Mary’s willingness to surrender to God’s will and become the Mother of our Saviour makes her a model of faith for us all. More than that, by God’s Grace, she is our Mother too, always leading us to her Son.

Given our devotion to Mary, it comes as no surprise that there is an abundance of Marian Solemnities, Feasts of Our Lady and (optional) memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our liturgical calendar. We also have May, which considered the “month of Mary“, traditionally marked by beautiful, flower-strewn Marian processions. And October, which is regarded as the “month of the Rosary”.

Some of the dates that we are perhaps most familiar with include:

• January 1 – Mary, Mother of God
• February 11 – Our Lady of Lourdes
• March 25 – The Annunciation of the Lord
• May 13 – Our Lady of Fatima
• May 31 – The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• June – Immaculate Heart of Mary
• August 15 – The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• September 8 – The Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• September 24 – Our Lady of Walsingham
• October 7 – Our Lady of the Rosary
• December 8 – The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

There are many other memorials marking the various titles given to Mary. We’ve got Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady Refuge of Sinners … You get the idea.

Most of these wonderful feasts can find us relying on a small selection of (fairly old-school) Marian Hymns.  Here’s handy a selection of some of our favourite contemporary Marian Songs for you to throw into the mix:

(in alphabetical order)

1. Blessed One by Aaron Thompson

We love this song not only for it’s accessible melody, but for the richness of the text. Each of the double couplet verses helps to reflect on Mary’s role in the story of our salvation and her place in the life of the church, while also remaining somehow Christ-centred.

  Sheet music is available from World Library Publications.
Available on How Can We Keep From Singing? Vol. 4 CD

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2. Calypso Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary

This setting of the Litany of Loreto harks back to Jo Boyce’s youth in Trinidad & Tobago (hence the Calypso rhythm). The joyful refrain – “My Soul Magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices” – comes from the Magnificat, of course. The litany-style verses makes it very accessible to a congregation.

We’ve had requests to record and publish our version of this litany for years. More information on a CJM MUSIC version coming soon. Now available on How Can We Keep From Singing? Vol. 4! Meanwhile, though, you’ll need to track down a copy of the 1980 edition of the Caribbean Hymnal for the sheet music.

Available on How Can We Keep From Singing? Vol. 4 CD

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3. Hail Mary by Chris Rolinson

This setting of the Hail Mary is from our Christmas album The Promise. The first part of this prayer comes directly from the words of the Angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary at the Annunciation. The sensitive paraphrasing of the familiar text highlights Mary’s role the beautiful mystery of the Incarnation.

There’s a lovely sign-language based dance for this song by our friends from More Than Dance, which you can access on our YouTube channel here.

  PDF Sheet music available.
Available on The Promise CD
Available on iTunes

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4. Hail Mary by Mike Stanley

You can’t really have too many settings of the Hail Mary in your repertoire. This setting by Mike Stanley, from the CD Dewfall, was written during at time of illness. The Celtic lilt of the melody really captures the essence of this great petition for the intercession of Our Lady. The text of the prayer hasn’t been paraphrased for this setting and it is perhaps more accessible for congregational singing than the Rolinson setting.

LISTEN: Hail Mary by Mike Stanley (sample)

  Sheet music is available in the Dewfall Resource Book.
Available on Dewfall CD

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5. Magnificat by Jo Boyce

There are many beautiful settings of Mary’s great song of praise, but this one by our own Jo Boyce is a firm favourite for many. The worshipful refrain is uplifting and moving in equal measure. Although the syncopated melody can make it a bit of a challenge for a congregation at first – it’s worth the effort when they are final able to make this great song of praise their own.

  PDF Sheet music available.
Available on Before the Lord CD
Available on Apple Music (iTunes) and Spotify

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6. Mary of Gladness by Dan Callow

This song is a beautiful paraphrase of the English translation of the Salve Regina, focusing not only on Mary as Queen of Heaven but as “Mother of Mercy”. Dan was inspired to write this piece following his first experience being on the music team for our diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes. Since then, this beautiful song has echoed across the domain during the torchlight procession on many occasions.

  Sheet music is available from One Life Music.
Available on Let His Glory Shine CD

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7. Mother Mary, Pray for Us by Sarah Hart

This is the first Marian Song written by US Catholic composer, Sarah Hart. It is a powerful song of petition which implores Our Mother, Mary, for her prayers. Each of the three verses each carries a simple but eloquently expressed intention: for mercy and forgiveness; for comfort in our sorrow; for peace and salvation of the world. The expressive melody is really accessible and easy to pick up after just one listening.

LISTEN: Mother Mary, Pray for Us (sample)

  Sheet music and MP3 audio is available from OCP Publications.
Available on Apple Music (iTunes)and Spotify

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8. O Marie by Mike Stanley

This evocative ballad reflects on the key moments of Mary’s journey as the first disciple. From the Annunciation to walking beside on the Jesus on the road to Calvary and witnessing the brutality of the Crucifixion, each verse reminding us of Mary’s constant faithfulness to “let it be done according to God’s word“.

  Sheet music is available in the Dewfall Resource Book.
Available on Dewfall CD

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9. Salve Regina

This is a traditional Marian anthem, so we haven’t really counted in our shortlist of contemporary Marian songs. But we didn’t want to leave it out. The version on Age to Age Vol. 1 – Songs for A Pilgrim People features a heartfelt vocal by Mike Stanley and the evocatively plaintive sound of solo soprano saxophone. This contemporary interpretation may not be for plainchant purists. For us, though, it’s a way of building a bridge for those who may not otherwise encounter these musical treasures of our tradition.

Available on Age to Age Vol. 1 CD
Available on iTunes

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10. Star of the Sea by Dan Callow

Our Lady, Star of the Sea is one of the many title for the Virgin Mary. This lilting, reflective melody uses the text of the English translation of Ave Maris Stella. This is perhaps one of the less familiar traditional liturgical hymns to Our Lady. The Gregorian chant setting in Latin isn’t sung much these days, and there don’t seem to be any popular familiar hymns of the English text. This beautiful setting by our friend Dan Callow of One Life Music is a great way to get these wonderful words onto our lips once more.

  Sheet music is available from One Life Music.
Available on His Goodness Never Fails (EP) CD

Any other ideas?

We’d love to hear from you if you already use these songs or If you have any other suggestions to share. It’s good to expand the repertoire of songs that help us to express and deepen our devotion to our Blessed Mother.

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We’d love to hear about them in the comments below.