"You Are a Priest Forever in the Line of Melchizedek"

I've written this in about a week, but that in no way is an indicator of my skill; I'm not one of the greats who wrote the overture to one of his operas the morning of the premiere, or another, who wrote one of the great oratorios in six weeks. No, I’m just a "simple worker in the vineyard of the Lord," to use the words of an intellectual hero of mine. I am in fact referring to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the man who made Fr. Gregory Hartmayer a bishop when, in 2011, he was appointed to Savannah. More than eight years later, through Pope Benedict XVI’s successor in the Petrine Office, Bishop Hartmayer has been appointed to come back to the Archdiocese he served in for 16 years as a priest, now to lead it as our next Archbishop, due to be installed as such in May.

As a member of the faithful here in Atlanta who loves music and is particularly interested in the very rich musical tradition our Church has created (most of Western music notation, secular or religious, is due to the Church, for example), I decided to write a simple gift to you, Archbishop-designate Hartmayer, to welcome you back to Atlanta, on the occasion of your installation here as our seventh Archbishop in the coming weeks. As soon as I knew we had a new archbishop, I knew I wanted to create something musical for you, and what better text to set for the arrival of a new archbishop to his see than Psalm 110, which speaks of the eternal Priesthood through which you serve the Lord, and which, chances are, you've heard at many ordinations, including your own. You have been ordained to the fullness of that priesthood by virtue of being raised to the rank of bishop, and by virtue of that fact, you now possess the immense gift of being able to confer the graces you have on other worthy men as their shepherd.

Archbishop Hartmayer, this is an incredibly simple setting of a Psalm, one of the easiest things to write, so it's not much, but it was made in love-- love for you as our newest chief shepherd and love for the Church which we both serve in different capacities: you, as a bishop, and me, as a lay college student. As you are installed as our Archbishop in the coming weeks and welcomed back to Atlanta a day after your 45th anniversary of being ordained to the Sacred Priesthood of Christ, this gift celebrates both joyous occasions.

As you prepare to return to Atlanta now as our chief shepherd with a mission of teaching us, governing us, and sanctifying us, the local Church, know that we are praying for you! St. Pius X, pray for us! St. John the Baptist, pray for us! Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us! St. Gregory, pray for us! St. John, pray for us! St. Francis, pray for us!

To view my setting of Psalm 110, click here.