“While Sr. Maria was talented in many different areas, she will always be most known for The Summit Choirbook, a 15 year labor of love. Sr. Maria also wrote numerous Mass ordinaries. She adapted the entire Dominican rite gradual for chanting in English as well as an adaptation of the antiphonarium. She composed music specifically for singing in English for the Sacred Triduum, Easter Sunday and the Easter Octave, drawing on the chants used for the Latin texts in the Dominican rite. This is what is used at our monastery but has never been published. She translated and wrote her own arrangements for a collection of Polish hymns for the liturgical year–The John Paul II Songbook. This book is also used by the monastery but was never published because Sr. Maria always said it wasn’t complete. Sr. Maria wrote three different sets of psalms tones for use at the Office. Her first set, written around 1967 is used by several Dominican monasteries along with the antiphons of Sr. Mary of the Pure Heart, OP, (RIP) West Springfield, MA. Sr. Maria of the Cross had a great love for the chant and for the chants of the Ukrainian rite and taught our community to sing these as well.
May she rest in peace. More.