Palestrina 500 with The London Oratory Schola Cantorum – July 16, 2025

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Palestrina 500 with The London Oratory Schola Cantorum – July 16, 2025

July 16 , 2024

Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Grand Rapids, MI will host a year-long choral festival called Palestrina 500, celebrating the quincentennial birthday of the great Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-94). This anniversary provides our parish a lens through which we can promote the good, true, and beautiful to our greater community.

1 Year. 12 Monthly Events. Each event contains:

a Choral Meditation • Solemn Mass • Reception Afterwards

THE LONDON ORATORY SCHOLA CANTORUM
Missa Tu es Petrus
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

5:30 PM Choral Meditation
7:00 PM Solemn Mass
8:30 PM Reception


Help us fund Palestrina 500: https://palestrina500.org


Palestrina 500 is proud to partner with Blue Lake Public Radio for this year-long music festival.

Three Hearts Pilgrimage

Find Beauty in Sacrifice


Each October, pilgrims from across the U.S join together for a two day, 35-mile penitential walk offering their physical and spiritual sacrifices for the defense of the traditional family and the sanctity of life – While pursing that which is Good, True, and Beautiful.  Sacred Heart will be taking another group this year!  Read Father Ron’s letter.

Details and more information can be found at these buttons. Email Laureen Fish lfish@shgr.org with questions.

Please RSVP here: 

Time to sign up for First Holy Communion and Confirmation for the Fall!

Sacramental preparation begins on Monday, September 8 with our Parent Sacramental Prep Meeting at 6:30pm in Cebelak Hall. If both parents can be there, great! Confirmation and First Holy Communion classes begin formally on Wednesday, September 17 from 4pm-5pm. Please go here https://shojgr.flocknote.com/signup/214313 to sign up!

Questions? Email our Director of Religious Education,

Mike Tober, at dre@shgr.org

Holiday and Summer Notes

Due to the Independence Day Holiday, there will be no First Friday Adoration or Holy Hour or First Saturday Devotions.

Mass on Friday, July 4th will be at 9am.

Also, the 11:30am Masses on Sundays become Low Masses for the summer beginning today.

Host Families Needed for Palestrina 500 in July

We are happy to announce that Sacred Heart will be hosting the London Oratory Schola Cantorum, one of the world’s premiere Catholic boys choirs, on July 16 as part of the Palestrina 500 Festival in which they will be singing a Mass celebrated by His Excellency, Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco. We are in need of host families to house the 45 boy choristers during their stay (7/15 to 7/17). If you are willing to help, please fill out the following form:

Host Family Form

Palestrina 500 Volunteers Needed

Sacred Heart will host a year-long choral festival called Palestrina 500, celebrating the quincentennial birthday of the great Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-94). This anniversary provides our parish a lens through which we can promote the good, true, and beautiful to our greater community. There will be monthly events starting December 2024 and ending December 2025 each with a Choral Meditation, Solemn Mass, and Reception.

We have decided that moving forward we would have one sign up per monthly event. Thank you for donating your time. The full list of dates is below.  If you are able to sign up for all events, let us know and we will sign you up.  Mike Tober dre@shgr.org or Laureen Fish lfish@shgr.org

If you’d like to volunteer at any upcoming event, click on a date below.  If you can help at the remaining events, please let us know and we will sign you up

Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Friday, August 15, 2025
Monday, September 15, 2025
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Monday, November 3, 2025
Monday, December 8, 2025

Any questions or to sign up, please reach out to Mike Tober dre@shgr.org or Laureen Fish lfish@shgr.org

Descriptions for the various volunteer positions can be found here. 

Window Restoration Update

The first window is almost complete! With any artistic project of this magnitude, the schedule has fluctuated but we are happy to announce that the Annunciation of Mary window should be installed by the middle of July. As you can see from the photos, this truly is a work of art and not a mere fabrication. We continue to look for donors for the remaining windows. If you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring a whole or partial window, please contact Amber Hiske at ahiske@shgr.org.

The Paschal season is over and thus our Mass setting switches:

For Ss. Peter and Paul, we will be singing Mass VIII (recording here: http://shgr.org/massVIII).

During the summer, we will be singing Mass XI (recording here: http://shgr.org/massIX the Mass which is prescribed for Ordinary Sundays.

Summer Office Hours

Parish Office:

Monday thru Thursday 8:45am – 3:00pm.

Academy Office:

Closed until August 4. If you need to contact the school during this time, please email office@shgr.org

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Registration for Non-Academy Children

We are offering two sessions of CGS this coming school year. The sessions will meet on Thursdays (1:30- 3:00pm) or Fridays (9:00 – 10:30 am) beginning September 18/19, 2025 through May 7/8, 2026. The cost of the program for the year is $450 per child with a $25 registration fee per family.

Contact Kim Koonmen at her email kkoonmen@shgr.org.