USCCB Pres. Authorizes..Introduction of Musical Settings of New Roman Missal..In Sept. [Catholic C]

CatholicExchange.com ^ | .June 28, 2011 | US Conference of Catholic Bishops

[Salvation]

USCCB President Authorizes Gradual Introduction of Musical Settings of New Roman Missal Starting In September

June 28th, 2011 by U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Divine Worship, announced that diocesan bishops may permit the gradual introduction of the musical settings of the people’s parts of the Mass from the new Roman Missal in September. Primarily this affects the the Gloria, the Holy, Holy, Holy and the Memorial Acclamations.

This variation to the implementation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, set to take place all at once on November 27, was authorized by USCCB president, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, and adopted by the committee to allow parish communities to learn the various parts of the new translation “in a timely fashion and an even pace.”

The Committee on Divine Worship made the decision in response to requests from several bishops, echoed by the National Advisory Council. Some suggested that the various acclamations could be more effectively introduced throughout the fall, so that when the full Missal is implemented on the First Sunday of Advent, the congregation will have already become familiar with the prayers that are sung.

“I ask you to encourage this as a means of preparing our people and helping them embrace the new translation,” Archbishop Gregory told the bishops. The announcement took place June 16, during the U.S. bishops Spring Assembly near Seattle.

This update is courtesy of US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

[Bigg Red]

Sadly, Marty Haugen and the gang at GIA have been busy “updating” their drivel with the new words, so in practice, the actual music isn’t going to change much.

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Thanks, livius, for answering the question that came to my mind.

I would so love to have chant. St.Gregory, pray for us.

[Salvation]

I was afraid of that.

[Salvation]

I attend a Novus Ordo Mass. It sounds like you attend a Tridentine Mass. Am I correct?

[Salvation]

I’ll check the GIRM, but I believe singing the Our Father at EVERY Mass is not endorsed.

[Petrosius]

Both. Although there are still problems with with the Novus Ordo Missal as written, the biggest problem is how we celebrate it, cutting ourselves off from a living continuity and organic growth that should have been the signs of a true liturgical reform. If we were to go beyond our normal experience and expectations of the Novus Ordo there is nothing stopping us from celebrating it with the same reverence as the ancient rite. Image a Novus Ordo Mass celebrated in an unrenovated sanctuary, completely chanted according to the new Graduale Romanum or with sacred polyphony, ad orientem, substantial use of Latin, with a deacon and vested formally installed acolyte and lector taking the place of the former subdeacon, use of only male servers, and Communion kneeling and on the tongue at the altar rail. This is possible and if such had been made available in every parish then we could have avoided the liturgical wars of the past 40 years.

[Petrosius]

I’ll check the GIRM, but I believe singing the Our Father at EVERY Mass is not endorsed.

From the GIRM:

40. Great importance should therefore be attached to the use of singing in the celebration of the Mass, with due consideration for the culture of the people and abilities of each liturgical assembly. Although it is not always necessary (e.g., in weekday Masses) to sing all the texts that are of themselves meant to be sung, every care should be taken that singing by the ministers and the people is not absent in celebrations that occur on Sundays and on holy days of obligation.

In the choosing of the parts actually to be sung, however, preference should be given to those that are of greater importance and especially to those to be sung by the priest or the deacon or the lector, with the people responding, or by the priest and people together.

Remember that I was speaking of a Sunday Mass. Where it says the it is not always necessary to sing all the texts of the Mass it not the same as discouraging it. The GIRM references no. 7 of Musicam sacram: Instruction on Music in the Liturgy (1967):

7. Between the solemn, fuller form of liturgical celebration, in which everything that demands singing is in fact sung, and the simplest form, in which singing is not used, there can be various degrees according to the greater or lesser place allotted to singing. However, in selecting the parts which are to be sung, one should start with those that are by their nature of greater importance, and especially those which are to be sung by the priest or by the ministers, with the people replying, or those which are to be sung by the priest and people together. The other parts may be gradually added according as they are proper to the people alone or to the choir alone.

Latter in that Instruction we find:

27. For the celebration of the Eucharist with the people, especially on Sundays and feast days, a form of sung Mass (Missa in cantu) is to be preferred as much as possible, even several times on the same day.

