Associate Professor Maeve Louise Heaney, a musician and member of the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity (VDMF) launched her recently composed Mass of the Ascension, at St Stephen’s Cathedral in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD on 29 May. 

The launch event, titled Sing a New Song: How We Might Name God Into the Future, was a spiritually rich and musically vibrant evening of reflection and renewal.

Known for her theological depth and artistic creativity, Associate Professor Heaney brings a fresh voice to contemporary Catholic music. Mass of the Ascension is a new setting of the Eucharist that invites worshippers into deeper participation and contemplation through music. 

Dr Heaney speaks candidly about the challenges of the modern world, and that prayer life is important, with music providing a unique opportunity.

“I think in our busy and device-filled worlds, it can be hard to make space for and experience God’s presence, and that is essential to our faith lives .... I think music has a special capacity to help us experience the presence of God. That’s why it’s called the ‘Mass of the Ascension’, because Jesus’ ascension is not him moving away from us, but actually bringing us into his Body, so the connection is deep music helps us feel that in embodied ways.”

Published by Willow Publishing, the Mass of the Ascension can be purchased at www.willowpublishing.com.au.https://willowpublishing.com.au/product/mass-of-the-ascension/