Teaching the new Mass settings (including MacMillan)

[Southern Comfort]

Now that the Missal text (including the Order of Mass) has reportedly come back from Rome with changes, all Mass settings may need to be revised; so teaching anything at all, whether MacMillan or anything else, may well be moot at this point. Sit tight, everyone!

[Gabriel]

As I understand it no Bishops' Conference has yet received the text of Missal with recognitio back from Rome. What has been seen are the presentation copies given to members of Vox Clara at its meeting in April.

Having seen one of these presentation copies I can confirm that there are changes (it would be more surprising if there were not) but that the texts that people sing - e.g. Gloria, Eucharistic Acclamations - are unchanged from the 2008 text.

[musicus]

...but that the texts that people sing - e.g. Gloria, Eucharistic Acclamations - are unchanged from the 2008 text.

Phew! That's good to know, speaking as one who has already set these texts.

[Southern Comfort]

As I understand it no Bishops' Conference has yet received the text of Missal with recognitio back from Rome. What has been seen are the presentation copies given to members of Vox Clara at its meeting in April.

Having seen one of these presentation copies I can confirm that there are changes (it would be more surprising if there were not) but that the texts that people sing - e.g. Gloria, Eucharistic Acclamations - are unchanged from the 2008 text.

My information is that ICEL has seen the text for the USA, which presumably means that the US BCDW has also seen it.

I'm told that the Gloria now has "We laud you" instead of "We praise you". This by itself does not make any material difference musically, since it is still one syllable, but it is symptomatic of what has been going on. I'm also told that in the Creed, instead of paragraphs beginning with "And" they now begin "I believe", responding to a criticism of Bishop Trautman and others.

Apart from the Order of Mass, there are numerous footling changes in the body of the Missal itself. One example: Rome has changed "everlasting" to "ever-living" throughout, even when it doesn't refer to God. This means (in the Collect for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time) that we'll be asking for an "ever-living inheritance". Hmmm. I'm also told that Rome has in some instances undone what they had previously advised ICEL to do. The whole thing appears very messy, I'm afraid.

[presbyter]

I'm told that the Gloria now has "We laud you" instead of "We praise you".

Presumably because laud finds its root in laudere (laudamus) whereas the root of praise is preciare or pretiare ? How literal is this latinate sacral language becoming? (Now when did I last use "laud" in my everyday speech, or writing. come to that?)

[mcb]

I'm told that the Gloria now has "We laud you" instead of "We praise you".

Presumably because laud finds its root in laudere (laudamus) whereas the root of praise is preciare or pretiare ? How literal is this latinate sacral language becoming? (Now when did I last use "laud" in my everyday speech, or writing. come to that?)

We should just do/act/make/perform graces they haven't done anything really stupid.

[Gabriel]

My information is that ICEL has seen the text for the USA, which presumably means that the US BCDW has also seen it.

Without wishing to repeat my previous post. I understand that ICEL and US BCDW are looking at the text of one of presentation copies of the Missal presented to members of Vox Clara. No Conference has yet received a final text with recognito from Rome. Now unless there were variations in the printed copies given out (unlikely) I presume that the text I have seen is the same as that seen in the States - and the word 'laud' is not there.

Yes, there are changes between what is in this presentation copy and what was submitted - that's the nature of recognitio.

[keitha]

Gabriel is absolutely correct. I was aware that at least one music publisher with whom I have dealings is not far from starting a print run of a mass in the new translation, so when I saw SC's message I contacted ICEL specifically in the context of the Ordinary of the Mass for singing and the risk of wasted print runs. The response was:

You will know that the Holy Father and the Vox Clara committee were presented with a copy of the Missal as approved by the Holy See. At the time of that presentation in April, the Conferences were sent a letter with Decree that indicated that the electronic file of the Missal would follow shortly. To our knowledge as of this date none of the Conferences that ICEL serves have received an electronic file.

Several copies of the "presentation copy" of the Missal have been circulated and hence the rumors that changes in the parts of the Order of Mass that received recognitio in 2008 have been changed--we have seen parts of the manuscript and can confirm that is the case. However, the copy we have seen is the "presentation copy" and not the promised text with recognitio, therefore we can not be sure what the final text will be until it is received.

It is highly unlikely that there will be any change to the translation of the Ordinary of the Mass that we have already seen, but it is possible, so I think publishers would do well to avoid significant print runs until we have a UK version with recognitio published. The authoritative source for that is the England & Wales Liturgy Office (Liturgy.Office@cbcew.org.uk).

[Southern Comfort]

Thank you, keitha, for this clarification.

It appears from ICEL's repsonse that both Gabriel and I are correct in different particulars:

Gabriel, that no conference has yet seen a copy of a text accompanied by recognitio,

I, that the text that ICEL is looking at does have changes from the previously-submitted text (even if this may not be the actual text we end up with).

The question, then, is why bother to change the text in the presentation copies that are floating around if the text with recognitio is going to revert to what was submitted? Either that's deliberately sowing doubt and confusion, or the final text will indeed be different, and perhaps different from what is in the presentation copies. It may be that the presentation copies themselves are not identical. Gabriel says the one he has seen does not have the change to "laud" in the Gloria. My informant's copy does have that change. Can this be an indication that different episcopal conferences will have texts that differ from each other? I sincerely hope not.

Heigh ho. Why Rome seems to delight in making everything so complicated is beyond normal understanding. The cynic in me says that it's simply their way of saying "We're in charge".

In the meantime, I think any publisher that launches into print is asking for trouble until we know exactly where we stand, and where everyone else stands (for those whose music is published by publishers based outside the UK).

[Tsume Tsuyu]

Why Rome seems to delight in making everything so complicated is beyond normal understanding. The cynic in me says that it's simply their way of saying "We're in charge".

I expect that's it. Though I'd have far more respect for their authority if their actions weren't quite so flummoxing!

Haven't they heard of SMART objectives?