Chants for Year B

Advent chants for Year B are available on this site. Go to Year B, Advent to download sheet music and audio files. Chants for Sundays in Ordinary Time for Year B will also be available. Br Michael is working with Anne Rhodes, who sang on the album, 'From Penola's Plains' in honour of St Mary MacKillop. Anne came over to Melbourne from Adelaide to rehearse and record recently. We look forward to a new CD and music album early in 2012. 

St Therese's Parish Kennington

On Thursday, November 27th parishioners, singers and musicians gathered with Fr Joe Taylor and Fr Peter-John Nievandt in the beautiful St Therese's church in Kennington to make music. Br Michael introduced chants from his latest album, 'Come to the Table' as well as chants for Advent and his 'Mass of St Margaret'.

The Advent chants and Mass of St Margaret are available to download from this website.

Mass of St Margaret

I'm sure you will enjoy this bright and singable mass, written for the new texts in the Missal. Some parts, e.g. the Lamb of God I've been singing with congregations for years and other parts are more recently composed.  I've called the mass the Mass of St Margaret after my dear Mum, Margaret Teresa Herry, who soldiers on at age 97. Mum continues to find joy in little things each day, with both her faith in God and love of the Collingwood Football Club remaining as passionate as ever.

Listen to and download audio files here:

1. Gospel Acclamation
2. Holy Holy Holy
3. Acclamation of Faith
4. Great Amen
5. Lamb of God

Download music manuscript for Mass of St Margaret here.

Mass of St Margaret

Dear Friends,

My old mum is 97 in September and doing very well, inspite of her difficulty with hearing. But she's a grand old trouper, having been born in the gold fields of Eastern Victoria, about 50 miles north of Omeo. She remembers clearly the end of W W I, and the rejoicing amongst her bush school friends in this tiny outpost of Empire that was Glen Wills. I asked mum the other day how she was going, and she  responded courageously, 'just  jogging along'.

So I've dedicated this new setting of the mass to my dear mum, Margaret Teresa Herry. The mass isn't entirely new, but it works and people enjoy it. Parts of it I've used for years, the Lamb of God in particular, and the Holy Holy is also an adaption of something I wrote years ago, but re-jigged for the new texts. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Come to the Table- scripture-based chants for liturgy and prayer

A Word from the Composer - For many years I have been writing and publishing short reflective chants based usually on the Gospels. I have found them to be a very useful means of praying with the scriptures, and readily adaptable to many times and places. In this collection , the scripture sources are the Sunday Gospels from Year A of Ordinary time, so musicians and choirs will find them the perfect 'music-match'for these particular Sundays. The chants will however be found to have broad liturgical and catechetical use.

In the Sunday worship context they may be used for gathering, for reflection time after the homily or Holy Communion, and some of the brighter chants make very attractive dismissal songs.

My hope and prayer in publishing these simple refrains is that people, far beyond simply enjoying them, might hear and ponder the word deeply in the heart, indeed as Mary did, and in so doing, become nothing less than the presence of Jesus for our world today.

Click on the cover picture to download an order form.