An Advent Calendar of Hymn Tune Propers

I hope that some parishes will find this Advent Calendar useful. It is designed for parishes that have little familiarity with the proper texts of the liturgy, and especially with chant.

The hymn-tune format allows Pastors and Music Directors to make an easy initial transition towards the singing of the propers. Anyone can sing these texts to already-established hymn tunes in Long Meter, such as Creator Alme Siderum (Creator of the Stars of Night), Old 100th (All People That on Earth Do Dwell), Duke Street (Jesus Shall Reign), or Jesu Dulcis Memoria (O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine).

I have found the proper texts of the Mass to be nourishing, and am happy to provide this for anyone's use.

Hymn for St. Teresa

To the tune ISTE CONFESSOR: the hymn tune for Doctors of the Universal Church

This is the feast day of the Lord's true witness,
Lover of Jesus, leading others to Him,
Woman of wisdom, passionate and truthful,
Filled with God's favor.

God gave her grace like water from the heavens.
She drank it deeply, even as she suffered;
Perfectly docile, saint and holy teacher:
Light for the ages.

Mantle around us, Mary, flow'r of Carmel,
Pray to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
That They may give us, with the great Teresa,
Life everlasting.

Kathy Pluth, 2003

Hymn to St. Anne

The morning star is on the rise
And soon the dawn will fill the skies,
Foretelling of the coming Sun
Whose light will shine on everyone.

The Sun of justice, Christ, true Light,
And Mary, grace's dawning bright,
And Anna, reddening the sky,
Have caused the night of Law to fly.

O mother Anna, fruitful root,
From you came your salvation's shoot,
For you brought forth the flow'ring rod
That bore for us the Christ of God.

Christ's mother's mother, by the grace
Your daughter's birth brought to our race,
And by her merits and her prayer
May we her favors come to share.

O Jesus, Virgin-born, to You
All glory is forever due.
To Father and the Spirit, praise
Be sung through everlasting days.

Trans. c. 2009 Kathleen Pluth. All rights reserved.

Nunc Tempus Acceptabile

An Office hymn for Lent:

Today is the accepted time.
Christ’s healing light, the gift divine
Shines forth to save the penitent
To wake the world by means of Lent.

The light of Christ will show the way
That leads to God’s salvation day.
The rigor of this fasting mends
The hearts that hateful sinning rends.

Keep all our minds and bodies true
In sacrifice, O God, to You,
That we may join, when Lents have ceased,
The everlasting Paschal Feast.

Let all creation join to raise
Most gracious Trinity, Your praise.
And when your love has made us new,
May we sing new songs, Lord, to You.
Amen.

Translation copyright 2006 by Kathleen Pluth. May be copied freely for use during Lent 2011.

Blessed Pope John Paul the Great

Staff of a shepherd for the faithful; heart of a father for the poor
Jesus was in him, and the Spirit, for the uplifting of the world
“Be not afraid!” a voice was calling, “Lay down your lives in sacrifice!”
“Be not afraid!” the sound re-echoes, “Open the doors to Jesus Christ!”

Long may his legacy of courage guide us in paths of good and right.
Angels of God, come forth to lead him into the mysteries of light.
There Mary reigns, the Queen of Heaven; there Lazarus is poor no more.
Be not afraid, O Holy Father! Enter the mercy of the Lord.


To the tune of Father, We Thank Thee Who Hast Planted (Rendez a Dieu)

Aeterne rerum conditor

One of the 4 universally-acknowledged Ambrosian hymns:

Eternal maker of all things
Of day and night the sov'reign King,
Refreshing mortals, You arrange
The rhythm of the seasons' change

The rooster sounds his morning cry
--Throughout the night he watched the sky--
For travelers, a guiding light
To tell the watches of the night.

The morning star that hears the cry
Dispels the darkness from the sky.
The demons, hearing the alarm
Abandon all their paths of harm.

The sailor hears and he is brave;
The sea becomes a gentle wave.
The rooster's call reached Peter's ears:
He washed away his sins in tears.

Our wav'ring hearts, Lord Jesus, see.
O look upon us, make us free,
For in Your gaze no fault can stay,
And sins by tears are washed away.

O Light, upon our senses shine.
Dispel our sleepiness of mind,
That we may sing Your morning praise,
Then, vows fulfilling, live our days.

Translation c. 2010 Kathleen Pluth

Gaude, mater Anna

Rejoice, O mother Anne, rejoice!
O holy mother, lift your voice!
The daughter you have brought to birth
Is mother of our God on earth.

Ring out your joy, exult and pray:
The Virgin Queen is born today!
And celebrate with Joachim
This child who springs from you and him.

