Songs & Updates for Saturday, March 14, 2026

Posted by on
 
4th Sunday of Lent
Image Source: Grace Community Church

Thanks for a great Mass last week! We had a nice mix of music, which a number of folks commented they enjoyed (especially the more upbeat tunes!). It was also fun to give Somebody's Knockin' at Your Door a try -- we'll have to revisit that one sometime :-). Here's the audio.

Father Jozef and I met last Friday to go through some Holy Week logistics. A few highlights:
  • No changes to Good Friday, other than not having a printed program. I'll finalize the music soon!
  • For Easter Vigil:
    • Mass will begin at 8:00 PM, rather than 8:30 PM. It needs to be dark outside for the Lighting/Blessing of New Fire; since Easter is early this year, we can start a bit sooner :-).
    • There will be a printed program, but it'll be simplified from past years. Much of the material covered by the Commentator readings will probably be left out (I have a copy); we may also need to find creative ways to put most of the music on the hymn boards.
    • We'll need cantors for four Psalms (including one that doubles as the Gospel Acclamation). In the past, we just used different verses of the same Psalm; moving forward, we'll sing unique Psalms that match the Readings. I'll send a list of what all needs cantored later.   
    • For the Litany of Saints, a new transcription with the correct saints should be ready this week. I'll probably leave a few 'blank' slots for saints that change each year. Jake will sing the cantor parts, with everyone else on the echo. 

Just as a heads up, the Sanctuary piano was tuned today (Tuesday). It should be good to go now, but if any issues come up, we can get with Karl (Facilities Manager). 

Please welcome back Victoria! She's covering for Bev this week. The two of us are meeting Thursday evening to review the music, and we'll go from there. 

A reminder that we have 3:30 PM rehearsal again on Saturday to continue working on Holy Week music. We'll look at Christ, Yesterday and Today, Litany of Saints and some Good Friday selections. We only have a few weeks to go, and there's still lots to cover!

Finally, we have a date for our next Spring Potluck -- Saturday, March 23rd! Thanks to Bev for organizing! If you haven't already, here's the link to RSVP. 

Enjoy the lovely weather, and see you Saturday!

(All Mass Parts, except the Lenten Acclamation, are from Mass of Remembrance, including the Penitential, Holy, Eucharistic Acclamation 'A' (We Proclaim Your Death), Doxology & Lamb of God)

Out: Karen, Bev, Maureen, Ally

Entrance:
GC3 #478 - Return to God (Haugen)

**This is a repeat from a few weeks ago. We'll sing it the same way, including repeating the refrain (as written) and all three verses. Keep in mind that verse three is structured differently than the others!**

Penitential Rite (Cris):
Mass of Remembrance (Haugen)

Responsorial Ps (Jake):
SS #059 (GC3 #035) - Ps 23 - Shepherd Me, O God (Haugen)

**Don't forget that the transition into verse five is quicker than the rest. Also, the GC version has an additional harmony on verse four that's missing from SS.**

Acclamation (Lisa):
SS #006 - Praise and Honor (4th A) (Canedo/Hurd)

**Unfortunately, I don't have a recording of this week's verse. Like last Saturday, though, there's a full bar of rest before coming in. The melody is also somewhat different than the others.** 

Preparation:
GC3 #482 - The Cross of Jesus (O'Brien)

**Let's be careful about not rushing the tempo! We'll probably get through 2-3 verses; included the harmony would be great!**

(Mass Parts)

Communion:
GC3 #489 - Merciful God (Alonso)

**This is another repeat from a few weeks ago. A reminder that we'll sing the 'Lent Communion' refrain. Also, everyone on melody will sing the upper line of the verse, while alto, tenor and bass have the lower line. If we can split the singers (relatively) evenly and include parts, that would be lovely!**

Closing:
GC3 #475 - Tree of Life (Haugen)

**Let's plan to sing 2-3 'regular' verses, plus the Lent '4th Sunday' verse. The harmony and 'Adoramus Te Christe' descant on the final verse would be great too!**

><>  ><>  ><>