Alphabetical index of all hymns and Marian Antiphons included in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1988) , by the Catholic Book Publishing Company. The Little Office is a variation of the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Liturgy of the Hours and is prayed in addition to the Divine Office. Rather than the 4 week cycle of the Breviary, it follows a simpler 1 week cycle. For those interested in the Divine Office but are unsure about the cost of a Breviary and it's complexity, the Little Office of the B.V.M. provides new comers an easy to use and affordable alternative. The earliest recorded use of the devotion was in the 8th century at the Benedictine Monastery of Monte Cassino when the practice received approval from Pope Zachary (679-752). From there it spread to other Monastic communities, often with considerable variation, and eventually became popular with secular clergy, Third Orders, and devout Laity. It was standardized by St. Pius V (1504-1572) in 1585 and revised by St. Pius X (1835-1914) in 1910. The reforms of Vatican II recommended the use of the Liturgy of the Hours in place of the Little Office, and consequently did not revise it. None the less, Religious Orders and publishers have produced new versions approved for private or community devotions. As well, Benedict XVI's 2007 Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum made it again possible for the approved use of the 1961 Latin text of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Related Post: Index of Marian Hymns and Antiphons.
HAIL, QUEEN OF HEAVEN, THE OCEAN STAR by John Lingard, 1851 (Public Domain)
1. Hail, Queen of heaven, the ocean star,
Guide of the wanderer here below,
Thrown on life's surge, we claim thy care,
Save us from peril and from woe.
Mother of Christ, Star of the sea
Pray for the wanderer, pray for me.
2. O gentle, chaste, and spotless Maid,
We sinners make our prayers through thee;
Remind thy Son that He has paid
The price of our iniquity.
Virgin most pure, Star of the sea,
Pray for the sinner, pray for me.
3. Sojourners in this vale of tears,
Blest advocate, to thee we cry,
Assuage our sorrows, calm our fears,
And soothe with hope our misery.
Refuge in grief, Star of the sea
Pray for the mourner, pray for me.
4. And while to Him Who reigns above
In Godhead one, in Persons three,
The Source of life, of grace, of love,
Homage we pay on bended knee:
Do thou, bright Queen, Star of the sea,
Pray for thy children, pray for me.
Basilica of the Assumption, Covington KY - Courtesy of Wikipedia
Queen of Heaven, Rejoice is an anonymous translation of the 12th century Latin hymn: Regina Cæli which is traditionally sung as a Marian antiphon after Compline in the Roman Breviary from Easter till Pentecost. An ancient tradition relates how at Easter time in the year 596, as Rome suffered from a great pestilence, Pope St. Gregory the Great (c.540-604), barefoot and holding an icon of the Madonna said to have been painted by St. Luke, heard the first three lines of Regina Cæli sung by angels as he led a procession through the city at dawn to entreat deliverance. He answered them with: "Ora pro nobis Deum. Alleluia!", and saw a vision of an angel with sword, readied for battle. From that day, the pestilence is said to have ceased. In the Divine Office (1974), the Liturgy of the Hours (1975), and the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Regina Cœli is sung at the conclusion of Night Prayer. In the Divine Office (1974), Queen of Heaven, Rejoice is sung as a final anthem after Night Prayer.
Regina coeli laetare,
Alleluia,
Quia quem meruisti portare.
Alleluia,
Resurrexit,
Sicut dixit,
Alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum.
Alleluia.
MOTHER OF CHRIST, HEAR THOU THY PEOPLE'S CRY by Edward Caswall, 1849 (Public Domain)
Mother of Christ, hear thou thy people's cry
Star of the deep and Portal of the sky!
Mother of Him who thee made from nothing made.
Sinking we strive and call to thee for aid:
Oh, by what joy which Gabriel brought to thee,
Thou Virgin first and last, let us thy mercy see.
Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
Porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
Natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.
