| Entrance | Your love is finer than life (Marty Haugen) |
| Kyrie | Missa Orbis Factor |
| Psalm | O that today (Chris O’Hara) |
| Gospel Acclamation | Glory and Praise (mcb) |
| Preparation of the Gifts | Sitivit anima mea (G.P. da Palestrina, 1525-1594) |
| Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen | Missa Orbis Factor |
| Agnus Dei | Missa Orbis Factor |
| Communion | Come to me and drink (Bob Hurd) |
| Postcommunion | (silence) |
| Recessional | Guide me, O thou great redeemer |
Much as three years ago (minus the sprinkling).
| Entrance | Remember your mercy (Paul Inwood) |
| Kyrie | Missa Orbis Factor |
| Psalm | Ps 32 (Alan Rees) |
| Gospel Acclamation | Glory and Praise (mcb) |
| Preparation of the Gifts | Lord, for thy tender mercy’s sake (attr. John Hilton, d. 1608) |
| Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen | Missa Orbis Factor |
| Agnus Dei | Missa Orbis Factor |
| Communion | Here is my chosen (Psallite) |
| Postcommunion | (silence) |
| Recessional | Immortal, Invisible |
The Entrance antiphon today begins
Remember your compassion, O Lord
and your merciful love, for they are from of old.
and we sang of the same things in our Entrance song and at the preparation of the gifts. The Gospel reading was St Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration, taken up in our Communion and Recessional songs.
| Opening Hymn | The Church’s one foundation |
| Responsorial Psalm | Teach me, O God (Christopher Walker) |
| Gospel Acclamation | Glory and Praise (mcb) |
| Enrolment | In the Lord is my true salvation (Berthier/Inwood) |
| After the Election of the Catechumens | Who calls you my name (David Haas) |
| Welcome of Candidates | Always in your presence (Philip Jakob) |
| After Welcome of Candidates | Wisdom, come softly (Martin Barry & Diane Murden) - choir |
| Prayers of Intercession | Miserere nobis from Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Recessional Hymn | Love divine, all loves excelling |
Good numbers this year, and as usual a willing singing assembly. It all made for a happy and memorable celebration.
| Entrance | Dear Lord and Father of Mankind |
| Kyrie | Missa Orbis Factor |
| Psalm | Ps 50 (Stephen Dean) |
| Gospel Acclamation | Glory and Praise (mcb) |
| Preparation of the Gifts | Emendemus in Melius (William Byrd, c. 1540-1623) |
| Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen | Missa Orbis Factor |
| Agnus Dei | Missa Orbis Factor |
| Communion | Not on bread alone are we nourished (Psallite) |
| Postcommunion | (silence) |
| Recessional | Led by the Spirit (Bob Hurd) |
| Entrance | O God, I seek you (Marty Haugen) |
| Psalm | Ps 50 (Stephen Dean) |
| Gospel Acclamation | Glory and Praise (mcb) |
| Imposition of Ashes | Bless the Lord, my soul (Taizé) |
| Sanctus, Acclamation C, Amen | Missa Orbis Factor & Missal tones |
| Agnus Dei | Missa Orbis Factor |
| Communion | Miserere Mei (attr. G.B Pergolesi, 1710-1736) |
| Recessional | Our Father, we have wandered |
Since Pergolesi died young, and at the peak of his fame, he bequeathed a powerful brand name to later composers seeking a quick route to high-volume sales. I read somewhere that in catalogues of his compositions, works actually written by him are massively outnumbered by works falsely attributed to him. I've no idea whether the brief atmospheric setting of the first verse of Ps 50 (51) that we sang tonight is authentic Pergolesi: the only recorded version I know of attributes it to him unquestioningly, but there’s scant mention of the piece anywhere else, and the only respectable-looking scholarly citation suggests that the jury is still out. No matter. It’s a beautiful and dramatic miniature which I’m glad we’ve added to our repertoire.
| Entrance | All my hope on God is founded |
| Kyrie | Kyrie for 3 voices, adapted from Byrd (mcb) |
| Gloria | Mass of the Redeemer (mcb) |
| Psalm | Ps 61 (Martin Foster) |
| Gospel Acclamation | St Agatha Alleluia (mcb) |
| Preparation of the Gifts | Seek ye first the kingdom of God |
| Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen | Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker) |
| Agnus Dei | from Beneath the Tree of Life (Marty Haugen) |
| Communion | In God alone (Taizé) & Ps 61 (Bévenot) |
| Postcommunion | Quaerite Primum (W.A. Mozart, 1756-1791) |
| Recessional | Lord, for tomorrow and its needs |
The obvious musical cues in both the responsorial psalm and the Gospel reading meant that the musical selections were much the same as three years ago. We tried out two new psalm tones: during the Communion procession, we alternated Jacques Berthier’s refrain with verses from Ps 61(62) instead of Ps 127, and the responsorial psalm itself was a setting by Martin Foster.
| Entrance | Praise my soul, the King of heaven |
| Kyrie | Kyrie II from Paschal Mass (Alan Rees) |
| Gloria | Mass of the Redeemer (mcb) |
| Psalm | Ps 102 (Geoffrey Boulton Smith) |
| Gospel Acclamation | St Agatha Alleluia (mcb) |
| Preparation of the Gifts | Will you let me be your servant |
| Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen | Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker) |
| Agnus Dei | from Beneath the Tree of Life (Marty Haugen) |
| Communion | Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Postcommunion | Love Divine (Howard Goodall) |
| Recessional | God is love: let heaven adore him |
Today’s readings spoke in several places of love, human and divine. Our songs at the preparation of the gifts and during the Communion procession touched on the former; our postcommunion and recessional pieces the latter.
