3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B, 2012)

Sunday, 22 January 2012

 
Entrance Sing a new song (John Bell)
Kyrie Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm Ps 24 (Geoffrey Boulton Smith/StephenDean)
Gospel Acclamation Alleluia Mode 2 (Plainchant)
Preparation of the Gifts Dear Lord and Father of mankind
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei Belmont Mass
Communion Taste and see (Richard Proulx)
Postcommunion A song of the light (Simon Lole)
Recessional O Christ, the same (Timothy Dudley-Smith/Londonderry Air)
 

We usually sing John Bell’s Sing a new song, with its Alleluia refrain, as a Gospel Acclamation. Its verses are from Ps 95(96), and since this was the source of today’s entrance antiphon, we took the opportunity to sing the whole of it as our entrance song. We normally do it a cappella, but today Anthony improvised a sparkling accompaniment, spreading out into improvised toccata both before and after.

The Missal offers two Communion antiphons today:

Look toward the Lord and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

We sang something to reflect each: Richard Proulx's setting of Ps 33(34), from which the first was drawn, and Simon Lole’s elegant paraphrase of Hail, gladdening light.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B, 2012)

Sunday, 15 January 2012

 
Entrance Here I am, Lord (Dan Schutte)
Kyrie Kyrie II from Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm Ps 39 (Paul Inwood)
Gospel Acclamation Sing a New Song (John Bell)
Preparation of the Gifts The Lamb (John Tavener)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei Holy Family Mass (John Schiavone)
Communion Jesus, Lamb of God (Bernadette Farrell)
Postcommunion Venite Comedite (William Byrd, 1540-1623)
Recessional Forth in the peace of Christ
 

The story of Samuel in the first reading, and the Psalm response, both had the words Here I am, and it was no distance from there to Dan Schutte’s old favourite. In the Gospel reading John the Baptist calls Jesus Lamb of God, and in Bernadette Farrell’s litany we did the same.

The refrain to Bernadette Farrell’s song has the words Hear our prayer, through this bread and wine we share, and our postcommunion motet, a setting of the tract (from Proverbs) from the Votive Mass of the Blessed Sacrament, also featured the word wine:

Venite comedite panem meam, et bibite vinum quod miscui vobis.

(Come and eat my bread, and drink the wine I have poured out for you)

In the previous translation of the Missal, today’s Communion antiphon did too, paraphrasing from the words calix inebrians in the Vulgate rendition of Ps 22(23):

The Lord has prepared a feast for me:
given wine in plenty for me to drink.

The new translation is more oblique:

You have prepared a table before me,
and how precious is the chalice that quenches my thirst.

The Epiphany (2012)

Sunday, 8 January 2012

 
Entrance O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
Gloria Gloria de Noël (Thomas Niel)
Psalm Ps 71 (Eugene Monaghan/Stephen Dean)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Bethlehem! of noblest cities
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Agnus Dei Missa Ubi Caritas
Communion Laudate Omnes Gentes (Taizé) & Reges Tharsis (chant)
Postcommunion Videntes stellam (Francis Poulenc, 1899-1963)
Recessional The first nowell
 

Poulenc’s Four Motets for Christmas Time are among my all-time favourite pieces of music. So I’m glad we could muster the forces for the quirkily serene Videntes Stellam. At least one member of the congregation reported a tingling spine.

Ordination to the Diaconate of Joseph Gee

Saturday before Epiphany

7 January 2012

 
Entrance Of the Father’s love begotten
Gloria Gloria de Noël (Thomas Niel)
Psalm Ps 149 (The Lord takes delight) (mcb)
Gospel Acclamation Easter Alleluia
Litany of the Saints chant
Vesting How lovely is your dwelling place (Paul Wellicome)
Kiss of Peace Si quis mihi ministraverit (chant)
Preparation of the Gifts Cantate Domino (Giuseppe Pitoni, 1657-1743)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Agnus Dei Missa Ubi Caritas
Communion (i) Bread of Life (Bernadette Farrell)
(ii) O nata lux (Thomas Tallis, c. 1505-1585)
Recessional Songs of thankfulness and praise
 

An ordination to the diaconate was a new experience for us, in the last 20-odd years at any rate. I thought the elements proper to the rite combined well with seasonal items appropriate to the Saturday falling before a late Epiphany.

The vesting of the new deacon calls for Ps 83(84), and we had Paul Wellicome’s gentle reflective setting. Ps 146(146) is laid down for the Kiss of Peace, but with only the Bishop and four other deacons exchanging the sign of peace with Joseph, we sang just the antiphon, taken from the Graduale. The Responsorial Psalm was from Ps 149, and we had my simple setting during the Liturgy of the Word, and Pitoni’s more boisterous rendition at the Preparation of the Gifts.