New hymn by Fr. Caniglia published by OCP

By RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator

It was in the spring of 2023 when Father Ross Caniglia, administrator of Our Lady of the Plains Parish of Lake City, Manson and Rockwell City, had two of his musical works published – a prayer set to music and a complete Mass setting.

Later that year, in November of 2023, the priest began working on another melody.

“If I recall correctly, I came up with the melody and then found the text which fit it well,” said Father Caniglia.

He composed the music and coupled it with a hymn text titled “How Blest are They Who Follow Christ.” The text, written by Father Harry Hagan, OSB, had already been published by OCP (Oregon Catholic Press.)

“However, the text was awaiting an original melody as it was previously paired up with a public domain hymn tune,” explained Father Caniglia. “I was fortunate to be able to come up with music that paired with the text.”

He mentioned that for the melody to properly pair with the text, he did make a few edits to the music for it to ultimately work. From there, he wrote the rest of the choral parts.

“When I was at Holy Trinity (Parish) in Fort Dodge, I was able to test it out several times with members of the adult choir there,” said Father Caniglia. “I’m starting to realize that it’s the best way to see if something will really work. It might sound good to me, but the true test lies in a real performance.”

That way he can determine if it is singable and if there are areas that need editing to make it easier to breathe and reach certain pitches.

“After a few sessions with the group, I finally came to a final version that was more polished and then submitted that,” said the composer.

In June 2024, he had submitted it to OCP and by August of that year he learned it was accepted for publication.

“It’s been published for probably a couple of months now and is currently available online,” said Father Caniglia.

The diocesan priest pointed out that he knew Father Hagan from his time in seminary at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.

“In fact, he was one of my professors there. Father Harry wrote the text back in 1997. It is based on Psalm 1 and speaks about the importance of meditating upon the word of God and being ultimately rooted in him,” said Father Caniglia. “By virtue of our relationship with the Lord, he is able to bear much fruit in our lives.”

He pointed out that there are two versions of the piece.

“One is a choral octavo, which is ideally sung by a choir alone. The second is a hymn version, which can be sung by the congregation,” said Father Caniglia. “If it were to ever go into a hymnal, this is the version that would be included.”

The priest composer said the time to use this piece would most likely be as a prelude for the choir alone version or during the offertory for either the choir alone or congregational version.

“It fits the themes of prayer, faith, meditation and love for God,” said Father Caniglia.

CLICK HERE for How Blest They Are Who Follow Christ on the OCP website.

In regard to his previously published works, the first piece was a chant for “Divine Praises” that uses a four-measure chant tone. Although there already were some versions of the sung format of “Divine Praises,” the other versions are quite drawn out in comparison.

He wrote that in the summer of 2021 after gaining inspiration during eucharistic adoration at the National Association of Pastoral Musicians National Conference when “Divine Praises” was recited rather than sung. Published by OCP, “Divine Praises” is typically recited/sung at the conclusion of eucharistic adoration but the publisher has noted the chant could be used at Mass especially when the readings specifically address the act of worship.

The Mass setting Father Caniglia composed is titled Mass of the Epiphany in honor of the Diocese of Sioux City’s cathedral. Published by GIA Publications in 2023, he began work on the project in 2017.