Schola Cantus Angelorum
Ongoing Formation in the Mysteries
of the Catholic Faith
Formation in the faith, through word, liturgy, and song
Schola Cantus Angelorum (SCA) is a Catholic nonprofit, directed by Dr. Lynne Bissonnette‑Pitre, dedicated to ongoing formation in—and a deeper love for—the Catholic faith. Its work is centered on the sacred liturgy and the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, and it reaches the faithful through teaching, the sung liturgy and the annual Sacred Liturgy Conference.
SCA also sustains a women’s Latin schola that sings Gregorian chant, the Church’s own music and one of her most ancient forms of prayer. Founded during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI, SCA was established to honor his vision of the liturgy celebrated with beauty and reverence, with Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony once again holding pride of place.
To form hearts and minds in the mysteries of the Catholic faith—above all the Holy Eucharist—through teaching, the sacred liturgy, and the beauty of sung prayer, drawing souls into deeper communion with God.
Serving the Church and the wider community
Schola Cantus Angelorum serves the Church through formation, the sacred liturgy, and the arts:
Annual Sacred Liturgy Conference
- A four‑day gathering of lectures, liturgies, faculty panels, and fellowship
- Each year exploring one aspect of the Catholic faith and the mystery of the Holy Eucharist
Education & Formation
- Talks, workshops, and retreats on the faith, the sacraments, and the spiritual life
- Instruction for children and adults in the liturgy, Gregorian chant, and sacred music
Liturgical Service
- Chanting Sung Gregorian Masses for Sundays, Holy Days, and solemn celebrations
- Assisting parishes and communities seeking to restore sacred music to the liturgy
Performance & Recordings
- Public recitals and concerts featuring traditional and newly composed chant and polyphony
- Professional recordings of ancient and original works (available in CD and digital formats)
The Spiritual Power of Gregorian Chant
Schola Cantus Angelorum bears witness to the unique capacity of Gregorian chant to inspire conversion, healing, and interior transformation. The contemplative and reverent nature of the chanted liturgy creates a sacred atmosphere in which the Holy Spirit brings peace to body and soul, fostering a profound love for Jesus Christ and His Eucharistic presence.
In the Sung Gregorian Mass, the human voice joins the angelic choir, awakening a deeper awareness of the divine and drawing worshippers into the mystery of God’s presence.
Listen to the Schola
Love Songs to Our Lord and Lady
Gregorian chant and sacred song in Latin, from the schola that sings at the Sacred Liturgy Conference. Choose a track to begin; the music keeps playing while you browse the site. Each track has its Latin text and English translation.
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4:27Latin
O Maria tota pulchra es et macula originalis non est in te. Vestimentum tuum candidum quasi nix, et facies tua sicut sol. Benedicta es tu, Virgo Maria, a Domine Deo excelso, prae omnibus mulieribus super terram. Quae serpentis caput virgineo pede contrivit. Trahe nos, O Virgo immaculata, et post te curremus in odorum unguentorum tuorum. Amen.
EnglishThou art all fair, O Mary, and the original stain is not in thee. Thy vesture is white as snow, and thy face is as the sun. Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary, by the Lord Most High God, above all women upon the earth. Who with her virginal foot crushed the head of the serpent. Draw us, O Immaculate Virgin; we will run after thee in the odor of thine ointments. Amen.
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1:47Latin
O bone Jesu! Miserere nobis, quia tu creasti nos, tu redemisti nos sanguine tuo praetiosissimo.
EnglishO good Jesus! Have mercy on us, because you created us, you have redeemed us with your most precious blood.
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3:20Latin
Dulcis et rectus Dominus, propter hoc legem dabit delinquentibus in via. Diriget mansuetos in judicio, docebit mites vias suas.
EnglishThe Lord is sweet and righteous, therefore He will give a law to sinners in the way. He will guide the mild in judgement, He will teach the meek His ways.
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2:56Latin
Karitas habundat in omnia, de imis excellentissima super sidera atque amantissima in omnia, quia summo regi osculum pacis dedit.
EnglishDivine Love overflows into everything, raised high -highest - from the very depths to surpass constellations, and tender - most tender - toward all creation, such that it bestows the kiss of peace on the highest king.
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8:07Latin
O Deus, ego amo te, nec amo te ut salves me; Aut quia non amantes te aeterno punis igne. Tu, tu mi Jesu, totum me amplexus es in cruce; Tuliste clavos, lanceam, multamque ignominiam. Et mortem, et haec propter me ac pro me peccatore. Cur igitur non amem te O Jesu Amantissime? Non ut in caelo salves me aut ne aeternum damnes, sed sicut tu amasti me, sic amo et amabo te, solum quia Rex meus es, quia Deus meus es. O Deus meus, ego amo te. Amen.
