This is a special post for the Christmas Eve & Feast of the Holy Family Masses.
Ginny, Lisa K. and I stuck around briefly to look at Christmas music.
Dress Rehearsal:
This is just a reminder that dress rehearsal for Christmas Eve Mass will be on Wednesday, 12/23, from 7:00-9:00 PM in the Parish Hall.
As always, on Christmas Eve, we'll be sharing equipment and materials with the 11 AM group in the Church. I can probably get away with borrowing one music stand, one set of guitar and instrumental books, and a handful of choir books. If you have your own music stands and/or books, please bring those. We should be able to leave everything in place after rehearsal, which should save us a little time on Christmas Eve.
The plan for rehearsal is to run the entire program (perhaps slightly out-of-order) and finalize a few details.
12/24 Mass:
As for Mass, Father approved our Christmas program on Monday with only one minor change; he feels that 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' isn't appropriate, and asked for a different tune for Offertory. I picked 'Away in a Manger' instead, which, in the past, has been on the program as a third Communion song.
Jonathan and Michaela will be covering our first prelude, 'Mary, Did You Know'.
Our third prelude, 'What Child is This', will be instruments only.
For a Psalm, we'll be doing GC #520, which is based on Psalm 98, the piece we traditionally do for Christmas. The idea with this one is to have one cantor (or pair of cantors) on the refrain and different people covering each verse.
All other pieces are arranged as previously discussed.
Please plan to be there by 5 PM (if anyone needs me before then, I'll likely be in the Church for the 4 PM Children's Mass). We'll have enough time to prep and spot-check a few songs before starting preludes around 5:45 PM.
Preludes:
Mary, Did You Know?
GC #379 – Brightest and Best
Materials (audio)
GC #380 – What Child is This?
Gathering:
GC #347 – Angels We Have Heard on High
Materials (audio)
Glory to God:
Mass of Joy & Peace
Response:
GC #520 – All the Ends of the Earth
Materials (audio) (sheet music)
Gospel Acclamation:
Mass of Joy & Peace
Offertory:
GC #353 - Away in a Manger
Holy, Holy, Holy:
Mass of Joy & Peace
Eucharistic Acclamation (B):
Mass of Joy & Peace
Eucharistic Doxology:
Mass of Joy & Peace
Lamb of God:
Mass of Joy & Peace
Meditation:
Go, Tell it on the Mountain
Communion:
GC #342 – Night of Silence / GC #352 – Silent Night
Materials (audio)
Closing:
GC #343 – Joy to the World
12/26 Mass:
Finally, looking ahead, the program for Saturday, 12/26, is essentially the same as what's above. There is a Baptism, however, so I've added SS #209, 'There is a Well', to the program as the Sprinkling Rite.
I've also added GC #731, 'Let There Be Peace on Earth', as a prelude per Ginny's suggestion; this will replace the three Christmas Eve preludes.
I think that's all for now -- if I don't have a chance to say this later, I hope everyone a very merry, blessed Christmas!
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