2020 Christmas Church Service

The celebrant is Auxiliary Bishop Michael Gielen. The cathedral’s vocal ensemble and choir are under the acting Director of Music, Nicholas Forbes. Maeve Herd is the cantor, and the organ is played by James Tibbles.

Processional Hymn

O come, All Ye Faithful
Cantor, congregation, choir, and vocal ensemble

Adeste fideles, laeti triumphantes
Venite, venite in Bethlehem
Natum videte, regem angelorum.

Venite, adoremus,
Venite, adoremus,
Venite, adoremus, dominum!

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold him, born the King of angels;

Refrain:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord!

God of God, Light of Light,
Lo! he abhors not the Virgin's womb;
Very God, begotten, not created.

Refrain

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heav'n above:
"Glory to God, in the highest!"

Refrain

Introit

A Boy was Born
Vocal ensemble

A boy was born in Bethlehem,
Rejoice for that, Jerusalem!
Alleluya.

He let himself a servant be,
That all mankind he might set free:
Alleluya.

Then praise the Word of God who came
to dwell within a human frame:
Alleluya.

Welcome by Bishop Michael Gielen

Ki te ingoa o te Matua, o te Tamaiti, o te Wairua Tapu.

Amene.

Tena koutou katoa. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.

And with your spirit.

And what a privilege it is for us to be able to gather today to celebrate the birth of Our Lord. Of course we are acutely aware that many around the world, our brothers and sisters in faith, are unable to gather as we gather, today. We join with them in prayer, to prepare ourselves to celebrate these sacred mysteries. We humble ourselves and seek God’s mercy.

Kyrie

Cantor, congregation, choir, and vocal ensemble

Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison.

Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy,

Absolution

May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life.

Gloria

Cantor, congregation, choir and vocal ensemble

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we adore you,
we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly king, O God Almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, son of the father,
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us,
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
You are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are the holy one, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the most high, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

Collect

Kia inoi tatou. Let us pray. O God, who wonderfully created the dignity of human nature and still more wonderfully restored it, grant, we pray, that we may share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

First Reading from Eleanor Smith

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shone.
You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gradual Psalm

Today a Saviour has been born
Cantor, congregation, choir and vocal ensemble

Refrain:
Today a saviour has been born to us.
He is Jesus Christ the Lord.

I sing a new song to the Lord,
I sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name.

Refrain

Proclaim his help day by day,
Tell among the nations his glory,
Tell of his works, and his wonders
among all the peoples.

Refrain

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,
Let the sea and all within it thunder praise.
All of the land, all that it bears
rejoice at the presence of the Lord.

Refrain

Second Reading by Nigel Fernandes

A reading from the letter of Paul to Titus.

The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Christmastime Alleluia
Cantor, congregation, choir and vocal ensemble

Alleluia. Good news and great joy
to all the world.
Today is born our Saviour,
Christ the Lord.
Alleluia.

Gospel reading by Deacon Thomas Park

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

Glory to you, O Lord.

The clinking sound is caused by the gospel book being censed by the deacon. He makes the sign of Christ three times with the thurible, an incense burner hung from light chains which is used throughout the Mass.

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!" When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily by Bishop Michael Gielen

Praise be to God, we’ve made it to Christmas, Jesus’ birthday, and don’t we need him more than ever this year. Our world, the stable of 2020, has been turned upside down, spun around, locked down, flipped over, and then just when we thought we couldn’t do any more, locked down again. And still we are left wondering what next.

This time last year two of my sisters were pregnant, eagerly waiting to bring their babies into this world. Little did they know the challenges and uncertainty their baby girls would be born into. One of my sisters will enter into quarantine with her husband their boys and their beautiful little girl in a few days, knows more than most what this uncertainty is like. And all of us have stories like this. Where have you been, Our Lord, in this time of uncertainty?

Mary and Joseph would have been excused for asking the same thing. Their lives too had been turned upside down from where they were a year earlier. They would never have anticipated the scene that now faced them: a manger, Bethlehem, a town far from their home, the uncertainty of the birth of their first child, no family support and this nation-wide census. A year earlier I’m sure Mary would not have seen her becoming the mother of the Messiah.

Yet here they are, courageously trusting in God’s promise; a promise they had heard many times through the prophet Isaiah, a promise well-known among the Jewish people of their time, a promise we just heard in our first reading, “For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. And they name him Wonder-Counsellor, Prince of Peace.”

