Having Christmas on Sunday really plays up with the usual liturgies – Holy Family and Baptism of the Lord get bumped to weekday masses and we get Mary, Epiphany and then into Ordinary Time. I think I used to understand this when I studied it at ACU. Out of an abundance of caution I won’t be playing this week as I am still symptomatic from Covid and I want to be sure of things before I am out and about too much.
I wanted to start using “Mercy from the Heart” of God by Monica O’Brien and Gina Ogilvie, whenever mercy comes up in the readings, but I will get around to it. It can be purchased at Willow Digital Publishing.
We have been playing one of my old backing tracks for the start of communion so the musicians can have Eucharist then get ready to start playing a hymn after everyone else has received. This works when numbers are low because if you go first then play you have hardly started and communion is over, but if you play a communion song immediately you leave the priest standing for a couple of verses. This suits the liturgical flow better and even now with numbers coming up a bit with warmer weather I will leave things as they are. What I am getting around to saying is that my choices for communion look odd because I am using an instrumental for actual communion then a hymn follows.
What I was going to play was:
Entrance: Christ be Our Light (Farrell) AOV 2/3
Gifts: Mercy from the Heart of God (O’Brien/Ogilive) AOVD
Communion: Blessed One (Thompson) VAO 2/215
Recessional: Joy to the World.
CWB2:269 Once in Royal David’s City [Alexander / IRBY]
CWB2:247 The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came [Baring-Gould / GABRIEL’S MESSAGE]
CWB2:273 Unto Us a Child Is Born [Dearmer / PUER NOBIS NASCITUR] +
CWB2:212 My Soul Rejoices in God, My Saviour [Alstott / MAGNIFICAT]
262 Hark! the Herald Angels Sing [Wesley / MENDELSSOHN]
I was determined to keep Christmas going with plenty of carols having at least a hint of the mention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and I will try not to grit my teath too much at CWB’2 change of “Boy is born” to “Child is born”! Being in Hobart, I’m expecting (hoping?) for loads of tourists to turn up, as happened pre-Covid, hence two communion hymns (if needed).
Gathering: Angels We Have Heard on High (GLORIA)
Mass Parts: Mass of St. Ann (Bolduc)
Psalm: O God, Let All the Nations (Smith)
Gifts: On This Day, O Beautiful Mother (BEAUTIFUL MOTHER)
Communion: Give Us Your Peace (Manibusan/Hart)
Day of Peace (Whitaker)
Closing: Go, Tell It on the Mountain (Work; GO TELL IT)