With some helpful input from Liam, I’ve adjusted the awkward spots in the first stanza and felt emboldened to progress to the second:
I mentioned Wednesday that I wasn’t happy with the prospect of setting the five acclamations in stanza 2 to quarter notes, but I was concerned with the energy lagging if I adapted them to the melody as I did above. I’m also not convinced I have the best solution for the text in measures 13 through 16. I thought the direct address to God should be on the downbeats in those measures. I had to extend the melody to fit “almighty Father.” Not sure about the new melodic fragment there. I thought of using the b-a-f# figure again, but that seemed repetitive.
I like working on this without benefit of piano or guitar. One of my favorite liturgical musicians thinks as I do: great sacred music should be able to stand unaccompanied.
(Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston) considered not only the condition of the parish, the focus of this case, but in truth also the entire archdiocese, so that he could provide for the salvation of souls in the entire archdiocese in the best possible manner
The parish is a vehicle by which the Gospel is preached, spread, and lived out in a particular community. It’s one structure that, in the US and other places, has proved to be fairly effective. Probably more effective than most other forms. Though monasteries and clubs and associations each have their advantages.
Rome has confirmed that a bishop has only to consult the clergy before closing parishes, and have the best intentions for “salvation of souls.”
A parish closing can be brutal, direct, and even dumb. One hopes it will be at the end of a persuasive and collaborative process. But this would seem to be irrelevant to the greater good. Between the readers and me, I’m not convinced that ham-handedness is a good tool for salvation. But there we have it.
I can appreciate the religious (as well as the political and social) attachments to a parish community–it goes beyond the bricks and mortar. I can also appreciate good leadership and careful diplomacy. These parish protests have continued for six years now. Maybe nothing can prevent them from going for sixty. But other dioceses have closed other beloved communities with some sort of process that involved people and evolved from resistance to acceptance.
Why didn’t that work in Boston or Cleveland? The finger points at leadership. In Church circles, no one questions a bishop’s power to shutter a parish. But we can question the leadership. Effective leadership makes sacrifices, demonstrates by example, and manages to convince people to change their minds and head on a new path. A leader concerned with the salvation of souls might consider that alienating said souls is not part of that salvation.
Maybe the time to meet with parishioners is long before the closure is considered. What does a parish have to accomplish to be an agent of the salvation of souls? A tireless outreach to the unchurched? A commitment to serve the poor? A devotion to liturgy with great music and inspirational art? We seem to have a standard by which a parish may or should close. We seem to have few standards by which a parish should open–other than a sprawling suburb with lots of school-age kids and an open few acres of land.
Remember that Martian face imaged from space by the Viking Orbiter back in 1976? A number of orbiters have imaged this plateau over the past decade. Check out these new perspectives at this post on Universe Today. It includes an optimal hiking route around the jawline, across a cheek, and up a nostril to get to the top.
So if it’s not a monument to provide sales of tabloids and speculative books on ET architecture, what is it? Probably a lava dome.
Image above from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter; credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.
My friends and a few students have asked me if I’ll be composing a Mass setting to the new texts of the Roman Missal. I’ve actually felt a bit inspired to work on it the past few days. I reworked my old (2005) Olive Leaf Mass. The Sanctus is here, and I’ve taken Liam’s advice on setting the triple “Holy” on a phrase apart from “Lord God of hosts.” Memorial acclamations B and C weren’t bad. Acclamation A just doesn’t fit. It’s more difficult to have the music ready-made and try to fit a required text into it, as you composers know. Save Us, Savior of the World is here.
The original tune is Patton, but I thought the source hymnal, The Olive Leaf, sounded better–no military overtones.
I thought it might be illustrative to reveal a bit of the arranging process I go through to adapt an existing tune for liturgical music. A great challenge will be the Glory to God. Long lines, short lines–it probably needs its own tune. And maybe it will come to that for me yet. I was noodling around with the magnificent shape-note tune, Sweet Prospect, and behold: the opening stanza of the Gloria fits it pretty well:
That phrase “and on earth peace” will be tricky for a lot of composers. But the two dotted half notes (common in shape note melodies) work better than I had hoped. That last measure in the original melody is a dotted whole note, changed to fit the text. However, the tune employs a AABA’ structure, so the initial melody here should be repeated–if it were a hymn. What should I do about that? Is it important to retain that?