Through Mary and Joseph’s “Yes,” God will be entering into the lives of his people. And here’s the secret of Christmas. God wants to be in the middle of everything that life brings us; whatever it is. That night in Bethlehem, he proved, definitively, he was not some uninterested observer; he took on our flesh and entered into our struggle. Jesus would bring the certainty of God’s love into the uncertainty of Mary and Joseph’s lives.

This story impacted the people of their time so deeply every nation on earth has now heard it and continues to tell it. You can imagine the shepherds and townspeople telling anyone who would listen what happened that night. The heavens came alive with angels, a humble stable housed an amazing family from Galilee, and a child like no other was born. They would have told how they went away different, filled with a joy and peace that seemed to remain with them.

And that is what God desires for us this Christmas, to bring the certainty of his love and closeness into the uncertainty of our situation. It’s true isn’t it, when we know we are loved we can get through just about anything. Hasn’t this been the heart of what has got us through this year: unexpected acts of love both given and received? It seems that in an unusual way this upheaval has made us care more about each other.

And isn’t this exactly what a baby does to us. It pulls us out of ourselves, teachers us things we never thought possible. Recently I was visiting a friend and his wife who was in hospital. My friend has been carrying a heavy cross over a number of years of a chronic pain syndrome. We were discussing where God has been over those years. Then he looked at his wife and I, and he said, “You know where I’ve found the greatest hope? You know that unexpected baby we had in their 40’s?” She knew. He said, “She has brought me the greatest hope in my darkest days. Carrying her, providing for her, holding her when the pain wouldn’t go away, brought me such hope.” And she said to us, “You’ve never told me that.” And like a good man, he said, “You’ve never asked.” Isn’t it incredible, what a baby, even an unexpected baby, can do?

After sharing this we sat in silence. And I sensed Jesus. I sensed we were in his presence. He was comforting us again. Christmas reminds us, hope has a name and his name is Jesus. We, the people who are living through this pandemic, are not the first people to live through uncertain and dark times. Think of our forebears, our tupuna who also listened to this story, some through wars and famines, through every kind of difficulty we could imagine.

It made such an impact on their lives they too passed the good news: “I proclaim to you good news of great joy… a saviour has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.” No matter how uncertain your life looks, how far you are from your loved ones, friends or even how far away God seems at this time, he wants to enter into the stable of your life. And he has only one simple question for you; “Do you have room in your life for me? I don’t care where I go, even into the back shed where the animals are. Do you have room?”

Into the uncertainty of this year and the challenges the future, Jesus wants to bring this certainty to you, now. You are loved, unconditionally and without reserve, and nothing, absolutely nothing, even a pandemic can take this away from you.

Apostle’s Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven, and is seated
at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

Amen.

Prayers of the faithful, led by Ariana Kingston

We pray for a hope-filled and holy Christmas for our faith community, our church and our world. That the peace of the Christ Child be manifest in our words and deeds.

E te ariki, whakarango mai ra ki a matou

We pray for those whom this Christmas will struggle with financial insecurity, unemployment, loneliness, depression, marriage breakdown, and death. May they experience the compassion of the Prince of Peace through the assistance of our wider community.

E te ariki, whakarango mai ra ki a matou

We pray for a Covid-free world. For the discovery of a vaccine and an end to the pandemic.

E te ariki, whakarango mai ra ki a matou

We pray for Pope Francis: that he continues to lead the church with courage and conviction. May he know our prayerful support and encouragement.

E te ariki, whakarango mai ra ki a matou

We pray for parents, grandparents, caregivers and all those who support and nurture our children at this time of year. That they be filled with the peace and joy of the Holy Family.

E te ariki, whakarango mai ra ki a matou

We pray for holiday makers. May these long summer days be safe and be a time of rest and renewal.

E te ariki, whakarango mai ra ki a matou

We pray for those who have died. We especially remember with love those who have died since last Christmas. May they be revelling in the utter fullness of new life in Christ.

E te ariki, whakarango mai ra ki a matou

We bring these our prayers, the prayers that each of us carries in the manger of our hearts, and we place them before the Christ Child in the manger, asking him to hear our prayers, and to answer them.

Amen.

Offertory motet

Hodie Christus Natus Est
Vocal ensemble

Hodie Christus natus est hodie Salvator apparuit: hodie in terra canunt Angeli, laetantur Archangeli: hodie exsultant justi, dicentes: Gloria in excelsis Deo, Alleluia!

Today Christ is born; today the Saviour has appeared; today the Angels sing, the Archangels rejoice; today the righteous rejoice, saying: Glory to God in the highest, Alleluia!

