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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Lord, Have Mercy?

Andrew R. Motyka · February 13, 2013

ITURGISTS SOMETIMES have to be pedantic. Now, I can hear some people objecting, “Pedantic? All liturgists I have met are reasonable, good-looking, and exercise an amazing sense of proportion.” All these things are true, but sometimes we liturgists get caught up in the nitty-gritty of liturgical norms, and we focus on things that may seem trivial to the average person.

In one such rare moment, when combing through the rubrics for Ash Wednesday, I found some directions that were about as clear as mud. The Roman Missal actually does a very good job at keeping its directives clear, but here is a strange one that has come up on several message boards in which I have taken part: is there a Kyrie on Ash Wednesday?

My gut reaction is no. After all, according to the Missal, the Penitential Act is omitted on Ash Wednesday. “But wait a minute,” says that one-in-a-million annoying liturgist, “the Kyrie is not, in fact, part of the Penitential Act, except when it is.”

That annoying guy is right. According to the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM) #46, “ The rites that precede the Liturgy of the Word, namely, the Entrance, the Greeting, the Penitential Act, the Kyrie, the Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) and Collect…” The Kyrie is distinguished from the Penitential Act. It happens again in GIRM #52: “After the Penitential Act, the Kyrie, eleison (Lord, have mercy), is always begun, unless it has already been part of the Penitential Act.” Again, the Kyrie is after, not part of, the Penitential Act.

Side note: the reference to “unless it has already been part of the Penitential Act” refers to the third option, formerly called Form C. The Penitential Act Formerly Known as Form C has the “troped” Kyrie: Lord, you were sent to heal the contrite, Lord have mercy, etc.” When this form is used, the Kyrie is omitted.

Since the Penitential Act is omitted on Ash Wednesday, but the Kyrie is not part of the Penitential Act, should it be used? It gets even better. According to the Ceremonial of Bishops #255, The introductory rites of the Mass and, as circumstances suggest, also the Kyrie are omitted, and the bishop immediately says the opening prayer.

“As circumstances suggest.” That is the prevailing directive. I hesitate to say this, but it seems that on Ash Wednesday the Kyrie is…optional. I shudder at the very thought. For what it is worth, we will use it at our Cathedral. The Archbishop will process to his chair and we will immediately begin the Kyrie.

Should you use the Kyrie? Ultimately, that decision rests with the individual that signs your paycheck.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Penitential Act Lord Have Mercy Kyrie Eleison Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

They were not ashamed to lay their hands on Sedulius, on Prudentius, on St. Ambrose himself. Only in one or two cases does some sense of shame seem to have stopped their nefarious work. They left “Ave maris stella,” “Jam lucis orto sidere,” and St. Thomas Aquinas’s hymns alone (they would have made pretty work of “Sacris solemniis”). In 1629 their mangled remnants were published.

— Rev’d Adrian Knottesford Fortescue (25 March 1916)

Recent Posts

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