Here is a translation of the Offertory Hymn which we will sing this weekend, it will be sung in Italian:

Lodate Maria

Refrain: Praise Mary O faithful tongues. May your
harmonies resound in the heavens. O Praise Mary

Verse 1: Mary you are the lily of purest whiteness,
and the heart falls in love with the Word your Son.
Refrain…..

Verse 2: Of light divine you are the nobel dawn. The
sun adores you. The moon bows down.
Refrain…..

Verse 3; O Mother of God, O Mystical Rose, Give
help, O merciful one to my spirit.
Refrain…..

Also, the Communion Hymn, Thine Be The Glory, was written by Handel 1685-1759, a German composer of baroque music who settled in England. This hymn is from Handel’s oratorio, Judas Maccabeus. Handel’s most famous oratorio is his Messiah. The oratorio: The term comes from the latin word orare which means to pray. Basically the oratorio is a sacred opera where a story from Sacred Scripture is sung in a dramatic form between soloists and a chorus, without costumes or stage settings. The oratorio had its birth in Italy, the source of all great culture. The Italian saint, Philip Neri, 1515-1595, is credited with making the oratorio a very popular music form in his efforts to deepen Catholic culture in response to the Protestant Reformation. When this “operatic” musical use of Scripture worked its way north into Protestant Europe, the Protestants were at first scandalized. However this Italian art form won the day. Handel is credited with making the oratorio acceptable in England. His Messiah was and still is admired today.