Church Music

Happy 2025 – the century is a quarter over and I didn’t notice it happen.

Over the years this blog has moved emphasis to look at somewhat contemporary, Australian Catholic music. This is the style of music I am used to, and where I look for “new song” in parish music ministry. If that’s not your speed there are any number of chant sites and excellent traditional music sites (eg Liturgy Share) available.

American music dominates our airwaves and our churches in Australia and I am happy to cover that less. The OCP vs GIA duolopy can’t be healthy, although I note independents like WorshipNow springing up that might be worth a look – they don’t ship to Australia though, it would have to be as an ebook. Maybe I should turn to Ireland and the UK, or even see what New Zealand and Canada have to offer, since many of my favourite secular artists are from there.

I have looked down many rabbit holes to find songs to look at and there are not a lot of commercial sources that remain uncovered. I know many Catholic parishes and schools use a lot of Hillsong, but I doubt they need help from me and I’m not a huge fan. While I await what happens in Australian Catholic music after the demise of Catholic Worship Book 2, the two areas that provide hope are music coming out of parishes and youth ministries. For example, the Proclaim Lismore Wildfire groups of young musicians and Erwin Cabucos from a suburban parish have self produced and published music of interest.

If anyone reading this knows of people making their own music in parishes that would like their music known outside their area let me know – all I need is a melody line and chords and links to where the sheet music is available.

That said there are still some very deep archives in Australian Christian music and David MacGregor, the Uniting church minister from Brisbane, has a lot of material on his website to peruse. What I do with his trove is that I print enough music to fill a folder and then that’s enough until next time. I still only got from F to H in this tranche!

These backings were done some time ago when I was ill on and off so there may be more idiosyncratic than usual – I won’t know until I look at them again.

David has taken Terrye Coelho’s simple trinitarian chorus (changing “I” to “we” for a communal worship setting) and added extra words (We praise you, Lord…), some new music and a reggae feel. It can be sung as a round. An obvious song for Trinity Sunday, it would benefit from minimal instrumentation.

The sheet music is at his website.

My BIAB backing attempts to follow his directions: with a “Jack Johnson”/Reggae feel.

Father, we adore You.
Lay our lives before You.
How we love You.

Jesus, we adore You.
Lay our lives before You.
How we love You.

Spirit, we adore You.
Lay our lives before You.
How we love You.

We praise you, Lord; God, three in one.

We praise you Father, Spirit, Son.

For us, you com – come bless us;

Father, Spirit, Son.

Father, we adore you – © Terrye Coelho

additional words & music – © 2010 David MacGregor

I can’t find a music clip of McGregor’s take on this song. Here is the original version as a round:

Erwin Cabucos also sent this useful recessional song with a text that puts us in the right mind to enter the world as the Body of Christ.

There are three verses including a key change and a verse of “la la’s” – as I mentioned yesterday he fears them not.

The sheet music is available from sheetmusicdirect.

My backing is nothing like Erwin’s but you can sing along to learn it nonetheless.

We are sent forth to live a life in the footsteps of Christ
To be eyes that see the plight of the marginalised
To be hands that lift those who are broken and lost
To be hearts that accept those who are shattered and tossed
We are sent forth! 

We are sent forth as the Body of Christ nourished by His grace
To be presence of peace in the world that solemnly prays
To be living signs of hope for our Earth needing repair
To be minds with the light of Christ that banishes fear
We are sent forth!

We go out from mass to live our mission in life
To live the gifts of the spirit in us that inspire
To live the Word of the Lord so He can be heard
To let the face of Christ shine in the world
We are sent forth!

La la la …

We are sent forth!

Words and music by © 2024 Erwin Cabucos

Holy Family

Entrance: Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Psalm 83 (McKenna)

How happy they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

Gifts: What Child Is This

Communion: Summoned by Love  (O’Brien/Watts) AOV 2/18

Recessional: Joy to the World

Epiphany

Entrance: We Three Kings

Psalm 71 ( McKenna)

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you, will adore you.

Gifts: Star Child (Shirley Erina Murray – Carlton R. Young) AOV 2/43  

Communion: Born in the Night (Ainger) AOV 2/101

Recessional: Angels We Have Heard On High

Baptism of the Lord

Entrance: Come to the Water (Andersen) AOV 1/74

Psalm 103 ( McKenna)

Oh, bless the Lord, my soul.

Gifts:  Baptised in Water (Saward; tune BUNESSAN) CWB II 99

Communion: I Have Loved You (Joncas) AOV 1/126

Recessional: All You Works of God (Haugen) AOV 1/19

Erwin Cabucos has sent two more songs with which I can round out the year. Erwin is Queensland based teacher and author, originally from the Phillipines. He has had a prolific year of songwriting that just keeps going.

This one is a psalm-like sung prayer of gratitude, which is a recurring theme in his songs. He is a great antidote for grumpy old cynics like myself.

The sheet music is available at sheetmusicplus.

My backings don’t sound much like his versions but here is my attempt. He is unafraid of “la-las”, but I, being less brave, make them guitar solos. The verses need attention to the variations in tune to fit the text. There is a harmony part for the second and third verse.

1 Lord, you alone satisfy

My thirst for happiness,

My quest for purpose.

Lord, you alone gratify

My longing for joy.

My wanting for meaning in life.

Refrain:           I seek you, Lord, for a happy, fulfilled life.

                        I look to you who keeps my spirit alive.

                        I cling to you from all the strife in this world.

                        I trust in you, you are my hope, O Lord.

2 Your sacred words are guide and light

That brighten my meagre path

To a holy life.

Your beatitudes purify

My heart for compassion

And hope-filled attitude for the world.

Refrain

3 You alone are worthy of praise and glory.

You’re my rock, my fortress.

Saving me from enemies.        

You knit me together in my mother’s womb,

My heart is restless

Until it finds rest in thee.

Refrain

Words and music © 2024 Erwin Cabucos

Finishing up the additions to Breaking Bread 2025 from OCP is this song for veneration of the Cross on Good Friday by Santiago Fernández. There are four verses in Spanish and four in English and the refrain is bilingual. This is a reverent, moving hymn that would suit parishes needing both languages.

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

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.