Dear Partners in Ministry,
WHEW! Your Guardians just got out of a tense 9th and kept the season alive. Now, as I listen to my Cubbies try to sew it up against the Padres, let's talk liturgy.
October brings us two weekends that will differ a bit from the norm. On October 12, we will celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick after the homily at each Mass (you are, of course, welcome to receive an Anointing too). The inclusion of the sacrament means a trio of additions to our music selections: simple, chanted responses to the blessing within the rite and the Prayers of the Faithful, and a piece I've been waiting to introduce to the parish during the Anointing itself. "Most Holy One" was inspired by a Buddhist prayer tradition, the Dedication of Merit, in which one prays first for their own peace and prosperity, then extends their prayer in stages until all the world is included. You'll find this piece in your folders tomorrow night.
October 19 is our Parish Feast Day, as we celebrate the Memorial of the North American Martyrs (St. Noel Chabanel included). The Bellflower String Quartet will join us for all three Masses, along with trumpet on Sunday and Bell Choir on Saturday.
Peace be with you,
Tony Ward
MUSICAL FYI
You can't be a musician without picking up a little bit of Italian vocabulary, so here are two more to add to your lexicon:
piú and meno ("more" and "less") pop up on occasion, usually to indicate a minor adjustment to an existing aspect of the piece such as tempo, dynamics, or a playing technique like vibrato.
In the case of a tempo marking, such as the poco meno mosso marking you might have noticed over the weekend in "Bless the Lord, poco ("little, slight") and mosso ("motion") combine with meno to indicate a slight slowing of the tempo, but not enough to rate a change to the metronome marking. The same nuance is true for a dynamic marking like piü forte, which signals a slight increase in volume but not to the level of a fortissimo.
REHEARSAL AGENDA: SEPTEMBER 18
IN FOLDERS
- 2.009 · Psalm 146: Praise the Lord, My Soul! (Cosas)
AGENDA:
- JS 92 · Ps 113: Blessed Be the Name of the Lord (Mayernik)
- JS 825 · Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service (BEACH SPRING/Bayly)
- 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- 5.062 · Christmas Day (Holst, arr. Ward)
- 4.022 · Unexpected and Mysterious (Hampton)
THIS WEEK IN LITURGY
OCTOBER 5 · Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 141
2025 Workbook: p. 268
Breaking Bread 2025: p. 218
Cantors: Dave R (5:00); Marie P (9:00); Greg E (11:00)
MUSIC SELECTIONS:
- Gathering: BB 310 · JS 768 · Gather Your People (Hurd)
- Glory to God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Responsorial Psalm: BB 779 · JS 71 · Ps 95: If Today You Hear His Voice (Soper)
- Gospel Acclamation: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Preparation of the Gifts: BB 463 · JS 696 · In Every Age (Whitaker)
- Eucharistic Acclamations: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Holy · When We Eat This Bread · Amen I
- Lamb of God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Communion: BB · JS 665 · Center of My Life (Inwood)
- Sending Forth: WA · JS 599 · Halleluya! We Sing Your Praises (South African)
LOOKING AHEAD
OCTOBER 12 · Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 144
2025 Workbook: p. 268
Breaking Bread 2025: p. 220
Cantors: Name (5:00); Name (9:00); Name (11:00)
MUSIC SELECTIONS:
- Gathering: BB 653 · JS 532 · Loving and Forgiving (Soper)
- Glory to God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Responsorial Psalm: WA · 2.013 · Psalm 98: Complete Setting (Ward)
- Gospel Acclamation: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Anointing of the Sick: WA · 3.076 · Most Holy One (Ward)
- Preparation of the Gifts: BB 663 · JS 547 · Be Still, My Soul (FINLANDIA/von Schlegel)
- Eucharistic Acclamations: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Holy · When We Eat This Bread · Amen I
- Lamb of God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Communion: BB 611 · JS 626 · Come to the Water (Foley)
- Sending Forth: BB 546 · JS 574 · Glory and Praise to Our God (Schutte)
OCTOBER 19 · Memorial of Ss. John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, and Companions (incl. Noel Chabanel) · Parish Feast Day Masses
READINGS will differ from those assigned for Sunday:
Is 52:7–10 · Ps 16 · 2 Cor 4:7–15 · Mt 28:16–20
Cantors: Rich W (5:00); Carolyn C (9:00); Anthony S (11:00)
MUSIC SELECTIONS:
- Gathering: BB 468 · JS 620 · All the Earth (Deiss)
- Glory to God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Responsorial Psalm: WA · 2.027 · Psalm 16: You Are My Inheritance (Ward, p. 3)
- Gospel Acclamation: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Preparation of the Gifts: BB 418 · JS 639 · Earthen Vessels (Foley)
- Eucharistic Acclamations: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Holy · When We Eat This Bread · Amen I
- Lamb of God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Communion: BB 358 · JS 789 · Taste and See (Kendzia)
- Sending Forth: WA · 3.071 · Sent Forth as Light (Ward)
RESOURCES
GAUDETE PRACTICE TRACKS:
CHRISTMAS DAY: Soprano · Alto · Tenor · Bass
MUSIC SELECTIONS: Ordinary Time III (September 7–November 27, 2025)
MUSIC SELECTIONS: Advent and Christmas (November 27, 2025—January 11, 2026) · COMING SOON