21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A, 2011)

Sunday, 21 August 2011

 
Entrance The Church’s one foundation
Gospel Acclamation Easter Alleluia
Preparation of the Gifts Praise to the Lord, the almighty
Sanctus & Acclamation, Amen Gathering Mass (Paul Inwood)
Communion Eat this bread (Taizé)
Recessional Now thank we all our God
 

A glimpse of our summer fare, when the choir’s on holiday. The accompaniment was a mixture of organ and piano, there was a cantor for the verses during communion and the celebrant (Fr Anthony) supplied sung dialogues at the Gospel and in the Eucharistic Prayer.

The opening hymn tied in with the words from the Gospel reading: I will build my Church. The hymn at the preparation of the gifts and the recessional hymn both took up the image from the first verse of the responsorial psalm:

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart,
you have heard the words of my mouth.
Before the angels I will bless you.
I will adore before your holy temple.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A, 2011)

Sunday, 31 July 2011


Entrance All who hunger, gather gladly
Kyrie Kyrie for 3 voices adapted from Byrd (mcb)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm The eyes of everyone (mcb)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Cantique de Jean Racine (Gabriel Fauré, 1845-1924)
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Gathering Mass (Paul Inwood)
Agnus Dei Take and Eat (Michael Joncas & Gary Daigle)
Communion Come to me and drink (Bob Hurd)
Postcommunion Panis Angelicus (César Franck, 1822-1890)
Recessional Now thank we all our God
 

For the Gospel story of the feeding of the five thousand (“to say nothing of women and children”) we sang our opening hymn, and gave Panis Angelicus another outing. The first reading, from Isaiah, addressed the thirsty as well as the hungry, so we sang Bob Hurd’s Come to me and drink, with verses from Psalm 41(42).

Gremlins in the preparation of the people’s booklet meant we had one last unscheduled outing for the Gathering Mass in its old form, including a final sing through the words Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. I’m glad we had one last encounter.

The choir’s on holiday in August. I think we (including our singing assembly) are ready for the change to the new Missal translation when we come back in September. Musically speaking, all that will be new then will be the sung dialogues, and hopefully the fact of singing them will make the words And with your spirit feel less strange than saying them, for a while at least.