The Church of St. Francis Xavier, NYC, NY
About the church
St. Francis Xavier is a large and vibrant Roman Catholic parish in the Jesuit tradition that strives to be a prophetic, welcoming community. It is a place where questions are welcomed, where injustice is challenged, where the poor and marginalized find a home, and where people are refreshed, reconciled and renewed.
The Changing Face of the Roman Rite and the Impact of Text in Music
The music program at Xavier includes a trained but largely volunteer choir, a small instrumental group, and a children’s choir. St. Francis Xavier also organizes a series of events under the general title PAX (Performing Arts at Xavier), which offers dramatic, liturgical and musical events throughout the year.
The Church of St. Francis Xavier is a faith community where music, drama, dance and symbolic gesture are an intimate part of the ordinary liturgical experience. Like other English speaking Roman Catholic Churches, St. Francis Xavier is currently involved with the implementation of the third edition of the Roman Missal. Being one of the vital Roman Catholic communities in New York City, St. Francis Xavier would like to become a model for the implementation of the new Missal, a translation which many, including members of Xavier, have struggled to accept. Specific methods proposed include:
- Teaching revised and newly composed vernacular settings of the mass.
- Explore plainchant for presiders’ prayers and priest-assembly dialogues.
- To explore from a historical perspective Latin mass settings (Palestrina, Byrd etc.) as well as contemporary settings in order to get a fell for the richness of the Latin Christian heritage.
- Prepare resources – musical, textual and experimental – to contribute to the expected re-evaluation of the third edition of the Roman Missal.
Address:
16th St. between 5th and 6th Ave.
New York, NY
website
Team Members:
John Uehlein |director of music ministries
Peter Fink | associate pastor
Jacqueline Perez | lay representative, singer, and cantor