New Mass Setting for Advent

Last Sunday we began using a new Mass setting for the season of Advent. We will hear it again in Lent as well. The Second Vatican Council’s document on the liturgy asked that pastors of souls see that the faithful know the sacred chants that pertain to them (which would consist principally in the ordinary, the parts of the Mass that are the same each time – the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei). In the Church’s tradition, there are particular chant set aside for each season, and this is the Mass setting designated for Sundays during Advent and Lent. (We are probably all familiar with a simpler version that is for weekdays in Advent and Lent and for funerals.) Learning and singing these Mass settings means that we are singing the same chants as our Catholic brothers and sisters throughout the world. Many people have also been talking to me about their desire to live the Church’s liturgical year in a more profound way. Changing our Mass setting with the liturgical season, especially in consonance with the Church’s tradition, allows us to experience the rhythms of the liturgical year. I know that it can be challenging to learn something new, but God is constantly calling us to keep growing!

Our Director of Sacred Music, James Richardson, has prepared a practice video to help you learn this new Mass setting. You can find it here: