Dear Parishioners,

    The season of Advent is a time of hopeful anticipation of Christ’s coming and one of the places you’ll see this is in our music. The USCCB states in Sing to the Lord: “At other times, the liturgical season calls for a certain musical restraint. In Advent, for example, musical instruments should be used with moderation and should not anticipate the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord”. 

    During the Advent season the Ordinary of the Mass (the parts of the mass the congregation sings or says at every Mass) changes from the triumphant and bold Mass of Renewal that we have sung throughout Ordinary Time to the simple and beautiful Roman Missal Chants found in the Gather hymnal from #169 to #185. As we journey through the Advent season we prepare the way for Christ’s coming in glory and so the Church omits the singing of the Glory to God. 

    The Roman Missal Chants we use in Advent are the English versions of those we will sing in Latin during Lent, a time of even more solemn, penitential waiting. These chants have been cited by the USCCB as an essential core element of Catholic sacred music repertoire that all parishes should be able to sing in English and Latin: "Each worshiping community in the United States, including all age groups and all ethnic groups, should, at a minimum, learn Kyrie XVI, Sanctus XVIII, and Agnus Dei XVIII, all of which are typically included in congregational worship aids". 

    This season of solemn waiting, reflected in our music, is a time when the whole church quiets itself in preparation for Christ's coming and serves to only further intensify the joy of Christmas when our time of waiting comes to an end. We hope you will join us during the Advent season along with millions of Catholics across the world in singing these sacred settings of the Mass. 

Pax vobiscum,

Matthew Sarmiento

Co-Director of Music

Link to our Advent Music:

​Music Playlist​​​