Mass of the Americas - Cathedral of the Risen Christ - Lincoln, NE

Bishop Conley Celebrates the Mass of the Americas on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ!

As part of Benedict XVI Institute's Project Guadalupe 2031.org, a new intiative to help more U.S. Catholics prepare for the 500th anniversary of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bishop James Conley will celebrate Frank La Rocca's extraordinary "Mass of the Americas" this December 12.

Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with this extraordinarily beautiful Mass which honors Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico and all the Americas and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States.

When the Mass of the Americas was celebrated October 7 at Our Lady of Guadalupe's Shrine in Tepeyac, Mexico, Arturo Roche the director of Guadalupe studies at the Shrine said, “I have been to hundreds of Masses here, great Masses with orchestra for visiting dignitaries — but never have I ever heard such beauty in this place. I have never heard such profound and intimate music as on this occasion. The Old Basilica opened in 1709, so we’re talking about hundreds of years. The Mass of the Americas has been already written in the musical annals of the Basilica. It has been transcribed."

Experience the beauty, the joy, and above all the presence of God in this Marian celebration of unity.

Tickets are not required but please register to help the Cathedral prepare. (Donations are also not required, but your gift will be used for digital marketing to reach more Catholics in Lincoln, Nebraska.)

Please plan to arrive early. Seating is not guaranteed. Parking is available at the church and across the street.

About Frank La Rocca's Mass of the Americas

The Mass of the Americas was commissioned by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone from composer Frank La Rocca as a twinned tribute to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe, a unity Mass honoring the patroness of the United States and the patroness of Mexico and all the Americas. The sung parts of the Mass will be a Latin Novus Ordo incorporating an "Aue Maria" in Nahuatl (which is the Aztec language Our Lady spoke to San Juan Diego). It takes classic Mexican folk hymns to Our Lady (especially La Guadalupana) and weaves them into the high sacred music tradition of the Church.

"I asked Frank La Rocca to do for sacred music what St. Junipero Serra and his Franciscans did with Mission Architecture: take elements from the local culture, but raise them into the sacred tradition instead of lowering the sacred to the level of popular culture," notes Archbishop Cordileone.

The recording of the "Mass of the Americas." released on the prestigious classical music label Cappella Records, debuted at #1 on the Billboard's traditional classical music chart.

Critics raved:

"Perhaps the most important Catholic composition of our lifetime," Dr. Michael Olbash

“The best piece of liturgical music for the Mass since Duruflé," Michael Linton,

“La Rocca has managed to create a modern Missa Solemnis that is undeniably stirring…seamlessly blending Gregorian chant with Latin American folk melodies, organ and orchestra with marimba, guitar, and handbells, all instruments with deep roots in Mexico...I was floored by the beauty of the music—floored, and then lifted to a different altitude of existence.” Fanfare

About Project Guadalupe 2031:

Archbishop Cordileone’s goal with Project Guadalupe 2031 is to inspire more U.S. Catholics, priests, and prelates to prepare for the 500th anniversary in 2031; to organize a renewed and energetic intellectual defense of the Guadalupe event; and to deepen American Catholics’ relationship with Our Lady of Guadalupe and through her deepen their relationship with Christ.

For more information visit ProjectGuadalupe.org

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