Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Maundy Thursday, 2010)

Thursday, 1 April 2010

Opening Hymn	The glory of the cross (John Ainslie)
Gloria	Mass of the Creator Spirit (Ed Nowak)
Responsorial Psalm	The Blessing Cup (Sue Furlong)
Gospel Acclamation	A New Commandment
Washing of Feet	If there is this love among you (Barry/Murden)
Preparation of the Gifts	Ubi Caritas (Maurice Duruflé, 1902-1986)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen	Mass XVII Missal Tone: When we eat this bread Missal Tone
Agnus Dei	Mass XVII
Communion	O Sacrum Convivium (Thomas Tallis, c. 1505-1585) Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Procession	Pange Lingua (plainchant) Stay with me (Taizé)

John Ainslie’s hymn text The glory of the cross we sing fits well with today’s entrance antiphon We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We sang it in procession, to the tune Gonfalon Royal. The reponsorial psalm was the Irish composer Sue Furlong’s setting from the first volume of Music for the Mass, and with that and both If there is this love during the washing of feet, and Ubi Caritas at the preparation of the gifts, we had a fair proportion of the proper texts from the Missal forming our sung prayer.

For the procession to the altar of repose, we had Pange lingua as usual, with the men’s and women’s voices alternating for the first four verses, then coming together for Tantum ergo, which made its impact all the stronger.

There’s nothing prescribed in the Missal to be sung during the adoration, but walking away in silence would feel more like an end than a beginning to the period of watching. Jacques Berthier’s Stay with me, sung unaccompanied in semi-darkness, was, I thought, an effective way to lead us into the heart of prayer.