 'spiritual' rather than religious maybe?)

Cyril struggled through these years, and at the height of the fashionable error of Arianism (which roughly argued that Jesus was the best of all humans but not God) he was removed from his office of Bishop several times by Arian supporting Emperors. It was not an easy life for Cyril.

Cyril is well known for his preparation of the Catechumens - those who were seeking Baptism in the Catholic Church. His Catechetical Lectures are a great treasure. In a writing addressed to those who were about to be baptized and sealed with the Holy Spirit in confirmation, he writes

... this is truly a great occasion. Approach it with caution. You are standing in front of God and in the presence of the hosts of angels. The Holy Spirit is about to impress his seal on each of your souls. You are about to be pressed into the service of a great king. And so prepare yourselves to receive the sacrament. The gleaming white garments you are about to put on are not the preparation I am speaking of, but rather the devotion of a clean conscience.

Cyril served the Church in a time of great disagreement, infighting and trouble. The trouble came from friction within the Church and from criticism from outside the Church. Anything like today? Tomorrow, let's ask St. Cyril to help us stay on track with the teachings of Jesus that have come to us in the Apostolic Tradition and Sacred Scripture, serving unity, charity and justice for all people.

St. Patrick's Day Tomorrow

The Diocese of Salt Lake City and the Cathedral have deep roots in the faith and work of the Irish. Our first Bishop, Lawrence Scanlan, was a native of Ireland who came to the Utah territory to begin his remarkable ministry in 1873. Many fellow Irish clergymen also assisted with the early years of the Church in Utah.

Strangely, our Irish roots and our current pastoral reality have a very strong connection: Los San Patricios or "Those of Saint Patrick." The famines of the nineteenth century wrecked havoc on the Irish people, forcing many of them in desperation to make the very dangerous journey to the United States (thousands perished amidst the poor conditions of the British ships) and facing incredible hostility from the American people upon arrival. The animosity toward the new Irish immigrants, and the prejudice they experienced in the midst of abject poverty forced them to become sympathetic to others in a similar state, and developed a strong bond between the newly-arrived Irish and the Mexican people.

While the history is complex, many of the impoverished Irish were conscripted into the United States Army. As plans developed to invade Mexico in the 1840's, many of the Irish questioned the injustice of such a venture, and, goaded by the poor treatment of their Protestant leaders, began to empathize with their fellow Catholic Mexicans to the South. Los San Patricios is the name given to the many Irish who fled the US and began to fight on behalf of their Catholic brothers and sisters, impoverished as they were, in Mexico. Forming their own battalion, these Irishmen were noted for their valor and courage. In a final battle when the Mexican soldiers raised a white flag, the Irish tore it down again wanting to fight to the end.

It came to a tragic end. After the United States Army defeated the Irish and Mexican troops, the Irish were arrested as deserters and brought to trial. Unlike the other 9,000 deserters from the US Army during the Mexican American War, some 85 irishmen were hanged to death in what has been described as largest mass hanging in North America. The Battalión de San Patricio is memorialized every year in Mexico: on September 12th, the day of the executions, and, of course, on March 17th in honor of St. Patrick.

On this St. Patrick's Day, let us pray for all immigrants who are despised and rejected in their new home, and consider the loyalty of the Irish to their Catholic brothers and sisters - a loyalty that transcends nation and race.

Choir School set to Announce Expansion

The Madeleine Choir School began as a small elementary school for children in grades four through eight in the basement of the Cathedral Church. With 108 students, the school opened its doors in August of 1996, and through the generosity of so many continued to develop and grow, moving to its current 2.5 acre campus in December or 2002. Expanding down to Kindergarten and eventually adding a Pre-K program, the school now has over 230 students.

After months of study and review, the school is set to announce that it will expand to a second Kindergarten class this fall as it commences its fifteenth year of service. This will allow the school to enroll 48 youngsters in its Kindergarten program rather than the current 24. Each year, the school will add an additional class per grade level, ending with two classes in each grade level in the school year 2018.

The school is deeply grateful to its many donors and supporters, and is very excited to be able offer its unique educational program to more children in the Greater Salt Lake City Metropolitan area.

