Monday, October 22nd, 2012
Daily Archive
22 October 2012
James Frazier has completed a five-part review for PrayTell of three new publications: the Vatican II Hymnal, the Adoremus Hymnal, and the St Michael Hymnal.
Some disclaimers: I’ve commented liberally on the PT threads in question. I have no intention of blowing up ninety percent of my parish’s musical repertoire, so I’m not a potential buyer of any publication that eliminates all texts and many tunes from the past half century. Except for viewing the online pages offered by these publishers I have not seen the books in question.
That said, I have read about some aspects of these books in the reviews. If true, they would be a serious concern:
At least one composer acknowledges his submissions are not ackowledged in print because of an “oversight.” Is he alone?
One defender of the V2H offers the ecclesiastical approval of Mass settings and the hymnal as a whole. But this is not a license to infringe on copyrights.
Another commenter online lamented that the Church’s liturgy is copyrighted, and that this doesn’t seem right. Well, the NAB is too. Which is probably why archaic English texts of the propers were given on one sample page I viewed. There are approved translations for these antiphons. Even if they are sung in Latin, should they be translated “accurately”? And more importantly, translated texts of the Church’s liturgy are, like it or not, copyrighted. In English, by ICEL.
These notices of source material belong in print–somewhere in the book. I’ve been asking people all day: are they included or not?
22 October 2012
With thissection we move from the topic of who is the target of evangelization and delve into the persons who possess the mission of doing it.
59. If people proclaim in the world the Gospel of salvation, they do so by the command of, in the name of and with the grace of Christ the Savior. “They will never have a preacher unless one is sent,”[Rom 10:15] wrote he who was without doubt one of the greatest evangelizers. No one can do it without having been sent.
But who then has the mission of evangelizing?
The Second Vatican Council gave a clear reply to this question: it is upon the Church that “there rests, by divine mandate, the duty of going out into the whole world and preaching the gospel to every creature.”[Dignitatis Humanae 13; Lumen Gentium 5; Ad Gentes 1] And in another text: “…the whole Church is missionary, and the work of evangelization is a basic duty of the People of God.”[Ad Gentes 35]
We have already mentioned this intimate connection between the Church and evangelization. While the Church is proclaiming the kingdom of God and building it up, she is establishing herself in the midst of the world as the sign and instrument of this kingdom which is and which is to come. The Council repeats the following expression of St. Augustine on the missionary activity of the Twelve: “They preached the word of truth and brought forth Churches.”[Saint Augustine, Enarratio in Ps 44:23: CCL XXXVIII, p. 510; cf Ad Gentes 1]
In a word, everybody. In EN 60, we will read that this is not an individual mandate. It operates with an intimate connection to the Church as a whole. And from there, we will look at the responsibility of “Churches,” of their continuing apostolic task to spread the Gospel everywhere.
But for now, it is sufficient to say that the Vatican II tradition (as stated in Ad Gentes 35) is that the entire People of God are responsible. As we’ve already read, individuals, by their life’s witness. But also their support of the particular charisms that engage new believers. I would think that would include cultivating their own gifts, as well as helping advance the gifts of others.
22 October 2012
The ambry is the place for the three sacred oils.
§ 117 § The consecrated oil of chrism for initiation, ordination, and the dedication of churches, as well as the blessed oils of the sick and of catechumens, are traditionally housed in a special place called an ambry or repository.(Book of Blessings 1125) These oils consecrated or blessed by the bishop at the Mass of Chrism deserve the special care of the community to which they have been entrusted.(canon law 847 § 2) The style of the ambry may take different forms. A parish church might choose a simple, dignified, and secure niche in the baptistry or in the wall of the sanctuary or a small case for the oils. Cathedrals responsible for the care of a larger supply of the oils need a larger ambry. Since bright light or high temperatures can hasten spoilage, parishes will want to choose a location that helps to preserve the freshness of the oil.
Three qualities: simple, dignified, and secure. What about your parish: is it near the font? Or placed in the sanctuary? Either solution is fine. In my parish it is placed between (somewhat) the altar and font on the edge of the narthex and nave, and so available for various sacraments with convenience.
All texts from Built of Living Stones are copyright © 2000, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
