I’m pushing on to find Jubilee songs, while we are in the Jubilee year of 2025.
This is the CRA‘s song for the Jubilee, written by Simon Hyland.
It is a song that I think has uses outside of the Catholic Religious communities of sisters, brothers and priests, but I haven’t been able to find a link to the sheet music anywhere.
The full text is available here and we can at least sing along to the clip, but it would be nice to have some music, so if anyone knows where it can be sourced or has nutted it out, I’d be interested.
STOP PRESS 7/3/25
Taylor Coutinho from CRA has been in touch – the sheet music is now available here.
In that case why not a backing track, key change and all:
Two clips of the same song with different visuals:
I had so much trouble making this backing as I didn’t notice the verses were subtly different and all my lazy short cutting didn’t work.
1 On this sacred journey We seek human dignity Each one of us is precious Show respect and empathy. Keepers of the earth Care for all creation Conserve, care and cultivate Every land and every nation.
Chorus WE ARE PILGRIMS OF HOPE FOLLOWING THE WAY OUR EYES ARE FIXED ON YOU. KEEP THE FLAME BURNING AND OUR HEARTS YEARNING OUR DESIRE MUST BE RENEWED. CELEBRATE THIS JUBILEE THIS SYMPHONY OF PRAYER RAISE YOUR VOICES IN HARMONY TOGETHER LET US SHARE
2 Blaze a trail of love Help those in poverty. Do not turn a blind eye, Spread love and charity. Serve one another, In solidarity Use the gifts you have, Create community.
Chorus
3 Blessed are the peacemakers, You children of God. Building bridges of hope At home and abroad. With Jesus at the centre, There is no need to fear. Follow His example, The truth that we hold dear
Bridge
Lift your hands in surrender, Feel the power of Gods’ grace. With love and compassion Make the world a better place. Walk in faith, Our hope isin the Lord Open our hearts, Our hope is in the Lord Be a light in the world Our hope isin the Lord On earth as it is in heaven.
WE ARE PILGRIMS OF HOPE FOLLOWING THE WAY OUR EYES ARE FIXED ON YOU.
Chorus
Outro
WE ARE PILGRIMS OF HOPE FOLLOWING THE WAY OUR EYES ARE FIXED ON YOU.
This is Michael Herry‘s hymn for the Jubilee year, co-written with Tricia Murray, and set to BUNESSAN. It has a Marian text and is a natural for the Star of the Sea parish here in George Town.
Pilgrims of hope, we gather with Mary, Here in this fam’ly, seeking your way. Loved by the Father, baptized in Jesus, Out of the darkness into the day.
God of compassion, tender and patient, Deepen our faith in Jesus, your Son. Send us the Spirit, guide ev’ry pilgrim, Lead us to pasture on our way home.
Pilgrims of hope, we boldly proclaim you, Pledging our lives to live in your light. Beyond the shadows, hope will not fail us, Radiant your presence, holy and bright.
Renew our hearts and lives in your Spirit, Deepen our faith to live in your love. Where two or three are gathered together, There you are with us, here and above.
Joy to you Mary, blest among women, Beacon to fain hearts, Star of the Sea. Lead us O Mother to your son Jesus; He is our Good News, hope given free.
I’m pretty sure it was Chris who alerted me to this one and he has his helpful backing + music post on YouTube.
There are a few more Jubilee Year song matters to deal with.
The lovely people at CJM music collective have had a crack at the official hymn for the Jubilee, in a style better suited to a “a more contemporary liturgical music repertoire.”
You can find their arrangement in 2 keys here, and it fits on one page!
This is the official version, which I blogged here. Maybe I just don’t like long echo times, but the song benefits from their simple arrangement.
Willow’s Pilgrims of Hope collection closes out with another Gen Bryant song, this time in collaboration with Ashen Warnakulasooryia. The sheet music and other bundles for the collection can be purchased at Willow.
Like the other songs in the collection, the text is inspired by the themes of Jubilee year, but here with additional inspiration from St Mary Mackillop and Sister Joan Chittester.
This is an inspirational song that will suit school ministry. Gen was thinking of celebrating the diversity and connectedness she sees in Australia, but the themes are universal beyond her country and the Jubilee year. It is also a song for people who feel their spirituality while on their feet and moving.
My backing has a different feel to her great version – mine is more a laid back dance beat.
1 There is a light, guiding our hearts, To see through the storm. There is a way, we travel as one, By name we are called.
Prechorus
From the north to the south, every sight, every sound. From the east to the west, light will rise and will set. Feel the dust at our feet, it will centre our hearts. See the rivers collide, we are one, we will rise and sing…
This song came about when Gen Bryant, Steph Jorna, Brigid McNally and myself were put together at a songwriter’s retreat last year to write a song for the Jubilee.
