Liturgical Tourism

[Southern Comfort]

a song as the children went to their bit - about joining a circle.

This must be Bernadette Farrell's Circle Song. I'd love to know why the exit procession for virtually every Liturgy of the Word for Children that I see in parishes uses this piece. (It also gets used a lot as the opening song for celebrations with primary children.) Must be because it says "Come and share God's word with me". I have nothing against it, I just wonder why none of the other songs out there for the dismissal seem to get used these days.

[oopsorganist]

I've never heard it before.
We never had a children's bit in my parish. They just fell off benches all through the Mass.

But obviously the song for waving your baby in the air is the Gloria.

[nazard]

I know about "To you we raise our hands on high," but I always used to put my children down first. Maybe modern children are lighter.

When will they be putting "Ad te levamus manus in altum" back into the latin text? It seems to be missing at the moment.

[oopsorganist]

Colours of Day, Take Our Bread We Ask You. This is my body, I'll Sing a Hymn to Mary ( pc version, not wicked men, wicked ones)
Plainsong Alleluia. A sudden and surprised Great Amen.

There was organ accompaniment and a cantor although those terms, are here, used loosely.

I would not have thought Colours of Day could ever be played at that pace, truly something quite rare. Perhaps the organist thought it gave it some weight. However,the congregation were having non of it and sang it at a faster pace.

This is a parish which tries to sing but things are very much working against them.

I am quite traumatized.

[High Peak]

I feel your pain.

I would have been on my smartphone looking for alternatives in the area!!

[alan29]

A parish with an Ordinariate priest, therefore many hand gestures during the EP.
15 minutes of loud and intrusive rosary before Mass, making it 5 minutes late. Sorrowful mysteries on Pentecost - honestly.
Prominent statue of Mary got incensed at start and at offertory. Marian opening hymn .... on Pentecost!
Whole of mass was led from the altar from behind a wall of 6 candles and a crucifix.
Hymn sandwich. Priest sang Introit to an English plainsong chant solo. Also sang the Preface most affectingly.
Organ music at communion - a small but lovely instrument with some very pretty flutes.
Ended with Walk in the Light.
Parts felt like a 1950s catholic parish, parts felt like a high anglican parish, especially the excellent homily.
A final thought .... I wonder how people get to the frame of mind that lets them imagine that the whole assembly needs dragooning into the rosary before Mass. I found it highly intrusive and not a little bullying.
All very strange. Had to pinch myself that I was in the same church.

[organist]

Before Mass choir and organ rehearsed Panis and Hymn for year of mercy. Loud organ music well played. Pentecost started with Come Holy Ghost creator come. Missa de angelis. Sequence said by all. Psalm led by cantor behind altar in choir area and Alleluia. Excellent homily from the Archbishop but no hearing loop. Credo 3. Archbishop's MC did everything including moving everything into the altar during the Creed. Servers skulking behind altar and one small one (mitre) disappeared and the other perched on a bench swung his legs and fiddled. After the consecration for which we sat (no kneelers) so we all stood and sang He is Lord! Deacon excluded at the altar by priests. Communion given by 6 people simply not enough and of course it went on for ever. Such a pity we were not given text of hymn of mercy as we could have joined in. Final hymn. How great thou art - why? This is Pentecost Sundays not a funeral! Organist very friendly and invited me to play the Copeman Hart which I confess had me fooled into thinking it was a pipe organ! Still it was a great occasion with so many Catenians singing. Procession very untidy. All these little things can distract from true participation at Mass. Very tempted to do drawing of tall deacon and small dumpy archbishop - better not! They used to have the Inquisition here!

[High Peak]

I do find it bad manners when someone starts preparing for the next part of the Mass when the part you are on is not completed; it's like the waiter who starts to clear up the plates of some of the party when the rest have not finished eating! It detracts massively from the dignity of the Mass and communicates the messages that a) the part we are presently on is not important, and b) we are just trying to get through this thing as quickly as possible.

And, let's face it, the congregation can be just as bad, rooting for small change in their pocket during the Prayer of the Faithful.

[JW]

Talking of things happening before they're supposed to: Does the Sign of Peace get anticipated anywhere else. We seem to be at it before the Deacon has invited us!

As for the Pentecost Sequence, does it get missed in many parishes? I know in ours it only got read on Saturday evening because I hi-jacked the second reader and told him it was compulsory - and promised him I'd write a note to Father to tell him it was going to be read!!! 'Tis a lovely hymn - I would sing it but it's not the JW show!

By the way, there's no need to root around for small change if people contributed with paper money. Even less need if you set up a Direct Debit for your contribution. Oh, and if you pay tax it is unkind to the parish not to Gift Aid. And people are surprised when parishes get closed down...

[alan29]

Pentecost sequence is missed at ours. The words are superb, yes. But is there any livelier alternative to that plodding, turgid tune? Bad practice to read aloud a text designed for singing - I think so.
Better still, a version of tune and words that would work with a guitar based group?
We used to have a musician who sang the plainsong original in latin, solo in a tripping 6/8 to the light accompaniment of a hand drum. T'was excellent.

[JW]

Pentecost sequence is missed at ours. The words are superb, yes. But is there any livelier alternative to that plodding, turgid tune? Bad practice to read aloud a text designed for singing - I think so.
Better still, a version of tune and words that would work with a guitar based group?
We used to have a musician who sang the plainsong original in latin, solo in a tripping 6/8 to the light accompaniment of a hand drum. T'was excellent.

There's the Christopher Walker and Taize versions. We have used the nice little setting on the Queen of Peace website before - that's got guitar chords.

I feel an off topic reprimand in the ether!

[alan29]

Pentecost sequence is missed at ours. The words are superb, yes. But is there any livelier alternative to that plodding, turgid tune? Bad practice to read aloud a text designed for singing - I think so.
Better still, a version of tune and words that would work with a guitar based group?
We used to have a musician who sang the plainsong original in latin, solo in a tripping 6/8 to the light accompaniment of a hand drum. T'was excellent.

There's the Christopher Walker and Taize versions. We have used the nice little setting on the Queen of Peace website before - that's got guitar chords.

I feel an off topic reprimand in the ether!

Mea maxima culpa.

[Peter]

There is already a thread on the Pentecost Sequence here: http://www.ssg.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1067&hilit=Pentecost+Sequence#p13232, though confusingly it seems to talk more about the Pentecost Vigil than the Pentecost Sequence.

To get back to the topic of this thread, before setting off on another European trip I need to catch up on reporting the previous one, last month, when I was in Switzerland and went to a Vigil Mass in Lugano. The choice of a Vigil Mass was made mainly because it was more convenient for my hosts but it was also of interest in view of the thread on Saturday evening Masses. I found it hard to decide which thread was more relevant, so I’ve compromised by mentioning it here and putting the description in the other thread, see http://www.ssg.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1910&p=26073#p26073.

[organist]

Car pooling is a great idea!

[organist]

I often talk about Mass in Lyttleton New. Zealand in a lovely little church (later badly damaged by the earthquake) where the priest often asks the congregation for their opinions after the homily. He did not do it that Sunday as he had to go on to another Mass centre but he did bless various people after Mass - a lady soon to give birth, a man who was very ill, etc. It really was community and we all felt involved. Also the first time I have seen a transgender at Mass but New. Zealand is full of surprises!