Liturgical Commissions
In 2018 and 2019, the Institute commissioned liturgical music intended to accompany ritual actions surrounding baptism and eucharist—the respective themes of its gatherings during those years. Although plans for additional liturgical commissions were postponed during the pandemic, the series resumed in 2022 with a commission focused on visual art. The following notes about each year’s commission are accompanied by downloadable resources that may be reproduced for local use.
Current Commission
“Kyrie and Gloria in Liturgy and Life” (2022)
Commissioned for and displayed in the Chapel of the Resurrection during the 2022 Institute, the Stations of the Cross and Resurrection by Mary Button pairs moments in the Passion story with Jesus’s post-resurrection ministry. The Stations of the Cross depict moments of chaos and crisis during the many months of pandemic life while the Stations of the Resurrection depict moments of community and catharsis. The intent of the series is to encourage people to pray the stations in pairs: chaos and catharsis, grief and joy, Kyrie and Gloria, cross and resurrection.
The downloadable coloring pages are the outline sketches that eventually became the Stations of the Cross and Resurrection. Of these, the artist writes:
“Many of the details are unrefined and rough. My process begins with these sketches and are then refined as the work progresses. My invitation to you is to take these unrefined sketches and make them your own. Also included here are the icon-making instructions from a seminar offered at the 2022 Institute. I hope that these instructions and sketches together offer a guide for how to experiment and build your own art practice.”
The final, finished works and accompanying prayers may be downloaded here. You are welcome to copy these artworks and distribute them in your context. For more information about this series and other works, visit Mary’s website.
Past Commissions
“Table of Thanksgiving: How Eucharist Forms Us” (2019)
Crafted for the 2019 Institute by Anne Krentz Organ, several of these settings were eventually published in All Creation Sings (hereafter ACS); items with page or hymn numbers correspond to the pew edition of ACS. Currently downloadable contents include:
- As We Break This Bread
- Be Known to Us, Lord Jesus • ACS, page 40
- Bless All Who Share the Love of Jesus
- Broken and Blessed • ACS 967
- Hunger for Justice • ACS 968
- Now, Lord, Let Your Servant Go in Peace
- The Banquet Is Ready
“Washed in Water: How Baptism Forms Us” (2018)
These settings by Nancy Raabe—using both original words and texts from Evangelical Lutheran Worship—are intended for moments when an acclamation, psalm, or hymn may be sung. About the collection, the composer notes:
“These materials may be used however the baptism rite is performed. They are geared toward a worshiping assembly that is likely to include the family and friends of the parents of the child (or the adult who is being baptized), some of whom may be invited to participate in the service music. A choir is present only occasionally. This means that the musical skills and experience of the assembly will, more than is typical, require musical materials that are straightforward, and that can be sung without a rehearsal. I have composed these materials with these conditions in mind. I hope that these materials can assist in the appreciation of the assembly of the importance of baptism as part of the Church’s expression of God’s saving grace, and of the new life that comes to us each day through this sacrament.”
Click here to download the full collection, which includes accompaniment versions. Individual downloads for assembly singing presently include the following:
- Come From Love
- Dawn of Creation • Download the melody
- Ever-Living God • Download the melody (Page 1 of 2) (Page 2 of 2)
- Our Father, By Whose Name: Anthem
- Our Father, By Whose Name: Instrumental Setting
- We Welcome You • Download the melody
- When We Were Baptized