Merciful God: A Ritual Song for Lent

All fired up from the APMN conference last year our music leader has chosen this song for Lent.

The text is by Mary Louise Bringle and the music by Tony Alonso.

There is a refrain for Ash Wednesday, Lent gathering and Lent Communion.

The sheet music can be purchased from GIA, where the text is in their preview.

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God to Enfold You CWB II 96

To their credit the editors picked a John Bell and Graham Maule text for “The Scrutinies” in the RCIA. It goes after the Prayer of Exorcism. The tune is John Bell’s ENFOLDING.

A text as gorgeous as this has much more general application.

Hymnary have details on the hymnals that have this song. Wild Goose sell the sheet music in the collection Love and Anger.

God to enfold you, Christ to uphold you,

Spirit to keep you in heaven’s sight;

So may God grace you, heal and embrace you,

Lead you through darkness into the light.

Text John Bell and Graham Maule. Music John Bell – from Love and Anger

© WGRG c/o Iona community, Glasgow, Scotland. www.wgrg.co.uk

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Chosen to Be God’s Own (aka Rejoice, All Who Are Chosen) CWB II 95

The next RCIA songs in CWB II I have covered elsewhere, up to this Ricky Manalo song (OK – I skipped Psalm 51 by Jennifer O’Brien 92)

This music is not presented correctly as the chord symbols, present for once, randomly appear and disappear throughout the song – one of very few errors in this collection.

I like this, although it hits a high Eb. I suspect that’s OK as I suppose it for the choir to sing during the Rite of Election.

It can be purchased as part of a collection at OCP, or better still buy CWB II for the liturgy section.

The lyrics are nowhere on the internet so sing along if you have CWB II.

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Music for the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Year A 22nd/23rd February 2020

Entrance:   We Are Called  (Haas) AOV 2/60

Psalm 102 (McKenna):

The Lord is kind and merciful.

Gifts: A Trusting Psalm  (Bates) AOV 1/115

Communion: Gift of Finest Wheat  (Westendorf/Kreutz) CWB II 651

Thanksgiving: They’ll Know We Are Christians (Scholtes) AOV 1/130

Recessional: Sing of the Lord’s Goodness   (Sands) AOV 1/131

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In the Peace of Christ CWB II 91

This is a song with a text specific to the dismissal of the catechumens. It is by John W Kerns and the music is lovely, which makes it’s particularity rather a pity.

The first line is generic enough – In the peace of Christ we send you forth to reflect upon God’s word – and would have a lot of uses. However the second line – till the Easter tidings call you forth to the table of the Lord – well, that is pretty specific to this liturgical event. Maybe it would just need some rejigging for more general use.

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Go Now and Listen to the Word of God CWB II 90

I am going through the liturgical pieces in volume one of Catholic Worship Book II.

This is for the dismissal of the catechumens in the RCIA and is by the wonderful Sister Jennifer O’Brien. She also wrote CWB II 87, which is responsorial psalm (33)for the RCIA, but the responses are chanted so I won’t make a backing for that one.

There isn’t much to this text and my backing has made up chords as they were not provided.

Go now and listen to the Word of God.

Go now and listen to the Word of God.

The Word of God brings everlasting life.

The Word of God brings everlasting life.

© Jennifer O’Brien

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Strengthen Your People CWB II 85

One way or another I’ve blogged most of these RCIA songs already, but not this one.

It is for the signing of the senses and is just Jesse Manibusan’s song “Open My Eyes” with a special set of lyrics- well just two lines. I made a new backing in any case.

Strengthen your people, help us to follow you,

Strengthen your people by this holy sign.

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At the Table of Jesus

This Eucharistic song, with a text by Tony Alonso, is set to SIMPLE GIFTS. That’s the tune for “Lord of the Dance” and I thought I’d note it, as it is set for this week’s mass.

I should note that there is also a text called “What a Gift to be Gathered” by Marty Haugen that comes with the sheet music available at GIA. Haugen’s text is more for weddings. The lyrics are in the preview at GIA.

I though I would just be able to link to my backing for “Lord of the Dance” I did years ago when blogging AOV, but I find the tune is not really the same and my backing was way too fast anyway so I have fixed it.

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Joy Is Like the Rain

My wife has been thinking of this song from her childhood for some reason and asked me to find it.

It is by Sr Miriam Therese Winter and is a peaceful song of joy from the sixties.

This text is here. Godsongs is, as usual all over it, and she has put up links to sources for the music.

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Music for the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year A 15th/16th February 2020

Entrance:  Gather Your People  (Hurd) AOV 1/71

Psalm 118 (McKenna):

Happy are they who follow the law of the Lord.

Gifts: Open My Eyes  (Manibusan) AOV 1/166

Communion: At the Table of Jesus (Haugen, tune SIMPLE GIFTS)

Thanksgiving: Lord, to Whom Shall We Go (Herry) AOV 1/6

Recessional: As a Fire is Meant for Burning  (Duck) GA 881

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