Missa in Silentio Devotionis (“Mass in Silent Devotion”) was born from a simple desire to compose a single movement of the Mass. The project began with the Kyrie, written independently without any immediate intention of completing the remaining Ordinary. After hearing the work, the music director of St. Josaphat Church in Queens invited me to compose an entire Latin Mass for the parish’s Corpus Christi celebration. Over the following eight months, what began as one movement gradually developed into a complete musical setting of the Ordinary, culminating in its premiere during the Corpus Christi Latin Mass in 2025. From its inception, the work was intended to serve both the liturgy and the concert hall. Although every musical decision was made with the sacred text and liturgical function in mind, I also sought to create a composition that could stand as a unified artistic work beyond the celebration of the Mass itself. Rather than approaching each movement as an independent setting, I conceived the entire Mass as one continuous musical journey. The title, Missa in Silentio Devotionis, reflects the spiritual idea that inspired the work. “Silent devotion” does not describe the absence of sound, but rather the quiet interior life of prayer. It represents the countless moments throughout a lifetime in which a person continually entrusts themselves to God through perseverance, joy, suffering, uncertainty, and hope. Prayer is rarely dramatic; more often, it is the steady act of placing one’s life into God’s hands day after day. That quiet faithfulness became the emotional foundation of this Mass. This idea also shaped the musical architecture of the composition. The principal melody introduced in the opening Kyrie serves as the central motif of the entire work. Like a recurring theme in a symphony, this melody returns throughout the remaining movements in new contexts and forms. It appears prominently within the Gloria, emerges in the Benedictus section of the Sanctus, and is heard as a counter-melody in the Agnus Dei. While each movement possesses its own distinct melodic character in order to reflect the unique nature of its liturgical text, the recurring Kyrie theme provides a thread that binds the entire Mass together. Just as devotion remains constant throughout the changing seasons of life, the opening prayer for mercy quietly accompanies the listener from beginning to end. Harmonically, the Mass reflects two of my greatest musical influences. Its expressive chromatic language draws inspiration from Richard Wagner, while its voice leading is governed by the contrapuntal discipline exemplified by Johann Sebastian Bach. My goal was not simply to combine two contrasting musical worlds, but to allow chromatic harmony to unfold with clarity, balance, and purpose. The resulting harmonic language seeks to express both the emotional complexity of the human heart and the underlying order that sustains sacred music. Although the work contains moments of six-part vocal writing, its primary texture favors rich homophonic sonorities that allow the Latin text to remain clear and expressive. Polyphonic writing appears where appropriate, but the Mass is fundamentally driven by harmony, color, and the gradual unfolding of its recurring thematic material. Ultimately, Missa in Silentio Devotionis is an invitation to prayer. Whether experienced within the sacred liturgy or in the concert hall, I hope the work encourages listeners to contemplate the enduring beauty of the Latin Mass and the quiet perseverance of a life faithfully devoted to God. If the music allows even one person to experience these ancient prayers with renewed depth, or simply invites someone into a moment of reflection they might not otherwise have had, then it has fulfilled its purpose.