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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Celebrating Parish Weddings

Fr. David Friel · February 9, 2014

OR ALMOST TEN YEARS, I have belonged to a local group called the Association of Church Musicians in Philadelphia (ACMP). This group offers many wonderful things throughout the year: skills sessions, annual pastor/musician banquet, member directory, quarterly newsletter, networking opportunities, scholarships for high schools students involved with parish music programs, and an end-of-year Vespers and awards ceremony. The ACMP has been a terrific blessing to our archdiocese.

The Association also offers an annual winter workshop, which I attended yesterday. Last year’s topic was “Celebrating Parish Funerals,” while this year’s focus was “Celebrating Parish Weddings.” The keynote speaker was Msgr. Richard Hilgartner, executive director of the USCCB Secretariat for Divine Worship. Among the many topics discussed were the present Rite of Marriage, the forthcoming second edition of the Order of Christian Matrimony, and best practices for providing music during nuptial Masses.

One of the issues that received a lot of attention during the question & answer sessions was the Gloria. The rubrics of the third edition of the Roman Missal introduced a change that continues to confuse many parish musicians and priests. Because of the evident confusion among the workshop attendees, I thought it would be worthwhile to address the topic here.

Under the new rubrics, the nuptial Mass is treated like a Feast, which means that the Gloria is to be sung. The matter is treated in an article appearing in the NewsLetter of the Secretariat (Volume XVLIII, January 2012):

3. What are the new rubrics in the Missal regarding the Gloria? In the Roman Missal, Third Edition, the rubrics call for the Gloria more frequently than before. Nine out of the ten Ritual Masses prescribe the Gloria, the only exception being the Mass for the Institution of Lectors and Acolytes. These Masses are all treated as if they were Feasts, and the Gloria is used for them even when celebrated during Advent or Lent. Thus, for example, Masses for Confirmation, Holy Orders, or Marriage would include the Gloria even when they occur during Advent or Lent. (It should be noted, though, that Ritual Masses are prohibited on Sundays of Advent and Lent.)

So, in summary, the Gloria is to be sung at every nuptial Mass, regardless of the season, but it is never used at a wedding ceremony outside of Mass.

Additionally, the rubrics now make clear that the Act of Penitence is omitted. This creates what can seem a rather awkward progression: entrance chant, Sign of the Cross, greeting, Gloria, collect. It doesn’t seem to be the natural flow of our Catholic ritual. Msgr. Hilgartner explained, however, that the forthcoming second edition will include an introductory passage to be read after the greeting, which will ease the transition a bit. He read the draft of the introduction to us, and it impressed me as a beautiful and understandable précis on the theology of Holy Matrimony.

Incidentally, if you are responsible for providing wedding music regularly and you are looking for solid options, check out this complete package resource and these Responsorial Psalms.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Nuptial Mass, Roman Missal Third Edition, USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ with regard to 1960s switch to vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

After sixty years as teacher, composer, and organist, I may state that the Gregorian Chant should be part of the basic material of any musical education, be it religious or secular. The study of it enormously enlarges the spiritual background of any musician. Whereas students in literature will always be required to study Dante, Petrarch and Chaucer, why neglect Gregorian in music education?

— Flor Peeters

Recent Posts

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  • “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
  • Involving Women in the Communion?
  • “Toward a More Sacred Style With Pastoral Charity” • Guest Article by Dr. Myrna Keough

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