 

Offertory hymn

Angels we have heard on high
Cantor, congregation, choir and vocal ensemble

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echo back their joyous strains.

Refrain:
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
Say what may the tidings be
Which inspire your heav'nly song.

Refrain

Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn king.

Refrain

See him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.

Refrain

The Liturgy of the Eucharist

I pray my brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty father.

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

Prayer over the Offerings

Make acceptable, O Lord, our oblation on this solemn day, when you manifested the reconciliation that makes us wholly pleasing in your sight and inaugurated for us the fulness of divine worship. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord. For through him the holy exchange that restores our life has shone forth today in splendour: when our frailty is assumed by your Word, not only does human mortality receive unending honour but by this wondrous union we, too, are made eternal. And so, in company with the choirs of angels, we praise you, and with joy we proclaim:

Sanctus

Cantor, congregation, choir and vocal ensemble

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,
Hosanna in the highest.

You are indeed Holy, O Lord,
and all you have created rightly gives you praise,
for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
by the power and working of the Holy Spirit,
you give life to all things and make them holy,
and you never cease to gather a people to yourself,
so that from the rising of the sun to its setting
a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.

Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you:
by the same Spirit graciously make holy
these gifts we have brought to you for consecration,
that they may become the body and blood
of your son our Lord Jesus Christ,
at whose command we celebrate these mysteries.

For on the night he was betrayed
he himself took bread,
and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
for this is my body,
which will be given up for you.

In a similar way, when supper was ended,
he took the chalice,
and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:

Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my blood,
the blood of the new and eternal covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.

The mystery of faith.

Memorial acclamation

Cantor, congregation, choir and vocal ensemble

Save us, Saviour of the world,
for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.

Therefore, O Lord,
as we celebrate the memorial
of the saving passion of your son,
his wondrous resurrection
and ascension into heaven,
and as we look forward to his second coming,
we offer you in thanksgiving
this holy and living sacrifice.
Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your church
and, recognising the sacrificial victim
by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself,
grant that we, who are nourished by
the body and blood of your son
and filled with his holy spirit,
may become one body, one spirit in Christ.

May he make of us
an eternal offering to you,
so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect,
especially with the most blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God,
with blessed Joseph, her spouse,
with your blessed apostles and glorious martyrs
and with all the saints,
on whose constant intercession in your presence
we rely for unfailing help.
May this sacrifice of our reconciliation,
we pray, O Lord,
advance the peace and salvation of all the world.

Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity
your pilgrim church on earth,
with your servant Francis our Pope
Patrick, our bishop, me, your unworthy servant,
the order of bishops, all the clergy,
and the entire people you have gained for your own.
Listen graciously to the prayers of this family,
whom you have summoned before you.
In your compassion, O merciful father,
gather to yourself all your children
scattered throughout the world.

To our departed brothers and sisters
and to all who were pleasing to you
at their passing from this life,
give kind admittance to your kingdom.
There we hope to enjoy for ever
the fullness of your glory
through Christ our Lord,
through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.

Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty father,
in the unity of the holy spirit,
all glory and honour is yours,
for ever and ever.

Great Amen

Cantor, congregation, choir and vocal ensemble

Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

At the saviour’s command, informed by divine teaching, we dare to pray our saviour’s prayer in te reo Māori.

E to matou Matua i te rangi, kia whakatapua tou ingoa; kia tae mai tou rangatiratanga, kia whakaritea tau hiahia i te whenua, kia pera ano i to te rangi. Homai ki a matou aiane he taro ma matou mo tenei ra, whakakahoretia o matou hara, me matou e whakakore nei i nga hara o te hunga e hara ana ki a matou; kaua matou e tukua kia whakawaia, engari whakaorangia matou i te kino. Nou hoki te rangatiratanga, te kaha, me te kororia, mo ake, ake. Amene.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our saviour, Jesus Christ.

The kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who live and reign for ever and ever.

Amen.

The peace of our new-born saviour Jesus Christ be with each of you.

And with your spirit.

Agnus Dei

Cantor, congregation, choir and vocal ensemble

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.

Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

Communion Motets

Nativity Carol
Cathedral choir and vocal ensemble

Born in a stable so bare,
Born so long ago,
Born 'neath light of star,
He who loved us so.
Far away, silent he lay,
Born today, your homage pay.
For Christ is born for aye,
Born on Christmas Day.

