1. Eternal Light / The Mercy Of The Lord (John Michael Talbot/Phil Perkins)
I hope John Michael Talbot will forgive me for substituting the middle part of Eternal Light with The Mercy of the Lord.  The first time I heard Eternal Light was when St Joseph’s Choir sang it for an Advent Vigil Concert in 1989 and this was the way we ddi it.  Mary sang the cantor part that time, so it felt right to let her sing the cantor part to the “Mercy of the Lord” section here.
Music: (Part A+B) Michael Coderre, (Part C) Armando.
Lead vocals: (Part A+C) Marc, (Part B) Mary Zborowski.
Choir: (Part B+C) Mary, Karen Lahaise Mazur, Louise Rathier, Debra Scarpelli, Marc, Michael Coderre, Paul Therrien, Greg Dahl.

2. Kyrie (Micheal & Marc Coderre)
Composed in February 2003, music composed in 2002.
In 2002 I had asked Michael to prepare the backing tracks to a number of songs and while visiting him in Massachusetts that December to collect these he played me a number of instrumentals he had composed including this ambient piece that initially I called Illumination, which in turn inspired me to call the whole project by this name.  Michael’s music reminded me somewhat of Enigma and while listening to Mae Culpa by that German group I got the idea to use the Kyrie on this piece and thus renamed it.  I had also liked how the Kyrie had been incorporated into Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack.
Music: Michael Coderre.
Vocals: Marc.

3. Prayer for Guidance / The Mystery (John Micheal Talbot)
I was first introduced to Prayer for Guidance by my choir years before I joined them.  On at least one occasion I had the chance to sing it at mass.  Traditionally we always sang the prayer through twice.  It was only in early 2006 though that I first heard many of Talbot’s albums.  He had recently put out an album called Monk Rock and on the song One Body in Christ I noticed he reused a bit he had first used in The Mystery, 25 years before.  I got the idea it could also fit well in the middle of Prayer for Guidance.
Vocals: Marc, Tom Lips, Michael Coderre.

4. Illumination (Marc Coderre)
Composed in May 2003.
Aside from being in my church choir since 1989 I’ve also been making and recording my own music at home for as long, getting gradually better over time.  I wanted to feature at least one entirely original piece.  I composed and recorded my own version of Illumination in March 2003 soon after the war in Iraq began.
Music: Marc and Armando.
Vocals: Marc.

5. Lead Us to Your Light (Michael & Marc Coderre)
Composed in February 2003, music composed in 2002.
Michael had the original instrumental mostly complete when he first played it for me in December 2002 and I asked him to complete it for me.  My wife, Marina, suggested the title.  At that time I was toying with the idea of doing a Psalm 27 by Roc O’Connor, there is also one by Tim Manion that tempted me.  Finally I decided to make my own Psalm 27.  I performed this piece at a benefit concert in April 2006 and preferred how Louise played it on guitar and subsequently got her to do it again in the studio.
Music: Michael Coderre. Acoustic guitar: Louise Rathier.
Vocals: Marc.

6. Faces of the Children (Kathy Sherman CSJ)
While not my first solo with the choir, it was certainly my first important one.  We first performed this at the 1990 Advent Vigil Concert and I was selected to sing the opening solo verse.  In the summer of 1991 the choir began recording on its third cassette album.  We only had one session though, which included Faces, but the project was never continued and in the years since the recordings have been lost.  In 1994 at our last Advent Vigil Concert the choir performed this song but with Louise on the solo parts.  So it felt natural to have her featured on this with me.
Music: Armando.
Lead vocals: Marc, Louise Rathier.
Chorus: Marc, Louise Rathier, Mary Zborowski, Karen Lahaise Mazur, Debra Scarpelli, Michael Coderre, Paul Therrien, Ed Coderre.

7. Waiting For Justice (Marc Coderre)
Composed in December 2005.
In 2005, St Joseph’s Refugee Outreach Committee became involved with the plight of a refugee claimant who facing deportation was forced into sanctuary for a year.  I had wanted to do something to help and that November I got the idea of having a benefit concert for her.  While making a draft poster for the event I came up with “Waiting For Justice” as the name of the event.  In short time I was inspired to write a song of that name.  Armando took my original arrangement and substituted his own which didn’t quite capture what I had in mind.  When we got back to work in January 2006 he played me his second arrangement and I loved it.  I preformed this song at the benefit concert in April and had Debra and Louise sing on it and subsequently I used them again in the studio.
Music: Armando.
Lead vocals: Marc. Backing vocals: Debra Scarpelli, Louise Rathier.

