Southern Nebraska Register
Eight centuries after the death of St. Francis of Assisi, the Lincoln chapel that bears his name will be filled with historic Catholic liturgical music devoted to his life.
Consort Pelicani, a group of regional singers dedicated to the art of singing sacred choral music under the direction of Nicholas Lemme, will present a meditative music program commemorating the life of St. Francis at St. Francis of Assisi Oratory Friday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
The event will not be a concert in the usual sense but instead, a musical meditation. The choir will sing unseen from the loft to a candlelit nave. After a short introduction and welcome, there will be no intermissions, no applause, and no final bows.
“This will be a ‘concert’ in that we are singing music outside of the liturgical setting for which it was intended,” said director Nicholas Lemme. “However, because the choir will be singing from the loft while the audience listens in a candlelit nave absent of applause, the evening will hopefully be a program of prayer and interior silence; an antidote for the noise of our modern age.”
The music spans nearly 800 years of Catholic devotion to St. Francis of Assisi. Gregorian chant from the Franciscan liturgies dating to the 13th century will be set alongside Renaissance motets on the life of the saint, some by celebrated masters such as Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Peter Philips, and others by lesser-known composers, including Costanzo Porta and Tommaso Graziani — both Franciscan priests — as well as the priest-composer Jerónimo de Aliseda.
Organist Elizabeth Lemme will round out the program with works old and new, from Michel Corrette and Francis Poulenc to the contemporary composer Carson Cooman.
Consort Pelicani draws singers from across the region who specialize in Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony. Lemme, who directs the ensemble, is professor of Gregorian chant and sacred music at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton and choir director at St. Francis of Assisi Oratory.
The evening falls within the Jubilee Year of St. Francis, proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV for the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. In this proclamation, the faithful are afforded the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence during the Jubilee Year by making a pilgrimage to a church dedicated to St. Francis and “spend at least a suitable period of time in pious meditation and raise prayers to God so that, following the example of Saint Francis, the sentiments of Christian charity and authentic desires for harmony and peace among peoples may spring up in their hearts.” The evening will prove to be a fitting means of participating in this.
Built in 1921 as the chapel of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, the oratory has been cared for by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter since 1998. It’s well known for its spectacular stained glass, including a window of St. Francis receiving the stigmata, as well as a large, original mural at the back of the nave depicting the saint with Lady Poverty.
“We are blessed at St. Francis to have beautiful liturgies throughout the year,” says rector, Fr. Joseph Heffernan. “It’s our desire that this program will allow the greater Lincoln community, who may not otherwise come to St. Francis regularly, to spiritually benefit from this space and the sacred music that often fills and accompanies its liturgies.”
Admission is free, but seating is limited and registration is required at https://tinyurl.com/4y9pbzun. The program is recommended for ages 8 and older. A free-will offering will support the upkeep of the oratory and its sacred music program.
