On All Souls Day, the Church prays for all the dead. In the entrance
procession at the solemn Requiem Mass, the funeral registers for the Cathedral
parish are carried and placed over the crypt. They contain the names of
all who have been buried from the Cathedral parish, from its inception in 1904.
The Cathedral Choir of St. James with soloists, percussionists, and
instrumentalists, all under the direction of James Savage, perform Maurice
Duruflé's sublime Requiem. Duruflé's
setting of the Mass for the Dead was composed in 1948 in memory of the
composer's father.
We come together as a community to pray for our loved ones who have died.
"May eternal light shine upon them, Lord, in the company of your saints for
ever, for you are full of goodness. Grant them eternal rest, Lord, and let
perpetual light shine upon them."
The women of the Cathedral Choir sing the transcendent setting of the Sanctus.
Duruflé based his composition largely on Gregorian chant.
As the ministers leave the sanctuary, we hear the beautiful "In paradisum":
"May choirs of angels welcome you, and where Lazarus is poor no longer
may you have eternal rest."
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