Behold, the blessings of her birth
Shall overturn the curse of earth.
What our first mother lost by sin
This newborn mother's Son will win.

St. Anna, hear our joyful cries,
And raise our banners to the skies,
Where you delight to see His face
Who cleanses us from sin by grace.

Adoro Te Devote

Here is my translation of St. Thomas Aquinas' great Eucharistic hymn, Adoro Te Devote.

With devotion I adore
You, O God concealed;
Hidden under figures here,
yet by faith revealed.
Even prayer is silent now.
All my heart bows low.
Deepest truth is present here,
More than minds can know.

Seeing, touching, tasting You--
Senses can deceive.
Hearing is the path of faith
This shall I believe.
Jesus said it; I believe.
True His words must be:
God the Son, the Word of truth,
must speak truthfully.

On the cross You only hid
Your divinity.
Here You also have concealed
Your humanity.
Yet I still believe in both,
and this faith I say,
And the prayer the good thief prayed,
this I also pray.

Thomas saw Your wounded hands
And your wounded side
Even though I do not see
I am satisfied
Jesus Christ, my Lord, my God,
Gladly I adore.
Make me trust you, hope in you,
Love you more and more.

O memorial of the death
of my living Lord,
Living Bread whose saving health
Human life restored.
Let me find my life in You,
Ever-living food.
Let me ever taste of You,
Knowing You are good.

Pelican, so full of love,
Jesus, gracious Lord,
Wash me, cleanse me of my sins
in Your blood outpoured.
All the sins in all the world
that have ever been--
Just one drop is blood enough:
all may be made clean.

Jesus, hidden from my eyes,
Bring me to that place
Where your saints in endless joy
See you face to face.
How I long to gaze on you
Through eternity.
Blest are they who trust in you
And your glory see. Amen.

Hymn for St. Paul: Excelsam Pauli Gloriam

This is my translation of the Latin office hymn Excelsam Pauli Gloriam. It can be sung to many Long Meter (LM, or 8888) hymn tunes, such as Eisenach or Jesu Dulcis Memoria.

Let all the Church acclaim St. Paul

And sing the glories of his call
The Lord made an apostle be
From one who was his enemy

The name of Christ set Paul afire
Enkindling him with great desire;
And higher these same blazes reached
When of the love of Christ he preached.

His merits are forever praised
For to the heavens he was raised,
And there, the all-mysterious word,
That none dare speak, by Paul was heard.

The Word, like seed sown in a field
Producing an abundant yield
Fills heav’nly barns whose stores of grain
Are tilled and grown on earthly plains.

The shining of the lamplight gleams
And drenches earth with heaven's beams.
The dark of error's night is past;
The reign of truth has come at last.

To Christ all glory, and all praise
To Father and the Spirit raise,
Who for the nations’ saving call
Gave us the splendor of Saint Paul.

Translation © 2008 Kathleen Pluth. Permission was given for parish use June 28-29 2008 and January 24-25, 2009. All other rights reserved.

A Hymn for Candlemas: Adorna, Sion, Thalamum

Here is my translation of Adorna, Sion, Thalamum, for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord:

Let Zion's bridal-room be clothed:
He comes, her Lord and her Betrothed.
Let man and woman, by faith's light,
A vigil keep throughout the night.

Saint Simeon, sent forth in joy,
Exults to see the baby Boy.
The Light through Whom all things are known

Is now to all the nations shown.

His parents to the temple bring
The Temple as an offering
The righteousness of law He chose
Though to the law He nothing owes.

So, Mary, bring this little one,
Yours and the Father's only Son
Through whom our offering is made
By whom our ransom price is paid.

And forward, queen of virgins, go
And let rejoicing overflow
With gifts bring forth your newborn Son
Who comes to rescue everyone.

Lord Jesus Christ, the Glory bright

Who guides the nations into light

Be praised, and for eternity

Be glorified, O Trinity. Amen.

Translation c. 2009 Kathleen Pluth. All rights reserved.

Pro-Life Hymn

As the March for Life and other commemorations of the iniquitous Roe v. Wade decision approach, I thought I would repost this hymn that I wrote two years ago:

I suggest the tune Beach Spring
1. At the dawning of creation, God divided light from shade,
And He made us, male and female. In His image we were made.

(Refrain) And the life that God created we will honor and defend
From conception to the heavens; from beginning to the end.

2. God the Father called a people, and He drew them by the hand
And He led them through the desert and into the Promised Land.

