Diocese in Illinois Encourages Missal Chants and New Mass Setting, but Avoids Revised Settings

An interesting article by Jennifer Willems in The Catholic Post of the Peoria Diocese in Illinois.  Apparently:

"To assist the parishes, schools and Newman Centers of the Diocese of Peoria in making the transition to the new Mass texts, Bishop Jenky asked a committee of musicians to make recommendations for Mass settings and hymns that would give everyone a 'common language.'

Musicians around the diocese met with Msgr. Deptula and Dr. Sherry Seckler, diocesan director of sacred music, to sing through the new Mass settings and suggested two of them for use in central Illinois. The first is the chant setting that will appear in the new Roman Missal and likely be published in missalettes.

The second is the 'Mass of Wisdom' by Steven R. Janco. Published by World Library Publications, it was written for organ, brass and handbells as well as piano, woodwinds and guitar. (To listen to it, go to Sing the New Mass and click on New Musical Settings.)

'It is, in theory, rather elastic,' Msgr. Deptula said. “It will fit many different situations, many different styles of celebration.”

Revised settings of Masses currently in use, such as the 'Mass of Creation,' are available, but the committee opted against recommending one of these. Msgr. Deptula said they felt it would be more difficult for people to put new words to a well-known tune.

Parishes may want to learn other settings and are encouraged to do so, but Msgr. Deptula said Bishop Jenky is asking pastoral musicians to make people familiar with the chant setting and “Mass of Wisdom” as a starting point.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops helped the faithful last week by approving use of musical settings for the new Roman Missal beginning in September [rather than all at once on the first Sunday of Advent]" (emphasis added).  

As I have previously suggested, this seems to me to be the most appropriate way to go about introducing new settings of the Ordinary - by strongly encouraging the use of the new Missal setting, so that it becomes the default setting known across the diocese (and the English speaking world), and the use of a robust new setting (which Mass of Wisdom seems happily to be), and then permitting and encouraging the adoption of further Mass settings at will.  Credit ought to go to the bishop for his policy and his pastorally sensitive (but resolute) method of implementing it.

This is one of many newspaper articles that I have seen fit to post on my blog for being either interesting or particularly useful to people trying to understand the new translation and the process of its implementation.  Here is a full list, and bear in mind that new articles are added to the relevant page on the right hand side of this blog:

• 'Catholics reach back to church tradition' (22 May 2010)
• 'Fresh embrace of everlasting salvation' (22 May 2010)
• 'Pope's master of liturgy helps Benedict restore traditions' (25 Dec 2010)
• Sydney Morning Herald article (19 Feb 2011)
• 'The Value of Unaccompanied Vernacular Chant in the Liturgy' (Mar 2011)
• 'Hear the difference: new Missal translation will be like rediscovering buried treasure' by Bishop Elliott, Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne (2 Mar 2011) 
• 'For New [Translation of Texts of] Mass, Closer to Latin, Critics Voice a Plain Objection' (11 Apr 2011)
• 'The Old New Missal' (26 May 2011) 
• 'An introduction from the musical director of the Blessed John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music' (26 May 2011)
• 'Greeting Christ' by Cardinal George Pell (30 May 2011)
• 'New translation of liturgy launched to mass applause' (13 Jun 2011)
• 'Mass Revolution' (16 Jun 2011)
• 'Abbot Cuthbert Johnson discusses New [Translation of] Missal' (29 Jun 2011)
• ‘ICEL’s Executive Director: New Missal Translation “Long Overdue”’ (29 Jun 2011) 
• 'Just who did revise the Roman Missal?' (3 July 2011)
• 'A New [Translation of the] Roman Missal for Canada' (7 July 2011)
• 'The Revised Missal - why has [the Missal] been [re-translated]?' (10 July 2011)

• 'Welcoming the new [translation of the] Missal: Suggested "pillars" for study' (10 July 2011)

Westminster Encourages Use of Missal Chants

The Archdiocese of Westminster is encouraging its parishes to introduce the chants from the newly translated Missal during the period between the first Sunday in September and the first Sunday of Advent this year.  To assist with the process of implementation, they are making pew cards available online.

From the website:

"Parishes may introduce the new translation of the Missal in full or incrementally.  However they have been asked also to ensure that they become familiar with the new missal chant during the period leading up to the 1st Sunday of Advent."

Requiescant in Pace and More Victoria

Today at St Mary's Cathedral what seemed like half of the legal profession in Sydney attended the funeral Mass of Roderick Pitt Meagher AO QC, a former Justice of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW.  According to the Australian newspaper:

"when he died last week he had already organised his funeral at St Mary's Cathedral today, where the mass was to be said in Latin, according to the death notice."

