Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, Prefect, Congregation for Divine Worship, stated that the Council did not speak of the priest celebrating Mass facing the people, that it stressed the importance of Christ on the altar, reflected in Benedict XVI's celebration of the Mass in the Sistine Chapel facing the altar. This does not exclude the priest facing the people, in particular during the reading of the word of God. He stressed the need of the notion of mystery, and particulars such as the altar facing East and the fact that the sacrificial sense of the Eucharist must not be lost.
Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares also said recently that when it comes to the liturgy, some of the changes that were called on by the Second Vatican Council, are still pending. But if those changes are applied correctly, he says, even traditionalists groups, like that of Lefebvrians, would not feel mistrust.
This is the closing Mass at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, Macon, Georgia for The Church Music Association of America's, Winter Chant Intensive that concluded last Friday!
This is about a twelve minute video of the rehearsal for the Mass:
5 comments:
This was a very good example of a Novus Ordo Mass in its more solemn form, as envisaged in the GIRM, and ahhering to the rubrics. In particular:
1. Gregorian Chant was given pride of place, as required my Musicam Sacram and the GIRM.
2. Full, conscious and active participation was achieved - interiorly by listening to and meditating on the sung Propers, and exteriorly by making the responses. Mass IV was sung here by two scholas, but in normal circumstances could easily be done by schola and congregation. SC requires that the faithful be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass that pertain to them.
3. The Prayer of the Faithful and the Offertory Procession could have been omitted, but were not. No-one could accuse you of trying to make the OF resemble the EF.
4. The dialogues, orations, and most importantly the Scriptures were sung. The OF Mass was intended to be sung - rightly or wrongly the reformers wanted to get away from the 'low Mass' culture.
5. The vernacular was used to advantage (what a difference the new translation makes!)
In conlusion, ROTR is a misnomer, since celebrating the OF as it is intended to be celebrated does not require further reform. It does, however, require a cultural shift.
As someone who sings chant regularly I congratulate you on your rendition of the Gospel. It might be an idea, however, to get together with your cantor and rehearse the missal chants - I'm thinking of the Introductory Rites, the Praeceptis salutaribus moniti, and the blessing and dismissal (in both Latin and English - the tones correspond, but there are some small alterations made to fit the English texts). And who came up with "sisters and brothers"? It's about as idiomatic as "gentlemen and ladies". "Brothers and sisters", please, or better still the gender-inclusive "brethren".
Very good Mass. Excellent music and beautiful ceremony. I especially liked the chanted readings. It is extremely refreshing to hear a chanted Epistle, and the priest's voice was very good.
My only recommendation would be for you to go back and study and memorize the Latin tones for such things as the Per Ipsum and the Praeceptis Salutaribus Moniti. Your tones were rather off. The singing itself was good, just the tone doesn't match the Missal. Not having the Latin in front of your face--such is the Missal in English--can be difficult, so you should just memorize the tones IMO.
I refer to my style of chanting as "McGregorian" chant as I am not always consistent in getting right but I don't blow it altogether and if I get off note I know how to make it sound okay. If I get nervous it does't help. I forgot to place the Latin notes and words for the preface dialogue in the missal and only realized it when I turned to that page and in a slit second made the decision to not do the Latin from memory but to do the English chant in the book. I did paste the per ipsum in the missal but what I pasted on was too small and my bi-focals blurred it and that threw me and then madero flub the intro to the PN which I normally get right in the EF. On top of that I was intimidated by all the CMAA people there!
The (English) missal tone for the Preface dialogue is more or less the simple as opposed to the solemn tone, thus avoiding the quilisma. I think if the Preface is in English, it makes sense for the Preface dialogue to be in English. If it is decided to do both in Latin, then the book with the required chant needs to be open at the right page and placed on the missal. This is the MC's job and this is why you desperately need one. Likewise for the Praeceptis and Pater Noster. There is no need for the celebrant to memorize these chants, although he will no doubt do so after he's sung them a few times.
BTW, the Preface begins one tone above the last note of Dignum et justum est, or It is right and just. The final blessing is not sung in the EF; if in doubt, simply recite it in the OF. I noted that while your chant for the Ite missa est was definitely McGregorian, the schola replicated it for the Deo gratias. Now that's what I call thinking on your feet.
In the second clip, at around 0:58 ther is a shot of the sanctuary showing a minimalist communion table. When was the worthy and dignified new altar installed?
Post a Comment