Cornerstone Time Capsule Tomorrow

The Time Capsule that was unsealed after 100 years in celebration of the Cathedral's Centennial Anniversary will be replaced tomorrow after the 11:00 AM Mass. Bishop Wester will place the new time capsule, containing updated information and historical material, into the cornerstone of the Cathedral, to be sealed for another 100 years. Celebrating the work of the Church in Utah in these 100 years past, the time capsule will be reopened in the year 2109.

Included in the capsule is extensive history about the diocese, and more locally a great deal of information about the choir school. There is a large photo album featuring our students, faculty and staff. Additionally, two recordings of the choir have also been placed in the capsule (although archivists are worried that they may not be playable in 2109 because of the rapidly changing formats.)

With gratitude to God for the first 100 years, we embark on this next century ready to advance God's kingdom of justice, mercy and love. May we be given the grace to faithfully and selflessly carry on this great legacy.

Remember Tucker Price in your thoughts and prayers

Tucker Price, the two-year old son of Marsha and Tom Price underwent surgery early this morning at Primary Children's Medical Center to remove a large malignant tumor on one of his kidneys. The surgery was a success in that the tumor had not invaded other internal organs and was completely removed, and Tucker will now begin a five-month course of chemo-therapy. Doctors expect Tucker to remain in the hospital for the duration of the week. Family hope for a release on Friday as that it is birthday.

Tucker's sister Peyton is a kindergarten student at the Choir School, and his mom assists with the Pre-K extended program. His cousin Brennen is a fifth grade student, and two cousins, Samantha and Paige, are alumni of the choir school. Tucker is the grandson of Bill and Joleen Warfield, long-time members of the Cathedral parish.

We'll keep you updated on his progress.

A Prayer for Lent

All highest, glorious God,

Cast your light into the darkness of my heart.

Give me right faith, firm hope, perfect charity and profound humility,

with wisdom and perception, O Lord,

so that I may do what is truly your holy will.


St. Francis of Assisi
Before the Cross of San Damiano

The Greatest Mozart Mass on Sunday Night

Mozart's Mass in C Minor is undoubtedly the composer's best setting of the Mass. We know today that Mozart began his work on this Mass towards the end of the year 1782; the circumstances surrounding this composition however are somewhat unclear. Without a specific commission there certainly was no economic motive. However, having recently married Constanze Weber, it is plausible that Mozart wanted to compose a work in thanksgiving for his marriage. Mozart's father Leopold never quite approved of this marriage, leading Mozart to travel to Salzburg in 1783 to introduce Constanze and to hopefully reconcile his and his wife's family. It was during this trip that the premier performance of the Mass in C Minor took place – October 26, 1783 at St. Peter's Abbey Church, featuring Constanze as the soprano soloist.

Just as Mozart's motivation for his C Minor Mass is shrouded in mystery, the reason for its incompleteness remains unknown to this day. Upon his arrival in Salzburg, the Kyrie and Gloria were most likely the only completed movements of the Mass; studying surviving fragments of the original manuscripts it seems that the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Benedictus were performed in Salzburg in 1783. The Credo was likely omitted and the Agnus spoken during the service on October 26, or both could have been sung with Gregorian Chant settings. Subsequently, the Credo was left incomplete and the Agnus was never composed.

During the time of the Mass' composition, Mozart was studying scores of the baroque masters Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel that were given to him by Baron Gottfried van Swieten, a well-known patron of many great composers including Haydn and Beethoven. Mozart's and interestingly his wife's fascination with the fugues of the baroque style resulted in some of the magnificent choruses one can hear in the C Minor Mass; choruses in the Gloria and the Sanctus are presented as intricate fugues and glorious double-choir movements.

Over the years, many musicologists have attempted to fill in missing parts of the surviving fragments of Mozart's “Great Mass” in order to put forth scholarly performance editions. Some have gone as far as completing this work by composing new music in the style of Mozart, basing their own composition on surviving sketches in Mozart's hand or drawing on other Mozart Masses. Sunday, we will perform only the movements Mozart completed including the two surviving sections of the Credo using the performance edition prepared by English musicologist Richard Maunder.

Mozart's Mass in C Minor will be presented at the Annual Founders Day Concert, this Sunday evening March 14th at 8:00 PM, with the Cathedral Choir, Soloists and Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Choir School Director of Music Melanie Malinka.