Title: Ave: Songs of the Congregation of Notre Dame
Artist: Kathleen Deignan, CND & Mary Anne Foley, CND
Year: 2009
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Musician(s): Bob Leonard, Dana Lyn, Don Wallace, Gina Sader-Rubenstein, Gregory Hauck, Greta Sibley, Jerry O'Sullivan, Kathleen Deignan, Marion Najamy, Mary Anne McFadden, Paul Avgerinos, Rob Silvan, Sisters and Associates of the Congregation of Notre Dame, Susan Aery
It seems that every decade the Sisters and Associates of the Congregation renew our canticles of praise with yet another version of this collection which has ripened and resonated and been augmented anew since its first recording in the late 1980s. In that season we called it “In the Footsteps of Mary,” a decade later, “Visitation,” and now, a decade later still and richly laden with new songs we call it “AVE.”
But this is no mere resounding. What comes to life here is the most original version of a nearly flawless recording by Jerry Brock of Posthorn Productions when a schola of singers simply stood before one microphone in a live session, counting only on their vocal gifts and spirit of harmony to create a musical world of clarity, purity and grace. What Paul Avgerinos of Studio Unicorn recovered and enhanced in those 20 year old tracks was a soul sound rarely found now in the highly digitalized world of today’s recordings. And what echoes with greater intensity is the vitality of a deeply motivating spirituality that has funded centuries of CND mission to the world in the way of visitation.
The Congregation of Notre Dame holds at its heart Mary’s prophetic canticle of praise, “The Magnificat.” In fact, the CND exists to honor and imitate “the life Mary lived on Earth,” and finds in her mysteries a luminous wisdom to that has inspired every facet of their lives for over three centuries. In this collection of sacred songs composed by Kathleen Deignan, CND and Mary Anne Foley, CND we trace this Marian legacy to its source in the salutation of an angel whose one word awakened mystical life in young girl, whose own song of wonder would begin a transforming revolution on Earth: “AVE.”
Listen to that angel song with us and all this songs that it has inspired, many of them adapted from the writings of Marguerite Bourgeoys, the founder of the CND, from Scripture, and from the words of kindred spirits like the Shakers and the poets of the Celtic Isles. We thank all who offered their musicianship to make this collection possible and hope that it will draw you into the joyful mysteries of the sacred feminine.
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Track |
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Lyrics |
01. |
Mary's Alleluia |
♫ |
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02. |
Morning Song |
♫ |
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03. |
Simple Gifts |
♫ |
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04. |
All That I Have Ever Desired |
♫ |
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05. |
Song of Disciple |
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06. |
Prayer of the Congregation |
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07. |
The Queen's Song |
♫ |
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08. |
In the Footsteps of Mary |
♫ |
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09. |
Mission Song |
♫ |
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10. |
Magnet of Christ |
♫ |
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11. |
The More I Follow |
♫ |
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12. |
Living Water |
♫ |
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13. |
Psalm of the Beloved |
♫ |
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14. |
I Want to Feel Little |
♫ |
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15. |
Almighty God |
♫ |
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16. |
Spirit of Charity |
♫ |
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17. |
Blessing Song |
♫ |
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18. |
Be Always Little |
♫ |
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19. |
Visitation Song |
♫ |
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20. |
Magnificat |
♫ |
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21. |
Ave Maria |
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Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Inspired by Mary's Fiat in Luke 1:38
(vocals: Deignan & CND Schola; percussion: Romano, Deignan)
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed am I, your humble handmaid, if I live believing
that the promises of the Lord will be fulfilled.
Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, for your firm believing
that the promises of the Lord would be fulfilled.
Blessed are we, your faithful people, if we live believing
that the promises of the Lord will be fulfilled.
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Inspired by Psalm 142
(vocal & guitar: Deignan; keyboards: Avgerinos)
In the morning let me know your love.
I give my life into your hands.
And let me know the way that I should walk with you.
I lift my soul to you, I give it to your care.
O turn and listen to my prayer.
Give your heart to my appeal.
You are the faithful God, the just, the merciful.
My spirit stands before your face.
I remember all your works of love,
And delight in what your hands have done.
Like a parched land, my soul is thirsting for your face.
I reach out my hands and call your name.
O let me always do your will,
For you alone are my delight.
