Advent
One of the four seasonal antiphons recommended for singing or reciting in the Liturgy of the Hours after night prayer (Compline or Vespers) is Loving Mother of The Redeemer (Alma Redemptoris Mater). It is usually sung from the eve of the first Sunday of Advent until the Friday before the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple.
For a thorough history of the Marion antiphons visit: https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/a/antiphons.php#anchor2
Loving Mother of the Redeemer (Alma Redemptoris Mater)
Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature, you bore your Creator,
Yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.
Latin:
Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore,
sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.
A retired Catholic teacher with a freelance writing stint, I loved helping students make their written words sing. I love playing the best game on earth, hockey, or paddling kayaks on a river, lake, or ocean. My seven kids range from 21 to 38 years old.
