By Joseph F. Berenato
Special Contributor
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles leading up to the 150th anniversary of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Hammonton.
HAMMONTON – World-renowned musicians will be bringing their talents to Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Parish in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmelؙ.
On May 30, the parish will host the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception from Washington, D.C. The performance will also feature a hymn written by Kathleen Pluth – whose resume includes the official hymn for the National Eucharistic Revival. On July 16, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, composer Frank La Rocca will debut a Mass.
The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the longest-running Italian religious festival in the nation, regularly draws thousands of visitors and faithful alike. Special events, prayer opportunities and more have been underway for months for this 150th anniversary, and will continue in preparation for the Mount Carmel Festival itself, which is July 14-19.
Father David Rivera, parish pastor, said that the idea for the basilica choir concert came to him during a visit to the national shrine. “I had wanted to do different things on the way to the 150th anniversary. While I was there, I thought, ‘Let’s have a Marian concert.’”
Peter Latona, the national shrine’s director of music, said the selected music will represent a variety of styles and textures, including newer music from a number of cultures.
“We will present music that represents Marian devotion throughout the centuries, thereby joining our devotion, our prayer with those of centuries past in a sort of eternal praise of Mary, Mother of God,” he said.
“It is my hope to offer an opportunity for all to experience profound beauty: beauty in the well-crafted compositions, in the rich and meaningful texts, in the skilled singing, in the coming together of a faith community to celebrate, and in the profound beauty that happens when all of these elements come together as one,” he said.
The concert will begin at 7 p.m. at Saint Joseph Church, 226 French St.
Continuing the theme of faith and prayer through the power of music, Father Rivera also commissioned both a hymn and a Mass celebrating Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He credits Yuko Unehara, the parish’s music and liturgy minister, with the idea.
Father Rivera said that Unehara suggested Pluth for the hymn and La Rocca for the Mass. “I wanted something with energy, life verve. I told them about our background, and that I need something with energy. This is a festive occasion,” Father Rivera said.
Pluth, whose hymns often appear in the prayer guide “Magnificat,” said that she had several images in mind while writing the hymn text for the 150th anniversary celebration, including the contemplative life of the Carmelite Order.
“Carmelites think of their life as being covered by a kind of cape worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary, under her mantle. I think that deep interiority, the life of prayer, is a key to understanding the reason for our Catholic faith, and especially when a parish is named after Saint Mary of Mount Carmel,” she said.
Pluth also wanted the hymn to express a deep respect for the faith of the parish. “As Catholics, we keep faith with one another, not only throughout the world but through time, and the present-day parishioners are on the one hand showing their respect and love for the past, and also celebrating the present – and paving the way for the future. That’s a lot to be joyful about as the parish continues to journey forward together.”
The hymn, with music composed by La Rocca, will make its debut at the concert on May 30.
La Rocca, whose works include “Mass of the Americas,” which was commissioned by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, said that writing the hymn helped to inform the music for the July 16 Mass.
“I composed the hymn first, and then drew from that material the music for the Mass, sometimes by direct reference – quoting a melody – or something more like the ‘spirit’ of the hymn – its personality, if you will – which is joyful and, as Kathy [Pluth] described it, ‘soaring,’” La Rocca said.
La Rocca also drew inspiration from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, noting that he has a responsibility to “compose music that will assist the faithful at Mass to unite their prayers with those of the priest and their fellow Catholics.”
“The music must help stir feelings of devotion yet not draw undue attention to itself – it must not become the focal point, but rather, a conduit for prayer,” he said.
La Rocca, who was born in Newark and grew up in nearby Clifton, said he was able to incorporate Father Rivera’s requests for the Mass, highlighting the Italian-American roots of the festival.
“Father Rivera asked me to incorporate brass instruments as a special sound that could, on appropriate occasions, augment the basic instrumentation of mixed chorus and organ. … I also grew up in first-generation Italian-American culture, so I feel a kinship with many of the people of the parish based on geography and/or culture,” La Rocca said.
This Mass will be the ninth that La Rocca has composed. “There are parts of the Mass that invite congregational participation, and I hope they will receive what I have written with open hearts, and that the music will be an inspiration to their growth as the people of God,” he said.
La Rocca’s Mass will make its world premiere July 16 at the 2 p.m. Mass at Saint Joseph Church, coinciding with the Canonical Coronation of the parish’s statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, where Bishop Joseph Williams will crown the Blessed Mother before joining with the faithful in the procession of the saints at 4 p.m.
For more information, visit www.OLMC150.com.
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