Marist Music

Michael Herry is a Marist Brother working as a pastoral musician, mainly in the Melbourne Archdiocese. Br Herry writes scripture-based chants specifically for the Christian calendar.  Brother Herry is passionate about the interface between music and prayer and the challenge it offers us as Christians sharing the Good News.

Dear Friends of Marist Music, Greetings and welcome to Lent 2025  You might like to try the following music and it's all downloadable free from Lent Yr C Special music and Lent Yr C Regular chants for Sundays

1. Psalm 51 for Lent  This is perhaps the most moving of all the penitential psalms in the Psalter. I have combined the 'Be Merciful O Lord'  refrain (from my album Sing Spirit - Sing Life, now no longer available, but also downloadable free from my website, See Free Discontinued Albums....   with a new psalm tone.) I've also included simple guitar chords in the music.

2. Also very nice for Lent is my chant, 'Come follow me'  from the album Song of the Pilgrim. (Available in Free Discontinued Albums  on the website. ) It's beautiful sung a cappella in three parts. Its rhythm is a little tricky, because it's syncopated, and like much syncopated rhythm it's very much a matter of getting the right 'feel' for the song, and careful listening to one another rather than simply following strictly the notated rhythm.

3. Another beautiful song for Lent is 'In your footsteps Lord', the beautiful melody written by a dear friend, Celia Milne from Yarrawonga. I've adapted Celia's words a little for the season of Lent.  You can download the audio from my website but the words for Lent on the PDF attached are a bit different).  

4. In our parish of St Ambrose (Melbourne, Australia) this Lent we will once again use my Mass of St Ambrose, which is based on an old Gregorian Chant Kyrie, but this year I am hoping to encourage the congregation to sing the mass parts unaccompanied, helping the congregation, as the saying goes, 'to find it's own voice'. 5. As usual on my website there are all the regular weekly chants (Music for next Sunday) which relate to the particular Gospel for the Sunday. Perhaps the best of them this year is the one for the 4th Sunday of Lent when we have the gospel of the Prodigal Son. 'From afar the old man saw him'. 

5. Finally, my hymn 'Heart of Jesus, Heart of Mercy' would be beautiful for Lent this year.

Best wishes,   Michael