​​New Very Marian Advent carols premieres in concert in San Francisco, Oakland

SAN FRANCISCO (OSV News) — Benedict XVI Institute executive director Maggie Gallagher loves a good Christmas and Advent hymn or carol, but she realized a few years ago that she hadn’t heard anything new in decades — not even secular songs.

At the same time, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone wanted to honor the Blessed Mother and nurture Marian devotion during the most beloved and very blessed season of the year.

That is how a Very Marian Advent Prayer Service got its start three years ago at San Francisco’s Star of the Sea Church. Modeled on a lessons and carols format, Very Marian Advent invites Catholics to “wait with Mary” in prayer and song during the final weeks before Christmas — which coincides with Mary’s “last difficult month of pregnancy,” said Gallagher, who leads the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship, founded in 2013 by Archbishop Cordileone.

Two new carols honoring St. Francis of Assisi and the Blessed Mother

The goal is to commission and share new sacred music and carols from Catholic composers and lyricists, Gallagher told OSV News. Most of the compositions have a parish choir version. The music — which can be accessed through a link on the institute’s website — is offered free of charge by the composers just during the Advent and Christmas seasons.

“Every year we add two new Advent carols to the repertoire. This year, the two carols are in honor of the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Francisco,” Gallagher said. Mission Dolores or Mission San Francisco de Asís was founded in 1776 by Franciscan missionaries led by St. Junípero Serra.

This year’s carols’ lyrics were written by Father Dwight Longenecker with music arranged from established compositions by William J. Fritz. They honor St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of San Francisco, and the Blessed Mother.

As most people know, it was St. Francis who created the first creche, bringing the Nativity to life. One of this year’s hymns is St. Francis and the Christmas Creche.

“I have always loved hymns, and especially good Christmas music, so this was a delightful opportunity to contribute to the repertoire,” said Father Longenecker, who also has a blog, www.dwightlongenecker.com, and a very active X account.

“I’m not much good at writing lyrics from scratch, but always need to write with a tune already buzzing in my head,” he said. “All three of my carols for Benedict XVI Institute use established tunes, so, while William has composed excellent arrangements, the carols can also be sung by congregations.”

Advent Prayer Service is expanding its reach

The Very Marian Advent Prayer Service is expanding its reach. Archbishop Cordileone will preside Dec. 14 at Star of the Sea Church in San Francisco. Another will be Dec. 20 with Oakland Bishop Michael C. Barber at the Cathedral of Christ the Light and will be broadcast on EWTN.

Another was Nov. 7 at St. Andrew Church in Pasadena, and next year, the Very Marian Advent Prayer Service is scheduled for Dec. 9, 2026, at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, in collaboration with the Higher Word Schola and Orchestra in New York.

Anyone can attend locally, but others can listen remotely on Dec. 14 or Dec. 20 by signing up at the Eventbrite links for those dates via the Benedict XVI Institute at https://benedictinstitute.org/#events.

“I am so grateful for these artists for taking my small idea and turning it into a truly reverent experience I’m excited to share with parishes across the country,” Archbishop Cordileone said.

So far this year, 27 parishes and Protestant congregations around the country have requested the music. They include Holy Family Catholic Church in Mitchell, South Dakota; Mary Queen of Peace in Cleveland; St. Edmund Campion Church in Flat Rock, North Carolina; Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino, California — and many more in Virginia, California, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, South Carolina, Missouri and Colorado.

Valerie Schmalz writes for OSV News from San Francisco.

To hear the hymns:

— While All the Earth in Darkness Sleeps — Music: Frank La Rocca; Text: James Matthew Wilson

— Our Lady’s Lullaby — Text: Father Dwight Longenecker; Music: William J. Frit

— Chesterton’s Carol — Music: Mark Nowakowski; Text: G.K. Chesterton

— Our Lady Expectant — Text: Roseanne T. Sullivan; Music: Mina Pariseau

— St. Francis’s Crèche — Text: Father Dwight Longenecker; Music: William J. Fritz

— St. Francis’s Salutation to the Virgin — Text: St. Francis of Assisi (adapted by Fr. Dwight Longenecker); Music: William J. Fritz

To sign up for the Dec. 14 or Dec. 20 event, either virtually or in person:

— Dec. 14 — San Francisco: Very Marian Advent Prayer Service with Archbishop Cordileone

— Dec. 20 — Oakland: Very Marian Advent at the Cathedral of Christ the Light with Bishop Michael Barber, broadcast by EWTN

Updated on Dec. 6, 2025, at 2:41 p.m.

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