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Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Apostolic Center of Arts and Culture

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Choosing Your Music

The Cathedral music department is delighted to work with you to make your wedding liturgy prayerful, beautiful, and joyful. According to the Church’s tradition, the spouses as ministers of Christ’s grace mutually confer upon each other the Sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church. Therefore, while the celebration of marriage concerns the spouses and their families, it is not only a private matter. Since your consent is given in the presence of – and blessed by – the Church, the celebration of marriage is governed by liturgical norms.

The wedding liturgy’s music must, therefore, be directed to God and in keeping with the Church’s vision for sacred song. To this end, the music department offers the following selection of sacred music that is liturgically, musically, and pastorally appropriate.

In a particular way, the Cathedral is called to be a model of excellence and a guardian of the Church’s liturgical traditions. To ensure liturgical synergy and excellence in musical execution, musical leadership for weddings is provided solely by the Cathedral’s professional music team. A guest musician may apply to participate in the prelude or at the presentation of flowers to the Blessed Virgin Mary in a process outlined in the wedding selection form.

The cathedral music department works with the finest vocalists, string musicians, and brass musicians in metro Detroit to provide additional enhancement to your wedding. Certain recordings below feature these optional musical enhancements. Fees for these additional musicians are listed on the Wedding Music Selection Form.

We are happy to answer any questions you might have during this process. Please contact Joe Balistreri by email or call 313-237-5782.

To plan your liturgical music, there are two steps:

  1. Listen to the linked music selections below, recorded by our cathedral musicians.  Please note that several of the samples below have “bonus tracks” which allow you to hear the same song with the additional enhancements available to you.  These bonus tracks are labeled in orange.  There are also some songs that are only available as “enhanced” options.  They are labeled in blue.
  2. Submit your music selections to the music staff by visiting this link. (The link will open a separate tab, so you can reference the recordings as you make your selections. You may want to keep both tabs open and toggle back and forth.)

Prelude:

  • During the seating of your guests and of the parents, the cathedral musicians will perform appropriate and festive music.

Procession of the Bridal Party (select if not having an entrance hymn):

Procession of the Bride (select if not having an entrance hymn):

Entrance Hymn (select if not having instrumental processional music):

Responsorial Psalm:

Unity Candle Lighting (optional):

If a unity candle is lit, the brief music needed will be selected by the musicians.

Offertory (for Nuptial Mass only):

Communion (for Nuptial Mass only):

Presentation of Flowers to the Blessed Virgin (optional):

Recessional: