An extraordinary Mass honoring Our Lady, composed by Benedict XVI Institute composer-in-residence, Frank La Rocca (2018).
Frank La Rocca’s Mass of the Americas, commissioned by Archbishop Cordileone and the Benedict XVI Institute, honors Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico and all the Americas.
The Mass elevates local North American culture and language into the high sacred tradition of the Church.
The patrons of the Mass of the Americas, Frank and Sally Hanna, give thanks to Our Lady of Guadalupe and humbly seek her guidance and intercession for the families of the Americas. May the beauty of this sacred music lift souls to the Lord.
“The best piece of liturgical music for the Mass since Duruflé, BRAVO!”
“La Rocca has forged an individual and powerful style: emotionally compressed yet often quiet, restrained and then powerfully moving…look for it to become one of La Rocca’s most performed works…”
“The music, in which the organ plays an important role, is quiet and contemplative throughout, and is atmospherically and reverently performed by the Ensemble Benedict XVI.”
Its beauty is impressively powerful… Frank La Rocca’s Mass of the Americas is as timeless as it is timely - thus succeeding with flying colours in the commission - and Richard Sparks and Company are its truly authentic interpreters.
In the Mass of the Americas, Benedict XVI Institute’s composer-in-residence Frank La Rocca does for sacred music what the Franciscan missionaries did with Mission church architecture: integrating local cultural traditions into the high sacred tradition of the Church. So the Mass of the Americas incorporates beloved Mexican hymns to Our Lady, including La Guadalupana. In the Novus Ordo it sets texts in Spanish, Latin, English and Nahuatl, the Aztec language Our Lady spoke to St. Juan Diego. (The Mass of the Americas is also available in the Extraordinary Form and in a special parish edition for choir and organ. Perusal copies of all 3 forms can be ordered from Frank La Rocca’s website).
Just as Our Lady of Guadalupe bridged two cultures into a unified whole under Christ, so too does the Mass of the Americas.
Since its premiere 2018 celebration at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco, the Mass of the Americas has travelled to cathedrals and churches across America and abroad including New York City, Washington D.C., Rome, Mexico City, Dallas, Houston, Tijuana, Atlanta, New Jersey, Orange County (CA), La Crosse (WI), Lincoln (NE), Christendom College, Priests have begun incorporating the music into their first Mass celebrations. More than 600,000 souls have viewed the Mass of the Americas on YouTube.
Following the tradition of the great masters of the Renaissance, Frank La Rocca’s Mass of the Americas wins as well new respect from the secular classical music world, hitting #1 on Billboard’s traditional classic music charts. Ted Libbey, onetime music critic for both the New York Times and National Public Radio, named the Mass of the Americas to his top ten classical music albums of 2022 list.
Mass of the Americas in the premiere edition for choir and orchestra is available as a multi-language Novus Ordo and in an all-Latin version that can be used for either a Latin Novus Ordo or a Traditional Latin Mass. A Parish version for choir and organ is also available. You may begin the process of bringing Mass of the Americas to your parish by emailing Frank La Rocca.
“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 hand bells, all instruments with deep roots in Mexico…[O]verall, La Rocca manages to create something that feels centered in Western musical tradition using components from cultures that have historically not been well represented in that tradition….La Rocca’s composition, and the Benedict XVI Choir and Orchestra’s performance of it, is awesome in both the modern and the ‘precise’ sense of the word. I was floored by the beauty of the music—floored, and then lifted to a different altitude of existence.”
The album is for purchase through Capella Records or may be streamed on popular streaming services including Spotify and Amazon Music.
Kindly use the form below to contact Frank La Rocca for the purchase and licensing of scores or to request a perusal copy.
The licensing is per printed copy. When contacting Frank La Rocca, be sure to order enough for the choir, conductor, and organist. Your score will be delivered electronically with a license agreement to print the correct number of scores. The suggested minimum number of scores is sixteen.
The breathtaking score of the acclaimed Mass of the Americas, commissioned by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and composed by Frank La Rocca, has been beautifully adapted by the composer specifically for use by parish choirs. You have the opportunity to celebrate this twin tribute to Our Lady under her titles, the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe, at your parish. This stunning music accompanies the faithful in an encounter with God in sacred beauty. No wonder it has become a beloved choice for the newly ordained celebrating their first Mass.
