OUR FATHER

"Our Father" is a reverent and beautifully structured choral setting of the Lord's Prayer, composed by Samuel Ituma. Marked to be sung at a moderate tempo, the piece takes the most universal prayer of the Church and gives it a fresh, responsive choral treatment. Rather than singing the prayer straight through, the arrangement divides the familiar petitions into short, distinct verses that alternate with a recurring chorus and refrain.

This call-and-response layout allows the choir to dwell on each line of the prayer. The opening invocation, "Our Father who art in heaven," serves as a grounding chorus, while the subsequent petitions—asking for daily bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil—are treated as brief verses that naturally lead back into the central theme. The composer also uses a slightly updated phrasing for the trial petition, singing "And do not allow us to fall into temptation," which reflects modern pastoral translations.

For a Nigerian Catholic choir, this setting is highly versatile. It can be sung during the Communion rite when the congregation joins in the Lord's Prayer, or offered as a dedicated choral meditation during a time of prayer. The familiar English text, combined with the structured four-part harmony, makes it an accessible yet deeply moving piece that helps the faithful pray Christ's own words with renewed attention.