Entrance: Christ Light, Shining in the Darkness (Grant) CWBII 468
Psalm 89 (McKenna)
Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Gifts: Blessed Be Our God (McKenna) AOV NG 13
Communion: The Summons (Maule-Bell) AOV NG 149
Recessional: Send Us Out (Bryant) AOVD
Too late for this but for future reference (I have been busy!):
Entrance: All You Works of God (Haugen) AOV 1/19
Gifts: Blessing the Marriage (Bell/Maule) SUSSEX CAROL AOV 2/35
Communion: Come to the Feast (Haugen) AOV 1/151
Recessional: City of God (Schutte) AOV 1/57
This is a song I wrote for Eucharist that I have used over the years as it is simple and easy to sing. It is based in part on passages from the Didache.
1. We are broken bread
Scattered upon the hills,
But when we gather in Your name
We can become one still.
2. We are the branches
Of God’s holy vine.
Pressed to each other,
When we drink Your wine.
3. We will find the fish
To feed the poor,
And as we freely give
we shall receive more.
Rpt 1. We are broken bread
Scattered upon the hills,
But when we gather in Your name
We can become one still.
This was the song I wrote for Preparation of the Gifts and I think it has merit as a tune but strikes me as a bit melodramatic. The text obviously draws on the Beatitudes.
I wrote it in A then updated the lyrics (? worse or better) and made it much too high in C in case a talented soloist wanted a crack at it. The lower key is more suitable if an assembly wanted to do it.
This is in C though:
- Are we the poor in spirit?
Are we with those who grieve?
Are we the gentle? Are we the meek?
Can we be people who hunger and thirst for justice,
the pure in heart, the peacemakers.
Chorus
We give bread, we give wine, we give what we’re able.
But we are the gifts we bring to this table.
- Within the reign of heaven, can we bring God’s peace?
Are we a fam’ly for times to come?
Sat at table spread for all of God’s righteousness,
Unbounded love… the face of God.
Chorus
These are various demos and practices I found.
I’m labelling my songs here “Collab project” to make them easy for me to find and to look towards collaboration amongst parish song writers. Also, since I wrote many of these before I knew anything about liturgical music, they are lessons about what not to do, and may be adaptable by others into something usable in other contexts.
I am trying to remember what was going on here. I remember there was a special celebration of some sort that was to happen at church but got cancelled. I had the thought that the Creed could be set to Affirmation by Savage Garden, a local Logan band that became world famous. I got permission to do that for one performance only, but it never happened due to the cancellation.
Sometime after that I was writing my misguided mass and while not using their tune did try to make it a dance number. I note that I started hand written corrections after the text was made worse, but funnily enough it looks like a gave up at consubstantial, a word rarely used in dance music.
I made a demo, but the lesson may be that the creed is hard to set, especially now, and probably isn’t best as a techno track.
The music group obviously toned things down several notches in rehearsal.
Here is Savage Garden:
At the APMN conference last year I went to a session where we were shown wrong music to suggest how to do things better. I fear selections from my songs written years ago could provide the same service.
This is a completely incorrect Gospel Acclamation from a mass I wrote before I knew how wrong this was. In my defence, I think we were always a little lax in our Alleluias in those days and didn’t follow the prescribed responses for each week. I don’t think I even knew there were such things really, until I looked at all the options in one of Paul Mason’s masses. I went on to rewrite other parts of the mass that I thought needed it too! This was before the people in Rome got the same bad idea and rewrote them all in terrible English.
Having said that, I would advise just writing an Alleluia and leave the response spoken unless you are really keen or Paul Mason or both. By the way, the Gloria in my mass at this stage had no redeeming features and was before the change in text, so it shall remain hidden, as I can’t even see any use of it as a warning to others.
Having dragged this beast out though, I made a new backing for fun. I’m not sure this text has a use anywhere, but maybe elements could be reused.
We are people of your story, we thirst for your Word.
Alleluia
As much as your body and your blood, into the world we carry your Word.
