Geoffrey Burgon: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) including 'Nunc Dimittis'

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Geoffrey Burgon's music for the BBC series "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" in 1979 remains a favourite of many. Burgon's now famous setting of Nunc dimittis begins at "1:20" in the YouTube file below.

Enid Chadwick: The Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ

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Using the sainted Enid Chadwick's images, let us contemplate the Season of Advent through which we are reminded of the First Coming of Our Lord at Christ-Masse and the Great Advent of Our Lord when He shall return to us in all His Glory and the fulness of His Kingdom:

Uher Hymn: LO, HOW SHE BRINGS LIFE WITH HER

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Our Lady of the Sign, pray for us!

Dear friends in Christ,

It is my sincere desire that this text be shared widely and used freely. Please feel free to post it on your blogs or email it to friends. I give permission for its use provided that my copyright notice is kept intact and that no words are altered.  (Where a shorter hymn is needed, the first verse and the last two verses may be sung as a shortened version of this hymn.)

God bless us one and all,

Vincent Uher

Lo, How She Brings Life with Her

Lo, how she brings Life with her
Concealed beneath her heart,
Eve's daughter, brave and chosen,
God's partner to his art.
Her will knit with divine will
Desires his Word be done.
For God she weaves within her
The body of their Son.

Elisabeth her cousin
A child will bring to birth -
God's answer to her longing,
A prophet for the Earth.
"Peace be with you," said Mary.
Her cousin's babe did dance
The merry steps of best man:
The Bridegroom's here, at last.

Elisabeth cried out then,
"The child within me leapt!
When he heard your sweet greeting,
With joy my baby stepped."
She spoke full of the Spirit,
With insight from the Lord,
"How is it you come to me
The Mother of my Lord?"

The Mother of her Lord, yes,
Great Mary, Anna's child,
A daughter born to Israel,
A virgin undefiled,
She sang out as a woman
Brought up on Hannah's song,
"O praise, my soul, God's greatness.
Rejoice, our Lord is strong."

All ages call her blessèd
Just as she once foretold.
Blest is she amongst women,
Her Child blest from of old.
Blest is she who believes God
Who carries God's true Word.
Her Son both God and human
Fulfils great Gabriel's word.

Our Saviour, God of mercy,
Remembers Abraham's fold.
Praise God who casts down tyrants.
Rejoice! Our God is bold.
So sing we with blest Mary
To magnify the Lord
Who raised up his handmaiden.
Oh, holy is the Lord!

Copyright © 2006 by Vincent William Uher III

A hymn for Visitation, Fourth Advent, and the Nativity of St. John Baptist

This may be sung to the Bohemian Brethren tune Far Off Lands

or to the lovely tune Wie lieblich ist der Maien

Canadian Advent Hymn: THERE'S A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS CRYING

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There's a Voice in the Wilderness Crying

The Schola Cantorum of St. Peter's in the Loop

The original Hymn Text by James Lewis Milligin (1876-1961):

There’s a voice in the wilderness crying,
A call from the ways untrod:
Prepare in the desert a highway,
A highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
The lofty hills brought low;
Make straight all the crooked places,
Where the Lord our God may go!

O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
Get thee up to the heights and sing!
Proclaim to a desolate people
The coming of their King.
Like the flowers of the field they perish,
The works of men decay,
The power and pomp of nations
Shall pass like a dream away.

But the word of our God endureth,
The arm of the Lord is strong;
He stands in the midst of nations,
And He will right the wrong.
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd,
And fold the lambs to His breast;
In pastures of peace He’ll lead them,
And give to the weary rest.

There’s a voice in the wilderness crying,
A call from the ways untrod:
Prepare in the desert a highway,
A highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
The lofty hills brought low;
Make straight all the crooked places,
Where the Lord our God may go!

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Non-Jurors 1718: Priest's Prayer before the Canon

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The following prayer is rooted in The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil and comes from a 1718 Liturgy of the Non-Jurors:

Then the Priest shall turn to the Altar, and standing humbly before it, he shall say the Collect following. 

O ALMIGHTY God, who hast created us, and placed us in this ministry by the power of thy Holy Spirit; may it please thee, O Lord, as we are ministers of the New Covenant, and stewards of thy Holy Mysteries, to receive us who are approaching thy Holy Altar, according to the multitude of thy mercies, that we may be worthy to offer unto thee this reasonable and unbloody Sacrifice for our Sins and the Sins of the People. Receive it, O God, as a sweet smelling savour, and send down the grace of thy Holy Spirit upon us. And as thou didst accept this worship and service from thy Holy Apostles: so of thy goodness, O Lord, vouchsafe to receive these Offerings from the hands of us sinners, that being made worthy to minister at thy Holy Altar without blame, we may have the reward of good and faithful servants at that great and terrible day of account and just retribution; through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Uher Hymn: BRIGHT TORCHES IN THE DARKEST NIGHT

Feast of St. Stephen Martyr

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Bright torches in the darkest night,

The saints of God as lights yet shine.