One of the students I showed this to advised against trying to cram in the next section on quarter notes. I agree. But where to find the melody for the “We praise you, we bless you …” text? Should I look for inspiration in the harmony parts? Or develop this first musical idea a bit more? Suddenly, the 6/4 time feels awkward and there will be long stretches of this piece that will seem to go more slowly than this first section. By the way, I don’t plan to make this a responsorial Gloria.
I blogged on “Keep In Mind” a few months ago, once the unofficial “fifth” memorial acclamation. I think you know Marty Haugen’s “We Remember” was designed as a memorial acclamation. The Gather hymnals list that refrain in their section on Mass settings. That will probably change in future editions of the hymnal, don’t you think?
Recently, I’ve encountered the refrain of “O Come All Ye Faithful” used as an acclamation. If you can’t get into the Christmas spirit, the words:
O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him: Christ the Lord.
In the modern Roman Missal, the memorial acclamation is intended to reinforce faith in the Paschal Mystery: Christ as the liberator of humanity, not just the object of adoration. Or so I thought. What do you think?
How does liturgy become pastoral ministry? This introduction to the vigil and related rites often give some clue to the student of liturgy, or to the neophyte minister as to how to proceed.
52. The time immediately following death is often one of bewilderment and may involve shock or heartrending grief for the family and close friends. The ministry of the Church at this time is one of gently accompanying the mourners in their initial adjustment to the fact of death and to the sorrow this entails. Through a careful use of the rites contained in this section, the minister helps the mourners to express their sorrow and to find strength and consolation through faith in Christ and his resurrection to eternal life. The members of the Christian community offer support to the mourners, especially by praying that the one they have lost may have eternal life.
53. Ministers should be aware that the experience of death can bring about in the mourners possible needs for reconciliation. With attentiveness to each situation, the minister can help to begin the process of reconciliation. In some cases this process may find expression in the celebration of the sacrament of penance, either before the funeral liturgy or at a later time.
Commentary:
The tone of ministry is gentle accompaniment of the mourners.
Obviously, a “careful use” of rites is best achieved when ministry doesn’t begin with the mourning process. An effective pastoral minister will know the families involved, either through the dying process or friendly pastoral contact. As a church musician in large parishes, I’ve not always been close to every family. That changed significantly when I served a small parish in a rural community. That pastoral experience has continued to inform my approach when I’m called upon to assist in planning the funeral liturgies.
If the rites are “carefully used,” then there will be at least an openness to engaging God in prayer. And if that happens, it permits grace to be given to those who seek it. The priest and other ministers serve as spiritual porters, if you will. We can guide people to the door, and beckon them to enter. God takes care of the rest.
The faith community have a ministry also. Prayer is at the top of the list of possible means of support. The celebration of the Eucharist is the main venue for gathering a community, as would seem to be well-suited for this prayer to take place. Additionally, an occasional encouragement, especially for the young and neophytes, to pray for the dead, specifically and in general, should be added.
OCF 53 makes special note of the need for reconciliation. This might be sacramental, but it also might be encouraged among estranged friends, or even family members. I’ve known priests who have excelled as agents of reconciliation–even outside of the celebration of the sacrament. The rite is right: this should not be overlooked if it is needed.
We hope this is the beginning of an annual tradition that brings people to our churches to ask for the blessing and intercession of our great saint on his feast day and to beseech our Father in heaven to grant these suffering souls deliverance from their pains.
I didn’t know St Alphonsus Ligouri–a doctor of the Church–was the patron of arthritis sufferers. But I give a thumbs up to the observance. Literally. My right thumb was diagnosed as arthritic years ago. I do hope, however, that the Church’s devotional calendar doesn’t become filled with an illness-of-the-week. Six months opposite Saint Blase–that doesn’t seem so bad.
Which prayer would you choose? This one, which emphasizes union with the suffering Christ? Or the second one on this page?
One thing you will not find in the Church’s liturgy is the rosary during a wake. There can be a lot of misunderstanding about this. The rosary is ritual, to be sure. But it is not part of the funeral rites.
A few pastors I know take this position to extremes, but I don’t see the need for denying people a devotional expression of prayer, especially if they are accustomed to it.
