All musical ministers can learn a great deal from the document Music within the Mass, which can be found in Useful Information under Documents to Guide Selection of Music.

Look at the table Forms of Liturgical Song. All of the 5 star priorities for our music are NOT hymns – they are Mass parts like the Gloria, the Holy, the Acclamation and the great Amen. They are the parts that belong to the worshiping assembly, the parts that above all show the active participation of God’s gathered people.

Next in importance are the Psalm, Lamb of God, Entrance and Communion Hymns. I would also note that in Advent and Lent, when we do not sing or say the Gloria, the Kyrie should be given increased importance.

Because the Mass parts are so important, they play a major part in announcing that things have changed.

We move from Ordinary time, where the priest wears green, to Lent, where his vestments are purple. Our readings are all about preparation, staying awake and ready. We look forward to Christmas. We have a special rite – the lighting of candles on the Advent Wreath. We no longer sing the Gloria – saving it up to sing in union with the Angels on Christmas.

So each musical group should work toward having 3 different mass settings: 1 for ordinary time, 1 for the seasons of preparation (Advent and Lent,) and 1 for the seasons of celebration: Christmas, Easter and the major feasts. Each hymn guide has a recommended mass setting. Different settings to these can be used, but try not to use one that is recommended for a different season – this can lesson the seasonal effect of the music, a bit like the priest suddenly wearing green vestments in Lent.

This resource will contain a list of music sourced from the resources available to musicians at St. Agatha’s. Our major hymn book is Gather Australia (GAUS.) We also have accompaniment copes of Gather, As One Voice, Catholic Worship Book 2, The Source, and a few less used music books.

If you are rostered to a particular week, you may find the hymn guides for that week helpful in choosing hymns. All the hymns listed have been recommended by various liturgical sources in Australia and the USA, and are hymns that either refer directly to the readings of the day, or whose themes reflect the same ideas as the readings. Some you may know, some you may be encouraged to learn. You will not find hymns recommended in them that are specific to a part of the mass (unless they also reflect the readings.) There is nothing wrong with a generic Communion hymn, for example, but the indexes in the various hymn books provide this. The guides are designed to help you focus on the weekly readings, so your music can strengthen both the part of the mass and the links to the Liturgy of the Word.

Other useful aids in picking appropriate hymns can be found in the missal. Because we usually sing hymns at the entrance and communion, the two antiphons are usually not said. These can give a related viewpoint on the themes of the liturgy on the day.

There is also nothing inappropriate about using a general processional at the entrance, or a general communion hymn at communion. Use the topical indexes found at the back of most of the hymn books. But if you find one that resonates with the readings, so much the better. There are links elsewhere on this site to other sources of inspiration.

We also hold licenses with CCLI and One License, which allows us to project lyrics for the people to sing hymns that are not in our hymn book. Make sure you know where to find them, how to project them, and how to record their use.