The Saint Benedict Institute will host a Traditional Latin Mass for the feast day of Saint Francis de Sales, the patron of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Holland, on Wednesday Jan. 29, at 7:30 p.m. at Hope College in Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The Mass will be sung by Gaudete Grand Rapids, a new professional choral ensemble dedicated to propagating the beautiful chant and polyphony of the Roman Rite. They will be singing the “Mass for Four Voices” by William Byrd, motets by Anton Bruckner and Maurice Duruflé, and Gregorian chant.
Gaudete Grand Rapids is a small, professional choral ensemble dedicated to performing perennial Latin liturgical music in the context for which it was written, the Traditional Latin Mass. Director Jonathan Bading, who is a 2018 Hope graduate, converted to the Catholic faith upon witnessing the Traditional Latin Mass in all its musical splendor, his main impetus for founding Gaudete. While ensemble is now a choir of 12, the five founding members recorded a promotional album, “Woman, Behold Thy Son,” which can be purchased at gaudetegr.bandcamp.com (digital and CD) or following Mass. All funds will go towards supporting the choir’s first season, of which the Mass is the inaugural event.
The event is co-sponsored by the college’s departments of music and religion.
The Saint Benedict Institute is a ministry of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Holland. It seeks to promote and nurture intellectual work done from the heart of the Catholic Church, to foster an ecumenical community of Catholic Christians and friends committed to the renewal of culture, and to aid in the formation of intellectually and spiritually mature Christians by making available the riches of the Catholic tradition to Hope College and the wider community. More information can be found at saintbenedictinstitute.org.
Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Graves Hall is located at 263 College Ave., between 10th and 13th streets.