Come to the Banquet - Chepponis

Priest at the altar, holding the Eucharistic cup with the book visible on the altar beside him. Come to the banquet, come to the feast. Eat the bread of life! Share in the singing, share in the joy. Drink the cup of love! 1 Draw near and take the body of the Lord, And drink the holy blood for you outpoured. Saved by his body, hallowed by his blood, With souls refreshed, we give our thanks to God. 2 Salvation’s giver, Christ, the only Son, Who by his cross and blood the victory won. Gave up his life for greatest and for least, Himself the victim and himself the priest. 3 Come forward then with faithful hearts sincere, And take the promise of salvation here. The Lord, who faithful servants loves and shields, to all believers life eternal yields. 4 With heavenly bread makes those who hunger whole, Gives living waters to the thirsting soul. Before your presence, Lord, all people bow. In this your feast of love be with us now.

This joyful Communion hymn was written by was written by American Roman Catholic priest, musician and composer James J. Chepponis (b 1956).

The verses are based on a translation of the Latin "Sancti venite Christi corpus sumite" by made by John Mason Neale (1818-1866), while the chorus and a new tune, (DRAW NEAR AND TAKE THE BODY) are by Chepponis.

It was written in 1997 for the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the church of St. Malachy in Coraopolis, PA, USA, and first published by GIA in 2000. It is intended for use at First Communion celebrations - combining a bright attractive tune, a very singable chorus, and verses with present deep theology - which probably need to be sung by a choir or cantor. It has also become popular for weddings in some places.

The tune has a 6/8 time signature. In the key of G, the first few notes of the chorus are G F G FD EDC D_ with accompanying chords G / Bm7 / Am7 / D.

Downloads

Unison setting with descant, cantor, assembly, keyboard accompaniment, optional C instrument, handbells.

Examples

No on-line examples have been found. If you know where one is, please leave a message in the Comments box near the bottom of the page.

Lyrics

The lyrics are copyright so cannot be reproduced here. But they are currently available on this website. A rough outline is:

Chorus:
Come to the banquet, come to the feast. Eat the bread of life!
Share in the singing, share in the joy. Drink the cup of love!

1 Draw near and take the body of the Lord ...

2 Salvation’s giver, Christ, the only Son ...

3 Come forward then with faithful hearts sincere ...

4 With heavenly bread makes those who hunger whole ...