The Holy Year of Mercy - are we doing anything?

[quaeritor]

The information for the Composers' Forum meeting in London on another page of this site alerted me to the coming of the Holy Year of Mercy of which I was blissfully unaware - although "blissfully" is hardly the word - indeed I am quite cross to have been so completely ouit of touch. Still I have subsequently scoured every source I can think of, including the websites of the Liturgy Officce, the Catholic Bishops' Conference, the Archdioceses of Birmingham and Westminster, and Catholicnews.org without finding any mention of it, other than the slightly oblique reference in the Pastoral Letter read on Home Mission Sunday.

Is anything actually planned? - are we meant to be planning anything? - are we leaving it to those in Rome? The opening is scheduled for December 8th (no entry for that date in the Events Calendar on the Birmingham site) which is not far away.

Incidentally, congratulations to Paul Inwood whose hymn setting has been chosen as the official anthem (if that's the right word) and to the Composers' Forum for planning to discuss its use. I hope you'll be sharing your ideas with us all.

Q

[Keraulophon]

I am told that my pp said a week or two back the he expected to receive guidance by mid October.

[PhloridaPhil]

I am hoping that we will raise the status of the Penitential Act at St Lawrence in Tampa. Over here in US the Deacon can say/sing the dialogue versions. I am hoping the deacon will sing this unless the first formula of the 'I confess' is used.

Paul Inwood's chant for the Year of Mercy will definitely get an airing.

We will probably make something special of each of the occasions already singled out by Pope Francis for celebration.

Visually we shall place a Year of Mercy banner in the sanctuary. If the US bishops one is not great then Rembrant's The Prodigal would be good.

[PhloridaPhil]

I've just been reading the homily of Cardinal Nichols at the 'Red Mass' on October 1 in which he widened the Jubilee Year of Mercy beyond liturgy. You can read his homily on seasoning justice with mercy on Independent Catholic News. It seems that this is not dissimilar to Pope Francis urging prisons in USA to be places of hope and particularly in the Death Rows.

[Alan]

...Incidentally, congratulations to Paul Inwood whose hymn setting has been chosen as the official anthem (if that's the right word) and to the Composers' Forum for planning to discuss its use. I hope you'll be sharing your ideas with us all.
Q

Indeed, Q: I will be submitting an account of the meeting (including this discussion) for inclusion in the next issue of Music and Liturgy (early 2016).

[quaeritor]

Indeed, Q: I will be submitting an account of the meeting (including this discussion) for inclusion in the next issue of Music and Liturgy (early 2016).

That'll be well into the "year", Alan - any chance of a preview of the relvant part of the account on the forum here?

We will probably make something special of each of the occasions already singled out by Pope Francis for celebration.

What and when are they, P-P? I guess therre must be a document - ?

Q

[Southern Comfort]

See the following pages for lists of events and dates:

http://www.iubilaeummisericordiae.va/content/gdm/en/roma/grandi-eventi.html
http://www.iubilaeummisericordiae.va/content/gdm/en/roma/calendarioroma.html

Order of Service for Opening of the Holy Door in local churches:

http://www.iubilaeummisericordiae.va/content/gdm/en/sussidi/rito.html

Paul Inwood has been sending out a Dropbox link to his user-friendly files for free download:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bui5evlkc3xy3s8/AAB8lM2DIm6pJmpqZA0H7MT1a?dl=0

[VML]

Really useful SC thank you very much. When I received the full score from our diocese it looked a bit blinding for our simple lot. A PDF with just melody and capo 3 chords will make it useable,

[Alan]

Indeed, Q: I will be submitting an account of the meeting (including this discussion) for inclusion in the next issue of Music and Liturgy (early 2016).

That'll be well into the "year", Alan - any chance of a preview of the relvant part of the account on the forum here?
Q

Yes, I'll post a draft on here just as soon as I can.

[VML]

Please can we have guidance on when the hymn should be used? It seems more of an antiphon or psalm/ litany.

[Southern Comfort]

Please can we have guidance on when the hymn should be used? It seems more of an antiphon or psalm/ litany.

It is more of a litany than a hymn as such. Apart from prayer services (and there may be quite a lot of them during the Holy Year), most of the people I've heard about who are singing it at Mass seem to be using it as a song during the distribution of Communion. I could imagine it being used during the "down time" between Word and Eucharist at the procession of gifts, etc.

[FrGareth]

As Diocesan Director of Evangelisation, I am beginning to think about non-sacramental liturgies which could be celebrated in Holy Door churches in such a way that they would be meaningful to non-Catholics and those Catholics unready to avail of confession. If anyone has useful resources, please save me from re-inventing the wheel!

[PhloridaPhil]

What about Liturgy of the Word and Washing of Feet.

I have done this on several occasions, last week in Canada being one. It is used frequently by L'Arche Community and when its Liverpool contingent visited Iona in 1998 they brought this with them.

The complete text is included in HOLY GROUND published by Wild Goose Publications.

A few years ago at an NNPM Conference Sr Kathryn Hughes mentioned the washing as an essential but forgotten aspect of 'Do this in memory of me'.

[Southern Comfort]

A lot of resources for the Hymn are now gathered together or linked to on this webpage: http://www.magnificatmusic.com/mercy_8a.htm

In addition to during the distribution of Communion and the procession of gifts, people are now using the main refrain as a sung response during the general intercessions. Some celebrations have used the Hymn as an entrance processional or as a recessional, sometimes both in the same celebration like bookends.

[dmu3tem]

Yes, I have noted a lot of activity in terms of published literature; but, looking at the whole exercise very much as an outsider the following things strike me:

[1] The title 'Year of mercy' I find most off-putting, suggesting a kind of 'droopiness' that I am sure is not intended. Maybe it is something to do with the translation from the word 'misericordia'.

I also find the title uninformative - whenever I see it I am compelled to hunt about to remind myself what it signifies.

[2] I get the feeling that the exercise is very artificial; especially things like the idea of a having a 'holy door' in certain designated places within each diocese. Virtually every year the Vatican (and other Catholic) authorities seem to come up with some theme of this sort; and it is usually surrounded with a lot of 'ecclesiasticalspeak'. The thinking, I imagine, is that such things are a useful device for evangelisation or promoting some aspect of the Christian faith; but are they not in danger of overkill? Are there not too many 'top-down' initiatives as opposed to 'bottom-up' groundswell activities (a very good exception being the 'food-bank' explosion)?

Maybe I am wrong about all this, and I am making the mistake of assuming that what I think I see is likely to be replicated elsewhere - as perhaps the above messages suggest. However I do note that despite the literature the 'Year of Mercy' has very little resonance amongst the actual Catholic congregation where I work. For example, when I discussed arrangements for Saturday evening Mass on Jan 16th the priest made no mention of the fact that Jan 17th was supposed to be an 'opening shot' in the year's campaign. As far as he was concerned it was the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.
Similarly there have been virtually no ripples amongst the two Anglican churches in the area where I help out; this is hardly surprising given that they are devotees of 'Lancashire Low' where any hymn with Latin in it is immediately suspect.