Appendix H: SEQUENCE FOR PENTECOST (ABC)

According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the following Sequence is chanted immediately following the Second Reading and before the Gospel Acclamation on Pentecost Sunday. It is not sung at the Saturday Vigil Mass.

Here, the official approved text, as found in the Lectionary, is put to a simple psalm tone arranged by M. Grossi (©2023). A cantor version containing only the psalm melody is provided first, followed by an organ version with a suggested accompaniment arranged by M. Grossi (©2023).

Liturgical performance notes

• The melody is simply repeated for each stanza in a fashion similar to the more-familiar singing of Responsorial Psalm verses, one line per stanza.
• The use of italics font together with an accent symbol (´) indicates the textual syllable on which to move to the next note in the stanza. Everything preceding this annotated syllable is chanted on the first note of the measure. The musical timing of these sustained notes is arbitrary and should be determined entirely by the singing, which should be done in a smooth, chant-like fashion.
• The verses are arranged column-wise: Read down column one first, then the second column (verse 2 begins “Come, O Father…”)

Click to download the Sequence for Pentecost.

---

Come, Holy Spirit (Veni, Sancte Spiritus)

Cantor:

Organ:

Come, O Holy Spirit, cóme!
And from your celéstial home
Shed a ray of líght divine!

Come, O Father of the póor!
Come, source of áll our store!
Come, within our bósoms shine.

You, of comforters the bést;
You, the soul’s most wélcome guest;
Sweet refreshment hére below;

In our labor, rest most swéet;
Grateful coolness ín the heat;
Solace in the mídst of woe.

O most blessed, Light divíne,
Shine within these héarts of yours,
And our inmost béing fill!

Where you are not, we have náught,
Nothing good in déed or thought,
Nothing free from táint of ill. 

Heal our wounds, our strength renéw;
On our dryness póur your dew;
Wash the stains of gúilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and wíll;
Melt the frozen, wárm the chill;
Guide the steps that gó astray.

On the faithful, who adóre
And confess you, évermore
In your sev’nfold gíft descend;

Give them virtue’s sure rewárd;
Give them your salvátion, Lord;
Give them joys that néver end.

Amén. Alléluia, Alléluia.

✠   ✠   ✠