Bishop Dolan and the Office of Worship cordially invite all Arizonan composers to compose a hymn in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Diocese of Phoenix and the Americas. The chosen song will be performed by the Diocesan Choir at the 2025 Honor Your Mother celebration and may be programmed for future Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrations of the Diocese of Phoenix, including the 500th Anniversary Celebration in 2031.

 

Submission Criteria

· Composer must be a Roman Catholic residing in Arizona, preferably in the Diocese of Phoenix.

· Composition must not be currently published or licensed.

 

The Composition: 

· Must incorporate the theme for Bishop’s 7-year Pastoral Plan: “TILMA – Testifica, O Iglesia, a la Luz del Misterio del Amor / Testify, o Church, to the Light of the Mystery of Love”

· Must be bilingual (English/Spanish), additional languages welcome.

· Must be liturgical and suitable for Mass (God focused, Trinitarian, preferably scriptural)

· Must have a keyboard accompaniment and also be suitable for accompaniment with a variety of musical instruments.

· Must have four-part harmony (SATB) in part or from beginning to end.

 

 

How to Submit

· Email sheet music to Nayeli Garcia ngarcia@dphx.org. It is preferable that the sheet music be digitally produced (Sibelius, Finale, or other suitable music notation software) and enclosed as a PDF. A scan of a handwritten score is also suitable but the scan must be clear and should not be difficult to read.

· Must include audio recording, whether a digital reproduction (such as MIDI), or an audio recording.

 

The Judging

Judging will be blind with the judges not knowing who the composer is and selecting entirely on the merits of the individual composition and its potential for use at Diocesan liturgies. The 5-person judging panel will consist of diocesan leadership and composers from outside of Arizona. 

 

 

Other Information

· All performance, copyright, and royalty rights remain with the composer with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix having permission to perform and reprint without limitation or owing royalties.

· The winning composer will be asked to include the following statement on the title page and in promotional materials: “TITLE – Winner of the 2025 Diocese of Phoenix TILMA Composition Contest”

· The decision of the contest committee will be final and no correspondence may be entered into regarding the award.

 

 

Prize

· $3,000 cash award to the winning composer.

· Winners not residing in the Phoenix metropolitan area may be awarded transportation costs to Honor Your Mother 2025, including hotel expenses for the night prior to the event (December 5, 2025)