4th Sunday after Pentecost 2026
Processional hymn: Hail, True Victim, Life and Light, 904
Recessional hymn: O God, Our Help in Ages Past, 923
Kyriale: XI, 740; Credo: II, 772
Offertory Motet: Dominus Adjuva Me, Lorenz Lemlin
Communion Chant Hymn: Gaude Joseph
The short three voice motet Dominus Adjuva Me is a setting of the end of Psalm 69 by Lorenz Lemlin: O God, help me. Thou art my helper and my deliverer: O Lord, make no delay. Lemlin illustrates an urgent plea for help by having the upper two voices ascend and sing over one another calling to God for help. The text also mirrors the communion antiphon which says: O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer: my God is my helper (Psalm 17:3).
Lorenz Lemlin (c.1495–c.1549) was a German composer of the Renaissance. He studied in Heidelberg, and was a singer and later Kapellmeister of the Hofkantorei there. His output also included a large collection German leider (literally: songs).
3rd Sunday after Pentecost 2026
Processional hymn: To Christ, the Prince of Peace, 861
Recessional hymn: Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven, 933
Kyriale: Mass IX, 740; Credo II, 772
Motet at Offertory: Discite a me, Rev. Michael Haller
Motet at Communion: Cor Jesu, arr. A. Jones
Rev. Michael Haller’s setting of Discite a me is a relatively short meditation on Matthew 11:29, “learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart.” This work is structured in three distinct sections which can be described as A, B, and C. The A section has a descending motif with each voice entering in a staggered fashion to the words, “learn of me.” The B section moves to a triple meter and all the voices sing in rhythmic unison to the words, “for I am meek.” In the final section the voices sing in pairs, then as a trio, and all voices conclude together with the text, “and humble of heart.” The final two chords create a plagal cadence, which is also known as the “Amen” chords at the end of some hymns and other sacred works.
Reverend Michael Haller (1840–1915) was a German priest, Kapellmeister, and Composer. He was ordained in 1864 and served as choir director and professor of music in Regensburg; briefly in the same position that would later be held by Mgr. Georg Ratzinger from 1964–1994. In 1899, Haller was given the designation of Canon at Monastery of Our Lady of the Old Chapel in Regensburg. For his work in sacred music, Pope Leo XIII awarded him the medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice in 1915.
External Solemnity of Corpus Christi 2026
Processional hymn: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, 900
Hymn of Thanksgiving: Adoremus in Æternum, 970
Kyriale: III, 705; Credo: II, 772
Motet at Offertory: Ave Verum Corpus, William Byrd
Communion Motet: Qui Manducat, Heinrich Isaac (c.1450–1517)
Communion Motet: O Sacrum Convivium, Jacques Arcadelt (1507–1568)
The prayer Ave Verum Corpus is a short Eucharistic hymn dating from the 14th century and attributed to Pope Innocent VI (d. 1362). During the Middle Ages the prayer was sung at the elevation during the consecration at Mass. Next to Mozart, the setting by William Byrd is perhaps the most famous setting of the Eucharistic themed text. In his setting, Byrd doubles the latter portion of the prayer which says: “O sweet, O gentle, O Jesus, son of Mary, have mercy on me.”
William Byrd (c. 1543–1623) became Catholic in the 1570s and he composed much music for the church against government ordinances. In 1605 the first volume of the Gradualia, which are settings of the propers of the Mass, was banned in England under penalty of imprisonment along with all of his Catholic music. By the time of his death he was seen favorably as a composer by both Anglican and Catholic alike.
Trinity Sunday 2026
Processional hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy, 929
Recessional hymn: O God, Almighty Father, 977
Kyriale: III, 705; Credo I, 768
Responsory: Tibi laus, Orlandus Lassus
Communion antiphon: Benedicimus Deum, John Mason
The responsory Tibi Laus by Orlandus Lassus will be sung after the Offertory chant. Those who have assisted at Tenebræ will recall that office is a combination of Matins and Lauds which are the first two hours of the Divine Office. During Matins, each of the nine readings are followed by a responsory. Tibi Laus is the refrain portion of the fifth Responsory from Matins today. The responsory is usually in two parts: a respond (or refrain) which is often split in two, and a verse. In the second half of Lassus’s setting, the words O beáta Trinitas are sung three times with three of the four voices in rhythmic unison which emphasizes the “three in one.”
Orlandus Lassus (c.1532–1594) is known for the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school. He wrote over 2,000 works in Latin, French, Italian, and German both sacred and secular. Lassus along with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Tomás Luis de Victoria are the most influential composers of the late Renaissance.
Pentecost 2026
Processional: Thy Grace, O Holy Ghost, Impart, 885
Hymn to the Holy Ghost: Veni Creator Spiritus, 956
Recessional hymn: Come Down, O Love Divine, 887
Kyriale: I, 696; Credo: I, 768
Offertory motet: Domus Mea, Jacobus Gallus
Communion antiphon: Factus Est Repente, Jacobus Gallus
Both motets sung by the choir this Sunday are by the composer Jacobus Gallus. The work Domus Mea at the offertory was composed as the communion antiphon for the dedication of a church while Factus Est Repente is the proper communion antiphon for the feast of Pentecost. Gallus’s setting retains the large leap from the Gregorian antiphon which illustrates the rushing wind along with energetic off beat rhythms. The final alleluias in the communio give a sense of stability and finality to the bright and lively texture in this work.
Jacobus Gallus (1550–1591), was a late-Renaissance composer of presumed Slovene ethnicity. Born in Carniola, which at the time was one of the Habsburg lands in the Holy Roman Empire, he lived and worked in Moravia and Bohemia during the last decade of his life. His output was both sacred and secular, and hugely prolific: over 500 works have been attributed to him.