St. Junipero Serra founded a chain of missions throughout California in the 1700s. A series of anti-Catholic arson and vandalism incidents took place at the missions in recent years, with one in Los Angeles being severely damaged but thankfully now fully repaired. Pray for people who hate the Church, that their hearts will turn to God.
St. Gregory of Narek (c.950-1003/11) was an Armenian monk and poet. His most important work, Lamentations, contains a series of poems about the glory of God and man’s inadequacy. Pope Francis made him a Doctor of the Church in 2015.
Instrumentation: SATB chorus, harpsichord, piano, organ
Duration: 2’
E
With Your Word, You created C
Everything that is E
You alone weave light and dark C
Yours alone is grace A
What can I be but embarrassed and silent B
The Shepherd of Hermas is an apocryphal writing from the early Church. While ultimately not included in the New Testament, it was often read by early Christians because of its powerful allegorical view of the Church as a woman helping the author through life.
Instrumentation: Voice, electric guitar, bass guitar, spoken voice, piano
Duration: 1’30”
Saint Oscar Romero (1917-80) served as archbishop of El Salvador from 1977-80. His advocacy for the poor gained him powerful enemies who assassinated him while he was celebrating Mass on March 24, 1980. His killers were never brought to justice or even definitely identified. Romero was canonized by Pope Francis in 2018. The main part of this piece is addressed to Romero’s assassins while underneath a piano accompanies a spoken voice reciting the archbishop’s own words.
To you who pulled the trigger – how does it feel to kill a saint?
During the 1930s, at the chapel of the Convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at Krakow, Poland, Saint Faustina received apparitions from Jesus and Mary that would form the basis of the Divine Mercy movement. Not long after Faustina’s death in 1938, a young Karol Wojtyla – the future Saint John Paul II – would sometimes stop and pray in the same chapel after ending his day working at a nearby quarry. After surviving both the Nazi occupation and Communist control, Wojtyla became pope, and canonized Faustina in 2000.
In that quiet place, she would pray
Just before things erupted again.
St. Blandine (162-177) was a fifteen-year-old slave who was arrested by Roman authorities for following Christ. When she refused to give up her faith, she was sentenced to death in an arena. When lions refused to attack her, the soldiers inflicted burns on her then allowed her to be trampled to death by bulls. Blandine’s place of martyrdom, the Amphithéâtre des Trois Gaules, still stands in Lyon, France – the spot where she died is marked by a simple pillar. Her feast day is June 2.
Bartolomé de las Casas (1484-1566) was a Spanish Dominican friar who, shocked by human rights violations he saw in Central and South America, spent most of his life in an unpopular fight for better conditions for indigenous and enslaved people in the New World. One of his major works, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, helped lead to reform in how these people were treated. His life still provides an example of Catholic social teaching in action, and shows the need for us to stand up today for defenseless victims at all stages of life.
Engagée dans la diffusion de la musique catholique, je cherche à partager des chants pour contribuer à l’œuvre d’évangélisation selon mes humbles moyens. Que Dieu veille sur chacun de nous !
I've written a Mass setting, got it approved by the USCCB, several psalm settings, and a couple years of gospel acclamation verses. Looking for a place to publish my works.
As a Catholic songwriter and singer myself, I want to contribute to the community and receive info on how to promote good Catholic songs to a wide audiences.
I am Catholic and a piano teacher. The Catholic Church has the most beautiful treasury of hymns.
I want my students to study hymns. Also, I want to memorize the words of some of the hymns that are in Latin and having access to the sheet music will help with that. Thank you.
I'm a music director at a Cathedral and a composer. I would love to hear other composers, music, ideas, etc. Additionally, I'd like to share my own music.
I am searching for a hymn sung on line in Canada - when I am confined to home and watch mass. I am a piano player for many years and would like to find the musical score.