Australia Day falls on a Sunday this year, which I believe means you can use the liturgy for that day rather than the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We will have Australian music featured, including Michael Herry’s “A Blessing Hymn for Australia”.
Does anyone have suggestions for other liturgical songs about Australia for such celebrations. The song “We Are Australians” is often used but it is hardly liturgical.
I was thinking about church music specifically for Australia and remembered a couple of Michael Mangan songs from the out of print collection, Sing Jubilee. I can’t find these for sale at Litmus, so you might have to talk to Michael yourself if you want to use them.
It was written for the 2000 Jubilee so you substitute as indicated. The idea was to put your local places in the song. Since the song has disappeared I’ll put the lyrics up unless Michael tells me to take them down.
1 All through the ages since time began
Back through the mists of the dreaming
The Spirit has moved in this Great Southern Land
Making God’s creation sing.
Chorus
This Great Southern Land, Holy Spirit Land,
Sing out your praises to God.
Gathered side by side we’re standing hand in hand,
Singing
Jubilee[to our Lord] in this Holy Spirit Land.2 From Uluru and Alice to the Harbour Bridge,
From Perth to the Great Divide,
From Port Arthur to Bendigo and Lightning Ridge,
We celebrate God’s gift of life.
Chorus
3 From Broome to Ballarat and Bondi Beach,
To the land where the Murrumbidgee flows,
From Adelaide and Melbourne and the Barrier Reef,
That’s where God’s Spirit blows.
Chorus
4 We’ve gathered here from across the seas
to call this land our home.
We celebrate our differences with unity,
and make God’s peace our own.
Chorus
© 1998 Litmus Productions
Help of Christians Guard this Land is extremely popular – http://www.godsongs.net/2017/05/help-of-christians-guard-this-land-from-assault-or-inward-stain.html
Give Glory (http://www.godsongs.net/2017/02/give-glory-take-this-sand-take-this-snow.html) – it probably hasn’t had much liturgical use
Lord of Earth and All Creation (http://www.godsongs.net/2017/02/lord-of-earth-and-all-creation-let-your-love-possess-this-land.html) – which could be useful in if you are acknowledging the sensitivities around Australia Day.
(I don’t go looking for Australian hymns – these are ones that people have requested.)
Many thanks, Mary.
Geoff
For Australian traditional hymnody I can’t go past the McAuley / Connolly classics and these fit in with the liturgy’s themes. The alternative gospel in the lectionary (Luke 12:22-32) could have a very Australian description: “She’ll be right”.
Entrance: Jesus, in Your Heart We Find
Procession of Gifts: Sing a New Song, Sing a New Song [SONG OF COSMIC PRAISE]
Communion: By Your Priestly Power, O Risen Lord
Recessional: Holy Father, God of Might
Mary, Help of Christians Guard This Land could replace one of these.
An additional Australian contemporary traditional style hymn is Michael Herry’s excellent “A Blessing Song for Australia” in CWB 2 and also (legally!) free with an audio recording at http://www.maristmusic.org.au/a-blessing-hymn-for-australia#
In my previous list I would now move Sing a New Song, Sing a New Song to the Entrance and place this hymn at the Procession of Gifts.