8. Behold Now the Kingdom (John Michael Talbot)
I first heard this song when our choir did it on a few occasions, years before I joined them.  I had the opportunity to sing it myself as a solo for a memorial service for Fr Fred Magee in 1996.  This time I felt it would work very nicely as a trio.  Tom’s voice is not too unlike John Michael Talbot’s so it seemed obvious to feature him here.
Music: Armando.
Vocals: Tom Lips, Michael Coderre, Marc.

9. Gloria (Michael & Marc Coderre)
Composed in January 2003, music composed in 2002.
This was another instrumental piece Michael played for me in December 2002.  I got the idea of using the Gloria for lyrics, though I had change the order of the words to fit the music.  Michael’s original version featured a pounding piano that gave it an 80s pop feel, but Armando and I tried it with a percussive organ and immediately preferred it this way.
Music: Michael Coderre.
Vocals: Marc.

10. The Bread of Life (John Michael Talbot)
For a period of time in 1995, my choir used this song for mass and on a number of occasions I got to sing the male cantor part and many of those times with Karen.  We again did it in 2003 for Marina’s and my wedding.
Music: Michael Coderre.
Cantors: Marc, Karen Lahaise Mazur.
Chorus: Mary Zborowski, Karen Lahaise Mazur, Louise Rathier, Debra Scarpelli, Marc, Michael Coderre, Paul Therrien, Ed Coderre.

11. My People (Bob Dufford SJ)
From the early 80s till 1998 our choir did a concert on Good Friday night called “At the Foot of the Cross” and the concert traditionally began with this solo piece in which the singer dramatically walked toward the assembly as they sang to them.  My brother had been doing this piece for a number of years but when he left town to do his graduate studies it fell to me to take over in 1992 and I again performed it annually from 1994 to 1998.
Acoustic guitar: Jim McIntyre. Additional instruments: Armando.
Vocals: Marc.

12. Surely He Bore All My Grief (Michel Guimont)
In the mid-90s this became a favourite for Good Friday service.  During the years she was in our choir Janet Becigneul performed this song beautifully.  I was initially hesitant to record it myself because I so associated the piece with her but it’s too great a song not to do.
Acoustic guitar: Jim McIntyre. Additional instruments: Armando.
Vocals: Marc.

13. Prayer Before the Cross (John Michael Talbot)
Traditionally our choir did this song as part of the “At the Foot of the Cross” concerts with only the women singing the three parts.  This song was also recorded by the choir for its 2^nd choir tape in 1987 which was re-released on CD in 2003.  After I was singing along to it in late 2005, I decided I had to do my own version.
Acoustic guitar: Jim McIntyre.
Vocals: Marc.

14. Easter Exultet (Michael Coderre)
My brother Michael composed this masterpiece for the choir to do at the 1988 Easter Vigil.  In 1994 he improved the musical arrangement.  Doing this piece for my CD was a fairly obvious decision, though for a few months I had decided against doing it for fear that we wouldn’t do it justice, but ultimately I felt this song needed to be recorded and who else but his brother should be the one to do it first?
Music: Armando.
Soloists: (Part A) Mary Zborowski, Michael Coderre, (Part B) Tom Lips, Marc, (Part C) Debra Scarpelli, Marc, Karen Lahaise Mazur. Celebrant & Assembly: (Part A+D) Marc. Gregorian chant: (Part C): Ed Coderre, Marc.
Choir: Mary Zborowski, Michael Coderre, Marc, Debra Scarpelli, Karen Lahaise Mazur, Ed Coderre, Paul Therrien, Greg Dahl.

15. Unity (Marc Coderre)
Composed in late 2003. 
Originally when making my home version my plan was to have “we can have unity in diversity” repeated at the end, but when it tried it that way it didn’t feel right.  I then came up with “our world in our time can live as one,” which echoed with the unabashed optimism of the 1960s.  After recording this fairly simple version I immediately saw how in a proper studio this song could blossom into something big.
Music: Armando.
Lead vocals: Marc. Backing vocals: Tom Lips, Paul Therrien, Ed Coderre.
Chorus: Karen Lahaise Mazur, Louise Rathier, Debra Scarpelli, Marc, Tom Lips, Ed Coderre, Paul Therrien.