3. In His saving Incarnation, Jesus bore a human frame
To restore the sacred Image hidden by our sin and shame.

4. And He walked among the people, healed the sick and raised the dead,
And the poor rejoiced at hearing the appealing words He said.

5. On the Cross, our gracious Savior Jesus laid His body down,
Dying as the Man of Sorrows; giving humankind a crown.

6. And He sent the Holy Spirit for forgiveness of our sins.
Even now God dwells among us; even now, new life begins.

7. When we share the Holy Myst’ries in the Eucharistic food
We are filled with life eternal: Jesus’ Body and His Blood.

8. When He comes again in glory, all the dead shall rise again,
And our human eyes shall see Him in the splendor of His reign.

c. 2008 by Kathleen Pluth. Anyone may use this hymn freely.

One of the hymnals has an Easter hymn set to Engelberg, and I thought I could do something similar but better. Or at least more to my own taste.

I may have forgotten a verse and if so I'll include it later.

If it's not too early to say so, Christ is risen!

Let Easter alleluias fill this place
for God has sanctified the human race,
fulfilling all the pledges of His grace,
Alleluia!

Why seek the Living One among the dead?
The Lord was raised in glory as He said.
That we might follow where our Master led,
Alleluia!

The path of glory shines before our eyes:
the Christian road that leads beyond the skies.
By crucifixion and by death we rise,
Alleluia!

Come quickly, Jesus, prove your promise true.
Bring all creation into life anew:
a living sacrifice of praise to You,
Alleluia!

c. Kathleen Pluth. This text may be used freely during Eastertide 2009. All other rights reserved.

Hymns in honor of St. Paul

I had thought that when the Holy Father annunced the Pauline Year, there would be a sudden flurry of hymn writing in St. Paul's honor. No such flurry has occurred to my knowledge, but I have been able to contribute a couple of hymns in honor of this inimitable Saint, one of the two pillars of our apostolic Church.

I've received a number of requests for use of these hymns--more from the UK, in fact, than from the States. An Anglican parish named St. Paul's, in Sheffield, for example, sang one at the anniversary service for their parish. And this morning my translation of Excelsam Pauli Gloriam was sung at Morning Prayer by Bishop D'Arcy and his priests in the diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. I was delighted to be asked to contribute in this small way to their diocesan Lenten Day of Recollection for priests, and even more so in light of recent events.

One of the verses says:

The shining of the lamplight gleams
And drenches earth with heav'nly beams.
The dark of error's night is past.
The reign of truth has come at last.

Pro-Life Hymn

As the March for Life and other commemorations of the iniquitous Roe v. Wade decision approach, I thought I would repost this hymn that I wrote last year:

I suggest the tune Beach Spring

1. At the dawning of creation, God divided light from shade,
And He made us, male and female. In His image we were made.

(Refrain) And the life that God created we will honor and defend
From conception to the heavens; from beginning to the end.

2. God the Father called a people, and He drew them by the hand
And He led them through the desert and into the Promised Land.

3. In His saving Incarnation, Jesus bore a human frame
To restore the sacred Image hidden by our sin and shame.

4. And He walked among the people, healed the sick and raised the dead,
And the poor rejoiced at hearing the appealing words He said.

5. On the Cross, our gracious Savior Jesus laid His body down,
Dying as the Man of Sorrows; giving humankind a crown.

6. And He sent the Holy Spirit for forgiveness of our sins.
Even now God dwells among us; even now, new life begins.

7. When we share the Holy Myst’ries in the Eucharistic food
We are filled with life eternal: Jesus’ Body and His Blood.

8. When He comes again in glory, all the dead shall rise again,
And our human eyes shall see Him in the splendor of His reign.

c. 2008 by Kathleen Pluth. Anyone may use this hymn freely.

For the upcoming feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, anyone may please feel free to use one or both of the following hymns. The first is originally mine, the second is my translation of the office hymn Excelsam Pauli Gloriam. They can be sung to many Long Meter (LM, or 8888) hymn tunes, such as Eisenach or Jesu Dulcis Memoria.

The martyr Stephen met his death
Forgiveness in his final breath.
He interceded for them all
Whose cloaks lay at the feet of Saul.

The Father, hearing Stephen's prayer,
Gave gifts for all the Church to share
When grace and mercy overflowed
In light upon Damascus Road.

Then bless the Lord of heart and mind
Who gives new vision to the blind,
Whose reign throughout the world extends,
Whose loving-kindness never ends.

© 2008 Kathleen Pluth. Permission is given for parish use January 24-25, 2009. All other rights reserved.
_____

Let all the Church acclaim St. Paul
And sing the glories of his call
The Lord made an apostle be
From one who was his enemy

The name of Christ set Paul afire
Enkindling him with great desire;
And higher these same blazes reached
When of the love of Christ he preached.

