On Thursday, June 28th, a solemn requiem for the deceased members of the Church Music Association of America was celebrated in the Madonna della Strada Chapel on the campus of Loyola University in Chicago. The celebrant for the Mass was the CMAA’s chaplain, Fr. Robert Pasley, assisted by Deacon Edward Schaefer, and Fr James Richardson as subdeacon.
Every year when this Mass is celebrated as part of the colloquium, the silence is striking, especially when paired with the profoundly moving music of so many composers who have written for these texts. The silence was augmented this year by the almost exclusive use of Gregorian chant, with only a few polyphonic motets and, as is customary, no organ accompaniment. (Photos by Charles Cole.)