EnglishO God, I love thee not because I hope for heaven thereby, nor yet because who love thee not are lost eternally. Thou, O my Jesus, thou didst me upon the cross embrace; for me didst bear the nails and spear and manifold disgrace; E’en death itself—and all for me who was Thine enemy. Then why, O blessed Jesus, should I not love Thee well? Not for the sake of winning heaven, nor of escaping hell; But, as Thyself hast loved me, even so I love Thee, and will love, solely because Thou are my God And my most loving King. O God, I love thee. Amen.
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3:03Latin
Quia ergo femina mortem instruxit, clara virgo illam interemit, et ideo est summa benedictio in feminea forma pre omni creatura, quia Deus factus est homo in dulcissima et beata virgine.
EnglishTherefore, because a woman contrived death, a resplendent virgin abolished it, and for that reason the blessing highest above all creation takes a womanly form because God was made human in a most-sweet and blessed virgin.
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2:52Latin
Nunc aperuit nobis clausa porta quod serpens in muliere suffocavit, unde lucet in aurora flos de Virgine Maria.
EnglishThe closed gate has now been opened for us which the serpent in a woman had shut, whence shines the flower of the Virgin Mary in the dawn.
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2:15Latin
O Pastor animarum et O prima vox per quam omnes creati sumus, nunc tibi, tibi placeat ut digneris nos liberare de miseriis et languoribus nostris.
EnglishO Shepherd of souls and O first voice from which all creation sprang. Now may it suit you to deign to free us from our misery and frailty.
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4:36Latin
Alleluia. Alleluia. Exivi a Patre, et veni in mundum: iterum relinquo mundum, et vado ad Patrem. Alleluia.
EnglishAlleluia. Alleluia. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world and I go to the Father. Alleluia.
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7:19Latin
O splendidissima gemma et serenum decus solis qui tibi infuses est, fons saliens de corde Patris, quod est unicum Verbum suum, per quod creavit mundi primam materiam, quam Eva turbavit. Hoc Verbum effabricavit tibi Pater hominem, et ob hoc es tu illa lucida materia per quam hoc ipsum Verbum exspiravit omnes virtutes, ut eduxit in prima materia omnes creaturas.
EnglishO most radiant jewel and tranquil glory of the sun; which was poured onto you, a leaping fountain, from the heart of the Father; which is His only Word through which He created the first matter of the world; which Eve through into disorder. This Word framed out, for you Father, a man. And for this reason, you are that shining matter through which the very Word breathes out all the virtues as it brings out in the first matter all creatures.
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4:04Latin
O quam mirabilis est prescientia divini pectoris que prescivit omnem creaturam. Nam cum Deus inspexit faciem hominis quem formavit, omnia opera sua in eadem forma hominis integra aspexit. O quam mirabilis est inspiratio que hominem suscitavit.
EnglishO how miraculous is the foreknowing of the holy heart which anticipated all creation. For when God looked into the face of the human he had created he saw fulfilled all of his works in that same human form. O how miraculous is the inspiration which kindles human life.
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5:05Latin
Diffusa est gratia in labiis tuis: propterea benedixit te Deus in aeternum. Propter veritatem, et mansuetudinem, et justitiam: et deducet te mirabiliter dextera tua.
EnglishGrace is poured abroad in thy lips; therefore hath God blessed thee forever. Because of truth and meekness and justice; and thy right hand shall conduct thee wonderfully.
“How I wept, deeply moved by the voices of Thy sweet-singing Church, in Thy hymns and canticles.”
— St. Augustine, Confessions, Book IX
Also onSpotifyApple MusicAmazon MusicPandoraTIDALYouTube Music
Dr. Lynne Bissonnette-Pitre, Director
Mary Circo · Viviana Davila · Jeannine Eisenbacher · Sarah Faux · Emma Havlicek · Elena Miller · Yumi Rinta
Cover painting: The Coronation of the Virgin, Fra Angelico (c. 1432–1435)
Brent Rogers, Edit & Mix Engineer, Sr. Media Producer BRCS, Inc.
Marena Halisi, Tracking Engineer
Latin / English translations by Fr. Joshua Clifton
Photography and CD design by Marc Salvatore
© 2025 Schola Cantus Angelorum · All Rights Reserved
Songs of the Heavenly Host by St. Hildegard of Bingen
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), also known as the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, visionary, and medical writer and practitioner during the High Middle Ages. She is one of the best-known composers of sacred monophony, as well as the most recorded in modern history.
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6:03LatinEnglish
O viridissima virga, ave, que in ventoso flabro sciscitationis sanctorum prodisti. Cum venit tempus quod tu floruisti in ramis tuis, ave, ave fuit tibi, quia calor solis in te sudavit sicut odor balsami.
Hail O greenest branch that went forth in the windy gusts of saints’ discernment. When the time came for you to blossom on your branches, “Hail! Hail!” was said to you, because the heat of the sun produced sweat like fragrance of balsam on you.
Nam in te floruit pulcher flos qui odorem dedit omnibus aromatibus que arida erant. Et illa apparuerunt omnia in viriditate plena. Unde celi dederunt rorem super gramen et omnis terra leta facta est, quoniam viscera ipsius frumentum protulerunt et quoniam volucres celi nidos in ipsa habuerunt.