Mass of the Americas, Parish Edition is scored for chorus with organ accompaniment. The score effectively condenses the orchestral accompaniment while retaining all the original choral parts, allowing it to be sung by Parish choirs with organ accompaniment.
You may begin the process of bringing Frank La Rocca’s Mass of the Americas to your parish by contacting the composer directly.
May 17, 2026
Twin Cities, Minnesota
St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel
University of St. Thomas
Conductor: Elena Zolnick
April 29, 2026
Omaha, Nebraska
University of Nebraska Omaha
Choral/Orchestral Concert Performance
Conductor: Richard Carrillo
March 13, 2026
Ave Maria, Florida
Ave Maria University
Ave Maria Catholic Parish
Mass
Celebrant: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
March 8, 2026
Lincoln, Nebraska
UNL Newman Center
St. Thomas Aquinas Church
Lenten Concert and Sunday “Mass of the Americas”
Celebrant: Bishop James D. Conley
January 11, 2026
London, England
The Church of The Holy Innocents
Anglican Mass
English Consort of Voices
Conductor: Christian Goursad
Presided by: Reverend David Matthews
December 12, 2025
Dallas, Texas
National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Mass
Celebrant: Bishop Edward J. Burns
December 12, 2025
Lincoln, Nebraska
Cathedral of the Risen Christ
Mass
Celebrant: Bishop James D. Conley
December 5, 2025
Garden Grove, California
Christ Cathedral
Mass in Spanish celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe
Featuring congregational Spanish Marian hymns and movements from “Mass of the Americas”
Celebrant: Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann
October 8, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Shrine of Blessed Miguel Pro
Concert
Conductor: Richard Carrillo
October 7, 2025
Tepeyac, Mexico
Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Mass
Celebrant: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
August 5, 2025
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form
Principal Celebrant: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Homilist: Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke
August 1, 2025
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
St. Leo the Great Catholic Church
Concert
Choir of the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul
Conductor: Charlene Angelini
June 17, 2025
Los Angeles, California
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Concert by Orquesta Guadalupana Baja California
Conductor: Ron Wakefield
June 7, 2025
Front Royal, Virginia
Christendom College
Christ the King Chapel
Mass as part of the “Beauty & Truth” Conference
Celebrant: Monsignor Charles Pope
July 16, 2024
Atlanta, Georgia
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Atlanta Premiere
Mass
Celebrant: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
July 14, 2024
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Concert program including selections from “Mass of the Americas”
Conductor: Joshua Habermann
December 8, 2023
Berkeley, California
First Congregational Church of Berkeley
Excerpt performance: “Aue Maria” from “Mass of the Americas”
Conductor: Ash Walker
December 3, 2023
San Francisco, California
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
Excerpt performance: “Aue Maria” from Mass of the Americas
Conductor: Ash Walker
October 3, 2023
Miami, Florida
Epiphany Catholic Church
Miami Premiere
Mass
Celebrant: Fr. José Alvarez
Conductor: Richard Carrillo
June 24, 2023
Pasadena, California
St. Andrew’s Catholic Church
Los Angeles Premiere
Mass During the Adeodatus Conference
Celebrant: Bishop Timothy E. Freyer
July 27, 2022
Napa, California
Napa Institute Conference
Parish Edition Premiere
Celebrant: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
June 28, 2022
Rome, Italy
Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Concert Performance
Conductor: Richard Sparks
May 22, 2022
Chicago, Illinois
St. John Cantius Church
First Mass of Thanksgiving of Fr. Joseph Brom
Celebrant: Fr. Joseph Brom
January 15, 2022
New York City, New York
Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Novus Ordo Latin Solemn Pontifical High Mass
Celebrant: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Conductor: Richard Sparks
December 25, 2019
Allentown, New Jersey
Church of St. John the Baptist
“Mass of the Americas” Performance
Conductor: Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
November 24, 2019
Houston, Texas
Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Concert Performance
Conductor: Richard Lopez
November 16, 2019
Washington, D.C.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form
Celebrant: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Conductor: Richard Sparks
February 28, 2019
Tijuana, Mexico
Parroquia Santa María Estrella del Mar
Mexican National Liturgy Conference
Mass
Celebrant: Most Reverend Francisco Moreno Barrón, Archbishop of Tijuana
Homilist: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
December 8, 2018
San Francisco, California
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
Celebrant: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Conductor: Ash Walker
