It’s the Most Wonderful Time Of the Year!

I absolutely love the Christmas season, from parties for hosting and marshmallows for toasting, to caroling out in the snow. I especially love the scary ghost stories and telling the tales of the glories from Christmases long, long ago.

Alright, I’ll stop with the song, but Christmas Carols really are my favorite part of the season. The melodies bring a certain cheer and joy to my heart that is special to this time of year. I would say that it is the hap-happiest season of all, and nothing gets you more in the mood than a good carol! Let’s dive into Maryknoll’s selection of carols and the history behind them.

For this blog post, I will be sharing some of the Christmas Carols produced by Maryknoll throughout its long history. We will start with the Singing Seminarians in the 1950s and their album Voices of Maryknoll. We will then visit a 2007 album put out by the Maryknoll Choir, called Maryknoll Sings: Seasons of Grace. Lastly we will visit the more recent Maryknoll Christmas Concerts, particularly looking at the 2017 concert. 

Each section will give a little background on the album, and a selection of two songs. Please visit the links above for the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers YouTube channel with uploads of the songs used and more. You can also check out this Spotify playlist with many of Maryknoll’s Christmas Carols!

Voices of Maryknoll was an album produced to share the songs of the choral groups of the Maryknoll Society. Known as the Singing Seminarians, these young men were being trained for life as missioner priests. This group would appear on The Ed Sullivan Show and do a number of radio shows, including a Christmas Concert broadcast across the United States.

I have two songs I want to share from their album. The first is a Christmas classic, O Tannenbaum, or O Christmas Tree for us English speakers. Originally unrelated to Christmas, this 19th century German folk song has become a classic of the season. The next song is another old carol, Foom Foom, which originated in Catalan (present Central Spain). “Foom” is supposed to symbolize the smoke from a chimney.

Jumping forward 50 years, we come to Maryknoll Sings: Seasons of Grace, sung by the Maryknoll Choir. The Choir was comprised of Maryknoll’s Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Lay Missioners, and employees. They would sing for a number of occasions, from holidays to celebrations at Maryknoll such as Ordinations and Jubilees.

The album features a number of songs for Advent and Christmas, and these two were my favorites. First we have O Come O Come Emmanuel, another classic Christmas Carol that has its origins with monastic orders from over 1,200 years ago! The other song is Do You Hear What I Hear, a more modern carol written in 1962 by Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne.

Our next stop is at the Maryknoll Christmas Concerts, sung once again by the Maryknoll Choir. These concerts were a staple of the holiday season at Maryknoll and would continue until 2019. Unfortunately COVID required an adaptation, and instead the Society would create a new Maryknoll Christmas Experience, which is posted on their site every Christmas Season.

The two songs I picked come from the 2017 concert, and they are some of my favorite choral Christmas songs. First there is O Come All Ye Faithful, another classic carol that originates from 18th century England. The second song is the powerhouse Joy to the World, another classic English hymn that became very popular throughout America.

Thank you so much for joining me for a mini Christmas Concert from the Archives! Please check out the YouTube or Spotify links to hear more of these amazing Christmas Carols. As a special bonus, I would like to share my favorite Christmas Song: Silent Night. This song was originally composed by Franz Xavier Gruber in Germany, first titled “Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht “. It is a classic of the season and I particularly love its quiet and peaceful melody. While I prefer the German lyrics, this version sung by the Maryknoll Choir is stunning.

Merry Christmas Everyone!