Week 2 of this crazy undertaking.

The Litany of Our Lady or Litany of Loreto - sung according to the second tune given in the Liber Usualis.

The dreaded end to a Mass for Our Lady…

I’ll admit that I wasn’t always overjoyed to hear this piece. Sometimes, after a long Latin Mass keeping little kids in line, the procession would divert to make a stop at the altar of Our Lady and strike up this piece. There would be times I would have to go out with the kids, but there were some times when I was able to stay and join in the responses. It’s so easy to sing - repetitive and meditative like the Rosary. Having two singers to do the “heavy lifting” is a good idea just in case, but it works with a solo cantor too.

Now it’s me who initiates singing the Litany at home. While making the recording it became obvious that I don’t do this often enough. Maybe I can make it a family custom for First Saturdays, especially now that access to the Sacraments is restricted.

Pope Francis’ additions

Earlier this year, His Holiness Pope Francis added three invocations to the Litany, and I have yet to add them to the hymnbook. I’ve added them to the Memrise course. The history of the Litany is rather amazing. This Wikipedia Article gives a good overview.

Also, on a procession I heard someone sing this collect and noticed the word “gaudére” which I have been mispronouncing as “gáudere” for all these years! Okay, I know people will be saying, who cares which syllable takes the accent, but I care. And this I will ammend in the hymnbook ASAP.

Ammending the hymnbook is not a trivial, easy thing. It is written using an obsolete package called OpusTeX. One day I will transfer it all over to the much easier and more modern system called GregorioTeX.

For now, enjoy the new mp3 recording, crossword puzzle and a video from Corpus Christi Watershed at the updated Litany page.