My current parish sings Paul Taylor’s “Mass of St Francis”. This is fine, but other parishes I have played at knew two or three masses, which not only gave variety, but meant you could note changes of season by changing the mass you were using. I don’t know if anyone has recovered enough from the trauma of suddenly losing all their learned masses when the texts changed, to consider learning new masses again but there are a certainly a lot out there.
You would think though, that after more than ten years, we would now have a definitive stand out mass setting. Maybe the six settings recommended by the Bishops in Australia have just become the accepted standard and no further correspondence will be entered into. Has there been a mass that is so good, published since the changeover, that we all should embrace it?
Had we not cut back on masses for this week, I would have selected:
Jesus Is Risen (O’Brien- Ogilvie) AOV NG 82
Come To Me (Norbet) AOV 1/37
Shepherd Me O God (Haugen) AOV 1/33
Like a Shepherd (Dufford) AOV 1/160
Ideas from St Peter’s Rochedale in Queensland:
| Entrance | Like a Shepherd |
| Gloria | Sung |
| Responsorial Psalm | Sung McKenna |
| Gospel Acclamation | Alleluia No 1 |
| Offertory | Shepherd Me O God |
| Communion | Bread of Heaven |
| Thanksgiving | The Lord is My Shepherd |
| Recessional | Christ Be Our Light |
Current Parish… (Mother’s Day weekend and the Month of Mary seem to have played into the music choices.)
Gathering: On This Day, O Beautiful Mother (anon; BEAUTIFUL MOTHER)
Mass Parts: Mass of St. Ann (Bolduc)
Psalm: We Are His People (Alstott – Respond & Acclaim)
Gifts: Like a Child Rests (Walker)
Communion: Like a Shepherd (Dufford)
Closing: Let Heaven Rejoice (Dufford)
Home Parish…
Prelude: Around the Throne a Glorious Band (Hill; JESU DULCIS MEMORIA) – choir
Gathering: All People That on Earth Do Dwell (Kethe; OLD HUNDREDTH)
Sprinkling: Springs of Water, Bless the Lord (Haugen)
Mass Parts: Mass for a Servant Church (Guimont)
Psalm: We Are His People (Alstott – Respond & Acclaim)
Celtic Alleluia (O’Carroll/Walker)
Gifts: The Good Shepherd (Chepponis) – choir
Communion: The Good Shepherd Has Risen (Angrisano/Hart/Stephen – Let Us All Rejoice)
You Satisfy the Hungry Heart (Westendorf/Kreutz)
Regína Caeli/Mary, Heaven’s Queen (tr. Krisman; Latin & English chant) – choir
Closing: Good Shepherd, You Know Us (Idle; ST. DENIO)
Glory to God Who Does Wondrous Things [Haugen / O FILII ET FILIAE] – CWB2:348
Good Shepherd, You Know Us [Idle / SAINT DENIO] – CWB2:357
Shepherd of Souls, in Love Come Feed Us [Westendorf / NEUMARK] – CWB2:596
Now Let Us from This Altar Rise [Kaan / WINCHESTER NEW] – CWB2:560