CELTIC MASS FOR THE SEA – the book

Kyrie
God of the elements, Have mercy on us.
King of the elements, Have mercy on us.
Spirit of the elements,
Close over us,
Ever eternally

 

Oh strangely glorious and beautiful sea!
Sounding forever mysteriously,
Why are thy billows still rolling on
With their wild and sad musical tone?
Why is there never repose for thee?
Why slumberest not, oh mighty sea

 

Gloria
Glory be to Thee, O God of life,
Maker of wond’rous works,
Great bright heaven with its angels,
The white-waved sea on earth.

First Reading:
“I”, spoke the sea; the whale haunted sea, the dwelling of seals, the home of creatures:
“From the beginning of creation I am without age, without corruption of the earth,
I expect no loss from decay for original sin has not touched me”.

Salmon leap from the womb of the white-sea you look on
They are calves and they are lambs of good colour
You are the fairest of all fish that roam the sea,
Lord of the restless ocean wave.

Brown crab, cockle, oyster,
Mussel, “bruiteag”, limpet, lobster,
Bearded mussel, “miaseg”, scallop-
Lobster, squid, green crab,
Red crab, sea-shore flea,
Whelk, whorl, barnacle
And crafty sea-urchin,
Slender sand-eel and razor-fish,
Hose-fish, black-snout, limpet-

O, God of the sea,
Put weed in the drawing wave
To enrich the ground
To shower on us food

That it may please Thee to give and preserve
to our use the kindly fruits of the earth
and restore and continue to us the blessings of the sea.
Let not our faults or our frailty bring disaster upon us.

Tiny plant life keeps us living,
Sea weeds till we reach our landing.
Food and drink and tiny plant life,
Tiny plant life on swelling oceans.

Produce of sea to land,
Produce from land to sea;
He who doeth not in time
Scant will be his share!

Iur-aibh o hi Iur-aibh o ho
On the hillside I recline
Ho i ho rionn ei-le

Iur-aibh o hi Iur-aibh o ho
Ever yearning for the lost,
Ho i ho rionn ei-le

Iur-aibh o hi Iur-aibh o ho
Ever looking to the west,
Ho i ho rionn ei-le

Iur-aibh o hi Iur-aibh o ho
Where the sun sets in the sea.
Ho i ho rionn ei-le

Credo
Creideam ann an Dia an t-Athair
Uile-chumhachdach, Cruithear nèimh
agus na talmhainn; (English translation
of Gaelic: I believe in God the father
almighty, Creator of heaven and earth)

I Arise to-day
Through a mighty strength,
The invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation

Sanctus
To thee, Eternal Mother,
Sing we in praise-
Ruler of the Earth and Sea,
Of Air and Flame; The Radiant One.
Preserver! Destroyer! Giver of life!
We ever praise thy name, Omnipotent!

 

Benedictus
Come and come is seaweed,
Come and come is red sea-ware,
Come is yellow weed, come is tangle,
Come is food which the waves enwraps.
(“come” here is a term of praise)

 

 Let all the fish that swim the sea
Salmon and tarbot, cod and ling
Bow down their head and bend their knee
To Herring their King!
To Herring their King!

 

He who tramples on the world
He tramples on himself.

 

Agnus Dei
God to enfold me
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking.

 

God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping.

 

God in my life,
God in my lips,
God in my soul,
God in my heart.

 

Oh strangely glorious and beautiful sea!
Sounding forever mysteriously,
Oh strangely glorious and beautiful sea!
Sounding forever…
Never reposed…
Why slumberest not, oh mighty sea?

 

God in my sufficing
God in my slumber,
God in mine ever-living soul,
God in my eternity.

 

Dismissal
Fragrant maiden of the sea,
Thou art full of graces,
Be thine own hand on my rudder’s helm,
And be mine a good purpose

Towards each creature in creation.

 

The peace of God, the peace of all,
The peace of Columba kindly,
The peace of great seas,
The peace of great seas,
The peace of great seas be for you.

 

East and by North
Send thine eyes forth
Over waves with great whales foaming,
Where sportive seals
Dance their wild reels
Through mighty floodtides roaming.