Along the sacred way, the path that’s straight and true,
Let your holy spirit be my guide.
Tune K. Deignan, CND
Adapted from a Shaker song text
(vocals: CND Schola; recorder: Aery, Seeley; cymbals: Deignan, keyboards: Avgerinos)
O, the simple gifts of God are flowing like an ocean,
And I will strive with all my might to gather in my portion.
I love, I love the gifts of God, I love to be partaker,
And I will labor day and night to be a New World maker.
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
From the Writings of Marguerite Bourgeoys
(vocals: Sills, CND Schola; piano: Aery; Keyboards: Avgerinos)
All that I have ever desired and still most ardently wished
Is that the great commandment be written in every heart.
Let us love our God above everything;
Let us love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Let us now revive in our midst that true spirit of love,
Which was the joy and glory of the first disciples of Christ.
Let there be a union of souls, one in mind and heart,
That in this way of littleness, we make our surrender to God.
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Inspired by Psalm 86
(vocal & guitar: Deignan; keyboards: Avgerinos)
Yah… teach me your way, how to walk with you faithfully.
Make me single-hearted in loving your name.
Listen to my song, O my God, hear my prayer
And keep my soul, I am your servant, Lord.
You alone, O God, do I praise all my life
You are my joy, to you I lift my soul.
Merciful and kind, tenderhearted and loving, too.
Give me your strength, so to keep praising you.
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Refrain adapted from Marguerite Bourgeoys' prayer to Mary; verses: Deignan
(vocals: Deignan & CND Schola; guitar: Deignan, Sills; keyboards: Avgerinos)
O dearest Mother and Foundress,
we seek not comfort or wealth.
We only ask that in your name,
God may be greatly loved and oh, so faithfully served.
O teach us the wisdom of littleness:
to be simple, humble and poor,
to be open to God at the core of our hearts,
and to wait on God’s word evermore.
And teach us the way of mobility:
to be swift and graceful and true,
so that in our lives we may visit again
the ones who are waiting for you.
And teach us the mystery of charity:
to hold our neighbor in heart,
to sing of the Spirit alive in our midst,
and to carry the word of God’s love.
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Inspired by a prayer from the Carmina Gadelica set to Annie's tune
(vocal: Deignan; keyboards: Avgerinos)
Queen of the angels and Queen of the heavens, Queen of the galaxies, Queen of the earth;
Queen of the Milky Way, Queen of the Blessing Way, Queen of the Pollen Way, Queen of rebirth.
O shining Mother of gentleness and holiness, O radiant emblem of justice and of peace,
O living mirror reflecting back our human face veiled in the splendor of beauty born of grace.
Maiden of sweetness and maiden of faithfulness, maiden of watchfulness, wakefulness, light;
Mother all grieving and Mother lamenting, Mother consoling, restoring our sight.
Star of the morning, star of the watching, star of the ocean, star of the day;
Womb of salvation and our liberation, channel of healing, our guide on the way.
Body of fruitfulness, body of welcomness, body most sensuous, flesh of delight;
Lady of eros, and Lady of pathos, Lady of mythos, illumine our sight.
Woman of history and woman of mystery, woman of destiny loving our race;
You are our mirror and you are our mentor, you are our midwife, O icon of grace.
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Based on the words of Marguerite Bourgeoys
(vocals: CND Schola; piano: Aery; keyboards: Avgerinos)
We will gather up the Blood of the Savior,
which is shed by the ignorance of people.
We will gather up the Blood of the Lord.
We will teach the gospel of justice;
we will labor for the kingdom of peace.
We will sow the seeds of the Spirit;
we will harvest the fruit of new life.
We have come to the new land to labor
for the new world promised in Christ.
May there always be written on our dwellings
the great commandment of love.
May we love the Lord as a lover,
attentive as a mother to her child.
Let there be no chains except for loving,
that our freedom give us joy for God’s praise.
And as Mary embraced her crucified Son,
may we embrace the wounds of the world.
And like Mary who went in visitation,
may our journeys be missions of praise.
As our Lady was one with his passion,
so we embrace his cross as our hope.
We believe Jesus suffers still I others;
we proclaim his death until he comes.
