Advent Liturgy - Help!

[Deke]

I'm planning a non Eucharistic Advent Liturgy for first Sunday of Advent. The theme at the moment is Waiting with Mary though this may well change - the more I read that phrase the more twee it sounds. Audience will be my parish (hopefully), neighbouring Catholic parishes and local Church in Wales parish so I'm hoping for double figures. I want to try and create a "sacred space" for reflection and prayer and will include relevant readings and symbolic activity however I'm struggling for ideas for hymns/music. I have no musical talent and as a permanent deacon have been fortunate to survive the last two Easter Proclamations -thank you Music Makers for that training CD. I thought that I may find some help from the experts on this forum; I'm looking for a couple of suitable hymns/ or quiet pieces of music for the event, any suggestions?

[contrabordun]

Hi Deke,
What musical resources have you? Should the suggestions be for unaccompanied congregation, or do you have organ/ist and/or other instrument/alist(s) and/or singers?

[Deke]

We have 3 organists in parish who are capable of supporting congregational singing - that's the kindest way I can describe their ability I'm afraid. Depending on sporting activities that day we also have some altar servers who play harp, oboe, flute, cello and piano all from the same family. I think that the easiest would be to have suggestions for a simple organ instrumental and hymns plus organ.

[docmattc]

Farrell's advent litany might be a useful piece for reflection. Its very simple to pick up and just needs a cantor to sing a whole 2 notes and the congregation to remember 2 words (Maranatha, alleluia).
It's number 64 in Laudate and can be heard here http://www.ocp.org/songs/2002. FWIW I think its too heavily accompanied on this recording and benefits from much gentler instrumental support. I could imagine it working well unaccompanied too. It would be a good piece to accompany any symbolic activity, especially if that involved people moving or similarly unable to be reading the words.

[oopsorganist]

I like the resources from Wild Goose Publications "Cloth for a Cradle" which has lots of readings and ideas for such an event. You can Google it as Wild Goose/Ioana Community

[docmattc]

I like the resources from Wild Goose Publications "Cloth for a Cradle" which has lots of readings and ideas for such an event. You can Google it as Wild Goose/Ioana Community

But use with discretion. I seem to remember there's one hymn in that collection that speaks of Christ being born "into a Godless gloom", which somewhat negates several thousand years of salvation history, and all of the Hebrew Scriptures.

[Gabriel]

For scripture it might be an idea to look at the Lectionary for the 17-24 December. Among the texts you will find the 'Magnificat' and 'Benedictus'. Thinking about this it had never struck me before that the Magnificat comes before the birth of our Lord (I know that's kind of obvious). But if it characterises Mary's waiting well it's not passive waiting, it's prophetic. May be your symbolic action might be linked to the 'turning the world upside down' aspect of the Magnificat.

[Deke]

Thank you for your suggestions, much appreciated. I hope my remark about our organists ability has not offended, it was not meant as such. I know that they give their time and effort to build up the kingdom as best they can.

[docmattc]

Have you got any further in your planning Deke? Once you've a more defined theme or structure we might be able to suggest suitable music.

[VML]

Rain down justice, Tony Barr's version of Rorate Coeli, is in HON, and would be very effective with a cantor, or different voices, for the verses.
We have always liked it here but it works better out of Mass.

Try: City of God, (Schutte) which I, in my ignorance, found really annoying when it was used, correctly as I now know, about 20 years ago by our junior school in their Nativity play evening.

[oopsorganist]

oo why correctly?
The reason why it is annoying might be because, as I found last week humming it, it turns very quickly into the tune for Colours of Day, not that that is a bad song, but some people don't like it.

[VML]

Because at that time I was not aware that it was better to keep Christmas carols till Christmas.

[Deke]

Not familiar with Rain down justice - we use Liturgical Hymns Old and New (LHON??).

At the moment planning is no further forward - my head is full of John Shea and his book "Starlight", Nicola Slee, "Praying like a Woman" and Edward Hays "Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim". I think I'll go with Magnificat, one of Ed Hays' Advent Psalms and 1 other reading. I quite like the idea of Bernadette Farrell's Litany of the Word and will look out for music for that. At the moment I'm trying to write the "Padre's Address" for Remembrance Service on Friday at local factory so I'm on stop with everything else. Hope to get at least the bones of Advent Service by 14 November. Thanks again everyone!

[VML]

I've just looked at the contents list of LHON, they've not included it. It's in the old Celebration Hymnal too, that we use, but not in CFE.
A fashion thing I suppose, but perhaps it was not suffuciently sung and known.

[festivaltrumpet]

The time is almost here. I hope that you will share the final fruits of your planning Deke. Were the contributions above of value?