The Schola Cantorum of the Pacific is scheduled to sing at the blessing of the retrofit and restoration of the historic Saint Mary's in the Mountains Catholic Church in Virginia City at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.
It will be the Schola's fifth appearance at St. Mary's. The Schola will provide cantoral leadership for the congregational singing, and choral motets, including works by Palestrina, Mozart and the California Missions composer, Padre Narciso Duran.
Following the 4 p.m. Mass which will be celebrated by the Rev. Randolph R. Calvo, Bishop of the Diocese of Reno, there will be a buffet-mixer on the south side of the church. Cost will be $15 per person for the buffet.
At 7:30 p.m. that evening, the Schola will present in the church a concert tracing the history of Christian church music.
Early music in Greek and Latin, Gregorian chants and classic folk and devotional hymns will round out the program that will conclude with examples of contemporary religious song.
Approximately 1,000 invitations are being mailed to supporters of the restoration project. Accommodations for seating in the chapel will require RSVPs.
St. Mary's Church may not be able to accommodate everyone who desires to participate in this historic celebration, as big crowds are expected. However, there will be additional covered seating available with audio/visual equipment simulcasting the Mass in order to accommodate those who cannot be seated in the Church.
While this major project is expected to be completed by Sept. 12, there is still much to be done to fully restore St. Mary's in the Mountains in the manner that was directed by Father Patrick Manogue in the 1860s. Anyone who would like to join the more than 800 "Friends of St. Mary's" who have provided much of the matching funds that were necessary to secure a federal grant from the National Park Service should direct their donation requests to: St. Mary's in the Mountains, P.O. Box 510, Virginia City, Nevada, contact St. Mary's at 775-847-9099 or go to stmary
svc.org for more information.