Missa ad Gentes Composed By Father Jan Michael Joncas
Maryknoll, New York – January 27, 2011 -- A new mass by Jan Michael Joncas, liturgical theologian and composer of contemporary Catholic music that includes On Eagle's Wings, made its debut on Tuesday, January 25, to begin celebration of the centennial year of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. The Mass was celebrated by Father Edward M. Dougherty, superior general, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Chapel at the Maryknoll Mission Center in Ossining, New York.
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers is the overseas mission outreach of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, following Jesus in serving the poor and others in need in 26 countries. All Catholics are called to mission through baptism, and Maryknoll's mission education outreach in parishes and schools throughout the country engages U.S. Catholics in mission through prayer, donations, as volunteers and through vocations. The Society will commemorate its centennial with a theme of The Gift of Mission - The Maryknoll Journey. These missionaries will celebrate as they continue their journey into the next 100 years to share God's love and the Gospel in combating poverty, providing healthcare, building communities and promoting human rights. For more information, visit www.maryknollsociety.org.
Maryknoll commissioned Father Joncas to compose this new Mass to commemorate the anniversary of its 1911 founding. Titled Missa ad Gentes, or Mass to the Peoples, the new composition incorporates musical elements that represent both Maryknoll's
