As a starting place, I would suggest that we begin with the many office hymns that have been translated very beautifully by the Anglicans in the height of the Oxford Movement. A few are known (Conditor alme syderum, Te lucis ante terminum), but most are nearly completely forgotten, and I'm personally entirely unimpressed with the translations in the Office hymnal the USCCB just put out. I set a few of the Victorian translations for a series of booklets for the Office at my parish which is run by the Dominican Order, and even a priest here who studied medieval liturgy extensively throughout seminary had never heard of any of them.

In keeping with Vatican II's desire that local cultures be taken into account in the liturgy, I think it would also be very good to investigate ways that the Church has intersected with non-Christian cultures over the centuries, and the ways that religious missionaries especially have found ways to bridge the gaps between pagan traditions and Catholicism. An example that comes to mind this time of year is Jean de Brébeuf's Huron Carol; in many cases, like this, we would need a new metric translation that's actually faithful to the original language, rather than the culturally problematic translation everyone knows.

I would caution strongly against using only tunes from the Catholic tradition. We must always keep in mind that most of our repertoire was never intended for congregational singing, and in the post-Vatican II era, there's plenty of excellent hymnody from the ancient Protestant traditions that is nice to sing and can be set to Catholic texts.

While I know my compositions occasionally suffer from a voice leading flaw here or there, please feel free to use anything I have posted on my website for this effort. I mostly write motets in Latin but do occasionally compose or arrange a hymn.

https://www.catholicliving.net/category/compositions/

You can also find some good constructive feedback on some of my pieces here on the forum that could be incorporated to improve the piece. For example, the syllabic placement of He is born the divine infant leaves something to be desired in my posted arrangement.

I personally am interested only in composers or authors who are Roman Catholic and contribute to that end. If others on this forum wish it encompass more than that, I would bow out.

In keeping with Vatican II's desire that local cultures be taken into account in the liturgy, I think it would also be very good to investigate ways that the Church has intersected with non-Christian cultures over the centuries, and the ways that religious missionaries especially have found ways to bridge the gaps between pagan traditions and Catholicism.

I was referring to this. Personally, I am not interested in doing anything like this.

Please let me know if any of these hymn tunes or texts are worthy of inclusion.

Feel free to use any of these hymns (et al) from my Christus Vincit Gradual project. In most of the cases, while the texts are not original (but public domain), the tunes are original.

Lord, I lift my soul to thee (New 25th/Offertory for I Advent)
- http://www.christusvincit.com/gradual/OF-A1.pdf
Lord, you have greatly blessed your land (Benedixisti, based loosely on the Graduale Romanum chant/Offertory for III Advent)
- http://www.christusvincit.com/gradual/OF-A3.pdf
Ave Maria (Offertory for IV Advent-Sunday and December 20)
- http://www.christusvincit.com/gradual/OF-A4-1.pdf
-- note: Two keys included, the lower for use as a hymn, the higher for use as an SATB motet. Originally written when I was barely old enough to drink lol.
To us a Child of hope is born (Puer Natus, based loosely on the Graduale Romanum chant/Introit for Christmas-During the Day)
- http://www.christusvincit.com/gradual/IN-B1-D.pdf
Blessed is he who comes (Offertory for Baptism of the Lord, et al)
http://www.christusvincit.com/gradual/OF-B6.pdf
-- note: Two settings, the second being in polyphony
Lord, I will praise thy Name (New 30th/Offertory for Ash Wednesday) - my newest hymn tune, written XII-11-23, and my first ever using 66 66 86 meter.
- http://www.christusvincit.com/gradual/OF-CA-4.pdf

More to follow.
Peace,
BMP

I might have 100 or more pieces on this forum, but I maintain the copyright of everything I have posted. Anything that I would release would have to be done on a legal basis considering the entire scope of each individual project.

Otherwise I may publish something that I think would be worthy of the Catholic Church, including everybody’s work here. All contrapuntal works in Latin will be considered, hymnody in English will be considered. Ordinary settings in Latin only.

You can PM me if you are interested.

Please include a PDF and an MP3 if you have it, of your submission. All works will receive royalties.

This would be a monumental endeavor, and it would give testimony to the Roman Catholic Church in its traditional magisterium concerning Sacred Music in the 21st-century.