Alleluia.
Way back when, I made a demo, and the church musicians bravely practised it.
I am an occasional hymn writer, but it tends to happen in bursts. Many years ago an indulgent priest let me do a completely original mass setting along with ancillary hymns. My recollection is that I was very depressed for some reason and this is what happened. The only problem was that I had done no liturgy studies at that point and pretty much everything was I did was wrong. The music group at church practised with me and we did the mass and that was the end of that.
I recently found a burnt CD (remember that technology) that had rough demos I had done as well as a recording of a practice session. I don’t remember what technology I was using to record twenty odd years ago. I also haven’t listened to some of these in ages but perhaps some songs may be worth another look or adaptation.
This was the entrance song for which my wife helped on the lyrics. This was one of the least egregious. This backing is much more recent than the demos.
1 We have gathered in this place.
We are here to see God’s face
We see Jesus in each other
When we try to love our brother.
Life is hard, it’s no joke.
We find rest in God’s yoke.
Bound together we can see,
Your burdens lighter when you share it with me.
Chorus
This is the Kingdom feast
Where the first will be least
We are the Kingdom feast.
2 It doesn’t matter ’bout your real estate.
It doesn’t matter how much money you make.
It doesn’t matter who’s heard your name.
We are the blind, the poor, the lame.
But if we’re here then it’s God’s will.
We’d love to see God’s house filled.
The tables set and the invites are out.
Get in the streets and start to shout.
Chorus
© Geoffrey and Robyn Madden
This song I wrote some time ago has an obvious specific purpose. The question is whether the host imagery is acceptable in Catholic Liturgy. I recall the original lyric was much worse but I’m open to suggestions.
1 We gather as Word become flesh
As Gospel thrust into our time.
Life can’t be stale and wafer thin.
We are formed in the Word, Bread and Wine.
2 We gather as Church here at home.
Our parish is here as a sign.
Life can’t be stale and wafer thin.
We are formed in the Word, Bread and Wine.
3 We gather as Church in this world.
Where your God is as big as mine.
Life can’t be stale and wafer thin.
We are formed in the Word, Bread and Wine.
4 We gather as Church here and now.
A stream that will run for all time.
Life can’t be stale and wafer thin.
We are formed in the Word, Bread and Wine.
5 So Eucharist means you are loved.
Means all of your troubles are mine.
Life can’t be stale and wafer thin.
We are formed in the Word, Bread and Wine.
© Geoffrey Madden
I recently made new demos for what they are worth. They lack some enthusiasm! I also note I can’t follow the subtleties I put in the melody – for goodness sake Madden.
This song was written last year based on the readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. I got stuck on the fourth week and didn’t get going again after that.
My backing has the tune as I wrote. My demo perhaps not so much.
Chorus
Bringing good news to the poor,
Setting the captives free,
For the Body of Christ,
It’s time for this text to be.1 Amen, open the book.
Amen, Amen, it’s time to look.2 It’s time for many parts,
To come together in o-one heart.3 Church is diversity,
The parts are complimentary.4 Do not mourn, do not weep,
The joy of the Lord is yours to keep.© 2023 Geoffrey Madden
Oh dear, the last chord of the chorus is Eb not Bb. I play it capo 3 anyway like any good lazy guitarist. Here is a fake sheet with the melody.
I wrote this song last year based on the readings from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. If I feel like writing a song but I am not sure where to start, it’s not a bad idea to do that and if things work out you have a song to match a liturgy.
I am most open to suggestions for improvement.
1 We are not forsaken.
Our land is not abandoned.
God is always our help.
To his way we are wedded.Chorus
Let God’s glory be seen,
Shining like the dawn,
Flaming like a torch,
Firing our Antiphon.2 All good gifts God gives us,
Fair is his judgement.
Spirit give us wisdom,
So we may not be silent.© 2023 Geoffrey Madden
I tried to make demos but I don’t think I was following my own tune 100%. I also changed antiphon to song but I’m not sure if that is good or bad.