A few more pastors make a minimalist approach. They authorize the omission of the Vigil liturgy in favor of devotion. This, too, is wrong.
The purpose of this series is to gain insight as to what the Church expects from the observance of liturgy between death and committal. Your own observations about what is done well and not so well will help to make the discussion connect with real parish experiences. Let’s get to today’s numbered section, two paragraphs, the first in the overall sub-part titled, “Vigil and Related Rites and Prayers”:
51. The rites provided here may be celebrated between the time of death and the funeral liturgy, or, should there be no funeral liturgy, before the rite of committal. Two forms of the vigil are presented here: “Vigil for the Deceased,” and “Vigil for the Deceased with Reception at the Church,” for convenient use in accord with the circumstances.
The first of these rites is given in OCF 69-81; the second in sections 82-97. The former is used when the Vigil takes place in a funeral home or domicile. It’s not unheard of for a wake to take place in a parish church, along with a Vigil liturgy. The presiding minister uses the second of these rites in such an instance; it includes a recognition of the space in which this liturgy may be celebrated.
“Related Rites and Prayers” includes three brief rites that may be used on occasions of prayer with the family: “Prayer after Death,” “Gathering in the Presence of the Body,” and “Transfer of the Body to the Church or to the Place of Committal.” These rites are examples or models of what can be done and should be adapted to the circumstances.
OCF 98 through 127 cover these three options.
When I was active in rural ministry, my practice was to ensure the mourners prayed. Often we bookmarked visitation time by family and friends with a rosary to start (mainly for family members) and a Vigil with a word service toward the end (when more non-Catholic townsfolk were likely to be present).
Sometimes the occasion of death is an uncomfortable one for all concerned. Family emotions are frayed. Visitors can feel awkward. Prayer helps unite those present in both an orientation toward God and give a substrate in which anyone present can help–in prayer.
The Church is wise to provide patterns for prayer with the family. A priest or pastoral minister will find much variation in a family’s religious sensibilities. These rituals for home, hospital, hospice, or funeral home need to be flexible to ensure the family does pray, or at the very least, is aware that others are praying for them and for the one who has died.
New images from Cassini show icy particles in Saturn’s F ring clumping into giant snowballs as the moon Prometheus makes multiple swings by the ring. The gravitational pull of the moon sloshes ring material around, creating wake channels that trigger the formation of objects as large as 20 kilometers (12 miles) in diameter.
Professor Carl Murray of the University of London:
Scientists have never seen objects actually form before. We now have direct evidence of that process and the rowdy dance between the moons and bits of space debris.
Wollongong is closer (about an hour’s drive south) to Sydney than Melbourne, and now their bishop has offered a public apology. From the local press there:
I offer my sincere apology to those who have suffered abuse at the hands of a member of the clergy or indeed, any person representing the Catholic Church, particularly one who was ministering in the name of the Diocese of Wollongong. You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry.
No mealy-mouth on this. A good first step for Bishop Peter Ingham and Catholics of the Gong. See if you can be his friend and encourage this step. Or something. More will have to come, to be sure. But the bishop was moved by the repeated surfacing of the issue of cover-up and abuse at diocesan consulting sessions with the laity:
My apology was necessary in this climate.
An interesting line in the Macarthur Chronicle article:
Bishop Ingham said he had not consulted Sydney Archbishop George Pell, who has so far only endorsed others’ apologies to victims rather than make his own, before going ahead.
Ouch. Is that really true? We know Cardinal Pell has said recently that he would apologize. But has he actually done so? The Sydney suburban press doesn’t seem to think so.
When I was gathering undergrad credits in religion to matriculate as a Master’s Degree student, I took four courses in the summer of 1984 at the Rensselaer Program of Church Music and Liturgy. In one, “Rites and Recent Documents,” music students (not just us liturgy geeks) were urged to develop a deep familiarity with the liturgy documents and the rites. Which rites? The ones we used, of course: baptism, marriage, confirmation, pastoral care of the sick, among others. Naturally the Eucharist, too. Not just the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, but also the actual rubrics of the Mass as found in the Sacramentary.