For in you the flower bloomed which gave scent to all spices which were dry, and they all appeared in full freshness. Whence heavens poured dew upon the grass and all the earth was made joyful, since its womb produced grain and since the birds of the sky had nests in it.
Deinde facta est esca hominibus et gaudium magnum epulantium. Unde, o suavis Virgo, in te non deficit ullum gaudium. Hec omnia Eva contempsit. Nunc autem laus sit Altissimo.
From there food for humans was made and the great joy of banqueters. Whence, O sweet virgin, no joy is lacking in you. All these things Eve scorned. But now let there be praise to the Most High.
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2:29LatinEnglish
Laus Trinitati, que sonus et vita ac creatrix omnium in vita ipsorum est, et que laus angelice turbe et mirus splendor archanorum, que hominibus ignota sunt, est, et que in omnibus vita est.
Praise to the Trinity who is sound and life and the Creator of all things in their very life; and who is praised by the angelic host and the wonderful radiance of secrets that are unknown to man and the life of all things.
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13:56LatinEnglish
O clarissima mater sancte medicine, tu ungenta per sanctum Filium tuum infudisti in plangentia vulnera mortis, que Eva edificavit in tormenta animarum. Tu destruxisti mortem, edificando vitam.
O brightest mother, O holy medicine through your holy Son, you have poured ointments on the wailing wounds of thy death, wounds set up by Eve that torment souls. You have destroyed death, by building life.
Ora pro nobis ad tuum natum, stella maris, Maria.
Refrain: Pray for us to your son, O star of the sea, Mary.
O vivificum instrumentum et letum ornamentum et dulcedo omnium deliciarum, que in te non deficient.
O life-giving instrument and happy adornment and sweetness of all delights which in you shall not fail.
Ora pro nobis... Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui sancto. Ora pro nobis...
Refrain... Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Refrain...
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5:17LatinEnglish
O quam magnum miraculum est quod in subditam femineam formam rex introivit. Hoc Deus fecit quia humilitas super omnia ascendit. Et o quam magna felicitas est in ista forma, quia malicia, que de femina fluxit hanc femina postea detersit et omnem suavissimum odorem virtutum edificavit ac celum ornavit plus quam terram prius turbavit.
O what a great miracle that the king entered the humble body of a woman. God did this because lowliness rises above everything. And O what an incredible blessing there is in that body, since the ills that flowed from a woman [Eve], woman [Mary] later wiped clean and raised up the sweetest scent of all virtues and adorned heaven even more than she [Eve] had cast the earth into disorder.
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9:11LatinEnglish
O vis eternitatis que omnia ordinasti in corde tuo, per Verbum tuum omnia creata sunt sicut voluisti, et ipsum Verbum tuum induit carnem in formatione illa que educta est de Adam.
O force of eternity which ordered all things in your heart, through your Word all things were created just as you willed, and the Word of yours donned flesh in the mold drawn out from Adam.
Et sic indumenta ipsius a maximo dolore abstersa sunt.
Refrain: And so, its very own garment was washed clean of the deepest suffering.
O quam magna est benignitas Salvatoris, qui omnia liberavit per incarnationem suam, quam divinitas exspiravit sine vinculo peccati.
O how great is the kindness of the Savior who has liberated all things through his incarnation which divinity breathed out free from chains of sin.
Et sic indumenta ipsius a maximo dolore abstersa sunt.
Refrain: And so, its very own garment was washed clean of the deepest suffering.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui sancto.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Et sic indumenta ipsius a maximo dolore abstersa sunt.
Refrain: And so, its very own garment was washed clean of the deepest suffering.
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3:29LatinEnglish
O eterne Deus, nunc tibi placeat ut in amore illo ardeas, ut membra illa simus, que fecisti in eodem amore, cum Filium tuum genuisti in prima aurora ante omnem creaturam, et inspice necessitatem hanc que super nos cadit, et abstrahe eam a nobis propter Filium tuum, et perduc nos in leticiam salutis.
O eternal God, may you be pleased to blaze once more in love and to reforge us as the limbs you fashioned in that love when first you bore your Son upon the primal dawn before all else was created. Look upon this need that has fallen over us and draw it from us according to your Son, and lead us into the happiness of Salvation.
“The body is the garment of the soul, which has a living voice; and so it is fitting that the body, with the soul, should sing God’s praises with its voice.”
— St. Hildegard of Bingen, Letter to the Prelates of Mainz
Lynne Bissonnette-Pitre (Director)
Sarah Faux · Viviana Davila · Elena Miller · Emma Havlicek · Jeannine Eisenbacher · Mary Circo · Yumi Rinta
Sung by Schola Cantus Angelorum © 2025
Sound Recording: Jeff Wold
SCA is dedicated to the renewal of the Church and the sanctification of the world through formation in the faith and the sacred liturgy—restoring beauty, reverence, and transcendence to worship so that all may encounter the living God.