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Views from the Choir Loft

Updates on the Liturgy of the Hours

Daniel Tucker · June 16, 2023

INCE 2012, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) has been working on creating a new English-language edition of the Liturgy of the Hours. This new translation is intended to correspond more closely to the official Latin text, as well as to include revisions to the texts and liturgical calendar that have been made since the publication of the current English-language edition. Excitingly, this new edition is also slated to include Latin and English versions of the original, ancient hymns for the Liturgy of the Hours, such as those written by St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, and others.

At this week’s plenary assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Bp. Steven J. Lopes (Bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship) gave an update on the project that liturgy nerds like me have long been waiting for! You can click on the embedded video to watch his presentation to the USCCB (beginning at the 50-minute mark), but I have also summarized the main points (and the results of the voting) below:

Bp. Steven J. Lopes presents on the progress of the re-translation of the Liturgy of the Hours.
  • The liturgical texts for the memorial of St. Faustina Kowalska were approved today by exactly two-thirds of the Latin-rite bishops (the minimum needed for the vote to pass, but no more!).
  • ICEL recommends that the text of the doxology be regularized to match the one that all Catholics know from the rosary (“Glory be to the Father…and ever shall be, world without end, Amen”). In my opinion, this is an excellent idea that will save on the awkward stumbling that new pray-ers experience with the current breviary translation (“Glory to the Father…and will be forever, Amen”).
  • The USCCB Committee for Divine Worship proposes that the hours be called by their official Latin names (Lauds, Vespers, Compline, etc.) – another excellent development. Bp. Lopes notes that “this ecclesiastical terminology is not difficult – it’s well-known – and it reinforces the ideas that this is not some generic ‘Morning Prayer’ but it is in fact the Church’s prayer.”
  • The USCCB committee also intends to include in-text the Latin texts of the Benedictus, Magnificat, and Nunc Dimittis, especially for the purpose of facilitating the chanting of these canticles – hooray!
  • The forthcoming edition is planned to be published in four volumes (not five as some have supposed). Bp. Timothy Doherty of Lafayette-in-Indiana suggested that someone with some graphic design expertise make sure that the text of these volumes is not microscopic! And I for one hope that the publishers of the new edition will include some truly beautiful artwork (like that which has been included in some printings of the 2011 Missale Romanum), rather than the alarming Easter Island-looking totem statues that adorn some of the current books.
  • The new hymnal for the Liturgy of the Hours, published by GIA (which, believe it or not, stands for Gregorian Institute of America!), will be available for sale starting next month (July 2023).
  • Proper readings for new saints, especially for the second reading of the Office of Readings, have been compiled in a collaborative effort between the Holy See and the postulators for the various causes. Bp. Lopes promises that these will be an especially beautiful addition to the breviary: for example, “a letter from St. Damien describing his experience among the lepers on Molokai,” “a letter from Bl. Miguel Pro talking about his aspiration to join the ranks of the martyrs,” etc.
  • In sum: the process of re-translating the Liturgy of the Hours is finally nearing its conclusion! The bishops have been approving bits and pieces of the translations over the past 10+ years as ICEL has systematically been producing them. God-willing, all of the component texts will have been voted on (and hopefully approved) by the USCCB by June 2024, at which point they will be sent off to the Vatican for approval, and we might have our hands on new breviaries by 2026!
Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: June 16, 2023

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About Daniel Tucker

Daniel Tucker is choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in South Bend, IN. He holds degrees from Western Michigan University and Yale University. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —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

“I have, on the other hand, retained several more or less traditional tunes, absolutely valueless and without merit from a musical point of view, but which seem to have become a necessity if a book is to appeal—as I hope this one will—to the varied needs of various churches.”

— A. Edmonds Tozer (1905)

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