Septuagesima Sunday 2026
Processional hymn: Man To Christ’s Sacred Wound, 827
Recessional hymn: As With Gladness Men of Old, 819
Kyriale: Mass XI, 740; Credo III, 776
Offertory Motet: Bonus Est, G.P. Palestrina (c. 1525–1594)
Motet at Communion: Simile est regnum, Cristóbal de Morales
The Gospel for Septuagesima Sunday is from Matthew 20 where Our Lord imparts the parable of the vineyard laborers. Cristóbal de Morales set this parable to music and it was published while he directed music at the Cathedral in Toledo near the end of his life. The motet is in two parts, and the first part ends with a very dramatic rendering of verse four: the music has a grand pause and strong tutti entrance on, “Go ye into the vineyard…” Morales skips over a few verses and finishes the second part with the end of the parable, “…many be called, but few chosen.”
Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500–1553) was an organist and composer regarded as the first Spanish composer of international renown. He sang and composed for the Papal choir in Rome for which wrote many Mass settings. His compositions consist almost entirely of sacred vocal motets.
3rd Sunday after Epiphany 2026
Processional hymn: O Lord, I Am Not Worthy, 902
Recessional hymn: As With Gladness Men of Old, 819
Credo III, 776
Kyriale: Missa Quaeramus cum Pastoribus, Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500–1553)
Offertory Antiphon: Dextera Domini, Orlandus Lassus
Offertory Motet: Tota Pulchra Es, Rev. Jean Mouton (c. 1459–1522)
Communion Antiphon: Miribantur Omnes, A. Jones
This Sunday’s propers are one of two sets that repeat each Sunday until the liturgical season changes. Both the Offertory and Communion antiphons will be sung as choral settings. The original chant for Dextera Domini is in mode 2 and Orlandus Lassus uses the original mode for his composition while composing entirely original music for the antiphon. The setting of Mirabantur Omnes is a composition created by a member of the choir.
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.
2nd Sunday after Epiphany 2026
Processional hymn: Praise to the Lord, 927
Recessional hymn: Come Down, O Love Divine, 887
Credo III, 776
Kyriale: Missa Quaeramus cum pastoribus, Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500–1553)
Marian Antiphon: Alma Redemptoris Mater, Solemn Chant
Communion antiphon: Dicit Dominus, Heinrich Isaac
The communion antiphon for this Sunday’s Mass is set by Heinrich Isaac and is taken from the Gospel of John describing Our Lord’s first public miracle. Isaac has the soprano voice sing a stylized version of the Gregorian melody sometimes in canon with the tenor. He deviates from this structure during the passage where the chief steward proclaims they have kept the good wine until now; Isaac musically ornaments this in two voices with many moving notes.
Heinrich Isaac (c.1450–1517) was a Renaissance composer from the South Netherlandish region. His output was rivaled only by Orlandus Lassus in number and variety of composition. Most notable of his collections is Choralis Constantinus which contains nearly 400 Gregorian chant based motets of propers for the Mass.
Holy Family 2026
Processional hymn: Of the Father’s Love Begotten, 810
Recessional hymn: Once in Royal David’s City, 818
Credo III, 776
Kyriale: Missa Quaeramus cum pastoribus, Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500–1553)
Offertory motet: O Admirabile Commercium, Fabio Constantini
Communion motet: Alma Reddemptoris Mater, a5, Tomás Luis de Victoria (c.1548–1611)
O Admirabile Commercium, is a motet by Fabio Constantini and setting of the first Antiphon from Vespers on the Octave of Christmas. The translation is: O admirable exchange: the creator of human-kind, taking on a living body was worthy to be born of a virgin, and, coming forth as a human without seed, has given us his deity in abundance.
Fabio Constantini (c. 1575–1644) was an Italian music editor and composer. He sang under Palestrina at St Peter’s, Rome (until 1610), and held posts as maestro di cappella, notably at Orvieto Cathedral (1610-14, 1618-22), Santa Casa, Loreto, Ancona and Ferrara Cathedral.
Holy Name of Jesus 2026
Processional hymn: Songs of Thankfulness and Praise, 820
Recessional hymn: Joy to the World, 806
Credo III, 776
Kyriale: Missa Quaeramus cum pastoribus, Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500–1553)
Motet after Offertory: In Nomine Jesu, Jacobus Gallus
Motet at Communion: Jesu Dulcis Memoria, Cornelius Schmuck (1814–1903)
Both choral selections focus on the feast celebrates this Sunday of the Holy Name. Jesu, Dulcis Memoria is a celebrated 12th century hymn attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The entire hymn has some 42 to 53 stanzas depending upon the manuscript and five verses were chosen for the Vespers hymn of this feast. In Nomine Jesu is a simple setting of the introit by Jacobus Gallus. The introit is shared with the Wednesday of Holy Week with some alterations to the text most notably the Holy Name present in the opening incipit.
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.