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Jesus said to them: “I have come into this world so that a sentence may fall upon it, that those who are blind should see, and those who see should become blind. If you were blind, you would not be guilty. It is because you protest, ‘We can see clearly,’ that you cannot be rid of your guilt.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(2 of 7)

Veronica Brandt · February 21, 2015

WHO Unicef Infant Feeding HE CHASM between the documents of the liturgical renewal and their implementation has always been fascinating to watch, though rather saddening when viewed from the pew. There is a disconnect between the theory and the practice and this has been the case to varying degrees for a long time.

It makes sense that there may be an ideal of which we are permitted to fall short, but it is the ideal which should guide our efforts and help keep us united, working together for the common good.

So here is the quote from the General Instruction on the Roman Missal section 48:

The singing at this time is done either alternately by the choir and the people or in a similar way by the cantor and the people, or entirely by the people, or by the choir alone. In the dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Entrance Chant: (1) the antiphon from The Roman Missal or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual as set to music there or in another musical setting; (2) the seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual; (3) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the diocesan Bishop, including psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms; (4) a suitable liturgical song similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the diocesan Bishop

Which clearly gives four options:

• The antiphon from the Roman Missal or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual;|
• The seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual;|
• A song from another collection of psalms and antiphons approved the the Conference of Bishops;|
• A suitable liturgical song similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops

And it is this last dot point which has become the default. Except now we find that the approval has been assumed rather than specifically given. So instead of reaching the ideal at the top of the list, we’re not even hitting the point at the bottom of the list.

This reminds me of a similar situation in the world of breastfeeding advocacy. The World Health Organisation and UNICEF have provided a document with clear guidelines for addressing the chief sources of malnutrition and infant mortality. This is a global recommendation—all countries want healthy children—but the most crying need is seen in the developing world.

The Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, point 18 states:

The vast majority of mothers can and should breastfeed, just as the vast majority of infants can and should be breastfed. Only under exceptional circumstances can a mother’s milk be considered unsuitable for her infant. For those few health situations where infants cannot, or should not, be breastfed, the choice of the best alternative—expressed breast milk from an infant’s own mother, breast milk from a healthy wet-nurse or a human-milk bank, or a breast-milk substitute fed with a cup, which is a safer method than a feeding bottle and teat—depends on individual circumstances.

So that boils down to five options:

• Milk from own mother by breastfeeding;|
• Milk from own mother, expressed;|
• Milk from a wet-nurse; or|
• Milk from a milk bank; or|
• Breastmilk substitute fed by cup.

But the default has widely become a breastmilk substitute (aka infant formula) fed by bottle. So again, we’re failing the ideal and not even hitting the bottom bullet point.

There are similarities in the path to this situation too. In both cases there was a assumed air of superiority of the “new way” of doing things. The old way was considered irrelevant to the modern generation.

In both cases a whole culture was lost. Both require ongoing research and education to recover the skills needed to aim for the ideal. We are so far gone that just telling people what they should be doing is inadequate. They lack the skills to reach the ideal or even understand what is required to attain those skills.

In both cases there are economic interests hampering the attainment of the ideal.

In both cases we risk alienating the very people we are trying to help by insisting on the ideal without giving the groundwork necessary for grasping the situation.

Folk Hymns for the Now Generation WE HAVE A LONG ROAD AHEAD. We can dream about those in authority suddenly exercising government and setting the institutions on the right track. We hear about isolated cases of this going into practice to good effect. But for the majority of people on the ground, the first step is to educate ourselves, our families and the circles we do have influence with.

If people can experience the beauty of the Mass celebrated with the full complement of texts, then the extra hymns will recede into the background. The congregation can still enjoy a rousing recessional hymn. There may be time for a Eucharistic hymn after the Communion antiphon and psalm.

Maybe the “Folk Hymns of the Now Generation” can become the new form of the old “sing-a-long around the piano” – a nostalgia trip enjoyed in the home or parish hall.

This article is part of a series:

Part 1 • Richard Clark

Part 2 • Veronica Brandt

Part 3 • Andrew Leung

Part 4 • Dr. Lucas Tappan

Part 5 • Andrew Motyka

Part 6 • Cynthia Ostrowski

Part 7 • Aurelio Porfiri

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hilgartner 20 November 2012, Hymns Replacing Propers Last Updated: October 15, 2022

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    How Well Does ICEL Know Latin?
    This year, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June 2025) falls on a Sunday. It’s not necessary to be an eminent Latin scholar to be horrified by examples like this, which have been in place since 1970. For the last 55 years, anyone who’s attempted to correct such errors has been threatened with legal action. It is simply unbelievable that the (mandatory) texts of the Holy Mass began being sold for a profit in the 1970s. How much longer will this gruesome situation last?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Is the USCCB trolling us?
    I realize I’m going to come across as a “Negative Nancy” … but I can’t help myself. This kind of stuff is beyond ridiculous. There are already way too many options in the MISSALE RECENS. Adding more will simply confuse the faithful even more. We seriously need to band together and start creating a “REFORM OF THE REFORM” Missale Romanum so it will be ready when the time comes.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Common” Responsorial Psalm?
    I try to avoid arguing about liturgical legislation (even with Catholic priests) because it seems like many folks hold certain views—and nothing will persuade them to believe differently. You can show them 100 church documents, but it matters not. They won’t budge. Sometimes I’m confronted by people who insist that “there’s no such thing” as a COMMON RESPONSORIAL PSALM. When that happens, I show them a copy of the official legislation in Latin. I have occasionally prevailed by means of this method.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962
    There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop
    —Veronica Brandt
    The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum
    Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.
    —Daniel Tucker

Random Quote

“By no means would I offer the counsel that Mass be celebrated in languages other than Latin.”

— Archbishop Dwyer (one of the Vatican II fathers)

Recent Posts

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  • Nobody Cares About This! • 1887 Rheims-Cambrai Gradual included “Restored” Plainsong
  • Is the USCCB trolling us?
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  • “Common” Responsorial Psalm?

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