The content of Music for Catholic Worship approved by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops includes hymns, songs, acclamations and Mass settings, in addition to Psalms for Sundays and Solemnities, previously published by CCCB Publications.

Since 1972, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has sought to make available for the Anglophone faithful in Canada an English-language hymnal featuring appropriate musical selections for liturgical worship.

The latest such CCCB hymnal, Music for Catholic Worship (forthcoming), responds to changes and needs in liturgical music which have arisen in Canada since the last English-speaking hymnal, Catholic Book of Worship III, was published by the CCCB in 1995.

Music for Catholic Worship meets the liturgical music needs of today’s parishes by means of

– new Psalm settings for Sundays and Solemnities following the decision of the CCCB to use the New Revised Standard Version translation in worship

– new Mass settings following the promulgation of the third edition in English of the Roman Missal

– a more generous selection of hymns, both traditional and modern

– renewed copyrights to replace those in Catholic Book of Worship III which expired in 2015.

At its January 2018 meeting, the CCCB’s Executive Committee took into consideration the recommendations of the Permanent Council and of the Ad hoc Committee regarding the title of the proposed new hymnal, deciding that it would be called Music for Catholic Worship.

On 21 June 2018, the Permanent Council agreed that Music For Catholic Worship move into production.

In November 2018 CCCB entered into a partnership with GIA Publications for the engraving, layout and indexing of Music for Catholic Worship.

April 2023

Since the beginning of the year, a Review Committee has been assessing the content of Music for Catholic Worship to determine the organization of the hymnal, the accuracy of texts and musical notation, and to ensure balance throughout the selections for the liturgical year and special occasions. All this work will continue in the coming months to help identify minor corrections to hymns and songs where needed. As soon as the engravings are in their final form, they will move to the layout and design phase, which will coincide with licensing. This will be followed, in due course, by proofreading of the final manuscript, printing and marketing.

An important step in between layout and printing will be to determine the ideal print run through a second parish survey (post COVID), as had been requested by the Permanent Council. Until recently, due to the effects of the pandemic on church attendance and participation, the timing to conduct this survey was inopportune. As attendance continues to improve in parishes, the National Liturgy Office will be looking for a date to launch the survey.

The National Liturgy Office, with the approval of the Permanent Council, will announce a publication date when the manuscript goes to the printer, as there are many variables to consider when deriving that date.

The National Liturgy Office remains ever grateful to the members of the Review Committee who have generously shared their time and expertise in the final stages of the review process to ensure a balanced liturgical publication of the highest quality.

The Episcopal Commission for Liturgy and the Sacraments (English Sector) established a committee of Catholic liturgical musicians (Hymnal Committee) from across Canada to develop the content of a new national hymnal. Chaired by Mr. Leo Marchildon from the Diocese of Charlottetown, the Committee’s choices for the hymnal were selected according to criteria established by the CCCB Guidelines for Liturgical Music (revised 2015), and Guidelines for Composers of Liturgical Music (2014). The hymnal selections were in turn reviewed by the National Council for Liturgical Music, a body of representatives from each region of Canada whom the Episcopal Commission for Liturgy and the Sacraments (English Sector) appoints as advisors on liturgical and sacred music.

Hymnal Committee Members

Leo Marchildon (Diocese of Charlottetown), Chair

Gloria Gassi (Diocese of London)

Michel Guimont (Archdiocese of Ottawa)

Lia O’Hara (Diocese of Calgary)

Jackie Ray (Diocese of Victoria)

Heather Reid (Archdiocese of Ottawa)

Chris Santillàn (Archdiocese of Gatineau)

The Very Rev. Monsignor Murray Kroetsch, P.H., V.G. (Diocese of Hamilton), Consultant to the ECLS, the National Liturgy Office, and the Hymnal Committee

Music for Catholic Worship will be available in the following formats:

Pew Edition (6 x 9, hardbound)
This format will be taller than Catholic Book of Worship III. It is designed to accommodate standard pew hymn racks. It will contain the melody line for all engraved music, including chant tones for the psalms (as with Catholic Book of Worship III), as well as an index by title or first line

Choir Edition (6 x 9, hardbound)
This edition contains choral harmonies in a variety of voicings and will be lighter than the CBW III Choir Edition because the instrumental parts (keyboard/guitar) will not be included in this edition.

Instrumental Edition (2 panel, 9 x 12, coil bound)
This edition contains the keyboard (organ/piano) settings as well as guitar chords, together with the choral (SATB) arrangements. This edition will be of interest to both instrumentalists and choral directors.

At the completion of the production of the print editions above, the CCCB will explore the feasibility of a digital version of the choir and instrumental editions.

– Settings for 10 Masses according to the 2011 Roman Missal approved for Canada
– Settings for Psalms matching the Lectionary: Sundays and Solemnities approved for Canada
– Settings for Morning and Evening Prayer
– Over 400 hymns from traditional to modern including music for: Seasons of the Liturgical Year, Communion, Funerals, Weddings, Ritual Masses, Eucharistic Adoration
– Favourite hymns retained from Catholic Book of Worship III and Catholic Book of Worship II
– Introduction of new texts, melodies and settings
– Comprehensive indexing

In August 2016, the Executive established an Ad hoc Committee to coordinate preparations and production for the new hymnal, including a strategic plan for development and distribution. The Committee members are:

The Most Rev. John Boissonneau, Chair
Robert Di Pede, Ph.D., CCCB Assistant General Secretary on behalf of the General Secretary
Christina Ronzio, M.A., Director of the National Liturgy Office
Paul Bowman, Director of Administration
Kevin Sharp, Director for Information Technology
Isabelle Brochu, Manager Publications
Leo Marchildon, Chair of the Hymnal Committee
Msgr. Murray Kroetsch, Consultant to the Hymnal Committee