Composed by Frank La Rocca (2023)
“To my understanding and my ear, this Mass stands shoulder to shoulder with the great masterworks of the Renaissance.”
Martin Rokeach, Sacred Music Journal
Archbishop Cordileone commissioned this new healing Mass from Frank La Rocca in the aftermath of COVID. The Mass was first celebrated on the World Day of the Sick 2023 in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes.
As Archbishop Cordileone observed in the wake of an illness that killed many and affected many more: “We all need healing. We all suffer. We all sin. We need forgiveness from each other, and most of all from the Lord God who made us to love and be loved for all eternity.”
Inspired in part by Frank La Rocca’s late sister Carin, who lived with Multiple Sclerosis for 37 years, La Rocca sought music that reflected the strength of those who suffer through illness with dignity and courage. Messe des Malades is an unusually solemn and reverent Novus Ordo Mass sung in Latin.
This Mass is a gift from Moira Richards Conzelman in honor of her beloved parents, Emma Leong and Alfred “Pat” Richards, and their families. May all who hear this Mass pray for them.
“The world has always been a mixture of strife, illness, want and suffering, along with love, care and creativity. That the world is full of both is not new. What is new is that the traditional sources of identity and stability in a fallen world are all actively undermined by our culture: faith, family, community, the nation, even the body itself is being stripped of its inherent meaning. We are not made to make up our own identities out of whole cloth. We are made for communion. We are made for the love of God, for that is what makes communion with Him and one another possible, and that is the ultimate end of human existence. We need healing…As we began to emerge from the Covid nightmare, I commissioned a new healing Mass for the World Day of the Sick, in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes.”
“A masterpiece…a journey from sickness to healing, from darkness to light.”
Archbishop Cordileone
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.
