Music Notes for Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026

May 22, 2026

Music Notes for Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026 Dr. John Michniewicz

Sunday, May 24th, 2026, Pentecost Sunday, closes the Easter Season, the fiftieth day after Easter. Sundayʼs readings relate to and describe the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The First Reading Acts 2111 takes place in the upper room in Jerusalem, where the disciples are gathered. A sound like a mighty rushing wind fills the house, tongues of fire rest upon each of them, and they begin speaking in the languages of every nation. Those gathered are astonished. This is in fact the birthday and initiation of the Church, a vivid and unexpected moment of transformation.

Sundayʼs Responsorial Psalm Psalm 1042434, 35b) speaks of creation to praise God as the one who sends forth the Spirit, to make new the face of the earth. “When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth” This text connects the Spirit of Pentecost to God breathing life into Creation itself. The Second Reading 1 Corinthians 123b–7, 1213 shows that while the Spirit distributes varying gifts to many different people, all are members of a single body, a Christian community. The Gospel

John 201923 offers a quieter, more inward depiction of Pentecost. The risen Jesus appears to the disciples, frightened behind the locked doors. Jesus reassures the disciples and says “Peace be with you.ˮ By breathing on them, he imparts the Holy Spirit. There is no wind, no fire, but the disciples are transformed to act and are empowered to continue Christʼs mission in the world. Sundayʼs readings paint a full portrait of the Spirit: thunderous and quiet, affecting the community, yet personal, ancient and ever new.

Sundayʼs Entrance Hymn, Come, Holy Ghost, No. 544 in the Worship Hymnal) is also another one of the most known and beloved hymns in the Church. It is an English translation of Veni Creator Spiritus, a hymn dating to the 9th century and long attributed to Rabanus Maurus 776856, a Benedictine abbot and theologian who first became the Abbot of the Monastery of Fulda, and later Archbishop of Mainz. Rabanus was a noted and celebrated scholar and helped transform the Monastery school into a center of learning. Around 844, Rabanus wrote his theological treatise De Universo, and the third chapter is specifically a theological framework for understanding the Spiritʼs identity and role. Rabanusʼ hymn transforms and distills the treatiseʼs chapter on the Holy Spirit into a memorable, singable and accessible hymn. Because future clergy and religious were sent from across Europe to the Monastery at Fulda for training, and future church leaders who studied there carried the hymn with them to other parts of Europe as they dispersed into leadership positions across the Frankish Empire. By the 11th century it was being sung at Pentecost both in Rome and throughout the Western Church.

The first verse of the hymn is a petition calling for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit: “Come Holy Ghost…take up thy rest, come with thy grace…to fill the hearts which thou hast made.ˮ The second verse gives various titles for the Spirit: “Comforter,ˮ “Gift of God

most high,ˮ Fount of Life,ˮ “Fire of Love,ˮ “Sweet Anointing from Above.ˮ Each of these titles reference scripture that describe the events of Pentecost or describe the Holy Spirit. “Fire” for example echoes the tongues of flame in Acts 2. “Living fountain” connects to John 7, where Jesus cries out that rivers of living water will flow from within those who believe. “Comforter” reflects Jesus’s own description of the Holy Spirit. And “anointingˮ links the Spirit’s arrival to the sending out of the disciples in John 20, where Jesus gives the Great Commission. Some commentators note that the hymn also reflects Saint Augustine’s theology of the Holy Spirit. Augustine argued that “Love” should be considered a proper name for the Holy Spirit, because love reveals the relationship between the Father and the Son. The second reading today from 1 Corinthians 12 ultimately can be read as love, expressed through gifts distributed for the common good.

  1. Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, And in our hearts take up thy rest; Come with thy grace and heavʼnly aid To fill the hearts which thou hast made, To fill the hearts which thou hast made.
  1. O Comforter, to thee we cry,

Thou heavʼnly gift of God most high, Thou fount of life, and fire of love, And sweet anointing from above, And sweet anointing from above.

  1. O Holy Ghost, through thee alone Know we the Father and the Son; Be this our firm unchanging creed,

That thou dost from them both proceed, That thou dost from them both proceed.

  1. Praise we the Lord, Father and Son, And Holy Spirit with them one;

And may the Son on us bestow All gifts that from the Spirit flow, All gifts that from the Spirit flow.

Here is a traditional version of Come Holy Ghost as sung by the Choir and congregation at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8eL-czuSTk

Sundayʼs Responsorial Psalm setting, Worship Hymnal No. 81 is by renowned Liturgical composer Fr. James Chepponis 19562026. After study at Mount St. Maryʼs Seminary in

Maryland, he was ordained for the priesthood in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The piece he wrote for his Ordination Mass, Go Up to the Altar of God, has become well-known and is used across the United States and internationally for high profile Masses. His setting of Psalm 104 also provides memorable music for its refrain: “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.ˮ This celebratory setting is tuneful and singable, and deeply connected to the Acts reading, where the Spirit renews and gives courage to a frightened community. The Spirit of God, that hovered over the waters at creation, breathes new life into the Church.