Text and tune Kathleen Deignan, CND
The Song of Jeanne le Ber, for Lorraine Caza, CND 3.15.04
(vocals: Deignan, Sills, Sibley; keyboard: Silvan; violin: Lin; percussion: Leonard; bass: Wallace; Irish whistle: O’Sullivan)
By the magnet of Christ I am drawn to stillness
My joy is to live as a recluse of Love
Resting my head on the heart of all Mercy
Living in the presence of the Presence
This is my home where I will live forever:
Hidden with Christ in God
This breath and this heartbeat, the rhythm of my praising,
sounding to the wing-beats of angel-song.
My will is an anchor in the depths of silence -
Living in the presence of the Presence
Each morning I rise in the Holy of Holies
to sacrifice each moment of time.
Burning like a lamp with the oil of gladness -
Living in the presence of the Presence
Fasting from all things to feast on your manna,
bread in the wilderness gathered each dawn.
Tasting your sweetness in quiet communion -
Living in the presence of the Presence
With my prayer I am sowing / sewing the seeds of heaven,
a garden of paradise to bloom on earth.
Spinning and weaving, revealing the beauty
of Living in the presence of the Presence
In the silence of the senses I know only Being -
the vast fields of heaven in the smallest thing.
Unknowable mystery that cannot be spoken
living in the presence of the Presence
This is my home where I will live forever:
Hidden with Christ in God
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Refrain from a prayer of Marguerite Bourgeoys; verses: Deignan
(vocals: CND Schola; Guitar; Aery, Seeley; keyboards: Avgerinos)
The more I follow You without fear,
The more will You protect me.
The more I do your will,
The more will You make known to me your love.
The Holy One is a faithful God; a father God is he.
For God has sheltered me with his hand:
He will not prove untrue to me.
The Holy One is a mighty God; a mother God is she.
For God has fed me with her own hand:
She will not prove untrue to me.
The Holy one is a blessed God, a brother God is he.
For God has led me with his own hand:
He will not prove untrue to me.
The Holy one is a magic God, a mystic Trinity,
who draws me into a deep embrace
and will not prove untrue to me.
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Adapted from the writings of Marguerite Bourgeoys
(vocals: Deignan & CND Schola; guitar Deignan; recorder: Seeley; keyboards: Avgerinos)
Let us be as living water, crystal clear,
Springing up from the fountains of the Savior.
Unless our lives are joined unto their source,
We shall not be refreshment for all those who thirst.
We pray to join our lives unto their source.
And so we follow Mary' s way and Mary's course.
She is the wellspring of the living one.
She is the overflowing of God's graciousness.
Tune K. Deignan, CND
Psalm 104 adapted from a translation of Huub Oosterhuis**
(guitar & vocal: Deignan; keyboards: Avgerinos)
As long as I am I will sing to you, a song to my God, while I live.
I hope that this song will bring joy to you, I'm happy myself with You, Lord.
I want to call you by your name O God, as truly as I live.
My Lord and my God you are great indeed clothed with your splendor and your majesty.
O blessed, blessed be the Holy One, all through the world, let our praises ring.
I want to call you by your name, O God, The Holy One, as truly as I live.
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Text from a Shaker hymn of humility
(vocals; Deignan & CND Schola; guitar Deignan, Sills; Recorder: Seeley)
I want to feel little, I want to feel small,
The last of my kindred, the least of them all,
That I may inherit that pure gospel spirit,
That pure gospel spirit of Christ Jesus, the Lord.
I want to be humble and simple in mind,
More watchful, more careful, more fully resigned,
I want to be holy, more perfect in love.
I want to be gentle and meek as a dove,
I want to be subject unto every gift,
That when the rest travel I may not be left.
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Based on the writings of Marguerite Bourgeoys
(vocals: Deignan, Foley, Seeley, Sills & CND Schola; guitar: Deignan; keyboards: Avgerinos)
Almighty God, all my hope is in the blood of Christ,
shed for my ransom.
With the help of your grace, I would give up life itself,
than fail to bear witness to the truth of your holy word,
Eternal God.
Keep us little, Lord, in your mighty word,
that we might learn to pray.
Keep us humble, Lord, in your forgiving word,
that we might learn to pray.
Keep us poor, O Lord, in your suffering word,
that we might learn to pray.