His merits are forever praised
For to the heavens he was raised,
And there, the all-mysterious word,
That none dare speak, by Paul was heard.

The Word, like seed sown in a field
Producing an abundant yield
Fills heav’nly barns whose stores of grain
Are tilled and grown on earthly plains.

The shining of the lamplight gleams
And drenches earth with heaven's beams.
The dark of error's night is past;
The reign of truth has come at last.

To Christ all glory, and all praise
To Father and the Spirit raise,
Who for the nations’ saving call
Gave us the splendor of Saint Paul.

Translation © 2008 Kathleen Pluth. Permission is given for parish use January 24-25, 2009. All other rights reserved.

Hymns for the Pauline Year

CanticaNOVA features 3 of my texts on their page devoted to the Pauline Year. Check it out: http://canticanova.com/articles/misc/art7bc1.htm

Ouch!

Tonight's lecture by Fr. Robert Skeris was simply smashing. Accessible to those unacquainted with "the liturgy wars," encouraging to those who have slogged the trenches lo these many years--a shot in the arm for all.

However, I left the auditorium sad. In his lecture, Fr. Skeris quoted an address of the Holy Father to French bishops on their ad limina visit. Pope Benedict told them to ensure that beautiful hymns were written in their dioceses. Fr. Skeris found this amusing: How could a bishop make a composer? The Holy Spirit, not the bishop, ensures that beautiful hymns are written.

Sadly, I must beg to differ, from personal experience. It is true that the Holy Spirit inspires sacred art. But bishops must in fact ensure it. It's not a simple matter of money--though I wouldn't complain at all if the ancient art of patronage were revived! Rather, it's the more delicate art of clearing the way, making room for the charisms to flourish and become effective in the life of the Church, using the gift of administration that bishops are ordinarily given with their office of governance.

Good things don't just happen. They happen because there is some provision for their encouragement.

Pro-Life Hymn

Walking along the March for Life, one is struck by the silence. In a way this is most appropriate: there is a silent witness, such a peaceful presence. But I can't help but wonder if we shouldn't have a song book for the journey.

A few years back I wrote more of a poem. It's good enough in its own way but not very singable.

So here's one idea for a marching song. It combines the pro-life cause with a survey of salvation history, with a special emphasis on the unity of body and soul that we find in the Bible. God desires to save every human person as a whole, with dignity of body and soul, and every person is worth the honor and protection of every other.

To the tune of Beach Spring

1. At the dawning of creation, God divided light from shade,
And He made us, male and female. In His image we were made.

(Refrain) And the life that God created we will honor and defend
From conception to the heavens; from beginning to the end.

2. God the Father called a people, and He drew them by the hand
And He led them through the desert and into the Promised Land.

3. In His saving Incarnation, Jesus bore a human frame
To restore the sacred Image hidden by our sin and shame.

4. And He walked among the people, healed the sick and raised the dead,
And the poor rejoiced at hearing the appealing words He said.

5. On the Cross, our gracious Savior Jesus laid His body down,
Dying as the Man of Sorrows; giving humankind a crown.

6. And He sent the Holy Spirit for forgiveness of our sins.
Even now God dwells among us; even now, new life begins.

7. When we share the Holy Myst’ries in the Eucharistic food
We are filled with life eternal: Jesus’ Body and His Blood.

8. When He comes again in glory, all the dead shall rise again,
And our human eyes shall see Him in the splendor of His reign.

I love it when that happens

So I'm writing a hymn about the Conversion of St. Paul, in preparation for the upcoming Pauline Year. I also want to translate a Latin Pauline hymn, so I let my fingers do the walking through the Liber Hymnarius.

Almost everything I want to say has already been said, beautifully. And, by St. Peter Damian. AND in Long Meter pentameter!

So that's easy work for me!

The Reviews Are In...

...And they are everything one could wish for.

The DC Archdiocesan paper has a brief article on Catholic University's Mass of the Holy Spirit, at which my hymn to the Holy Spirit was sung. This is the third paragraph:

The entrance hymn of "Come, Holy Spirit" echoed through the small church.

That's what the article has to say about this hymn that was mine, which now belongs to the people (with all rights reserved by my publisher.) It's not about me--though I really would like to make some money someday. It's about the hymn, and the Mass, and the sacred space, and the voice of the people.

The dream of a hymn writer is to "know the joyful shout," and to hiddenly "lead the joyful throng into the house of God, with cries of gladness and thanksgiving.

So that's one dream realized. What's next?