An emeritus Texas bishop is highlighting an Advent message hidden in the O Antiphons — prayers that are recited or chanted in an ancient tradition leading up to Christmas. “Composed in the sixth or ...

We’ve begun the “O” Antiphons. Every year from December 17-23, the Catholic Church sings what’s known as the “O” Antiphons, the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer. They ...

“O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!” This favored Christmas ...

The Second Part of Advent is upon us. That’s not a casual phrase I’m using to describe the coming of Christmas. It’s a long-standing custom of the Catholic Church that’s been part of our liturgical ...

The psalms have long been a mainstay of Christian liturgical singing. While these songs of the Hebrew Bible first expressed the relationship of Israel to the God of salvation, Christians have heard in ...

Learn more about this medieval Advent tradition, and hear an antiphon published every day from 16 - 23 December. The Great O Antiphons are a series of short verses which count down the days to ...

Liturgical music publisher OCP announces the release of their new antiphon resource for ensembles and assemblies, Let Us All Rejoice. Featuring modern musical settings of the Entrance and Communion ...

“The absolute earliest date for listening to Christmas music is the day after Thanksgiving,” she told me. “Really? Where did that come from?” Had I curbed my curiosity about my friend’s emphatic ...

For any English composer of the early 16th century the votive antiphon was a familiar musical form. Sung by an unaccompanied choir, it was a regular feature of Catholic services, used either as an ...

Imaged from the The O Antiphons, by Ansgar Holmberg, C.S.J. Ansgar Holmberg, C.S.J., 86, didn’t paint her O Antiphon series to edify or instruct anyone. They were meant only for herself. Ansgar (she ...