Text and tune K. Deignan, CND
Adapted from the Writings of Marguerite Bourgeoys
(vocals: CND Schola; guitar: Deignan)
Spirit of charity, spirit of simplicity,
spirit of littleness: for this we pray.
Spirit of grace which has gathered us--
Spirit of grace which inspires us--
Spirit of detachment from everything--
Spirit of surrender to God, our life--
Let us have in all things a single goal--
This is what the Virgin requires of us.
Tune K. Deignan, CND
Refrain from a song-text of the Incredible String Band; verses: Deignan
(vocals: Sills, Seeley, Aery, Deignan & CND Schola; guitar: Deignan; percussion: Romano; keyboards: Avgerinos)
May the long-time sun shine on you,
And all God’s love surround you,
And the pure light within you
Guide you all the way on.
Oh, we’re a pilgrim people, moving through the desert,
and like the Son of Man our Lord,
we have nowhere to lay our heads.
Oh, we’re a rootless nation, first fruits of creation.
We get our strength from living bread
which nourishes us on our way.
We make our visitation as new life swells within us;
We carry the Word wherever we go;
We bring life to all who believe.
Text and tune MaryAnne Foley, CND
Based on the Writings of Marguerite Bourgeoys
(vocals: Seeley, Deignan & CND Schola; guitar: Foley)
Be always little, humble, poor.
And on your walls and in your hearts
Love must be engraved.
Treasure God’s word; in silence wait
So a child may speak.
Embrace the cross of Christ, the Lord,
To whom your life is given.
Trust in God’s love and live in hope,
Though all be swept away.
Et ramassez les gouttes du sang de Jésus
qui se perdent.
Text and tune Mary Anne Foley, CND
Inspired by Luke 1:39-58
(vocals: Deignan, Sills; guitar: Foley; piano: Aery; keyboards: Avgerinos)
Elizabeth . . .
Who is this coming to greet me?
It is she whom the Lord taught to dance,
taught to sing of God’s love.
With that song on her lips,
bearing the promised hope, she comes.
Elizabeth . . .
Why do you come now to see me?
You are fair, full of grace,
and the One whom you bear is the Lord.
Why this blessing to me?
I’m old, my welcome is poor:
why come to me?
Elizabeth, rise and look up: I am Mary.
I have come, as God comes,
to the ones who believe in God’s love
and power, when we’re weak,
and the joy of promise fulfilled
and still great things to come.
Elizabeth . . . Mary . . .
Come let us sing to the Lord!
Text and tune MaryAnne Foley, CND
Inspired by Mary's canticle (Luke 1:46-55)
(vocals: Deignan, Sills & CND Schola; guitar: Foley, Sills; piano: Aery; keyboards: Avgerinos)
Our being proclaims your greatness, O God.
Our spirit finds joy in you.
For you’ve looked on us in our littleness;
now we are blest.
And you in your strength do great things for us--
holy your name.
Your mercy lasts from age to age
for those who seek your love.
The ways of your power, O Holy One,
confuse the proud of heart.
You put the mighty from their thrones,
raise up the little ones.
You fill the hungry with good things,
the rich go empty away.
For you’ve helped your servant Israel,
remembering your love,
as you promised to Sarah and Abraham
and their children, love without end.
Text and tune Kathleen Deignan, CND
Inspired by a prayer from the Carmina Gadelica, for Cait Deignan
(vocals: Deignan & Anima Schola: McFadden, Sibley, Hauck; Guitar: Deignan; Percussion: Najamy, Sader-Rubenstein; keyboards: Avgerinos)
You are the fruit of the royal vineyard; you are the fruit of the boundless sea.
O longed for guest of the Visitation, come bless our homeland with your peace.
O garden of virtues, O mansion of gladness, Mother of sadness and clemency,
We sing our prayer to thee: Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum benedicta tu.
You are the love song of all lovers; you are the garden of delight.
You are the fullness of earth's desire; you are the radiance in the night.
O vessel of fullness, O chalice of wisdom, wellspring of health for all humankind,
Caress our heart and mind: Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum, benedicta tu.
You are the clear light of the heavens; you are the moonshine of the skies.
You wear a crown studded with the starlight; you are the radiance in our eyes.
O river of mercy, o wellspring of justice, fountain of grace, which renews ours, lives,
Come live with us: Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum, benedicta tu in mulieribus