Songs & Updates for Saturday, April 25, 2026

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4th Sunday of Easter / Good Shepherd Sunday

Thanks for a strong piano Mass last week! It was fun pulling out a few less-common tunes, like Alleluia No. 1, Keep Me Safe, O God, and On the Journey to Emmaus. Here's the audio.

Last week, an email went out inviting the Sunday folks to join us for First Communion. Since we're down some musicians this week, that may help fill in some gaps. Either way, it'll probably be an 'all hands on deck' kind of night! If we could try to include as many of the voice & instrument parts as we can, that would be lovely! Practice tracks are in the folders :-).

Between First Communion and the Good Shepherd Soiree, there will be a lot more activity in/around the building than usual (both before and after Mass). Just something to be aware of for your planning!

A reminder that we're rehearsing at 3:30 PM this Saturday. That'll give us a bit more time to work through special music. Please come at 3:15 PM if you need time to get situated -- that way, we can start right at 3:30.

A few other logistical details:
  • Since it's a special occasion, Christmas/Easter attire would be great if possible!
  • Barb H. put together printed programs, so there's no need to worry about the hymn boards (there's too much music to fit anyway).
  • Don't be surprised if Fr. Jozef live-streams this liturgy! He's done that the last couple of years for families unable to attend in-person. We'll need to be extra careful about live mics, as these all feed into the stream. It might be best to mute everything when we're not singing :-). 
  • Mass will probably run 10-15 min. over. If we could clean up fairly quickly afterward, that would be appreciated! First Communion families will want to take photos, and guests will be arriving to check in for the Soiree.

Looking ahead, music for May is in the works! We do have a few special happenings that month, so please let me know of any weeks you're out:
  • May 2nd - May Crowning
  • May 9th - Mother's Day weekend (roses distributed by KofC)
  • May 23rd - Memorial Day weekend, Pentecost & our Spring Potluck!
  • May 30th - Trinity Sunday (beginning of Ordinary Time)

I think that's it. Have a great week!

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

Out: Karen, Ben, Ginny, Barry, Ally

Prelude:
SS #153 - I Am the Bread of Life (Talbot)

**We'll sing the prelude 5-10 minutes before Mass begins. We'll play through the intro, refrain and first verse as an instrumental, before adding in the voices. The final refrain will be a capella.**

Entrance:
SS #196 (GC3 #651) - Open My Eyes (Manibusan)

**At the beginning of Mass, the First Communion kids will sing 'Open My Eyes' with guitar accompaniment. When Fr. Jozef and the ministers process into the Church, we'll sing it again as the Gathering song.**

(Sprinkling & Gloria)

Responsorial Ps (Cris & TBD Ginny):
SS #059 (GC3 #035) - Ps 23 - Shepherd Me, O God (Haugen)

**Would someone like to join me at the podium on the descant? I'd also like to include the verse four harmony that's in GC.**

Acclamation (Jake):
SS #005 (GC3 #844) - Alleluia! Give the Glory (vs 6) (Canedo)

(Homily, Profession of Faith, Renewal of Baptismal Promises & Intercessions)

Preparation:
GC3 #723 - Shepherd of My Heart (O'Brien)

**Let's plan to sing all three verses. We may also try to do the final refrain a capella :-).**

(Mass Parts)

Communion:
Instrumental Selection(s)

**We'll play some instrumental selections while the students are receiving. Last year, we used one of the Communion songs; this time, I'd like to play some different pieces for variety!

Also, it might make sense to continue the instrumentals while we go up to receive (right after the kids). Or, we could have someone begin the first Communion song, and have everyone else join in later.**

GC3 #930 - Taste and See (Moore)

GC3 #938 - We Come to Your Feast (Joncas)

**Depending on how many people attend, we may not need two Communion songs. We could potentially do one song only, or just a couple of verses of each. Let's see what things look like, and take it from there!**

Closing:
GC3 #607 - Sing a New Song (Schutte)

**Let's plan for all three verses!**

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