It’s time for a new, New Liturgical Movement. The goal is to force a style of Mass that does what Vatican II asked, to preserve Latin and Gregorian Chant.
In the tradition of the TLM, there are three forms of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Low Mass is completely spoken, but four hymns can be inserted into the spoken Mass. In pre-Vatican II times, that included hymns well known to Catholics especially the Marian Hymns. But everything in the Mass was spoken including the propers.
Then there is the Sung Mass, aka, High Mass. No deacon or sub-deacon is present, but the Mass is sung, meaning all the propers and parts of the Mass. Incense may or may not be used.
Then there is the Solemn Sung Mass with deacon and subdeacon and all the bells and whistles. It’s very complicated and in pre-Vatican II times only certain parishes had the capability of celebrating it.
Today, you would be hard pressed to find a Novus Ordo Mass celebrated with Latin and Gregorian Chant for the propers and parts of the Mass.
Perhaps, we need just one new category, the Gregorian High Mass. In this Mass the propers are chanted in Latin with the prescribed propers. The unchanging parts of the Mass are chanted in Latin. The changing parts allow for the vernacular.
Let’s also say that the Gregorian High Mass should be the principal Mass for a parish thus every parish must have it.
How about that!
10 comments:
Classes of masses?
This priest passes.
Oh my! God rest your soul, Requiescat in pace!
The very common, "John Smith 'passed' yesterday at age 99," drives me nuts. I suppose it is part of our cultural aversion to acknowledging the reality of DEATH, so we just adopt terminology that makes it seem less onerous.
I'd like my obituary, when the time comes, to start, "Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh, age XX, died on (date). He didn't pass, he didn't go home to be with the Lord, he didn't fly up to heaven. He just up and died."...
“Born to Eternal” could mean heaven, hell, purgatory or nothingness.
Fathers,
What about "has shuffled off this mortal coil"?
Nick
I'd like mine to say, "returned to that love which made him and which he loved while here and which he now loves forever".
As for masses, I would be happy with a simple spoken mass and chanted mass, with all the fancy stuff left for show masses at St. Peter's to minimize people needing endure the choirmaster and choir "Look at us!" performances and music scores...properly executed Gregorian is heavenly, but which I have never heard properly executed except by some monk or nun choirs, local versions always "Look at us!" blaring.
We say "fell asleep in the Lord". I suppose the "where" is the unknown variable.
While we Byzantines don't have such designations, high vs low mass. We have to make the time to attend even when work schedules conflict. As a tradition of the Roman Church, there should be at least one "high", or principal mass on Sundays. Low/spoken accelerates the "sending forth".
I wouldn't create new categories of mass, I would look to bring back minor orders such that the former model could be followed. High mass could then include more embellishments like candles, incense, chant and when available, deacon and sub-deacon.
I think your liturgy only become stronger if it gravitates more closely toward its organic evolution. To me, further tinkering with things as they are only serves to perpetuate "no one likes the new mass".
Lots of places have something similar already. The early morning Mass usually has little or no music. There is a more kid/family friendly Mass (mid-morning) and a full music and whatever passes for smells and bells. It would be simple to implement what is described here - and many places are already doing it. If you want the Roman Gradual; go to the 9:00; if you want Breaking Bread/OCP go to the Saturday Vigil; if you want the fast Mass: 7am.
It is not hard one the pastor and music person sets their egos aside.
I'm going to be the rare vocal minority and object to new classifications of masses.
I've long thought that all masses should be sung, it's to my understanding that the low mass came out of an abuse that wasn't supposed to be. (Where have we heard that one before?)
In short, the best should be offered to the Lord at all times. Sing all the things, have grace for when one loses their voice...and call it a day.
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