The Year of the Eucharist:
Hymns
by Gary D. Penkala
On October 7, 2004, Pope John Paul II issued an Apostolic Letter, Mane nobiscum Domine, which formally inaugurated the Year of the Eucharist (October 2004 to October 2005).
CNP will post a series of articles offering lists of music relating to the Most Holy Eucharist: choral music, hymns, and organ music.
Here is the second of these, outlining congregational hymns with a Eucharistic theme: those of solid theological and musical foundations to sing, and a few "unfortunately popular" ones to avoid.
While the Hymn during the Communion Procession can certainly be seasonal according to liturgical documents [see also CNP article: Eucharistic Anthems], during the Year of the Eucharist it might be good and proper to consistently schedule only Eucharistic hymns during communion time.
- Adoro te devote (ICEL #129/138, WIII #489, CH #370, CBW #587, CHB #291, AH #510, SMH #194)
- Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (HPSC #112, ICEL #130, WIII #737, CBW #536, AH #601, PMB #663, CH #504, CHB #112, SMH #213)
- An Upper Room (CD #879)
- At That First Eucharist (WIII #733, CH #366, HPSC #217, CBW #605)
- At the Lamb's High Feast (WIII #459, ICEL #65, HH #102, CBW #563, AH #411, CH #268, CHB #73, SMH #224)
- Ave verum Corpus (ICEL #131, WIII #730, HPSC #118,CHB #296, AH #514, SMH #231)
- Blessed Jesu, in This Mystery (CD #884)
- Bread of the World, in Mercy Broken (CH #375)
- Come, Adore This Wondrous Presence (WIII #758)
- Completed, Lord, the Holy Mysteries (SMH #275)
- Deck Thyself, My Soul, with Gladness (SMH #282)
- Down in Adoration Falling (AH #393, CBW #582)
- Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord (CD #181, WIII #732, ICEL #132, CH #378)
- Father, We Thank Thee, Who Hast Planted (WIII #558, HPSC #156, CH #374, PMB #121, CBW #676, AH #515, CHB #116, SMH #295)
- Gift of Finest Wheat (WIII #736, HPSC #360, PMB #665, CBW #570, CH #389, SMH #302)
- God with Hidden Majesty / Adoro te devote (WIII #489, ICEL #138, HPSC #164, AH #511, CH #368)
- Godhead Here in Hiding [Adoro te devote] (AH #511, CH #368, HPSC #164, ICEL #138, WIII #489, CHB #117)
- Godhead Here in Hiding [Noel nouvelet] (SMH #321)
- Greet We This Mystery (SMH #326)
- Hail, Our Savior's Glorious Body [Pange lingua] (WIII #813)
- Hail, True Victim, Life and Light (SMH #334)
- Humbly Let Us Voice Our Homage (PMB #673)
- Humbly We Adore Thee [Adoro te devote] (PMB #675, CBW #587, CH #369, SMH #352)
- Jesus, Bread in Mercy Broken (HPSC #200)
- Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All (WIII #488, AH #516, CH #544, SMH #377)
- Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (AH #605, CBW #571, CH #377, HPSC #209, ICEL #137, PMB #657, WIII #523, CHB #120, SMH #394)
- Lord, Who At Your First Eucharist Did Pray (HPSC #217, CBW #605, SMH #408)
- Now My Tongue the Mystery Telling (HPSC #228)
- O Bread of Life (PMB #664)
- O Food of Exiles Lowly (WIII #729, CH #380, SMH #442)
- O Food of Travelers, Angels' Bread (SMH #443)
- O Living Bread from Heaven (ICEL #142, CH #397, SMH #456)
- O Lord, I Am Not Worthy (CD #894, AH #512, CH #376, SMH #458)
- O Lord Jesus, I Adore Thee (AH #513)
- O Lord with Woundrous Mystery (PMB #656, SMH #459)
- O Sacrament Most Holy (SMH #452)
- O salutaris Hostia (AH #519, WIII #757, CH #362, PMB #677, ICEL #148, SMH #466/7)
- O Saving Victim (AH #519, CBW #585, CH #362, HPSC #260, ICEL #141, PMB #677, WIII #757, CHB #277)
- O Taste and See (HPSC #265, PMB #193)
- O Thou, Who at Thy Eucharist Didst Pray (AH #521)
- Of the Glorious Body Telling (AH #392)
- Pange lingua gloriosi (ICEL #143, CH #361, AH #391, HPSC #275, CBW #584, CHB #303, SMH #488/9)
- Panis angelicus (AH #523, CH #363, SMH #490)
- Praise We Christ's Immortal Body [Pange lingua](PMB #674)
- Shepherd of Souls, in Love, Come Feed Us (PMB #653, SMH #521)
- Shepherd of Souls, Refresh and Bless (CH #390, HPSC #294, ICEL #144, WIII #728, SMH #522)
- Soul of My Savior (ICEL #146, CH #385, AH #522, HPSC #305, CHB #129, SMH #533)
- The King of Love My Shepherd Is (WIII #609, ICEL #165, HPSC #324, AH #580, CH #460, CHB #265, SMH #563/4)
- The Lamb's High Banquet (ICEL #147, CBW #564)
- The Living God My Shepherd Is (WIII #612, CD #831, CBW #690)
- The Lord's My Shepherd (CD #832, CH #479, CBW #689, CHB #266)
- We Celebrate the Lamb's High Feast (HH #108)
- AH = The Adoremus Hymnal, Ignatius Press
- CBW = Catholic Book of Worship II / Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
- CD = Cantate Domino / Hymnal Supplement, GIA Publications, Inc.
- CH = The Collegeville Hymnal, The Liturgical Press
- CHB = The Catholic Hymn Book [London Oratory], Gracewing Publishers
- HH = Hymnal of the Hours, GIA Publications, Inc.
- HPSC = Hymns, Psalms & Spiritual Canticles, out of print but excellent
- ICEL = ICEL Resource Collection, GIA Publications, Inc.
- PMB = People's Mass Book, World Library Publications, Inc.
- SMH = The Saint Michael Hymnal, Saint Boniface Church, Lafayette IN
- WIII = Worship, 3rd Edition, GIA Publications, Inc.
The following hymns, while proporting to be "Catholic Eucharstic" hymns, may be of suspect theology and perhaps also of dubious music quality.
They are best avoided, their unfortunate popularity notwithstanding.
- - Anthem (Conry)
- - Bread for the World (Farrell)
- - Bread of Life (Cooney)
- - Come, Taste and See (Becker)
- - Eat This Bread (Berthier)
- - Gather Us In (Haugen)
- - I Am the Bread of Life (Toolan)
- - I Am the Living Bread (Haas)
- - Jesus, Lamb of God (Farrell)
- - Jesus, the Bread of Life (Brown)
- - Jesus, Wine of Peace (Haas)
- - Look Beyond (Ducote)
- - One Love Released (Frenzel)
- - That There May Be Bread (Weston Priory)
- - The Supper of the Lord (Rosania)
- - To Be Your Bread (Haas)
- - You Are Our Living Bread (Joncas)
See CNP's articles:
1. Hymnal Theology
2. Where Is Duke Street? The Triumph of Bad Hymns
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