Great image from The Sacred Page

PRAY FOR OUR HOLY FATHER

Flowers on the deck

Another first in over 40 years

Today I attended a Mass in the Extraordinary form at my local parish. There were 14 people attending. I was very surprised when I got a call last night telling me about the Mass. We have one of the most liberal priests in the diocese! In fact I very seldom attend there, preferring a much more reverent Mass in a nearby town, or the F.S.S.P. parish about 25 miles away.
The priest, Father Dylan Schrader, is newly ordained (May 22) & this was his 2nd Mass after the really big celebration of his first one yesterday afternoon. He told us the EF Mass is now being taught in the seminaries & how pleased he is that he was able to celebrate both Masses. His grandmother, mother & father were there & his only brother served the Mass. There were several there whom I expected to see, & several I never would have thought would be there!  Only 4 of us had a missal, & very few knew the rubrics so at various times there were some sitting, some kneeling & others standing. Hopefully this is the first step in the right direction, & an inspiration to many.
Thanks go to Fr Schrader!

Retirement countdown

Liturgy Communion in the hand,kneeling

from blog http://southernorderspage.blogspot.com/2010/02/just-who-does-this-lay-person-think-he.html


And

Parish Mission

Fr Christopher has scheduled Michael Cumbie to come give a mission on Feb 28, Mar 1 & 2.
http://www.mikecumbie.org/calendar/02-2010/events/parish-lenten-mission-1776.html

new translation info

Post found at NLM very interesting!

Friday, February 05, 2010

ICEL Approves Buying and Selling but not Charity?

by Jeffrey Tucker

For two years, MusicaSacra.com has been begging the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) to let us give away for free music and recordings of chant-based Mass settings using the new texts for Mass. We've been told on several occasions - via email and phonecalls - that this is not permitted. The ostensible reason is that Rome has not given its final approval to the texts - and also it would be wrong to give us the right to do what other print-centered publishers cannot do.

I find this ridiculous and I've said so many times. After all, choirs need to practice, people need to get to know the texts, and I see no problems resulting from giving music away for free. The texts in question are stable and everyone knows it. And why should ICEL be in the business of subsidizing the bottom line of publishers by restraining competition? Nonetheless, we complied and even found a software work around to the banning of links: we deliver the sheet music via email.

Well, you can imagine that I'm stunned to find that World Library Publications turns out to be offering a CD of music with the new texts and the texts themselves.

New Translation Release WLP

Presumably, this violates the ICEL edict. Or maybe the ICEL edict only applies when you are trying in charity to help the Church rather than charging money for the privilege of seeing and singing the new translation.

While I'm on the topic of ICEL's policies, I have an email that made its way to my inbox from an employee at ICEL, Jason McFarland, Assistant Editor, who tells a convent that it cannot record Latin chants for a fundraising CD without "permission of the Holy See via the Vatican Press."

There is absolutely no basis for this claim. The Latin chants of the Church have been in the public domain for hundreds of years. Even the new editions from the turn of the 20th century from Solesmes are in public domain. The entire contents of the Liber Usualis is in public domain - a fact that has been well-established by the U.S. Copyright Office.

I don't know what legal authority ICEL believes itself responsible to, but to tell a convent that they have to obtain permission to sing and record Gregorian chant strikes me as the height of absurdity. It is not only legally wrong; it is also morally wrong. Some people need to revisit the very meaning of Christian charity.

My grandson Jeremy wants to be a Pro Scooter guy

Followup on last post re music

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2010/01/a-citation-concerning-the-use-of-hymns-at-mass/

A citation concerning the use of hymns at Mass
CATEGORY: "How To..." - Practical Notes — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 8:58 am

Gregorian chant This citation from NLM is really useful.

Bugnini’s own Consilium in 1969 offered the following instruction, consistent with the Vatican II emphasis on chant over vernacular hymnody. As printed in 1 Notitiae, 5 (1969), p. 406

That rule [permitting vernacular hymns] has been superseded. What must be sung is the Mass, its ordinary and proper, not “something,” no matter how consistent, that is imposed on the Mass. Because the liturgical service is one, it has only one countenance, one motif, one voice, the voice of the church. To continue to replace the texts of the Mass being celebrated with motets that are reverent and devout, yet out of keeping with the Mass of the day amounts to continuing an unacceptable ambiguity: it is to cheat the people. Liturgical song involves not mere melody, but words, text, thought, and the sentiments that the poetry and music contain. Thus texts must be those of the Mass, not others, and singing means singing the Mass not just singing during Mass.

Sacred music is not an add on to the liturgy. It is liturgy. Sacred music is pars integrans in the sacred liturgy, that is, an integral part or, better integrating part of the whole of liturgical worship.

Thus, music for Mass must be sacred and it must be artistic. The texts sung must be sacred and relevant to the liturgy of the day. It must be composed and performed in the best manner possible, a truly artistic way.

Pastors and church musicians should… must… rethink the "four hymn sandwich".
• • • • • •

music

SACRED, BEAUTIFUL, & UNIVERSAL: Colloquium XIX from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.