Ubi caritas is a hymn of the Western Church, long used as one of the antiphons for the washing of feet on Maundy Thursday. The Gregorian melody was composed sometime between the fourth and tenth centuries, though some scholars believe the text dates from early Christian gatherings before the formalization of the Mass. It is usually sung at Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and on Holy Thursday evening at the Mass of the Lord's Supper. The current Roman Catholic Missal (1970, 3rd typical edition 2000) reassigned it from the foot-washing mandatum to the offertory procession at the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper, and it also is found in current Anglican and Lutheran hymnals.
In the second typical edition (1975) of the current Roman Missal, the antiphonal response was altered to read "Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est," after certain very early manuscripts. This translates as: "Where true charity is, there is God."
Contemporary versions
In 1960, a translation, "Where Charity and Love Prevail", was copyrighted, set to the hymn tune CHRISTIAN LOVE in common metre; Dom Paul Benoit, OSB adapted this tune from the chant tune for Veni redemptor gentium. The Taizé chant by Jacques Berthier (1978) uses only the words of the refrain, with verses taken from I Corinthians 13:2-8. Maurice Duruflé's choral setting makes use of the Gregorian melody, using only the words of the refrain and the first stanza. Paul Halley combined phrases of the original chant melody sung in Latin with other songs in the track Ubi caritas on his 1991 album Angel on a Stone Wall.
More recent versions of the hymn for choir have been composed by David Conte, Stephen DeCesare, Ola Gjeilo, and University of Aberdeen professor Paul Mealor. Mealor's setting, entitled "Ubi Caritas et Amor," was included in the ceremony at the 2011 Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.