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T IS GOOD TO BE HOME! I have mentioned in a post in the past that there is a diocesan hymnal published by the Sacred Music Commission of the Diocese of Hong Kong. And this hymnal can be found in every single parish in Hong Kong. There are a lot of great hymns in the diocesan hymnal. However, there is basically no Gregorian chant in it except for a few devotional and seasonal hymn like Adoro te devote, Attende Domine and Veni, Veni, Emmanuel. And even these chants are included, the texts of these hymns are only printed in Chinese and singing them in Latin is not an option.
This past week, I visited many beautiful and old churches in Hong Kong with a friend of mine. We visited Rosary Church, one of the oldest churches in Hong Kong (actually the oldest in Kowloon). As I was praying and looking through the pews, a card caught my eyes. This is not just one of those “prayer cards” or holy cards, this card provides some basic Gregorian chant for the congregation. It has four pages and this is how they look.
They have included the Missa de Angelis, Missa Jubilate Deo and the four Marian Anthems. And just like the Roman Missal, the faithful are supposed to follow the instructions in red and sing the text in black. Chinese translations are provided beneath each of the chant. I thought they picked some good ones to start with. What are your thoughts? Feel free to leave comments on our Facebook page.
