Church Music

I reckon I can knock the rest of the OCP selections for Breaking Bread for 2025 before 2025 starts, because I’ve already looked at “The Feast Meant for Everyone,” so I can move on to another Sarah Hart co-write, this time with Dana Catherine.

It is obviously a Eucharist song and is in what I take to be an Appalachian style – let me know if that is wrong, Tasmania is a long way from Tennessee – that swells into the simple and singable chorus. I would take it down 2 notches to Bb and then cheat by playing it capo 3 in G because I am lazy. I haven’t heard a bad Sarah Hart song yet.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP and the text is in their preview.

I did these BIAB backings some time back and some of them are a bit of a surprise to me, like the accordion lead here.

If you are looking for a new setting for this funeral song, OCP have added Justin Krueger‘s one to Breaking Bread for 2025.

The text is the ICEL text in OCP’s preview, and the sheet music is also available at OCP.

The choice at funerals is have a soloist perform a song like this or find a familiar tune, like this version of the text set to OLD HUNDREDTH.

I made a backing for Krueger’s setting. I think I can hear a bit of “First Day of May” by the Bee Gees in there somewhere.

This addition to Breaking Bread for 2025 is a text I have already blogged here from Gather Australia, where it was set to RICHMOND. OCP have used Richard Runciman Terry‘s public domain tune BILLING in a copyrighted arrangement by Andrew Wright.

The text remains by John Henry Newman and so is PD as well..

OCP’s version can be purchased there.

My backing is more fake wind up BIAB organ.

Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise:
In all His words most wonderful;
Most sure in all His ways.

O loving wisdom of our God,
When all was sin and shame,
He, the last Adam, to the fight
And to the rescue came.

O wisest love! that flesh and blood
Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against the foe,
Should strive and should prevail.

And that a higher gift than grace
Should flesh and blood refine,
God’s presence, and His very self
And essence all-divine.

O generous love! that He, who smote
In man for man the foe,
The double agony in man
For man should undergo.

And in the garden secretly,
And on the cross on high,
Should teach His brethren, and inspire
To suffer and to die.

Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise:
In all His words most wonderful;
Most sure in all His ways.

This ancient song being added to Breaking Bread for 2025 by OCP, seems to be there due to a new translation from ICEL promulgated by USCCB. The original Latin text is by Thomas Aquinas and it is set to DUGUET. With a different translation it turned up in a post of mine called “Songs for a Corpus Christi Mass.” It is also suitable for Adoration.

I made a backing for this years ago.

I can’t find a clip with the new translation, so Latin will have to do.

This Marian hymn by Dan Schutte has been added to Breaking Bread for 2025.

The choir arrangement sounds nice.

Schutte adapted the text from Justin Mulcahy’s “Mary the Dawn”.

Sheet music here, text in the preview.

The list of songs added to Breaking Bread for 2025 by OCP continues with Randall DeBruyn‘s setting of the Nunc dimittis.

It is appropriate to Christmas and Holy Family liturgies, with the text lending itself to funerals as well. It is suitable for children. I’m not sure why it is in this year – it may be another specifically included for the Presentation of the Lord.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP where the text is in their preview. I would use the preview on the Breaking Bread site of the lyrics on their own but I have found the formatting chops letters off.

Another of the songs added by OCP to Breaking Bread for 2025 is Casey McKinley‘s recent setting of Father James Quinn‘s paraphrase of “The Prayer of St Francis”.

So apart from this music continuing the very sedate trend of recent years, resetting James Quinn is popular, as is McKinley for 2025 Breaking Bread. This is a replacement of the Temple version if you need that, and you may.

The sheet music is at OCP and you can find the text in their preview.

Watch for swell in the refrain in the clip from OCP – and a drum! It’s still quite restrained.

… and just for Chris, you can set this text to O WALY WALY.

OCP says that this is the setting of the new translation of Tantum ergo sacramentum promulgated by the USCCB. It is in their model for a Holy Hour for Vocations – scroll down to Benediction. The music is Wade’s ST THOMAS.

The sheet music is at OCP.

Continuing the new songs added for Breaking Bread in 2025 by OCP, is this majestic song for Holy Thursday. It has a text in both Spanish and English and is by Anna Betancourt.

The sheet music is at OCP, where the text is in their preview.

Janet Sullivan Whitaker‘s 2006 song “Keep Me In Your Heart” has been added to Breaking Bread for 2025 by OCP.

This a gentle sung prayer and a hopeful lament. OCP suggests it for times of grief and at a second rite of Reconciliation. I gather its original motivation was as a song of consolation for children who have lost a parent.

I suppose to get listed for use in parishes that use Breaking Bread exclusively, a song of this vintage has to be found useful in parishes that don’t exclusively use Breaking Bread.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP, where they provide the text in their preview.

My backing is almost restrained enough: