While our Lady is not formally celebrated liturgically on Sundays in October, many Catholics honor her this month as we celebrate the “Month of the Holy Rosary.” In her honor, you will hear a traditional Marian Antiphon after Communion. On October 5th, the boys will sing Regina Caeli—“Queen of Heaven, rejoice, for the Son you merited to bear has risen as he said.” The next week, our Men’s Choir will sing Salve Regina. The traditional choir may take up the chant the following weeks.
It is becoming a more widespread liturgical custom to include one of these four traditional Marian Antiphons either after Communion or at the conclusion of Mass. The Church traditionally has four seasonal Marian antiphons, each sung at the end of Compline (Night Prayer) and often after communion or at the end of Mass, depending on the season. Here they are in order through the liturgical year:
- Salve Regina — from after Pentecost until the First Sunday of Advent.
- Alma Redemptoris Mater — from the First Sunday of Advent until February 2 (Feast of the Presentation).
- Ave Regina Caelorum — from February 2 until the Easter Vigil.
- Regina Caeli — from the Easter Vigil through Pentecost.
What a beautiful way to unite ourselves to the universal Church and to Our Lady in song!
Boys Choir Debut
At the 10:30 Mass on the first Sunday of October, our brand-new Boys Choir makes its Sunday Mass debut! We have been blessed to run youth choirs for many years, but it has often been a girl-dominated endeavor. Of course, we have tremendous young ladies (and a few young men) in our choirs, and I thank God for each of them—several are even my own children! Yet as a man who has devoted his life to making music at Mass, I wanted to create a space where other young men could be encouraged to do the same.
This new Boys Choir gives them that opportunity—a place to grow in confidence while making sacred music. It’s not just a “girl thing”! We hope this small but powerful group will continue to grow. If you know any young men in grades 4–8 from either Strongsville parish who would like to join us for our next Mass, please let me know. Email me at lmassery@sjohio.org.