Cradled by mother so fair,
Tender her lullaby,
Over her son so dear,
Angel hosts fill the sky.
Far away, silent he lay,
Born today, your homage pay.
For Christ is born for aye,
Born on Christmas Day

Wise men from distant far land,
Shepherds from starry hills,
Worship this babe so rare.
Hearts with his warmth he fills
Far away, silent he lay
Born today, your homage pay
For Christ is born for aye
Born on Christmas Day

Love in that stable was born,
Into our hearts to flow.
Innocent dreaming babe,
Make me thy love to know.
Far away, silent he lay,
Born today, your homage pay.
For Christ is born for aye
Born on Christmas Day.

O magnum mysterium
Cathedral choir and vocal ensemble

O magnum mysterium, et admirabile sacramentum, ut animalia viderent Dominum natum, iacentem in praesepio! Beata Virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Iesum Christum. Alleluia!

O great mystery and remarkable sacrament, that animals witness the Lord born, laid in a manger. O blessed Virgin, whose womb was deemed worthy to our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!

Prayer after Communion

Kia inoi tatou. Let us pray. Grant O merciful God, that, just as the Saviour of the world, born this day, is the author of divine generation for us, so he may be the giver even of immortality. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

Merry Christmas to you all. I pray that this day will be a very special day for you. The privilege that we have of gathering with our loved ones, that we will all cherish this time together. And celebrate this time as many people around the world are unable to do with their loved ones And we pray that each of you will know the grace, the joy, and the peace that our saviour Jesus Christ brings us this day. Let us pray.

Solemn Blessing

May the God of infinite goodness, who by the incarnation of his son has driven darkness from the world and by that glorious birth has illumined this most holy day, drive far away from you the darkness of vice and illumine your hearts with the light of virtue.

Amen

May God, who willed that the great joy of his son's saving birth be announced to shepherds by the Angel, fill your minds with the gladness he gives and make you heralds of his gospel. 

Amen

May God, who by the Incarnation brought together the earthly and heavenly realm, fill you with the gift of his peace and favour and make you sharers with the church in heaven.

Amen

And may the blessing of almighty God, the father, son, and the holy spirit, come down on you and remain with you for ever. 

Amen

Hymn

Hark! The herald angels sing
Cantor, congregation, choir and vocal ensemble

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born king!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
"Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."

Refrain:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!"

Christ, by highest heaven adored:
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the favoured one.
Veiled in flesh, the godhead see;
Hail, the incarnate deity:
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!

Hail! the heaven-born
Prince of peace!
Hail! the son of righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that we no more may die:
Born to raise us from the earth,
Born to give us second birth.

Refrain

Music details

Artist: Choir, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: O come, All Ye Faithful
Composer: Tibbles/Jennings
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: A Boy was Born
Composer: Britten/Dearmer
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, cantor, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Kyrie
Composer: Plainsong from the Missa De Angelis
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, cantor, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Gloria
Composer: Tony Alonso
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, cantor, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Today a Saviour has been born
Composer: Bernadette Farrell
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, cantor, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Christmastime Alleluia
Composer: Plainchant/James J Chepponis
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Hodie Christus Natus Est
Composer: Poulenc
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Angels we have heard on high
Composer: Trad.
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, cantor, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Sanctus
Composer: Tony Alonso
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, cantor, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Memorial acclamation
Composer: Tony Alonso
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, cantor, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Great Amen
Composer: Tony Alonso
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, cantor, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Agnus Dei
Composer: Tony Alonso
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Nativity Carol
Composer: Rutter
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: O magnum mysterium
Composer: Tomás Luis de Victoria
Album: RNZ recording

Artist: Choir, vocal ensemble, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland
Song: Hark! The herald angels sing
Composer: Trad. Desc: Willcocks
Album: RNZ recording

Credits

Priest: Bishop Michael Gielen
Deacon: Thomas Park
Readers: Eleanor Smith, Nigel Fernandes, Ariana Kingston (Cultural Prefect, St Mary’s College 2021)

Acting Director Music: Nicholas Forbes 
Organist: James Tibbles
Cantor: Maeve Herd

Vocal Ensemble
Sopranos – Fiona Tibbles, Luana Prictor
Altos – Helen Acheson, Alexandra Woodhouse
Tenors – Matthew Bennett, Jack Timings
Baritones – Blake Nicholson, James Butler.

Cathedral Choir
Joselito Paraiso, Robert Greenberg, James Roberson, John Han, Francesca Reindler, Jane Larkin, Jennifer Barraclough, Stephanie Roberson, Maeve Herd, Ro Lange, Jie-yeun Park.

Audio engineer: Rangi Powick

Producer: Paul Bushnell

Recorded in partnership with the Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph, Auckland.