Communion song

stardreamer1223 · September 2011

We're having a full mass ceremony and can't decide on a communion song. Any help is appreciated! Thank you!!

Riss91 · September 2011

We used Ave Verum Corpus - so beautiful!

[Deleted User] · September 2011

I think we used "I am the Bread of Life"

lalaith50 · September 2011

We're doing Ave Verum also! And then the hymn Let All Mortal Flesh.

KFAW63012 · September 2011

Ave Maria?

professorscience · September 2011

Here is the list we made:

You Satisfy the Hungry Heart

One Bread, One Body

We Come to Your Feast

Alleluia! Sing to Jesus

Let us Break Bread Together

I am the Bread of Life

We went with "Alleluia! Sing to Jesus"

ElisabethJoanne · September 2011

Adoro devote, but in English

Another option if your parish allows is "May the Grace of Christ Our Saviour"

theangelcin · September 2011

We're using One Bread, One Body and We Are Many Parts. My fiance is not Catholic so we felt both songs showed how we're still all one. Also, One Bread, One Body is apparently one of my Dad's favorite hymns and I have always loved We Are Many Parts. We really wanted something that was meaningful to us. ^_^

doctabroccoli · September 2011

Ours was Now in this Banquet.

caitriona87 · September 2011

We had Palestrina's Sicut Cervus; it was my favorite piece from our ceremony.

mrsthiel2011 · September 2011

I think we are having "How Beautiful". I had never heard it, but it is one of my mom's favorites. It is about the Body of Christ and there is a verse about a bride and groom

_Dagney_ · September 2011

We used Ubi Caritas et Amour.

JEPearson · September 2011

We're using:

I HAVE LOVED YOU MICHAEL JONCAS

WHEREVER YOU GO GREGORY NORBET AND MARY DAVID CALLAHAN

allegratree · September 2011

All of the selections offered so far are very good choices. Although I'd shy away from On Eagle's Wings simply for the fact that it is a staple of the funeral repertoire. But definately appropriate for a wedding too.

A colleague of mine had at his wedding Shepherd Me, O God (Psalm 23, Marty Haugen), which is also frequently done at funerals. Some points to consider for Communion music:
1. The act of receiving Communion is something that the community partakes in as a whole. The good theme might be community and oneness in Christ (We Are Many Parts; Table of Plenty; etc).
2. At Communion we are receiving the Body and Blood of Christ and praising his sacrifice for us, therefore the music chosen should deal with those themes. I Am the Bread of Life; Eat this Bread; I Received the Living God; Alleluia Sing to Jesus; Adoro te Devote are all good choices.
3. Because we are partaking in Communion as a Community (note the similarity in those words), so too do we unite our voices as a community. The faithful should duly be given the opportunity to sing together as one during the Communion procession (regardless how many of them actually WILL sing). The Communion Hymn should be just that: a congregational hymn, and should never be done as a solo by the cantor or choir alone. If you want to include a solo or choral piece, like Ave Verum Corpus, Panis Angelicus, or any of the wonderful motets by Palestrina, etal (YAY and props to the previous poster who did!), a good time to do so would be as a meditation immediately after the Communion Procession, or even during Offertory. I would just steer clear of doing those during the Communion procession.
4. Hymns or songs to Mary (Ave Maria, Hail Mary Gentle Woman, On this Day O Beautiful Mother, etc) really have nothing to do with the Sacred Eucharist and should not be done at Communion. They are better reserved for a Marian Devotion or as a prelude.
Hope you'll find this helpful. PM me if I can be any further help, as I am a church music director.

lalaith50 · September 2011

I would like to respectfully disagree that it is as important as allegratree has made it sound that the entire congregation be alllowed to sing during Communion. While individual bishops can mandate this, there is not a requirement in force that applies universally, nor should there be.

Take a closer clook at the General Instruction of the Roman Missal:

86. While the Priest is receiving the Sacrament, the Communion Chant is begun, its purpose being to express the spiritual union of the communicants by means of the unity of their voices, to show gladness of heart, and to bring out more clearly the “communitarian” character of the procession to receive the Eucharist. The singing is prolonged for as long as the Sacrament is being administered to the faithful.[73] However, if there is to be a hymn after Communion, the Communion Chant should be ended in a timely manner.Care should be taken that singers, too, can receive Communion with ease. (this seems to imply that there are particular "singers" during communion...eg, not everybody?)87. In the Dioceses of the United States of America, there are four options for singing at Communion: (1) the antiphon from the Missal or the antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum, as set to music there or in another musical setting; (2) the antiphon with Psalm from the Graduale Simplex of the liturgical time; (3) a chant from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop, including Psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms; (4) some other suitable liturgical chant (cf. no. 86) approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop. This is sung either by the choir alone or by the choir or a cantor with the people. ("By the choir alone." Singing with the people is simply an option! Also, are you familiar with the Graduale Romanum? Notice that it is given here as the FIRST, and therefore preferred, option. Show me any congregation in the world that could sing the communion antiphon in there! In fact, if you look at the texts of the communion antiphon, only occasionally do they have anything to do with the Eucharist. Interesting? )However, if there is no singing, the antiphon given in the Missal may be recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a reader; otherwise, it is recited by the Priest himself after he has received Communion and before he distributes Communion to the faithful.88. When the distribution of Communion is over, if appropriate, the Priest and faithful pray quietly for some time. If desired, a Psalm or other canticle of praise or a hymn may also be sung by the whole congregation. (while #86 does seem to hint at "unity of voices," possibly implying that everyone is singing, in contrast to that, see how this previous paragraph DOES say explicitly that the "whole congregation" should sing if there is singing after communion.)

allegratree · September 2011

I enjoy a good discussion! I've guess I've taken #86 to imply that we should all be singing at the Communion procession. I'm not trying to suggest that there shouldn't be "singers" at Communion. Certainly, if nothing else, they are necessary to lead the people if there is congregational singing, for as you and I both know that if there weren't someone there to "cue" them in, they'd be sitting there like a bump on a log.

Yes I am familiar with the Graduale Romanum, and you are right on the money about any congregation being able to sing what is in there. Most choirs would even be hard pressed to do it! Wouldn't it be wonderful, though?!

Certainly you and I can both agree that the GIRM should be more widely promoted, referenced, and enforced with regard to wedding music. I can't tell you how peeved I get as a music minister when brides want "From This Moment On" or "The Rose" or "The Keeper of the Stars" at Communion of all places, even after they have been given a sample list of good liturgical selections! Needless to say, secular requests like that get no further than my desk. It would be wonderful to not have to deal with it in the first place!

agapecarrie · September 2011

My congregation (and several others here) can chant the communion antiphon.

HandBanana · September 2011

We used One Bread, One Body.

I really enjoy singing. Even when I know the songs chosen, I open the book and read through the lyrics rather than just repeating from memory. For me, singing really helps me feel the spirit and in the moment after receiving Eucharist.

allegratree: I'm not even involved in Catholic church music co-ordination and I'm incredibly tired of hearing brides complain about how their Catholic church is so mean because they won't let them play some new modern pop music. I mean for serious. You can play Train, Marry Me at your reception.

Communion song

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