In Paradisum

The antiphon “In paradisum” is one of those unique chants in the Western liturgical repertoire which is not exactly liturgical, per se, but is liturgy-adjacent. It’s sung at the very conclusion of the Requiem Mass (Mass for the dead), when the body of the deceased is being borne from the church to the grave. The composer of the text and music is unknown, and I’ve had a hard time tracking down even what century it entered the service books. Its provenance seems shrouded in mystery, but its message is so powerfully universal.

The words to the chant are:

In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.

Into paradise may the Angels lead thee; at thy coming, may the martyrs receive thee, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem. May the choir of Angels receive thee, and with Lazarus, who was once poor, mayest thou have eternal rest.

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