After the Psalm and leading into the Gospel Acclamation, the liturgy prescribes what is known as the Pentecost Sequence: Veni Sancte Spiritus Worship Hymnal No. 1100.

Sequences originated as an extension of the sung Alleluia before the proclamation of the Gospel, now a poetic text that is sung between the Second Reading and the Gospel Acclamation. Liturgically, the Sequence Hymn is used on Easter and Pentecost Sundays and is optional for Corpus Christi and the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Veni Sancte Spiritus is known as the “Golden Sequence,ˮ or Sequentia Aurea in Latin, due to its exceptional literary beauty, its profound spiritual depth, and its status as a crowning masterpiece of medieval sacred poetry. Scholars believe it was written by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1228. One of its recognized beautiful attributes is its carefully crafted poetic structure. In Latin, this literary structure is carefully outlined with a symmetrical rhyme scheme, aabccb, resulting in each three-line verse ending with the syllable -ium, creating a consistent rhyme structure throughout. For example, here are the first two verses:

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, (Holy Spirit, Lord of light), (a)

et emitte caelitus (From Thy clear celestial height) (a)

lucis tuae radium. (Thy pure beaming radiance give). (b)

Veni, pater pauperum, (Come, Thou Father of the poor), (c) veni, dator munerum, (Come with treasures which endure) (c) veni, lumen cordium. (Come, Thou Light of all that live). (b)

Musically, this hymn was chanted throughout the octave of Pentecost in the medieval Roman rite and a plenary indulgence was given by the Holy See to those who recited it devoutly. In 1570, when the Council of Trent reduced the liturgical use of sequences to only the above mentioned four, Veni Sancte Spiritus was one of those preserved, a testimony to how deeply it was loved and how irreplaceable it was considered. The text moves through petition, praise, and consolation, invoking the Spirit as “Father of the poor,” “giver of gifts,” “light of hearts,” and the one who “bends the stubborn will.” It also gives, throughout its verses, a complete theology of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, Lord Divine,

Come, from heights of heavʼn and shine. Come with blessed radiance bright!

Come, O Father of the poor,

Come, whose treasured gifts endure. Come, our heartʼs unfailing light!

Of consolers, wisest, best,

And our soulsʼ most welcome guest, Sweet refreshment, sweet repose.

In our labor rest most sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat, Consolation in our woes.

Light most blessed, shine with grace In our heartʼs most secret place,

Fill your faithful through and through!

Left without your presence here, Life itself would disappear, Nothing thrives apart from you!

Cleanse our soiled hearts of sin, Arid souls refresh within, Wounded lives to health restore!

Bend the stubborn heart and will, Melt the frozen, warm the chill,

Guide the wayward home once more!

On the faithful who are true And profess their faith in you, In your sevʼn-fold gift descend!

Give us virtueʼs sure reward, Give us your salvation, Lord, Give us joys that never end!

Amen, Alleluia.

Here is the Pentecost Sequence as sung by the choir at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. alternating between the choir and cantor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2cTtkGaYr0

At the 1130 AM Mass, the choir will sing an arrangement of the hymn O Spirit

All-Embracing, Worship Hymnal No. 536 as arranged for Brass, Percussion Choir and Organ by Fr. James Chepponis. The hymn melody itself was written by English Composer Gustav Holst 18741934. Holst composed his celebrated orchestral suite The Planets between 1914 and 1917. The movement depicting Jupiter, “The Bringer of Jollity” contains a broad, hymn-like central tune that Holst himself named THAXTED, after his cottage in the village of Thaxted, Essex, England, where he composed it. The tune became one of the most widely recognized melodies of the 20th century, later attached to the patriotic hymn I Vow to Thee, My Country in Britain.

Chepponis has created a substantial hymn concertato on this tune, setting a Pentecost text by Delores Dufner, OSB (b. 1939, a Benedictine and celebrated liturgical poet. Sr. Dufner describes her text as expressing “the pervasive presence and transforming power of the Holy Spirit” in the first verse; “the Spirit as a source for growth and new life” in verse 2, and “true wisdom and lasting treasure” in verse 3. The opening verseʼs list of descriptive attributes: “all-embracing,” “all-wise,” “unbounded,” “unfailing,” “unfading” reflects the Spirit’s universality proclaimed in the Acts reading. Chepponis begins the hymn with a brass fanfare and includes interludes for brass, timpani, and organ, creating a festive and celebratory setting of the hymn.

O Spirit All Embracing

  1. O Spirit all-embracing and counselor all-wise, Unbounded splendor gracing a shoreless sea of skies: Unfailing is your treasure, unfading your reward; Surpassing worldly pleasure, the riches you afford.

Come, stream of endless flowing, and rescue us from death; Come, wind of springtime blowing, and warm us by your breath.