Hail, Our Queen and Mother Blest is a translation of the Latin hymn, Salve Regina. This translation, used as an Antiphon sung after Night Prayer in modern Divine Office is set to the tune, Gaudeamus Pariter (Ave Virgo Virginum) composed by Johann Roh (c.1495-1547) and adapted in 1584 by Johann Leisentrit (1527-1586). The lyrics can be found here, under the heading: "English hymns based on the Latin original". Salve Regina (see 2nd video) isan anonymous Latin hymn that dates back to the Middle Ages. It is one of four Marian antiphons traditionally sung after Compline in the Roman Breviary. Authorship is uncertain, but modern research suggests the Benedictine Abbot, St. Hermann of Reichenau (1013-1054) as the most likely composer. Crippled from birth and suffering from a paralytic condition, at the age of 7 he was placed in the care of the Benedictine monks on the Monastic Island of Reichenau. The Abbey was a center of arts and learning at the time. There he thrived, becoming an expert scholar, composer, music theorist, mathematician, and astronomer. He is also credited with the composition of another of the Marian antiphon's, Alma Redemptoris Mater. The text of Salve Regina in it's current form was set down at Cluny Abbey in the 12th century. In the Liturgy of the Hours and the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary it is sung or recited at the conclusion of Night Prayer. It is also included as an optional hymn for Monday Evening Prayer in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Tune: Gaudeamus Pariter
SALVE REGINA
Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae,
Vita dulcedo et spes nostra salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae.
Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes,
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eja ergo advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.
Et Jesum benedictum fructum ventris tui
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.
The hymns used during the Easter Season in the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) recall the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus on Easter Sunday and then through the next 50 days ending with Pentecost, we along with the Disciples encounter the risen Christ. In the following video, Fr. James Kubicki, SJ of the Apostleship of Prayer shares some of Pope Benedict XVI's refections on the Easter Season. He draws our attention to the women who went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body, but instead found him risen and alive. Jesus told them to not be afraid, but to go tell the Good News to the Apostles. Like them, we too should not be afraid to proclaim the risen Christ. Our faith is not born from an acceptance of a Doctrine, but from an encounter with a person - Jesus, and he is risen and remains with us!
The hymns used during Holy Week in the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) recall the dramatic events of Christ's passion, death, and resurrection as they are recounted by His Church through Holy Thursday, Good Friday. and the Easter Vigil. In the following video, Fr. Dan O'Reilly of Columbia Catholic Ministry reflects upon Jesus in the of Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Fr. Dan begins by discussing the significance of the Greek word used in Luke 22: "agonia", which means 'the feelings you have preparing for the struggle ahead'. As he goes through his "agonia", Christ turns to his Father, praying in words reminiscent of the "Our Father" from Luke 11, asking that the Father's will be done, but if possible, that he be delivered from the struggle ahead. In our own times of "agonia", we too can pray the words he taught us in the "Lord's Prayer" and unite our sufferings and sacrifices with his as we journey together, with him through this week of the Passion of the Lord.
Fresco from Parish Church of Zirl, Austria - Courtesy of Wikipedia
The hymns used on Palm Sunday in the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) recall the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem as Holy Week begins. In the following video, Fr. Robert Barron of Word On Fire Ministries reflects upon the significance these events would have had for 1st century Jews. He begins with Jesus' approach "from the east" and the prophetic foretelling in Ezekiel 43 when the Shekinah, the Glory of Yahweh (that had left the Temple in Ezekiel 10) would return to reclaim the his Temple. Fr. Barron continues by quoting Zechariah 9:9 and other Old Testament passages relating to the promised return of the Davidic King, Jesus the Son of David who arrives triumphant on Palm Sunday only be crucified on Good Friday, with above him the inscription: "I am the King of the Jews".
Ave Maria, the Latin text of the Hail Mary, has been set to music numerous times and by many of the world's most famous composers including Mozart, Bach, Schubert, Brahms, Rossini, and Gounod. The first half of the prayer is composed of the Angel Gabriel's salutation and St. Elizabeth's Divinely inspired greeting from Luke 1, with the names of Mary and Jesus added for clarity during the Middle Ages; while the second half (the petition) followed later. The first complete text of the prayer did not appear in print until 1495, when it was published in Girolamo Savonarola's "Esposizione sopra l’Ave Maria." There are many settings of the Latin text in Gregorian Chant. Among the most widely used is the Mode I version, as sung in the following video. In the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ave Maria is used during Wednesday Evening Prayer.
Ave Maria,
gratia plena, Dominus tecum
benedicta tu in mulieribus
et benedictus fructus ventris tuis, Jesu
Sancta Maria, Mater dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.
