While the Cathedral Choir enjoys a well earned two week break, preparations are going on in earnest for our 2018 Orchestral Mass to be held on Sunday 29th July (11am Mass).

Our Orchestral Mass is an event bringing together young students and their teachers forming a choir and symphony orchestra around the Cathedral Choir to play and sing for Mass – a true celebration of young talent gathering around Our Lord !!

This year marks the 10th anniversary of World Youth Day (WYD) 2008 held in Sydney – so our repertoire this year focuses on the repertoire played and sung at WYD 2008 including the ‘Missa Benedictus Qui Venit’ of George Palmer and the beautiful hymn ‘Our Lady of the Southern Cross’ of Rev Geoffrey Abdullah.

On reflection, World Youth Day 2008 was truly a unique and wonderful moment for the Catholic Church in Australia when the eyes of the world turned ‘down under’ – and we were really in the spotlight !!

What a magnificent and significant moment in our Church’s history !!

One of the most memorable moments, I think, was at the Papal Vigil during which, under a clear night sky, we sang the newly written ‘Our Lady of the Southern Cross’ – all 300 of us in the massed choir joined by a student symphony orchestra and over half a million pilgrims assembled from all over the world – it’s like Our Blessed Mother was truly with us in that moment of prayerfulness and unity.

May our Blessed Mother always watch over us !!