At the heart of the life of the Cathedral is our liturgy, with its thoughtful preaching, fine choral music, and strong lay participation. Our leaflets are complete and user-friendly, and we always make every effort to make all visitors feel welcome.
• Our 8:00 service is a said Eucharist with a short homily, and uses the traditional language of Rite I.
• The 9:30 service is our family Eucharist, with strong congregational singing using a variety of resources, a brief children’s homily, and choral music by the Girls Choir and the Schola Cantorum. In order to make it more appropriate for children, this service is about 45 minutes in length, and is followed by Christian Education for all ages. This Eucharist uses contemporary language and is always signed for the hearing impaired.
• Our 11:15 Choral Eucharist features strong congregational singing and choral music by our Choir of Men & Boys. The preaching relates the scriptures of the day to our daily lives, and the choral music is carefully chosen to relate to the themes of the season.
The repertoire of the choir spans the entire gamut of choral music, and ranges from plainsong to recently composed works. The choir normally sings a complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass, along with an anthem at the Offertory and a motet during Communion.
This Eucharist uses Rite I (traditional language) and Rite II (contemporary language) from the Book of Common Prayer on alternate Sundays.
• Choral Evensong, a treasure of the Anglican Choral Tradition, is sung regularly each month, using the traditional English cathedral model. This service features a setting of the Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis, an anthem, Anglican Chant Psalms along with hymns sung by the entire congregation. Evensong is sung by the Cathedral Choirs, usually on the first Sunday of the month, from October through June.
• In addition to our normal weekly services, we offer a variety of other seasonal liturgies. We present the traditional Service of Lessons and Carols one or two Sundays before Christmas, along with several Christmas Eve Eucharists at 5:00, 8:30 & 11:00 pm. At the core of our liturgical life is the celebration of Holy Week, with special services on Palm Sunday, Wednesday of Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Eve and Easter Sunday. These liturgies, the high point of the Church Year, are offered with the fullness of our liturgical and musical resources.
THE CHOIRS OF THE CATHEDRAL OF THE INCARNATION
Music has been an important part in the life of the Cathedral since its founding. We offer a thriving and varied choral program, a concert series, and the largest pipe organ on Long Island.
Choral music has been an integral part of the worship at this Cathedral since its founding. Our Choir of Men & Boys, one of the few remaining in the United States and Canada, normally sings at the 11:15 Choral Eucharist, and was founded in 1883. This choir, made up of boys, teens and professional men, sings a vast repertoire of masterpieces of choral music. The music sung at the 11:15 Eucharist ranges from the earliest plainsong to the most contemporary works. In addition to choral music at the Offertory and Communion, the choir sings a different setting of the Ordinary of the Mass each week, using settings by such composers as Palestrina and Victoria through Arvo Pärt and Jean Langlais.
The Cathedral Girls' Choir, made up of 26 girls, was founded in 1933 to offer girls the same opportunities for musical training and ministry as the boys have in the older Choir of Men and Boys. The girls normally sing at the 9:30 Family Eucharist, regularly perform with the Schola Cantorum, and occasionally they will sing services with the boys or the men. Like the Choir of Men and Boys, the Girls Choir has a large repertoire of the finest treble voice repertoire.
The Schola Cantorum was established in 1998 to expand the repertoire available for the Girls’Choir to sing, and to give adult women an opportunity to participate regularly in the music ministry of the Cathedral. The Schola frequently joins with the girls for the 9:30 am service, and joins with the full choir for major events.
 Click here for the choral repertoire for the current month
CATHEDRAL CONCERT SERIES
In addition to liturgical music, the Cathedral offers a wide variety of musical offerings to the local community. The Cathedral is a wonderful setting for music of all kinds, with fine acoustics and a wonderful pipe organ. The Music in the Cathedral series has received funding from the Long Island Arts Council, the New York State Council for the Arts, private donors and several corporate sponsors.
Over the past few years the Cathedral has renewed and strengthened its commitment to the liturgical and musical life of our area. Our choir program is central to the life of the Cathedral, and is the principal focus of our energies. Our concert series this year continues many traditions from the past, along with several new items. We view our work as an essential part of the life of the Cathedral, as well as a ministry to the wider community
We also host a variety of other local musical ensembles. Please call the Cathedral Office at 516 746-2955 for more information about the Music in the Cathedral concert series. |
