Rehearsals have begun for the Papal Mass that will be celebrated on Sunday, 27 September, on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to close the World Meeting of Families. The Papal Choir, comprised of 500 parishioners from across the five-county Philadelphia region, includes choirs and school children of the archdiocese, who will perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
"Music plays an integral role in the sacred Liturgy―says Philadelphia's Auxiliary Bishop John J. McIntyre―. In selecting musical settings for the chants and the hymns for the Papal Mass, we strove to choose music that would reflect the plan of God for marriage and the family as found in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth."
On the other hand, he adds, "the World Meeting of Families and the Papal Visit are both rooted in encouraging men and women in marriage and families in their vocation. The beauty of this music, paired with that of the Papal Choir's unified voice and the rich sound of the Philadelphia Orchestra, will create a moment in which families are encouraged."
