The Mystic Rose

Good afternoon, everyone. 

Today, we gather to share with you a new work: The Mystic Rose, a sacred oratorio for choir and strings, commissioned by our parish.
 
An oratorio, for those unfamiliar, is a musical composition that tells a story through voices and instruments. Unlike musical theater or opera, an oratorio offers a more abstract, contemplative experience. Through music and song, we invite you into a deeper reflection on the mysteries of faith.
 
Composer Felicia Sandler and playwright David Mulei have drawn their inspiration from a stage play that holds a special place in this community’s history. And that work, of course, is Pilate’s Daughter. The play told the story of Claudia, who tossed a rose from her balcony at Jesus' feet as he was led to Calvary. The flower remains pristine despite being trampled upon and gains supernatural powers. The action continues ten years later in Rome. Claudia, now a devout Christian, uses the miraculous rose to spread faith and perform wonders, ultimately facing persecution and martyrdom.
 
Pilate’s Daughter premiered in St. Alphonsus Hall behind this Basilica on May 26, 1902. Written by Redemptorist Father Francis Kenzel, the five-act production relied heavily on melodrama, featuring choruses, marches, dances, and spectacular stage effects. 
Fr. Kenzel’s audience expectations were modest. Its popularity, however, proved immense. By 1905—just three years after the play’s premiere—New York theater producers were offering to buy Pilate’s Daughter for Broadway. By 1910, it had been performed over one hundred times in Boston. Four years later, it received its professional debut, first in Philadelphia, then in New York.
 
The cast of Pilate’s Daughter was entirely female. Multiple generations of women in the parish performed, returning each year through their teens. The Boston Globe published features on the production, dubbing it “America’s Oldest Passion Play.” Gov. Saltonstall and Mayor Tobin attended opening night of the production in 1941. Performances continued through the Second World War. By 1960, more than 3 million people had witnessed Pilate’s Daughter. 

But what is it that made this play so captivating for decades? This play was more than just theater. I’ve heard stories of the thunderclap that startled children, the statue of Jupiter crumbling on stage, and how these moments left such a vivid impression. They were more than spectacle—they were part of the deep spiritual power of the drama. First and foremost, Pilate’s Daughter was faithful to scripture. It took what we know from the Gospels and, in many ways, 'filled in the blanks.' Part of what made this Passion Play especially groundbreaking was the way it starred the women who had so often been left offstage. Main characters in this play included Pilate's wife, Pilate's daughter, servants in Pilate's palace, and a community of early Christian Women. It brought to life the human drama—the emotions, the struggles, and the questions—that surrounded the events of the Passion and its aftermath. 

At its core, Pilate’s Daughter spoke to something much deeper—something we all experience. I believe everyone is searching for something greater than themselves. And through art, we are often led closer to that great mystery. 

There’s a line from the original play that I’d like to share with you, a line that, I believe, gets to the very heart of why this story has such lasting power. It goes like this: 

"Man's heart doth yearn for love. Not love created, earthly, human—-but divine, eternal love; love deep and vast and trackless as the sea, uniting man with the Divinity."

This is likely why the play endured and why the story of Pilate’s Daughter lived on for so long—because it spoke to that yearning within each of us.
 
The legacy of 'Pilate's Daughter' continues to inspire us today. Its enduring themes of faith, sacrifice, and divine love have led us to reimagine this powerful story as an oratorio: “The Mystic Rose.” 'The Mystic Rose' is intended to both honor the heritage of Father Kenzel's play and reimagine it for our time. The storyline and portions of the lyrics that you are about to hear are drawn from the earliest drafts of the Pilate’s Daughter script. Mr. Mulei then wove in text from scripture, additional sacred source material, and writings from some of the greatest women mystics of the Church: St. Therese of Lisieux, Julian of Norwich, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Teresa of Avila. These women are the stars, the doctors of the Church, whose spiritual insights have guided the faithful for centuries.
 
The creative team behind The Mystic Rose has spent years diving deep into the music and history of the play. Through an extraordinary turn of events, the earliest copy we have available of the Pilate's Daughter script contains hand-written music fragments. Further research revealed these fragments to be incidental music composed by Mr. Paul M. Paulsen, a New England Conservatory composer who later scored silent films in Hollywood. 

Discovering these pieces was like finding a lost treasure. Out of this discovery, the idea to reimagine the play as an oratorio began to take shape. As we move into this performance, I invite you to let the music carry you. 

We gather in this sacred space not just as an audience, but as a community united in reflection and the desire to contemplate something greater than ourselves. I invite you all to enter into a spirit of prayer and openness. 

Thank you all for being here today. May this performance be a blessing for us all.