St. Benedict’s Anglican Church will be observing a Solemn High Mass honoring St. Charles-King and Martyr on Friday, January 30, 2026 at 6:00pm. The Mass will be accompanied by a quartet of professional singers using William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices as the Mass setting. Mass settings such as this were developed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and during particularly heavy persecution of the English Catholic community. William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices is noted as one of the more well-known of the Recusant Mass settings used by English Catholics during this time. It was developed with emphasis on place, meaning it was developed for use by the English Recusant Catholic community for clandestine aims, likely as part of a Mass observed within the homes of parishioners, as public celebration was outlawed. This will likely reflect well within the specific confines of St. Benedict’s given the church’s intimate environment. The Music accompanying the Mass will be selections either heard in King Charles’ court or was composed during the time of his reign.
Please join us for this unique and interesting celebration of the Holy Mass as we recognize the martyrdom of King Charles I and indulge music with historic relevance to this particular feast day. This will be the first of a series of Masses conducted with both professional singers and instrumentalists accompanying. The parish is enormously grateful to Mr. Tom Pearsall, whose generous donation is making possible this special program highlighting music of unique, interesting, and somewhat rare occurrence.