28. The distinction between solemn, sung and read Mass, sanctioned by the Instruction of 1958 (n. 3), is retained, according to the traditional liturgical laws at present in force. However, for the sung Mass (Missa cantata), different degrees of participation are put forward here for reasons of pastoral usefulness, so that it may become easier to make the celebration of Mass more beautiful by singing, according to the capabilities of each congregation.

Prior to the council the was a strict distinction between the sung Mass and the recited or Low Mass. In the former all the parts, including the readings, had to be sung. In the later none of the Mass parts could be sung; the music being the addition of non-liturgical hymns. The reference to the sung Mass (Missa in cantu) is to a fully sung Mass. Thus the fully sung Mass is to be preferred on Sundays and feasts days. Masses with various degrees of singing is a concession to practicality and not an ideal to strive for.

[oldsicilian]

Don’t know who Marty Haugen is but I detest his insipid music. Plenty of good stuff out there, such as nearly everything prior to Vatican Two.

[NoRedTape]

Great post. I’ll never forget when, about a year ago, our 10 am Mass began with the Cat Stevens song “Morning has broken”. It ruined the morning for me.........not only are there hundreds of historic hymns, WHY THE HECK DID THEY PICK THAT ONE? (...written from a muslim convert, too?). What the heck? I think that the Priests heard the feedback and we haven’t heard that song, since. Now, if they can only do 1 or 2 stanzas of other lesser-known songs instead of ALL 4 STANZAS, I would be a happier person in the pew. I’m not in Church because of the music......

[jmacusa]

I agree. Jesus was not into jazz!

[wonkowasright]

Besides the translation changes what is meant by “musical settings” ?

Are they standardizing the tune / form of various parts ?

Its kinda confusing when every parish you visit seems to have a different melody for the various songs.

[baa39]

Eeek! That borders on sacrilege!

Our former pastor finally solved this raging controversy over Communion songs and hymns - none. Total silence during the entire time, not even soft organ music in the background. It’s heavenly, you can actually pray.

Now we are getting a new priest, however, so the musicians are scheming. For some reason, very few priests have the balls to go up against the “music ministry.”

[Salvation]

**For some reason, very few priests have the balls to go up against the “music ministry.”**

You have no idea how much you speak the truth there!

[baa39]

Ah, hmm, well, more corruption or collusion in the Archdiocese of the Vlazinator.

[livius]

The good news (I have heard from somebody who is a music director) is that at least one of the new, generally-awful hymnals does have a much larger section of chant, notated in such a way that it is meant for congregational singing.

So there was enough of a demand for this that a company usually hostile to chant and traditional Catholic music had to include a section of it.

I think there is hope, but there’s still a huge backlog of bad music and also of music directors with terrible taste, simply because they have never known any other kind of music during their careers.

[Bigg Red]

Thanks for that update.

St. Gregory, pray for us.

[CTrent1564]

Hopefully, more and more Catholic Choirs will participate in the the Sacred Music Colloquim. See attached link below:

http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/

[Salvation]

Hey, he retires next February. Pray for us to get Chaput or Olmsted.

[Salvation]

**I think there is hope, but there’s still a huge backlog of bad music and also of music directors with terrible taste, simply because they have never known any other kind of music during their careers.**

Yes, there is hope, but it is going to take awhile to turn things back to sacred.

[Salvation]

Great website, thanks.

[baa39]

What a way to go out...not with a reputation for holiness, but with an aggressive, hard-sell fund-raising campaign for an unprecedented $70 million, not giving any details why we need the money or how they will spend it, but insisting people fork it over during the country’s worse recession in 35 years.

He is pressuring the priests severely too, it’s all they talk about, “Capital Campaign, Capital Campaign, Capital Campaign.” I’m sick of it, the strong arm tactics border on unethical (soliciting parish records on individuals, etc), and they won’t get a dime from me beyond my normal donation. I feel that as a matter of principle.

It would be neat to get one of those heavy-hitter bishops like you mention, but I believe Portland will be given to a smaller bishop for whom it’s a “step up.” Let’s just hope he’s Catholic...ya know?!?