May the Road Rise Up to Meet You

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
the rains fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Recorded at St. Mary's Cathedral, Portland, Oregon.
Conductor: Angela Westhoff-Johnson
Producer: Jim Denman 
Recording Engineer: Mike Moore
Purchase through OCP​
online | 1-800-liturgy | liturgy@ocp.org
edition # 30137993
 
Includes parts for congregation, optional 2-part choir, descant, keyboard, guitar. It can also be sung as a simple solo.

USE
  • Blessing
  • Marriage
  • Funeral
This musical setting of the traditional Celtic prayer text is intended to be an easily-learned song for marriage and funeral liturgies, and it is appropriate for any occasion that necessitates a general blessing. The arrangement opens with a cantor or choir singing the melody once. That is followed by an optional, more elaborate reiteration for two-part choir and descant. The entire piece can be sung in unison, if desired.

A rather slow tempo works well, giving the piece a pleasing, solemn sense.

—Scot Crandal
from the collection