The hymns used during Lent in the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) mirror the season's themes of baptism, conversion, and forgiveness as we prepare ourselves through prayer, fasting, penance, and almsgiving to celebrate the Paschal mysteries of Holy Week. In the following video, Dr. Scott Hahn of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology reflects upon the 40 days of Lent in light of Sacred Scripture, the living transmission of the faith, and the authoritative teaching of the Church: Genesis 7 (Noah and the Ark), Exodus 24 (Moses Fasting), Numbers 13 (12 Spies in the Promised Land), 1 Samuel 17 (David and Goliath), 1 Kings 19 (Elijah Fasts on Mt. Horeb), Jonah 3 (Jonah in Nineveh), Matthew 4 (Jesus in the Desert), and Deuteronomy 6-8 (Quotes used by Jesus). In the early Church we see St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c.115-c.202) writing to Pope St. Victor I (d.199) regarding the practice of fasting prior to Easter. Then, there is reference in the canons of the 1st Council of Nicea (325) to the 40 days of Lent. By the time of St. John Cassian (c.360-c.435), we see this early monk and ascetic writing detailed instruction about Lent. In recent times, Pius XII (1876-1958) promulgated Maxima Redemptionis in 1955 which established the liturgical reform of Holy Week still used today in the Catholic Church.
Numerical Index of the hymns found in the Liturgy of the Hours (1975) approved by the Episcopal Conferences of the Antilles, Bangledesh, Burma, Canada, of the Pacific CEPAC (Fiji Islands, Rarotangta, Samoa and Takelau, Tonga), Ghana, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua, New Guinea and The Solomons, The Phillipines, Rhodesia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United States of America for use in their Dioceses and Confirmed by the Apostolic See. Related: Thematic Index and Alphabetical Index.
May Flights of Angels Lead You On Your Way is a 1969 paraphrase by the Scottish theologian and hymnwriter, Fr. James Quinn S.J. (1919-2010) of the ancient Latin hymn, In Paradisum (Into Paradise). In Paradisum was traditionally used as an antiphon sung by a choir as the body is taken out of the Church in a Requiem Mass or at the burial. The text has been used by many composers, most famously by Gabriel Fauré. May Flights of Angels Lead You On Your Way is set to a variation of the 1875 tune, Unde Et Memores by William Henry Monk (1823-1889). The following video is sung to an alternative tune which I have been unable to identify. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used in the Office of the Dead.
O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine was written in 1973 by author William G. Storey, Professor Emeritus of Liturgy and Church History at the University of Notre Dame. It is a translation of Phos Hilaron, a 3rd century Greek hymn which is one of the oldest songs of the early Church still in use today (see 2nd video). In the Eastern Orthodox Church the ancient text along with original melody is sung at Vespers and is associated with the lighting of the lamps or candles, which symbolize the light of Christ. O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine is set to the Gregorian plainsong, Jesu, Dulcis Memoria. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used in the Office for the Dead.
Who Would True Valor See was written by the English writer and lay preacher, John Bunyan (1628-1688). The text of the hymn is drawn from Part 2, 8th Stage of his famous work of Christian allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress (1678). It is set to the tune Monk's Gate, a
traditional Sussex melody adapted for Bunyan's text by the English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). Vaughan Williams returned to this hymn throughout his career, culminating in one of his last major works: the opera, The Pilgrim's Progress (1951). The first video below features Vaughan William's 1906 adaption, while the second is by Maddy Prior with The Carnival Band from the album, Sing Lustily and with Good Courage (1990). Both of these versions feature one of the true (and arguably endearing) curiosities of Christian hymnody: the appearance of a 'hobgoblin', a friendly but troublesome creature found in English folklore. Bunyan's opening line of the 3rd stanza: "Hobgoblin nor foul fiend" is sometimes altered to something less mythical, such as "No power of evil fiend", as it is in the Office. In the Liturgy of the Hours, Who Would True Valor See is used in the Common of Holy Men.
WHO WOULD TRUE VALOUR SEE by John Bunyan, 1678 (Public Domain)
Who would true valour see,let him come hither;
One here will constant be, come wind, come weather
There’s no discouragement shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent to be a pilgrim.
Whoso beset him round With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound; his strength the more is.
No lion can him fright, he’ll with a giant fight,
He will have a right to be a pilgrim.
