Celebrating the Only Fully-traditional Pre-Vatican II
Traditional Latin Mass in the Bay Area (since 1992) Not Some New "Latin Mass"
But the Real, Traditional Roman Catholic Latin Mass (1950)
At the Fishermen's & Seamen's Memorial Chapel
Pier 45-B, Next to the Bell-tower
One Block Northeast of Jefferson & Taylor
Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco
You can take a virtual tour of the chapel
and its surroundings on Pier 45-B
adjoining the picturesque Fisherman's Grotto
by clicking on Pier 45 Virtual Tour.
St. John's Oratory
At the Historic Fishermen's & Seamen's Memorial Chapel
And Its Campanile (Bell-tower)
The Oratory's Holy Week & Easter Donation Request
Relying upon your continuing generosity, we do not send out numerous fund-raising communications throughout the year, but only one at Advent and one at Holy Week. We ask you, therefore, before Holy Week preparations intrude upon your spiritual preparations, to consider sending a tax-deductible donation to support the Oratory's work as the only site in the San Francisco Bay Area making available the fully-traditional (pre-Vatican II) Roman-rite Latin Mass, Sacraments, and Sacred Chant. See the "Donations to the Society" section below. Contributors become Benefactors of the Oratory and share in the fruits of all the Divine Offices and Holy Masses that we offer here.
Holy Week & Easter Schedule
We draw your attention to our schedule of services for Holy Week & Easter. St. John's Oratory is the only location in the San Francisco Bay Area where the fully-traditional solemn Latin Rites of Holy Week will be available to the faithful, with chant by our St. John Schola. These are holydays that no true Catholic will miss. For the full schedule, click on Current Mass Schedule Bulletin.
Not Some New "Latin Mass"
But the Real, Traditional Roman Catholic Latin Mass (1950)
St. John's oratory is the only location in the Bay Area that has preserved the real, Traditional Latin Mass (1950) and Roman Catholic rites before they were changed into a new service by 1962, when Vatican Council II began and brought about the New Order (Novus Ordo) service of 1969. A couple of "Latin Masses" have popped up recently, but these are associated with Vatican II and the Novus Ordo service of 1969. They are NOT the Traditional Latin Mass, even though they may be falsely advertised as such.
St. John's Oratory did not come only recently to this Apostolate, but has offered, with experience, knowledge, and commitment, the Traditional Latin Mass and Divine Office every Sunday and Holyday since 1992. St. John's Oratory is also known as a center for promoting the traditional Latin Gregorian chant of the traditional Roman rite. Gregorian chant is sung every Sunday and Holyday by the St. John Gregorian Schola of San Francisco.
For general information about the times and nature of the Society's services, click on Services at the Oratory.
If you wish to receive our weekly E-mail bulletin containing information on Oratory schedules and activities, please send your name, mailing address, and E-mail address to the Society. If you have any questions, you may send them as well.
New Gregorian Chant CDs Issued in Our St. John Schola Series
Released December 2009
Volume VIII: Cantus Populares - Popular Chants
Second Box Collection: Volumes V-VIII
Support This Effort by Making Each Volume of This Unique Traditional Set Part of Your Personal CD Library
Volume VIII includes some of the most popular chants from the Gregorian repertoire and familiar polyphony, with organ accompaniment, taken directly from the Liber Usualis, the traditional handbook that contains the chant for most of the Mass and significant parts of the Divine Office, and from the traditional St. Gregory Hymnal. This CD is particularly remarkable in including the rarely-recorded Kyrie Eleison troped in the mediaeval style. The trope, an elaboration of the chant, is mentioned in all music-history books as being one of the most significant developments of the traditional chant, but rarely has it ever been recorded.
Our second Box Collection includes four CDs:
Volume V: 14th Sunday after Pentecost (September 2007)
Volume VI: 4th Sunday after Easter (February 2008)
Volume VII: Basilica of Sts. Peter & Paul (January 2009)
Our St. John Schola is recording a CD series entitled A Traditional Chapel Sings Gregorian Chant. For descriptive and ordering information on our CD series and to hear excerpts of our Gregorian chant, click on St. John Schola for Gregorian Chant.
Amateurs Wanted to Sing Gregorian Chant
Additional men are invited to add their voices to the St. John Schola Cantorum (small choir) to sing Gregorian plainchant in an authentic setting. No previous knowledge of the chant or musical notation is required; most of our participants have had little or no music background. We can teach you all that you need to know by ear if you have just a basic ability to sing. No auditions. You do not have to be Catholic. We are a small, friendly group, no pressure, just enjoyment, but we are led by a highly-experienced praecentor.
For sixteen years our group has been chanting in the intimate setting of St. John's Oratory at the historic Fishermen's & Seamen's Memorial Chapel at Fishermen's Wharf in San Francisco. We practice 9:00-9:30 a.m. Sundays and then chant the traditional Catholic Hour of Terce 9:30-10:00 a.m and chant monthly for the only fully-traditional Missae Cantatae (Sung Masses) in the Bay Area.
We are currently producing live recordings of our chant for the ChantCD label. You will receive a free copy for family and friends of any CD in which you participate. We make no pretense to being anything but amateurs (lovers of the chant) and to demonstrating merely what is achievable over time by an amateur small chant choir.
For further information about the St. John Schola for Gregorian Chant and the St. John's Oratory, click on St. John the Apostle Oratory. If you have any questions, you may address them to Society.
Donations to the Society
If you wish to support the work of the Society, click on the box above to make a donation easily, securely, and confidentially by bank account or credit card through PayPal. By doing so, you will be part of the habitual intentions of Benefactors specially commemorated at Traditional Latin Masses. Using PayPal reduces our administrative burden considerably, but if you need to use a paper check, you may send it to P.O. Box 2121, Castro Valley, CA 94546-2121.
Society's Visitor Counter
Since July 8, 2001, the Society's ninth anniversary, you are site visitor number:
From October 23, 1991, through January 2010, the Oratory of St. John has experienced Traditional Latin Mass visits totaling:
