Sacred Music at St. Mary’s
Learning to Sing the Mass: Practicing the Missa Orbis Factor
We invite every parishioner to begin practicing this beautiful Gregorian chant setting of the Ordinary of the Mass, so that we may pray and sing together more fully at the Sacred Liturgy.
Beginning Sunday, June 21
We intend to begin using the Missa Orbis Factor at the 9:30 AM Mass on Sunday, June 21. Please take time to listen, practice, and become familiar with this setting before then.
A New Setting of the Mass at St. Mary’s
At St. Mary’s, we know, love, and serve Jesus Christ, so that we can share Him with all we encounter. One of the most beautiful ways we come to know and love the Lord is through the Sacred Liturgy, where the whole Church joins together in worship.
In the coming weeks, we are encouraging parishioners to begin practicing a new sung setting of the Mass: the Missa Orbis Factor, also known as Mass XI.
This is a Gregorian chant setting of the Ordinary of the Mass, including the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. These are some of the parts of the Mass that remain the same from week to week, which makes them especially important for the whole parish to learn and sing together.
Practice Playlist
Please use the playlist below to begin practicing the Missa Orbis Factor. Listening regularly will help the melodies become familiar before we sing them together at Mass.
Follow Along in the Kyriale
The Kyriale is the Church’s collection of chant settings for the Ordinary of the Mass. There are two helpful ways to follow along with the Missa Orbis Factor: the older chant notation and a version in modern musical notation.
For the older chant notation, use the MusicaSacra Kyriale and look on page 39. For the modern musical notation, use the modern notation volume and look on page 63.
Why Is It Called the Ordinary of the Mass?
The word ordinary does not mean plain or unimportant. In the liturgy, the Ordinary refers to the parts of the Mass that are ordinarily present and repeated from Mass to Mass. This is different from the “proper” texts of the Mass, which change according to the feast, season, or particular day.
When we learn a setting of the Ordinary, we are learning the sung prayers that belong to the regular structure of the Mass. These include:
- Kyrie — Lord, have mercy
- Gloria — Glory to God in the highest
- Sanctus — Holy, Holy, Holy
- Agnus Dei — Lamb of God
Why Gregorian Chant?
Gregorian chant belongs deeply to the Roman Catholic tradition. It is not simply “old music.” It is prayer sung by the Church across centuries. Chant helps us pray with reverence, unity, and simplicity. Because the melody is sung in unison, chant also reminds us that at Mass we are gathered as one Body in Christ.
What Is Orbis Factor?
The title Orbis Factor means something like “Creator of the world.” The name comes from an older devotional text associated with the Kyrie: Orbis factor, rex aeternae, eleison — “Creator of the world, eternal King, have mercy.”
This setting is known as Mass XI in the traditional Kyriale, the Church’s collection of chant settings for the Ordinary of the Mass. While the title comes from the Kyrie, the setting is not only the Kyrie: it gives us a way to sing the principal repeated parts of the Mass together.
The Kyrie itself is a prayer for mercy:
Kyrie eleison — Lord, have mercy.
Christe eleison — Christ, have mercy.
Kyrie eleison — Lord, have mercy.
When we sing these words, we are not simply performing music. We are placing ourselves before the Lord with humility and trust.
How You Can Practice
We invite every parishioner to spend a little time listening and singing along at home, in the car, or during personal prayer.
You do not need to master everything at once. Start by listening to the Kyrie. Then become familiar with the Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. Over time, the melodies will become more natural, and our whole parish will be able to sing them together more confidently at Mass.
A Parish That Sings Together
When a parish learns to sing the Mass together, the liturgy becomes more prayerful, more unified, and more beautiful. This is not about changing who we are. It is about entering more deeply into the Church’s own prayer.
Thank you for taking time to practice, listen, and pray with this setting. May our singing help us offer ourselves more fully to the Lord each time we come to the altar.