Hobgoblin nor foul fiend can daunt his spirit,
He knows he at the end shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away, he’ll fear not what men say,
He’ll labor night and day to be a pilgrim.
Blest Are the Pure in Heart was written by the Rev. John Keble (1792-1866). It was initially published in 1819 as a poem (subtitled 'Purification'), with later revisions by various hymnal editors. Keble was an Ordained Priest in the Church of England. Though the parishes he served were humble in size and state, his many published poems on subjects of religious nature were well known. Blest Are the Pure in Heart is set to the tune Franconia, an adaption by the Anglican Minister, William Henry Havergal (1793-1870) of an earlier melody published by Johann Balthasar Konig (1691-1758) in the Harmonischer Lieder-Schatz of 1738. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used in the Common of Holy Men.
BLEST ARE THE PURE IN HEART by John Keble, 1819 (Public Domain)
1. Blest are the pure in heart,
For they shall see our God;
The secret of the Lord is theirs,
Their soul is Christ's abode.
2. The Lord, who left the heavens
Our life and peace to bring,
To dwell in lowliness with men,
Their Pattern and their King;
3. Still to the lowly soul
He doth himself impart
And for his dwelling and his throne
Chooseth the pure in heart.
4. Lord, we thy presence seek;
May ours this blessing be;
Give us a pure and lowly heart,
A temple meet for thee.
The Beatitudes was written Rev. Enrico F. Garzilli. It was first published in 1970 as part of his collection, For To Those Who Love God. He remains active as a composer, writer, and performer. One his most recent works is the musical, Rage of the Heart; based on the true story of the 12th century tragic romance of Abelard and Heloise. The following video features a setting of the Miserere from that stage work. In the Liturgy of the Hours, The Beatitudes is used in the Common of Virgins and the Common of Holy Women.
Now Let Us Praise is a 1967 Sr. Jane Marie Perrot (1916-1998) paraphrase of the the Latin hymn, Fortem Virili Pectore by Cardinal Silvio Antoniano (1540-1603). In the Roman Breviary, Fortem Virili Pectore was sung at Vespers and Lauds in the Common of a Holy Woman. Cardinal Antoniano was a member of the commission called by Pope Clement VIII to revise the Breviary. Sister Perrot, a Daughter of Charity was actively involved in Catholic music education and liturgical reform. In 1975 she conducted the choir at the Vatican for the canonization of Elizabeth Ann Seton, America's first native-born saint. Sr. Perrot was the first woman ever to conduct a choir for a Eucharistic liturgy at St. Peter's Basilica. After conducting for over two hours, she said: "I'm joyfully exhausted!". Now Let Us Praise is sung to the 1906 tune, Sine Nomine by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used in the Common of Holy Women, the Common of Virgins, and the Common of Doctors of the Church.
All the Saints in Glory, From Every Time and Place
Now, from the Heav'ns Descending was written by the Scottish theologian and hymnwriter, Fr. James Quinn S.J. (1919-2010). It was first published in 1969 as part of his collection, New Hymns for All Seasons. He composed some 300 hymns. One of the last he wrote, Let Scotland's Hills was in honor of St. John Ogilvie, Martyr (1579-1615), Scotland's first Post-Reformation saint. Fr. Quinn was vice postulator for the cause of his canonization, which happened in 1976. Now From the Heav'ns Descending is sung to the tune Aurelia, written in 1864 by Samuel S. Wesley (1810-1876), grandson of Charles Wesley. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used in the Common of Doctors of the Church.
Rise Up, O Men of God was written by American Presbyterian clergyman, William Pierson Merrill (1867-1954). It was first published in 1911 in the Presbyterian newspaper, The Continent. The editor of the paper had expressed to Merrill the need for a hymn of brotherhood in the Church. He turned the idea over in his mind till one day, traveling onboard a streamer on Lake Michigan headed to Chicago the words suddenly came to mind. It is sung to the tune, Festal Song written in 1894 by American composer and organist, William Henry Walter (1825-1893). In the Liturgy of the Hours, Rise Up, O Men of God is used in the Common of Doctors of the Church.
Tune: Festal Song
RISE UP, O MEN OF GOD by William Merrill, 1911 (Public Domain)
1. Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
To serve the King of kings.
2. Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
And end the night of wrong.
3. Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to her task;
Rise up and make her great!
4. Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God!