Lord, let our witness rise with theirs,

And through their prayers give grace divine.

A dimly burning wick were we,

But now our faith fills with thy fire

For thou art all consuming love —

Thy perfect will our heart's desire.

Unite thy saints through every age

And cleansed from sin lift us above,

O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

One God in glory, one in love. Amen.

____________________________

Copyright © 2006 by Vincent Uher

This may be sung to the tune Winchester New

The hymn above I wrote originally on the Feast of Stephen the Martyr, but it is useful for all saints' and martyrs' holy days including the Feast of the Holy Innocents.

I wrote the text with the tune 'WINCHESTER NEW' in mind ... using such a familiar tune makes it easy to introduce a newer hymn text to a congregation.  

Composer Noel Jones has written a magnificent new tune for my hymn text entitled 'TYBURN' which I commend to all.  It is an excellent tune which can be seen below or downloaded from the following LINK.

Click on music above for a larger printable image.

People's Edition Ordinariate Missal (CTS)

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CTS are printing a People's Edition of the Divine Worship Sunday Missal to be available beginning 14 December 2018.

I suppose there is a reluctance to say "Anglican Ordinariates" which is understandable, so the missal is listed as being that of "Ordinariates Established by Anglicanorum Coetibus". This is a very important development for the life of the laity in the Ordinariates and for those interested in studying the approved liturgical mass texts whether or not they are Roman Catholics. 

LINK HERE.

The Feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

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St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants and hospital administrators.  Her shrine is in New York City.

All Creatures Of Our God And King - Robert Shaw Chorale

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Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us.

The Church in Crisis ... St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.

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Few people I know outside the Roman Catholic Church understand what an incredibly gut-wrenching time this is for those who feel betrayed by the Episcopate of the Church worldwide.

I recommend reading "Georgetown panel deals with 'moral catastrophe' of church's own making" : LINK.

From the article I share the following quotation from my friend the theologian Dawn Eden Goldstein,

" "I realized if every human believed and practiced what the Catholic Church teaches about human dignity," she said in response to Carr's question of why she would join such a wounded church, "I wouldn't have suffered abuse; no one would suffer abuse." "

On this feast day of the Holy Archangels and Angels, I can only offer a prayer we should be saying daily especially at the end of every Holy Mass:

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

The Newly Consecrated Mother Abbess Cecilia

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Let us rejoice in the consecration of Mother Cecilia as the first Benedictine abbess in US American history to be consecrated according to the Ancient Usage (Usus Antiquior) of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.

Since she is now a female prelate of the Church, she is shown in the photograph holding her crozier and wearing her abbatial pectoral cross. She will remain a consecrated Abbess for life.

May God bless her reign as Mother Abbess, and may her household increase to the glory of God.

The Lady Abbess is a graduate of the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, Houston, Texas. Her religious community, The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, Priory (now Abbey) of Our Lady of Ephesus is world famous for award-winning recordings of Gregorian chant.

8 September: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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The eighth of September is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In other words it is the Birthday of Our Holy Mother Mary.

Illustrations by Enid Chadwick of blessèd memory
in her book 'The Church's Year'

The following are some of the collects and prayers in use for celebrating this feast day:

O ALMIGHTY God, who didst endue with singular grace the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord: Vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to hallow our bodies in purity, and our souls in humility and love; through the same our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

The Book of Common Prayer, 1929, Scotland

Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin may bring deeper peace to those for whom the birth of her Son was the dawning of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Roman Missal, 3rd ed.

Almighty and everlasting God,
who stooped to raise fallen humanity
through the child-bearing of blessed Mary:
grant that we, who have seen your glory
revealed in our human nature
and your love made perfect in our weakness,
may daily be renewed in your image
and conformed to the pattern of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Common Worship, Church of England

God most high,
whose handmaid bore the Word made flesh:
we thank you that in this sacrament of our redemption
you visit us with your Holy Spirit
and overshadow us by your power;
strengthen us to walk with Mary 
the joyful path of obedience
and so to bring forth the fruits of holiness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Common Worship, Church of England