THE WEDNESDAY REPORT: February 4, 2026

Dear Partners in Ministry,

It was lovely to return home to you this weekend after a wonderful visit to St. Louis for the Liturgical Composers Forum! It's been a fast-moving few days, and Lent is just two Wednesdays away! Here are some important bits of news for you.

The Music Ministry Hub

If you've visited the new Score Exchange sheet I introduced two weeks ago, you might have noticed the MM Calendar moved in too. Today, I added the Listening Library (with some updates, more below), and (if you haven't guessed already) I'll be adding more of our Google Sheets resources here soon as well, combining into a Music Ministry Hub— a one-stop shop for as much of the information and resources you need as I can place here. I've updated the Resources links at the bottom of this post to point you in the right direction. By next week, I'm hoping to have added links to many of the pieces we're singing this Lent too.

OCP Recordings of "Bless the Lord," "The Blessed and Broken"

While you're checking out the Hub, visit the Learning Library to hear the official recordings of "Bless the Lord" and "The Blessed and Broken," complete with my vocal tracks from last October. Both pieces were featured in OCP's quarterly Choral Review Service packet, complete with a small shout-out to St Noel in the catalog! Please give each video a like on YouTube and share with friends in other parishes; it all helps get these pieces known in the wider Church.

Triduum Choral Pieces

Even though the Triduum poll I sent through MSP was an epic fail, I got enough of a sense of things to make some final decisions about our offertory/reflection pieces for this year's Triduum. The new version of the Listening Library you'll find in the Music Ministry Hub has listening links to these pieces, and I'll have scores and some practice tracks for the Good Friday piece by next Wednesday.

Holy Thursday: Christ Has No Body Now but Yours, Steven C. Warner. Since we've been getting this beautiful piece into our assembly's prayer, I thought it'd be a perfect fit (with all its harmonies in place) for our Holy Thursday Mass, especially in light of what we're called to in Christ's mandatum at the Washing of Feet. This also reduces our preparation stress, as this one is already well on its way.
Good Friday: God So Loved the World, John Stainer. If choral music has been a part of your life, there's a good chance you've heard or sung this well-known motet from the Victorian oratorio, The Crucifixion (publ. 1887). A straightforward presentation of the text of John 3:16–17 is set to stirring and dramatic choral writing— powerful but not terribly difficult for the choir. Christian Cosas edited the score we'll use, which includes alternate, easier-to-sing passages for mezzo-soprano.
Easter Vigil: Now My Heart, John Foley, SJ. What better way to cap a season of "open my heart" than to boldly declare, "now my heart is ready, Lord?" This lively tune was one of three contributions Foley made to the last St. Louis Jesuits album, Morning Light (the album also gave us "Gather the People," "O Beauty Ever Ancient," and "These Alone Are Enough"). It's a simple but wonderful anthem that won't tax us terribly but will reward us richly.

Peace be with you,
Tony

REHEARSAL AGENDA: February 5

We're hitting the ground running for Lent tomorrow night! Make sure to visit your folders before settling in.

Agenda:

JS 651 · God Be In My Head (Brown) · Mar 15 (and a good reading/warmup exercise)
2.028 · Psalm 19: Lord, You Have the Words (Ward) · Feb 8
3.066 · Bread for the World (Farrell) · Feb 8
3.071 · Sent Forth as Light (Ward) · Feb 8
1.005 · Kyrie Litany (Rosen) · Lenten Penitential Act
3.062 · Open My Heart (Ward) · Lenten gathering song
1.006 · Mass of Consolation (Ward) · Lenten Gospel Acclamation and Lamb of God

Next week, we'll return to the discussions we began in our sections. More to come.

THIS WEEK IN LITURGY

FEBRUARY 8: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 73
2026 Workbook: p. 59
Breaking Bread 2026: p. 67
Cantors: David R (5:00); Karin O (9:00); Marie P (11:00)

MUSIC SELECTIONS:

Gathering: 305 · JS 766 · Gather the People (Schutte)
Glory to God: 864 · 1.001 · Mass of Creation (Haugen)
Responsorial Psalm: WA · 2.028 · Psalm 19: Lord, You Have the Words (Ward)
Gospel Acclamation: 927 · JS 264 · Celtic Alleluia (O'Carroll/Walker)
Preparation of the Gifts: 329 · 3.066 · Bread for the World (Farrell)
Eucharistic Acclamations: 864 · 1.001 · Mass of Creation (Haugen)
- Holy · When We Eat This Bread · Amen
Lamb of God: 930 · 3.090 · Lamb of God (Kendzia)
Communion: 1026 · 364 · 3.061 · Take and Eat (Joncas)
Sending Forth: 1024 · 3.071 · Sent Forth as Light (Ward)

LOOKING AHEAD

FEBRUARY 15: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 76
2026 Workbook: p. 62
Breaking Bread 2026: p. 69
Cantors: Jerry G (5:00); Carolyn C (9:00); Kathy H (11:00)

MUSIC SELECTIONS:

Gathering: 463 · JS 557 · The Lord Is My Light (C. Walker)
Glory to God: 864 · 1.001 · Mass of Creation (Haugen)
Responsorial Psalm: TEMP · Psalm 119: Blessed Are They (Ward)
Gospel Acclamation: 927 · JS 264 · Celtic Alleluia (O'Carroll/Walker)
Preparation of the Gifts: 1014 · JS 764 · God Is Here! As We His People (ABBOT’S LEIGH/Pratt Green)
Eucharistic Acclamations: 864 · 1.001 · Mass of Creation (Haugen)
- Holy · When We Eat This Bread · Amen
Lamb of God: 930 · 3.090 · Lamb of God (Kendzia)
Communion: 1019 · 3.059 · I Received the Living God (Jacob, arr. Ward)
Sending Forth: 380 · JS 821 · Celtic Alleluia: Sending Forth (O’Carroll/C. Walker)

FEBRUARY 18: Ash Wednesday · Masses at 8:30 am, 7:00 pm

With the start of the season of Lent, our acclamations and ritual music change. Note the items in purple below.

READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 219
2026 Workbook: p. 66
Breaking Bread 2026: p. 72
Cantors: TBD

MUSIC SELECTIONS:

Gathering: WA · 3.092 · Open My Heart (Ward)
Responsorial Psalm: WA · 2.015 · Psalm 51: Complete Setting (Ward)
Gospel Acclamation: WA · 1.006 · Mass of Consolation (Ward)
Distribution of Ashes: 528 · JS 696 · In Every Age (Whitaker)
Preparation of the Gifts: 428 · JS 655 · These Alone Are Enough (Schutte)
Eucharistic Acclamations: 858-862 · 1.009 · Mass of Renewal (Stephan)
- Holy · We Proclaim Your Death · Amen
Lamb of God: WA · 1.006 · Mass of Consolation (Ward)
Communion: 665 · JS 345 · Turn to Me (Foley)
Sending Forth: we go forth in sacred silence.