From the article in the April 20th edition of the Wall Street Journal:
“Another fascinating example emerges in recent works of composer Frank La Rocca of the Benedict XVI Institute. Mr. La Rocca’s ‘Mass of the Americas’ draws on distinctly American Catholic religious themes. The work is a tribute to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the U.S., and Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of all the Americas. Musically, the ‘Mass of the Americas’ incorporates Mexican folk hymns into the fabric of contemporary high-church sacred music, while showing due respect for its sources. It also includes possibly the first Ave Maria ever set in Nahuatl, the Aztec language in which Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to San Juan Diego.
“As with great Masses composed during the Renaissance, the Mass of the Americas has won new audiences—in packed celebrations in churches and cathedrals in Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, as well as Canada and Mexico. Prof. Michael Linton recently dubbed the work ‘the best piece of liturgical music for the Mass since [the requiem of Maurice] Duruflé.'”