I got this notion of how to help Catholics who want to have at least the occasional Mass of Blessed John XXIII in their parish -— sometime before they die! —— but whose parishes have at this point, apparently, near-zero interest.
People in my situation, in other words. And there must be millions of us.
Buying the Missale Romanum and 30 copies of the Latin-English Sunday Missal won’t do. Nobody knows how to use them, and -— much worse -— nobody is really interested.
Lobbying and petition-signing won’t do.
What will draw people in is beauty, and that needs no argument: beauty is its own argument.
So what may be needed, first of all, would be a schola: a little-bitty schola starting with, say, 4 voices, which can do the simplest versions of the sung Mass: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus/Benedictus, Agnus Dei. Put a Pater Noster in there as well.
A schola could sing these at English Masses, couldn’t they? A big plus in beauty and dignity, and it would pique interest in more Latin.
So what we need, I think, is a mass-produced Schola-in-a-Box, which would consist of a audio tape or CD, and the sheet music and instructions for singing Mass A, Mass C, and Mass C, that is, settings of the greatest simplicity, and then a little more ambitious, and then a little moreso.
You can tell by the way I am expressing myself that I am utterly ignorant of such things, and yet in my mind’s eye (and ear) I can see and hear how it would work out.
This would be a gradual, humble, patient, and beautiful process for touching hearts which will be attracted to this lovely and solemn thing, chanted Latin.
And from there, slowly, incrementally, to bigger, better, and more glorious things. On -—at last -— to the Mass of Blessed John XXIII! All Gloria Dei and no argument.
Does this make sense? Liturgical sense, strategic sense?
That sounds like an idea.
And the simple chants are available for free reproduction once people get interested:
http://www.ceciliaschola.org/notes/jubilatedeo.html
A few (three?) years ago our bishop had everyone sing the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei in Latin during Lent.
By the third week, everyone was in the swing of things. The old melodies are pretty inspiring, even for those who aren’t very confident singers.