One of the nudges I received on the road to being a parish liturgist was when my Newman Community pastor opted to omit the Sign of Peace one Lent. The result of my protest was to be invited to the Liturgy Committee and from there, to examine the documents of liturgy as part of an effort of ongoing formation of the students.
From the beginning, I was tutored to view music as part of the liturgical whole, to see that what is played and sung in church is an honored part of worship. That part, however, had to work within a larger framework. I also brought a curiosity to my reading of the documentation on Catholic liturgy. It wasn’t enough for me to know what was legislated, but also why. We were working out of the four-hymn sandwich in the late 70′s at Newman. The psalm, gospel acclamation, and Eucharistic acclamations were new for many student musicians. It wasn’t about adding more good music to the Mass. It was about singing the Mass at its essential core: the proclamation of Scripture and the offering of the Eucharistic Prayer. Dialogue Eucharistic Prayers and homilies were out, but there were sound reasons why the voice of the laity shifted from speaking to singing, and from being a part of a “liturgical conversation” to a direct acclamation of Christ in his liturgy.
There are many Catholic music directors who have liturgy piled on their plate, either by crafted design or for clergy convenience. But others see themselves as church musicians only. It should go without saying that anybody with “liturgist” in their title or job description should know the liturgy. Additionally, such musicians shouldn’t take for granted what other musicians tell them. It’s one thing to proof-text SC 116. It’s another to read and digest the whole of Sacrosanctum Concilium and get the basics. It’s one thing to fill in the blanks of the publisher’s music plan Sunday after Sunday. It’s another to read the prayers and rubrics of the Sunday liturgy and deepen one’s familiarity with the interplay of texts and traditions.
An anonymous seminarian commented on a liturgy site a few days ago that he’s convinced the modern Roman Rite is all wrong (or words to that effect). Yet which is more believable: that one rogue protestantish liturgist hoodwinked thousands of bishops into signing off on a caricature of Vatican II reforms (which we probably didn’t need anyway)? Or that perhaps the TLM crowd and possibly the reform2 movement is a fringe effort in the larger picture of Catholic liturgy?
Let’s begin a close examination of Part I of the OCF. This section introduces the part:
50. Part I of the Order of Christian Funerals is divided into three groups of rites that correspond in general to the three principal ritual moments in the funerals of Christians: “Vigil and Related Prayers,” “Funeral Liturgy,” and “Rite of Committal.” The minister, in consultation with those concerned, chooses from within these groups of rites those that best correspond to the particular needs and customs of the mourners. This choice may be assisted by the reflections given in the General Introduction and in the introduction to each rite or group of rites.
Commentary:
“Vigil and Related Rites” we’ll start tomorrow, covering sections 51 through 127.
The funeral liturgy is laid out in 128 through 203.
This reserves 204-233 for the Rite of Committal.
Each rite or group of rites has its own introduction, as described above. As we continue through the rite, these introductions will be carefully examined. As we get to the actual rites, expect the same level of attention for the rubrics. Catholics probably have a greater familiarity with some of the texts for the funeral rites, so I’ll probably focus my attention on little-used options.
Obviously, the planning minister described above, must have a deep familiarity with the possibilities in order to guide an informed consultation with mourners. Remember that two whole parts, III and V are offered to guide the best choice of readings and texts. When appropriate, it might help the mourners understand some of the direction of the rite through a reference to the various introductory sections. A person planning her or his own funeral should certainly consider these before proceeding to the choice of texts and readings.
Pardon my cynicism about the whole notion of a “record contract,” but this is the 21st century. So sure: a record company like Decca can promote the heck out of this music and sell a million units. But the Catholic blogging universe could also get behind this and completely cut out the suits. I’d assume there might be less to be given to charity. But I know there would be a whole lot less for executives. Why so doubtful, you might ask me? I remember this classic article (language advisory) on what your average rock band can expect from signing a contract. St Joseph is a great consultant on spiritual matters, but Steve Albini might have steered them in a different direction.
But what could the Nuns of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de L’Annonciation have done instead? All they would need is a laptop computer, some basic software, and a choral microphone. Record the chants live at liturgy, or in a chapel after a practice session. The whole notion of an album as a unit of music purchase and listening is obsolete. Record a piece of music, and if you want to sell it, make it available online. Even if the sisters here didn’t want to set up a MySpace page, they could have volunteers set up a web site and have it all available for download. For people who insist on listening with cd’s, it’s a relatively easy matter to arrange for those to be produced. Don’t need a record company there, either.
