St Maria Goretti at St John Cantius, Chicago

On Monday, October 12, the major relics of St. Maria Goretti (canonized in 1950) will be venerated at St. John Cantius Church in Chicago. Information is available here. As a prelude to the “Year of Mercy,” those who venerate the relics of this young virgin-martyr will have the opportunity to experience the Mercy of God that St. Maria Goretti experienced when she forgave her murderer in her last breath.

The Most Rev. Joseph Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, will celebrate a Pontifical High Mass according to the 1962 Pontificale Romanum at 7:30 pm on October 12th at St. John Cantius, and everyone is encouraged to attend this Votive Mass of St. Maria Goretti. The choral music will be provided by Ensemble Cor et Vox with Fr. Scott Haynes, SJC, Director, and Corrado Cavalli, Organist, and will include:

• Messe brève No. 2, Félix-Alexandre Guilmant (1837–1911)
• Ecce Sacerdos, Anton Bruckner (1824–1896)
• Justorum animae, Op. 38, No. 1, Charles V. Stanford (1852-1924)
• Beati quorum via, Op. 38, No. 3, Charles V. Stanford (1852-1924)
• Ave Verum, Colin Mawby (b. 1936)
• Allegro from Fantasie in Eb, C. Saint-Saens (1835 – 1921)

The propers for the Feast of St. Maria Goretti (July 6) are located in an appendix (Proprium Sanctorum Pro Aliquibus Locis) of the 1962 Missale Romanum:

INTROIT (Ps. 118, 95-96)
Me exspectant peccatores ut perdant me: ad praescripta tua attendo: omnis perfectionis vidi esse terminum: latissime patet mandatum tuum. Ps. Ibid., I Beati quorum immaculata est via: qui ambulant in lege Domini. V. Gloria Patri.

GRADUAL (Ps. 70,4-6)
Deus meus, eripe me de manu iniqui, de pugno improbi et oppressoris. V. A ventre matris meae eras protector meus.

ALLELUIA (Ps. 70, 6-7)
Alleluia, alleluia. V. Ps. 70, 6-7 In te speravi semper. Tamquam prodigium apparui multis; tu enim fuisti adiutor meus fortis. Alleluia.

OFFERTORY (Ps. 73, 19)
Ne tradideris viilturi vitam turturis tui, vitam pauperum tuorum noli oblivisci in perpetuum.

COMMUNION (Isai. 33, 6)
Timor Domini ipse est thesaurus eius.

The Gregorian chant setting of these propers for the Feast of St. Maria Goretti (which are appointed to be used for her Votive Mass at St. John Cantius on October 12th) have proved difficult to locate. It seems that these Gregorian chant propers can neither be found in the 1962 Liber Usualis nor in the 1961 Graduale Romanum. (They are also not found in the 1974 Graduale Romanum.) Because St. Maria Goretti’s spiritual formation was guided by the Passionists, one might hope that the Passionists, who fostered devotion to her, might have these proper Gregorian chants in their possession (perhaps in the archives of their congregation). If any NLM readers have access to the proper Gregorian chants for the Feast of St. Maria Goretti please contact Fr. Scott A. Haynes, SJC at St. John Cantius at 312.243.7373 x 111 or at music@cantius.org.