I have a friend who is a freelance pastoral musician. She provides her services for various funerals and vigils in the local area. It’s always interesting to hear of her experiences dealing with various priest and liturgy directors. At her latest funeral, she was asked before hand by the liturgy director if she would sing “Ave Maria” during the communion procession! Wow! She managed to talk the liturgy director into letting her sing the song as a prelude to the liturgy.
The liturgy documents tell us the song during communion should be one that is well known by the assembly and have a refrain that can be sung without everyone having to carry a hymnal down the isle with them. A psalm is suggested, but I’ve never felt comfortable singing a psalm during the communion procession.
I recently ran across a wonderful piece of music that I used for the communion process for Pentecost and the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ this year. The song is called Spirit and Grace and it was composed by Ricky Manalo, CSP. I always get excited when I get my OCP quarterly packet and see an octavo with his name on it. Many Ricky Manalo compositions have become standard repertoire at my church (Beyond the Days, By the Waking of Our Hearts, Come, O Spirit of God…just to name a few). I’ve seen many Catholic choirs make the mistake (in my mind) of singing to many (or even all) hymns during the Pentecost Vigil or Pentecost Day based on the “Pentecost Sequence, Veni, Sancte Spiritus“. Ricky Manalo’s hymn speaks of the Holy Spirit by in a very unique way.
As I mentioned, “Spirit and Grace” is a communion song. The tune is also a continuation of Ricky Manalo’s “Mass of Spirit and Grace” which, as far as I can tell, is not yet out in print yet. The song fills a very needed niche in our Catholic repertoire because it speaks of the connection between the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist. The song can be sung during any Sunday of the Church year, but would be very appropriate for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Pentecost, confirmations, ordinations, anniversaries.
The octavo of Spirit and Grace was written for assembly, SATB choir, Keyboard, Guitar and Solo Instrument. The solo instrument part is beautiful and I look forward to playing it on my violin. The tune to this hymn was picked up very quickly by my choir. That almost always means the assembly will not have any difficulty picking up the tune either. I know it will become another standard communion hymn at our church.
In the bread, blessed, broken and shared,
Christ is our life, whose presence we bear.
Come, O Spirit, make your grace revealed in this holy meal.Refrain – Spirit and Grace, by Ricky Manalo, CSP
