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To: thor76
The instrument to be used for sacred music is the organ - with the pipe organ (not electronic gizmo)as the instrument of choice.

Correct.

It should be a pipe organ. The Congregation of Sacred Rites specified this a number of times when turning down the requests from the Hammond Organ Company in the late 1930's and through most of the 1940's.

The Congregation of Sacred Rites, however, approved the use of the Hammond Organ @ 1948 if I recall correctly using the "usual excuse" that was employed to sew the seeds for V2 on various and sundry issues: destruction of churches in WW II, lost of male populace, cost of replacement, etc.

This excuse was also used to introduce evening Masses (for the same day) @ 1952, mitigation and lessening of the Eucharistic Fast, and also permitting women in the choir, 12-25-55.

Of course the document never at all addressed Pope Saint Pius X's pronouncement of 11-22-03 that since the choir **AT MASS** substituted for the clergy, it could only be composed of males - the same as for acolytes.

The future Pope Pius X was involved with this issue for over 20 years on various commisions under Pope Leo XIII and as Cardinal Patriarch of Venice in his archdiocese he also banned all women musicians including organists.

Women in the congregation, as were men, were urged to sing, in other liturgical services and devotions such as Vespers, BUT NOT IN THE MASS!!!

P.S. In the preamble of his document of 11-22-03 it is , "actuosa communicatio", actuated communication in uniting oneself with the priest in offering Christ, the Victim, to the Father. It is NOT 'active participation', which commonly appears in the usual intentionally incorrect mistranslations.

This intentional mistranslation of two words in this preamble was used as justification for all that followed in the 20th century.

81 posted on 09/24/2004 4:16:54 PM PDT by Viva Christo Rey
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To: Viva Christo Rey; dsc; rogator; ELS; Maeve; Pio; pascendi; pro Athanasius; Canticle_of_Deborah; ...

Thank you for posting that!

Now before someone who does not know any better claims that you, the church, or several popes are women haters, let's examine the reason for the prohibtion of women in choirs and as musicians.

A choir is properly composed of clerics (or major and/or minor orders), or religious. Lay persons were not admitted to choirs at first, as it was a liturgical office - which properly belongs to men. The use of non ordained men as singers was restricted to seminarians, scholastics, students......hence the developement of the boy choir.

At first the choir sang "in choir" - in stalls provided fro them, either in, or just outside the altar rail - depending on whether they were composed of clerics/religious, or lay persons (boy choirs).

It was only at a much later date that choirs were moved to a read gallery. Why? Because they were exclusively compoased of lay persons, who were not allowed in the sanctuary, and secondly becuase the were placed in the back loft so as not to be a visual distraction at mass.

Their role was liturgical - not that of a concert performance!

So why not women? Firstly - when a choir was located in or near the chancel of a church, women were not allowed in the chancel/sanctuary AT ALL. Secondly, a woman singing in public would have been a cause of grave scandal, as she would be a distraction & possible occasion of sin for the eyes. This is also why a woman was to cover her hair/head in church - humility....and that her glory (her hair) not be a distraction.

Once choirs were relagated to a rear gallery the presense of a woman would no longer be an occasion of sin to men in the congregation (as they were supposed to be looking at the altar). But, she would be a distraction to men in the choir. Also, there is still the problem of a woman holding and exercising aliturgical function at public mass.

The only exception to this might have been in monastaries of women relgious. The would sing their office in common. And if they utilised a choir for daily or Sunday mass, it was of their members.The only male present would have been the priest - and possibly an acolyte from the local parish to act as a server.

The ultimate bases for this is in the fact that Christ did not extend any type of priestly ministry to women. Also, we have the words of St. Paul in his epistles.

My apologies to the ladies....but these are the facts as I know them to be. Besides, a woman had enough work to do in making a home, raising children, and cleaning up after the lazy lump of flesh which is her husband!

The real work of women in the church was that of the teaching of children in the home - of setting their feet on the path of righteousness. That is more then enough work.....and sometimes even superhuman!

Patriarchy? Perhaps.......but who REALLY runs the home? For that, women should get the credit they deserve!


83 posted on 09/24/2004 4:45:32 PM PDT by thor76 (Vade retro, Draco! Crux sacra sit mihi lux!)
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