While the fact that I occasionally minister as a liturgical musician (primarily on piano, occasionally on percussion) is not widely known, recently I have received several requests directly and indirectly (through other musicians who have heard or used some of my work) for information on how to acquire copies of the Mass of the Holy Name and the permission to use it. After some consideration and my desire to make this accessible to those who wish to use it in their respective liturgies, I’ve decided to post the music here in PDF format, at least for now.
The background of the Mass of the Holy Name originates with the desire to find a Mass setting for the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal that (a) was written in a key that could be sung by 30 or so men (Franciscan friars) early in the morning during our daily community liturgy, and (b) a basic enough melody that it could be picked up quickly without a lot of rehearsing. With these goals in mind, I set out over the course of a few days to draft a rather rudimentary Mass setting. What resulted was the Mass of the Holy Name. I am the first to admit that it is not very “musically interesting,” because simplicity was its purpose. The optional C instrument part was designed with the intention of filling out the score and complementing the basic melody. It has been used for months in Washington, DC, and now in several other locations and by a number of liturgical musicians.
Please feel free to use the following setting in your liturgies. The only request I have is that you properly identify the Mass setting, credit the composer and note the copyright holder in your reprinting. I’d be very interested in hearing what you think of this setting and any additional compositions I might later share below. You can contact me with feedback via the “Contact” page on this website. Enjoy!
Mass of the Holy Name
- “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Sanctus)
- “When We Eat This Bread” (Memorial Acclamation)
- “Great Amen”
- “Lamb of God”
Daniel P. Horan, OFM 