We were all responsible for the lyrics, throwing the themes of the Jubilee back and forth, looking for a lyric suitable for schools and young people at least. I must say it is amazing how quickly things come together with experienced songwriters like Gen, Brigid and Steph bouncing words around.
Gen had the guitar so she laid down a simple backing and we added a crescendo leading up to the chorus, with the words, “Let Your Kingdom come.”
I wrote the words and chords down for myself and made a backing as far as I could remember things.
Gen continued to work on the tune to take it beyond the simple initial melody and chords – diminished chords anyone, and it was fascinating to see how she worked on it, doubling the chorus, adding an interlude and using more sophisticated melody, chords and bass lines. She also changed the words leading up the the verse.
I made a backing in a similar style but incorporating all her changes.
1 We are pilgrims on a journey, Come and walk with us. (Come and walk with us.) We are lifting up our voices, Come and sing with us. (Come and sing with us.) We will share God’s gift with all.
Chorus
Be hope! Be faith! Light the flame of charity. Be hope! Be faith! Shine your light for all to see. (Rpt)
Interlude
Be hope! Oh woah! Be hope! Oh woah!
2 Faith is bringing us together, Sharing joy and peace. Grace is bringing us together, Love will never cease. So, let’s share God’s gift with all.
My grandson, Hope, was born last year and after 2 1/2 months in hospital and tube fed until recently, he is pretty well now. This will always be a song for him as far as I am concerned.
This is the first song I’ve blogged that was written this year!
It is a chant-like reflective sung prayer, from the collection, Pilgrims of Hope, matching the themes of the Jubilee, but with a more universal application.
This is Patricia Smith‘s contribution to Willow’s new collection, Pilgrims of Hope. She is one of the songwriters, like Peter Grant, David MacGregor and Erica Marshall, who would have been more well known in Australia if circumstances would have allowed for an As One Voice Vol 3.
This song is an obvious choice for Pentecost if you come from the “Great South Land”, and I am always keen on anything that is not Eurocentric nor Americocentric in liturgy. It is a reflective gem.
Pilgrims of Hope can be purchased in various bundles at Willow.
Refrain
Come, Spirit, come. Come, Holy Spirit of the Great South Land. Come, fill our hearts with the fire of your love, And come, Spirit, come.
1 Bless and unite all your people, Lord And guide us as we seek to do your will. Come, Spirit, come.
Refrain
2 Give us the courage to speak the truth With love for one another, trusting you. Come, Spirit, come.
Refrain
3 Give us the grace to know you, Your presence in our midst and in our world. Come, Spirit, come.
Refrain
4 Open our hearts to listen, To know and understand your will for us. Come, Spirit, come.
Beth Doherty has written a lovely song that truly embodies the theme of Hope for the Jubilee.
It is in the new Willow collection, Pilgrims of Hope and you can buy the sheet music and other bundles at Willow.
Liturgically, Beth’s hymn would suit anointing and Gifts especially. As I sit here this morning contemplating yet another day of General Practice, it is providing welcome contemplative solace, for which I am grateful.
I let Band in a Box keep it simple on this backing.
1 All the hungry, All the thirsty, All the righteous, All the broken. Those who carry heavy burdens, Come, come, come.
2 All the sinners, All the faithful, All the fearful, Come and be filled. Those whose cross is hard to carry, Come, come, come.
Chorus
For a table has been furnished In sight of all your foes, The oil of gladness Poured out on your wounds. And your burdens will be taken By the One who hears your prayers And beauty be restored for all to see.
3 All the poor and All the rich And all the lonely, All the weary, Those whose days seem overwhelming, Come, come, come.
4 All who know you, All who seek you, All of those with no knowledge of you, Let your name be praised forever, Come, come, come.
I've worked my way through the As One Voice books and other collections making backings on Band in a Box to help me (& you if you're interested) learn new songs for church. This is aimed at churches and musicians that own the collections but haven't exploited them fully. If you don't have them they are certainly worth buying. This site is educational, nonprofit and designed to enhance the commercial prospects of songwriters. This site does not distribute copyrighted sheet music.
Disclaimer
Any opinions expressed here are personal views and not the responsibility of any Church.
All music backings posted are created by myself and the intention is for them to be used to learn the songs. If any copyright holder wishes me to cease publicising and promoting their wares and directing people to where sheet music can be legally purchased please let me know.
Mason’s “Mass of Glory and Praise”
To access my backings for Paul Mason's mass go to Feb 2011 in the archive.
