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“O” Antiphons Advent Liturgy

November 30, 2025 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2025, 7 P.M., in the cathedral nave and livestreamed

The annual “O” Antiphons Liturgy is considered by many to be a highlight of the liturgical year at Saint Mark’s. The particular form of this liturgy that we use was invented here, first presented in 1986, and is today used by churches around the world. It is similar to a “Lessons & Carols” service, but rather than presenting a linear narrative from scripture, it is structured around seven medieval antiphons, each beginning with the word “O ,” which also form the basis of the hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

The liturgy is a poetic exploration of resonant images of Christ found in the antiphons—star, key, root, cornerstone—while drawing the connections between the first advent of Jesus, when he came into our world 2,000 years ago, with both the long-expected coming of the Christ at the end of time, as well as the coming of Christ into the human heart. This beloved cathedral tradition provides a moving and evocative entrance into the Advent season of prayerful expectation.

In 2025, the “O” Antiphons service will begin with Peter Hallock’s I Saw a New Heaven, one of the collections of processions that Hallock wrote especially for this space that feature the Cathedral Choir in the loft and the Compline Choir in procession with handbells. (It was composed for Saint Mark’s Advent liturgy in 1979, and so predates the “O” Antiphons service itself.) The Senior Choristers of the Choir School will also be featured in this opening procession, singing some of the chanted sections. This processional anthem was last heard at Saint Mark’s in 2019.

This year the Cathedral Choir will present Dan Locklair’s dramatic setting of the beloved Advent hymn text Comfort, Comfort Ye My People, a setting that made a striking impression when sung by the Evensong Choir at the beginning of the 2023 Pageant of the Nativity. (That rendition, which was praised by the composer himself, can be seen here.) The Compline Choir will offer the beloved Advent anthem on paraphrases from Revelation, E’en So Lord Jesus, Quickly Come by Paul Manz.

 

Details

  • Date: November 30, 2025
  • Time:
    7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Venue