Joseph Edward Wise

Joseph Edward “Joe” Wise is an American Roman Catholic songwriter, author, performer, painter, and retreat leader whose early work became closely associated with the Catholic folk-Mass movement after the Second Vatican Council. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, on August 19, 1939, he pursued studies in philosophy, theology, counseling, and religious education. GIA Publications records degrees from St. Mary’s in Baltimore, Spalding College in Louisville, and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Wise began writing sacred music in the early 1960s and recorded his first major collection in 1966. During the 1960s through the 1980s he led liturgies, workshops, concerts, and lectures in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. His output eventually included numerous recordings, books, and other creative work; GIA also notes his career as a visual artist.

Take Our Bread was written in 1966 as part of Wise’s early vernacular liturgical work and was published in the folk Mass Gonna Sing, My Lord. He later wrote other widely circulated liturgical songs, including Christ Has Died, Alleluia, while continuing to explore prayer, community, and spiritual formation through music and writing.