The 4th Season of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music’s Public Lecture and Concerts Series continues with:
From the time of their foundation in the 13th century, Dominican friars have been committed to praying for the dead, commemorating deceased friars and sisters, parents, friends, and benefactors in annual, weekly, and daily cycles of prayers. When forming their rite in the mid-13th century, the Order of Preachers fashioned a particular version of the Office of the Dead that arranged traditional chants and prayers in a distinctive order. In this presentation, we will explore the texts and chants of the Dominican Office of the Dead, considering the relationship of these texts to the Church’s broader liturgical tradition.
Space in the online event is limited; an RSVP is required.
About the Lecturer
Fr Innocent Smith, O.P., is Assistant Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. After undergraduate studies in music and philosophy at Notre Dame, he entered the Order of Preachers in 2008 and was ordained priest in 2015. Smith served in parish ministry for several years before completing a doctorate in liturgical studies at the University of Regensburg in 2021. His teaching and research interests include liturgical history, codicology, and sacred music.
Smith’s 2023 monograph, Bible Missals and the Medieval Dominican Liturgy, focuses on medieval bibles which contain liturgical texts for the celebration of the Mass. The liturgical selections contained in bible missals give precious insight into both the development of the celebration of the liturgy as well as the processes of customization and design of medieval bibles. Bible missals present a fascinating example of the interpenetration of memory and enactment, enabling the celebration of the mysteries articulated in the biblical text.
About the Series
The Public Lecture & Concert Series of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music welcomes the general public to St. Patrick’s Seminary to hear from preeminent scholars about topics which have a profound impact on the Church and humanity, inviting them especially to consider the Church’s wisdom on matters related to the worship of God, the spiritual life, beauty, and works of art.
We invite you to join us for these important and inspiring events.
About the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music
Founded in 2022, the mission of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music is to draw souls to Jesus Christ through the beauty of sacred music and the liturgy.
The Institute offers a substantial program of accredited, graduate-level coursework and, beginning in the summer session of 2026 pending WSCUC approval, a Masters of Sacred Music and Post-baccalaureate certificates in Gregorian Chant and Sacred Choral Music. All of the Institute’s coursework and public outreach are designed to help church musicians and clergy better to know and love the Church’s treasury of sacred music and her teachings on sacred music. Our goal is to equip students with the theological, philosophical, and historical knowledge, as well as the practical skills (singing, playing, conducting, composing, organizing, fundraising) necessary to build excellent sacred music programs in parishes and schools. We aim to help others revitalize the faith of Catholics and instill vitality in parish and school life through a vibrant sacred music program.
We are committed to a faithful and generous service of the Church. We cultivate fidelity, resiliency, a healthy sense of creativity, and selflessness within our student body and faculty as characteristics of our service as we labor together in the vineyard of the Lord to bring in a rich harvest.
