Whoever Serves Me

motet for SATB choir or quartet

Some of my favorite pieces of music are Anton Bruckner’s motets. They are perfect little gems of the choral repertoire: harmonically exquisite, yet succinct and accessible. Moreover, they vividly paint the short sacred texts they set, exploring the layers of emotion and belief present in every word. When I heard “Locus Iste,  “Os Justi,” and “Christus Factus Est” for the first time, I dreamed of writing something that could contain so much depth in such little time.

The opportunity to attempt this arose upon learning that Father Patrick Holroyd, the pastor of my home church for my entire life, would be retiring in 2024 after the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. I owe so much to Father Pat. Not only has he dutifully led St. Mark Catholic Church; where I have worshiped, gone to school, attended Boy Scout Meetings, and learned piano; he gave me the opportunity to play music in Masses when I was just eight years old. And he has continuously welcomed me back and encouraged the use of my compositions, all while reminding me to “keep practicing” and “keep smiling.”

I hope my work can hold some light, however dim, to Bruckner’s transcendent choral writing. But more importantly, I hope it can begin to express my gratitude to Father Pat for his decades of service to the Church and to my family.

-Matthew Thomas Brown