  1. O Beauty ever blazing in flower, field, and face, You show yourself amazing in unexpected place.

We see you and remember what once our dreams had been; You fan the glowing ember and kindle hope within.

Come, fire of glory gracious, bless all who trust in you; Undying flame tenacious, burn in your Church anew.

  1. Come, passionʼs power holy, your insight here impart, And give your servants lowly an understanding heart

To know your care more clearly when faith and love are tried, To seek you more sincerely when false ideals have died:

For vision we implore you, for wisdomʼs pure delight; In prayer we come before you to wait upon your light.

Here is a festive recording of O Spirit All-Embracing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiifMFmO7Dw

The contemporary hymn writer Mary Louise Bringle (b. 1953 provides the inspired and brilliant text for Sundayʼs Communion hymn, Laus Tibi Sancte Spiritus Worship Hymnal No. 539. Set to the melody of the 13th-century Easter processional O Filii et Filiae (attributed to the French Franciscan friar Jean Tisserand (d. 1494, this adaptation recasts this ancient Easter melody into a vibrant Pentecost song of praise. Bringle drew inspiration from the colorful mystical writings of Hildegard of Bingen 10981179 to craft an exquisite, exciting and vivid text that offers a beautiful yet contemporary portrait of the Holy Spirit followed by prayerful petitions to the Holy Spirit.

Laus Tibi Sancte Spiritus

  1. O Holy Spirit, Flowing Light, Of mirrorʼs silver, dazzling bright, Reflect in us your clear delight, alleluia!
  1. O Holy Spirit, Wisdomʼs Fire, Of leaping flame and steepleʼs spire, Uplift our intellectsʼ desire, alleluia!
  1. O Holy spirit, Healing Balm, Of scent-filled air and salving calm, Distill our tears to crystal psalm, alleluia!
  1. O Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove, Reach through the lattice of your love And train us toward the life above, alleluia!
  1. O Holy Spirit, Paraclete, Make strong our hands and swift our feet To serve the Christ in all we meet, alleluia!

At the 1130 Mass, during the Communion Meditation, the choir will sing the anthem One Faith, One Hope, One Lord by Craig Courtney. A respected choral composer and longtime liturgical music editor. Drawing its text directly from Ephesians 45 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” this piece speaks to the very heart of today’s Second Reading from 1 Corinthians: the one Spirit, the one body with many gifts.

Courtney’s writing is harmonically rich, building from a quiet, contemplative opening to a majestic choral affirmation.

One Faith, One Hope, One Lord

One faith, one hope, one Lord, one church for which he died,

One voice, one song we lift in praise to him who was and is and shall be evermore.

There is one body, one spirit, as you were called to one hope.

One Lord, baptism and faith, one God and Father of all, who is in you all. Though we be many people, diverse with various gifts,

we are given to each other for the unity of faith, that we grow in the knowledge of the Son of God, in the fullness of Christ.

One faith, one hope, one Lord, one church for which he died,

One voice, one song we lift in praise to him who was and is and shall be evermore.

Here is the Choir of St. Peterʼs Cathedral in Tallahassee Florida presenting One Faith, One Hope, One Lord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSosotE2vq8

Sundayʼs Mass concludes with No. 864 in the Worship Hymnal: Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord. The melody traces back to early 19th-century American camp meeting songs, later adapted as the marching song John Brown’s Body. In November 1861, Julia Ward Howe 18191910, poet and abolitionist, heard the tune being sung and was so moved that she woke before dawn and wrote five new stanzas now known as: The Battle Hymn of the Republic, publishing them in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1862. The imagery fits with the celebration of Pentecost: “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord… His truth is marching on.”

At the 1130 Mass, the choir will sing the legendary setting by Peter J. Wilhousky

19021978. Wilhousky was the Director of Music for the New York City public schools, memorably the arranger of the famous Ukrainian Christmas hymn: Carol of the Bells. He arranged the music for many prominent events. His Battle Hymn arrangement became immortal when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, accompanied by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy, recorded it in 1959 in a Grammy-winning performance, becoming a staple of the choral repertoire. The arrangement has since been performed at presidential inaugurations, state funerals, and the National Cathedral’s 9/11 memorial service. Its soft, slightly dissonant trumpet fanfares at the opening, the more meditative inner verses, and the chromatic climb to the final Amen are among the most distinctive moments in American sacred choral music.

With a nod to this weekendʼs Memorial Day commemoration, the imagery of the Spirit whose truth is always marching on makes this a fitting and joyful conclusion to Sundayʼs Pentecost Mass.

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord.

  1. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword;

His truth is marching on.

Refrain: Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

  1. I have seen him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps; They have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read the righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps; His day is marching on.
  1. In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me;

As he died to make us holy, let us die that all be free! While God is marching on.

Here is an impressive recording from a July 4, 2025 concert at West Point, New York featuring the West Point Band with the Choir and Orchestra of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAqNe-m0a8s

Sources:

https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-o-spirit-all-embracing