On Thursday and Friday, August 12 and 13, the basilica of Ss Peter & Paul, in Lewiston, Maine, will host the Second Annual Maine Sacred Music Conference. Join Catholic musicians, religious, and lay people dedicated to the revival of the centuries-old commitment to beauty and reverence in Catholic liturgy as they explore the liturgical forms and practices that have long formed the foundation of Catholic worship.
The conference will begin at 1 PM on Thursday the 12th (registration at 12:30), with a series of sessions that focus on the Novus Ordo and how to appreciate, learn about, and prepare for beautiful Novus Ordo liturgies. There will be a Novus Ordo Mass at 4 PM celebrated in the basilica’s upper church to finish the day.
Friday, August 13th, beginning at 9:15 AM (registration at 8:30), will include a daylong list of sessions that will take a closer look at the history and traditions of the Catholic liturgy. Morning lecture topics will include an introduction to the Catholic liturgical tradition and the spirituality of Gregorian Chant, while afternoon workshops will be dedicated to the practical: teaching and learning Gregorian chant and introducing it to parishes. The day will end with a traditional Latin Mass at 4 PM celebrated in the basilica’s upper church.
The keynote speaker for Friday will be Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, director of the Schola Cantorum of St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in New York, and the Metropolitan Catholic Chorale. Ms. Donelson-Nowicka is an associate professor and the director of sacred music at St. Joseph’s Seminary, where she also teaches sacred music courses in the St. Cecilia Academy for Pastoral Musicians. She is the sometime president of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, serves on the board of the Church Music Association of America, and is the managing editor of the CMAA’s journal Sacred Music. She has published extensively on Gregorian chant, the sacred liturgy, and the music of Olivier Messiaen and Charles Tournemire, and has served as the organizer for numerous conferences on these and related topics, including the 2015 Sacra Liturgia conference in New York.
The cost of the conference is $25. Lunch will be provided. To register or if you have any questions, please contact Scott.Vaillancourt@PortlandDiocese.org
