I have a long list of favorites that I sing at Mass, mostly fairly recent songs from Oregon Catholic Press and GIA (which used to be the Gregorian Institute of America). Some of their stuff is a little trendy, but they have a lot of good stuff. I tend to like the songs that are based on Scripture, because they tend not to be so trendy and trite. I know at least three versions of the 23rd Psalm ("The Lord is my shepherd"), none traditional. Other good subjects for church music are the Beatitudes ("Blessed are the peacemakers") and the Prayer of St. Francis ("Make me an instrument of your peace") - and I don't know traditional versions of them, either. I also occasionally sing some Gregorian chant. I suppose my favorite traditional Catholic hymn is "Where Charity and Love Prevail" (Ubi Caritas). One traditional tune that I do sing in church is SLANE ("Be Thou My Vision"), which I sing as Lord of All Hopefulness. I sing a lot of the standard anthems that all churches sing, and I and like them just fine, but they're not particular favorites of mine.

I sing the gospel stuff outside church, because it generally has an evangelical theology that doesn't fit the Catholic liturgy. Here are some of the gospel songs I've been singing lately:

• GIVE ME THE ROSES WHILE I LIVE, which I learned at the funeral of a good friend
• DWELLING IN BEULAH LAND, which I learned at the Getaway last year
• A MOTHER'S LAST WORDS TO HER DAUGHTER, which I learned from Judy Cook
• There Is Power in the Blood
• DEEP SETTLED PEACE, which I learned from bbc
• TURN YOUR RADIO ON
• I'LL FLY AWAY

-Joe Offer-