Let’s leave off with a bit of nostalgia from the 60′s, sans guitar:
The OCF contains three other “Parts,” as we read in the last paragraph of the General Introduction. Remember that all of our posts so far have covered this General Introduction, which is to the Funeral Rites what the GIRM is to the Mass.
49. Part III, “Texts of Sacred Scripture,” includes the Scripture readings and psalms for the celebration of the funeral rites. Part IV, “Office for the Dead,” includes “Morning Prayer,” “Evening Prayer,” and “Additional Hymns.” Part V, “Additional Texts,” contains “Prayers and Texts in Particular Circumstances” and “Holy Communion outside Mass.” The texts that appear in the various rites in Parts I, II, and IV may be replaced by corresponding readings and psalms given in Part III and by corresponding prayers and texts given in Part V.
In other words, there are a lot of options to use. I’ll reiterate what I’ve said many times before: options are included in the rites not for the personal preferences of the minister (“Oh, it’s going to be a long day; I think I’ll use the shorter forms of these readings and skip this prayer.”) Options are given for the edification of the faithful. What will console mourners? What will spark their religious imagination to return to church? What will honor the deceased? What suits the culture of the worshipping assembly?
Just to give you the landscape of these parts, III covers readings for adult funerals, and for children baptized and unbaptized. It also has a large selection of psalms with antiphons. It’s a huge chunk of the middle of the OCF book, but only five numbered sections 343-347.
Regarding the Office for the Dead, OCF gives an ample introductory section (348-372) followed by Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and a small section of hymns. That will get us to OCF 396.
OCF 397-410 makes up Part V.
Next up, the introduction to Part I (OCF 50) and then we’ll examine the Vigil and related rites (51-127). That should take about two months, I figure. Still with me on all this?
One of the CNS headlines yesterday featured the conservative Italian publication Panorama poking into Rome’s gay night clubs and the response from the diocese of Rome. The Italian Right is seen as unfriendly to the Church, as the aim of the exposé is judged to “create scandal and defame all priests,” but also “put pressure on that part of the church they have defined as ‘intransigent, which struggles to ignore the reality’ of homosexual priests.”
The diocese is not happy with the party crowd though, noting that the ranks of clergy in Rome are crowded with foreigners:
Priests who are living “a double life,” the statement said, “have not understood what the Catholic priesthood is and should not have become priests” in the first place.
It said such priests should recognize that “no one is forcing them to be priests (as they are) just exploiting the benefits” of the priesthood.
“Consistency demands that they be discovered. We do not wish them ill, but we cannot accept that because of their behavior the honorability of everyone else is dragged through the mud,” it said.
I suppose, though, that it would be harder to comb through all of Rome’s party spots and ferret out heterosexual priests on the prowl. It’s most likely there are a lot more of them out there. If one-tenth to one-fourth of clergy are gay, it would follow that there are four to ten times as many priests sexually active with women.
Do you suppose bishops, who are supposed to be “father figures” to their priests, are really in tune with the sexual struggles of their “sons?” The advantage of waiting till men are in their thirties to send them to seminary might root out the immature. Some of them, anyway. Are some dioceses so desperate for ordination numbers that they might be tempted to accept a few guys who still have some growing up to do?
Let’s also keep in mind that Rome doesn’t necessarily attract liberal clergy for studies. The connection often attempted that liberals are somehow more immoral than conservatives has never been made convincingly. The likelihood is that it’s probably patently false. Immoral people have immoral behaviors. Liberals act in a liberal way. Conservatives in a conservative way.
A Roman Catholic lay person, married (since 1996), with one adopted child (since 2001). I serve in worship and spiritual growth in a midwestern university parish.
about Neil
Neil has been a blogging collaborator for the past several years on Catholic Sensibility. He brings his unique experiences from theology, spirituality, and the ecumenical sphere. Pay special attention to each one of his posts.
This Sunday’s your day, courtesy of the Redemptorists
When I was gathering undergrad credits in religion to matriculate as a Master’s Degree student, I took four courses in the summer of 1984 at the 