 He got roughly half of his wish granted.  The setting of the Ordinary was Victoria's Requiem (Kyrie, Agnus Dei), and the other Latin parts were:  the Introit, the Sign of the Cross and Greeting, the Offertory Motet, the Preface, the Sanctus (Mass XVIII), the Doxology, the Lord's Prayer, the Communion Motet and the Libera Me.  The remaining parts were largely using the new English translation of the Roman Missal.

A fitting send off for a man who by all accounts appreciated the full beauty and majesty of the Roman Rite.

I can now also upload one of my favourite youtube videos - Westminster Cathedral Choir singing the Kyrie from Victoria's Requiem at the funeral Mass of their beloved Cardinal Hume in 1999:

Confused about Which Mass Settings to Use?

Over at Pray Tell, Fr Anthony Ruff OSB has produced a gem by compiling a very helpful list of new/revised settings of the Ordinary of the Mass which he intends to use in due course.  This should not deter you from seeking out other Mass settings, but in all likelihood you will not be any the poorer for not so doing, such is the breadth of his list.

A few points:
(a) It appears that almost all of the settings he will be using are American, which might pose a problem for parishes in other English speaking countries where the local bishops have endorsed and/or are recommending local settings;
(b) the sheer number of new congregational Mass settings from America is bewildering - this has its benefits (we all like variety, creativity ought to be allowed to flourish, and a given parish is more easily able to find a setting which is 'right' for it) BUT also has its disadvantages (it seems to thwart the admirable hope of bishops and many people that a common repertoire be established through-out the English speaking world, or at least within the one country)
(c) it's excellent to see that the Missal chants are being used and that they are listed first (as I have mentioned previously, they should be the 'generic' or 'default' settings in a parish in that they should not be entirely overlooked by any parish in favour of other Mass settings)
(d) the quality of many of the settings is surprisingly satisfactory
(e) I re-iterate my claim that no injustice is done if only the Mystery of Faith acclamations from the Missal are used.  Then we might actually have one part of the Mass which is common through-out the whole English speaking world all of the time)

Based on this, for parishes outside America, how is this for a rough plan?
- Implement the Missal chants as the 'generic' Ordinary (and alternate between the English and Latin settings where the latter are provided in the English Missal) [and make sure that the words AND notation are provided in the pews!!]
- When those are thoroughly learnt (but before they become tedious through excessive repetition), introduce another Mass setting recommended by your local Bishops' Conference (after consultation between the parish priest, the qualified musicians in the parish and other interested parties - ideally a good sample of parishioners of varying musical ability who will be expected to sing the setting) [and make sure that the words AND notation are provided in the pews!!]
- Perhaps introduce another recommended setting in due course (or one from another country if this is permitted) - or as many settings as your parish can cope with
- Give serious consideration to introducing one/a few of the Latin settings of the Ordinary from the Graduale Romanum.  Mass VIII is widely known, Mass XVII during Advent and Lent is easy to sing (and there is no Gloria during these seasons so the task of learning these chants is made considerably easier), etc - this links us to our rich musical/liturgical hertiage and also provides another opportunity for unaccompanied singing
- Where applicable, encourage the parish priest to let you (a competent organist and/or choral director) set up a schola capable of singing the Propers and more advanced settings of the Oridnary (from the rich musical inheritance of the Church, or new choral settings)
- Encourage the congregational singing of simple Propers in the vernacular where singing them from the Graduale Romanum is infeasible

Palestrina at St Peter's

If, as has been suggested, there are differing theories as to how Palestrina 'should' be sung, or indeed 'might' have been sung while he was alive, then perhaps these two choirs most strikingly highlight those differences:

It seems old habits die hard:

Or on the other hand:

Is this an unfair comparison or a necessary reality check?  Rumination necessary.

A Hope Shared by Many

"Perhaps we should remember Saint Benedict’s words that 'We believe that God is present everywhere and especially is this so when we celebrate the Sacred Liturgy'.  My hope for the new English translation of the Roman Missal is that all controversy is now laid aside, and that together bishops, priests, deacons, religious and the lay- faithful work to ensure that it becomes a great source for renewal in the liturgical life of the Church, and makes a valuable contribution to the work of new evangelisation."

Abbot Cuthbert Johnson, OSB 

More News from Ireland

The Irish Bishops have just issued this informative press release.  It outlines the state of affairs regarding new and adapted Mass settings for use in Ireland.

And from the Maynooth College website, outlining the tutors for the upcoming Irish Church Music Association summer school:    

"parish and contemporary music (Fr Liam Lawton and Chris de Silva), choral direction / conducting (Dominic Finn), cantor training (Sarah Waldron), liturgical composition (Edward Holden), organ (Eoin Tierney, Regina Deacy, Eanna McKenna and David Connolly), special choir (Órla Barry), schools (Monica Brown), chant (Giovanna Feeley), music by Irish composers for the new Missal translation (John O’Keeffe)."