The Sequence is a liturgical hymn; not a sequined glove Michael Jackson wore on his hand. It is a piece of poetry that is inserted into the celebration of Holy Mass on a particular feast day. It is placed between the reading and the Gospel, prior to the Alleluia. Earlier in the Church’s history, sequences were very popular and common. In the current Liturgical guidelines, there are only four and two of them are optional.
Liturgical Feasts that include a Sequence:
The Resurrection of the Lord ~ Easter
Pentecost
Corpus Christi ~ The Body and Blood of Christ*
Our Lady of Sorrows*
*optional sequence
Let’s look at the four Sequences:
The Victimae Paschali (The Paschal Victim) is the Sequence for Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord. It is a mandatory sequence. Victimae Paschali is usually attributed to Wipo of Burgundy (1039), chaplain of the German Emperor Conrad II in the 11th century. The hymn speaks of the glories of Easter morning.
The ancient sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit) first appeared in liturgical books around the year 1200. It was most probably authored by Cardinal Stephen Langton (1128), Archbishop of Canterbury. The poem has been known from medieval times as the "Golden Sequence" because of its richness in thought and expression. Each one of the short stanzas is a sentence within itself, thus facilitating meditation on the role of the Holy Spirit.
Lauda Sion (Praise Zion) is the sequence written for the Feast of Corpus Christi, the feast that celebrates our belief in the true presence of the Eucharist. The hymn was written by St. Thomas Aquinas in 1264 at the request of Pope Urban the IV. St. Thomas wrote along with this sequence the ever famous Pange Lingua. These hymns tell of the institution of the Eucharist and clearly express our belief in Transubstantiation (The reality of Jesus’ TRUE presence under the appearance of bread and wine). The Tantum Ergo and the O Salutaris can be found within these lyrics.
The Stabat Mater (The Sorrowful Mother Stood) is the sequence for the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. It was written in the 13th century. It has been attributed to Pope Innocent the III. This hymn, used on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, is also traditionally used at the Stations of the Cross and is prayed in between each station.