MBARE BARE

"Mbare Bare" is a vibrant, rhythmic setting of the Sanctus ("Holy, Holy, Holy") composed by Uguma Canice. Written in the Ekayuk language, the manuscript notes it was sung at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish in Awang to celebrate a priestly ordination.

The piece is structured as a lively call-and-response, a beloved style in Nigerian Catholic choral music. The cantor leads with bright invocations—including the recognizable cry of "Hosana"—while the rest of the choir anchors the prayer with the steady, rhythmic reply of "mbare bare."

In the choir loft, this kind of Sanctus brings a surge of joyful energy to the Eucharistic prayer. It invites the congregation to join the angels in their unending hymn of praise, grounding the solemnity of the Mass in a deeply local expression of worship.