We are excited to be able to enhance the Sunday Mass with choral singing again. The SHSP Choir sings at 10:30am Mass every other Sunday and rehearses on Thursday evenings. (Precautions are being taken with the safety of the singers and assembly in mind.) New members are always welcome!
In our music, God is glorified!

As we gradually began adding singing to our Sunday Masses, weekly informational blurbs were printed in the bulletin. Catch up below if you missed any - the most recent will be on top.

FEBRUARY 27, 2022
Gloria! But not in Lent (or Advent)… Why don’t we sing the Gloria during Lent or Advent? The Gloria (“Glory to God in the highest…”) is part of the beginning of Mass for Sundays and holy days because it is a hymn of joyful praise. The seasons of Lent and Advent, however, have more of a penitential than joyful atmosphere, so we refrain from singing the Gloria on Sundays. But there are exceptions: solemn holy days, or “solemnities”! Those are days that are so joyful they cannot be dampened by the season. During Lent we celebrate the solemnities of St. Joseph (Mar. 19), the Annunciation (Mar. 25), and (in this Parish) St. Patrick (Mar. 17); in Advent we celebrate the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) – we sing the Gloria on those days. The Gloria returns at the first Mass that’s no longer in the Lenten season, which is actually Holy Thursday’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper – not Easter as most might expect. The evening of Holy Thursday begins the three-day season known as the Triduum (literally, “three days”).
…and on earth peace to people of good will! -Liz

FEBRUARY 6, 2022
Why are we still using the Entrance antiphon? In an effort to explore the richness of the Church’s liturgy, we have been using the antiphons in recent months. The texts for these antiphons have been included in the Roman Missal (the book of prayers for Mass that the Priest uses) for centuries, and they connect to the readings of that Mass to add a bit of cohesion to the liturgy. When we weren’t having an entrance procession, we sang just the antiphon because it is shorter; now with the entrance procession we can incorporate BOTH the antiphon and a more familiar song, which had been the long-term goal. We will try this way for a while and see how it goes!
O sing a new song to the Lord! -Liz

JULY 4, 2021
I noticed the Entrance and Communion antiphons we sing don’t match exactly what’s in the Roman Missal. Why is that? Simply put, the collection of music for the antiphons that was picked uses general antiphons for Ordinary Time, rather than the exact antiphons for each week. When I pick the antiphon to use for each Sunday, I try to select the general antiphon and/or verse that most closely corresponds to the prescribed text. Some Sundays I luck out and they match exactly; other Sundays may be a bit of a stretch. Either way, we can still use them to immerse ourselves in the Scriptures as we pray during Mass.
Alleluia, sing to Jesus! -Liz

JUNE 27, 2021
Why are we using the Entrance and Communion antiphons? The texts for these antiphons have been included in the Roman Missal (the book of prayers for Mass that the Priest uses) for centuries, and they connect to the readings of that Mass to add a bit of cohesion to the liturgy. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM, no. 48 & 87) lists the singing of an antiphon and psalm as the preferred text and music for both the Entrance and Communion Songs, although other suitable liturgical songs may be chosen. In an effort to explore the richness of the Church's liturgy, we have been focusing on the antiphons in recent months, and as we eventually add more singing to our Sunday Masses, the intent is to find a way to incorporate BOTH the antiphons and the many other liturgical songs we have come to love singing over the years.
Alleluia, sing to Jesus! -Liz

JUNE 20, 2021
Why will the Cantor be singing alone? In large part, the thought for now is to not have the congregation singing while people are moving throughout the church, which particularly happens during the Communion procession. The hymn the Cantor sings may not be familiar to you, for a couple reasons:
  First, it’s less tempting to sing along with the Cantor :-)
  Second, there are quite a few Eucharistic songs in our hymnal and in the Catholic music repertoire that our congregation doesn’t know but that are good and holy songs, and perhaps hearing them sung by the Cantor will help the congregation to learn them when we are comfortable adding congregational singing to that part of Mass again.
Alleluia, sing to Jesus! -Liz

JUNE 13, 2021
Why were the piano and cantor moved to the other side of [Sacred Heart] church? A key word is “ventilation”! During Mass there are fans turned on in the basement pushing air outside and drawing air in from the windows in the nave of the church. The air is pulled downstairs through the side door nearest the rectory. That is also the side of church that is away from St. Joseph’s side, where we are still being conservative with spacing; having the cantor on the other side of church accomodates the comfort level of those who choose to sit on that side. So we are experimenting with the new arrangement!
Alleluia, sing to Jesus! -Liz

MAY 30, 2021
SING TO THE LORD! We are excited to announce that, beginning in June, we will be gradually adding congregational singing to our Sunday Masses! With the coming of warmer weather and the ability to have the church windows open for improved ventilation, we are ready to bring back this important and fulfilling aspect of our communal worship at Mass.
As we gradually add singing, we take a cue from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM, the book of prayers the priest uses for Mass), which says in paragraph 40, “preference should be given to those [parts] that are of greater importance.” Thus we will begin by singing those parts of higher importance, and add more in phases. Phase 1 will begin next weekend, on June 6:
  1: Psalm; Alleluia; Eucharistic Acclamations (Holy, Mystery, Amen)
  2: Entrance & Communion antiphons; Cantor sings solo for the rest of Communion.
  3: Gloria; Lamb of God; Closing hymn (2 verses)
We especially find it fitting to begin singing on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, which marks the 1-year anniversary of being back at public Masses after the shutdown last spring.
Alleluia, sing to Jesus!    -Liz