Randolph Nichols offered a very insightful comment a few days ago on the printed order of service:
(It) complements the hymn board. Unfortunately, at least here in the Northeast, most parishes don’t follow that route unless there is a tradition of exceptional care taken with music. People don’t seem to realize what a wonderful educational tool the printed program can be. For example, knowing the title and composer of music that leaves a positive impression helps to clarify what has been missing and what should be striven for.
What do you think? Worth a weekly printing? Too wasteful? Would it enable you to do away with hymnal expenses? Is this kind of information really helpful?
If the parish can find someone to underwrite the cost – ask; you might be surprised who will happily do it – I strongly support printed programs.
Since it is rare that one hymnal suffices to have good music in all respects (the combination of solid service music, psalter and hymnody, that is), these are a better option than settling for what the hymnal has. You can thus include a great deal of superior public domain music that is often omitted from hymnals because it is not remunerative for publishers to include too much that is not their own property. A program can also supply anthem texts and translations therefor (you could even have a monthly/bimonthly compendium of such texts), thus helping to expand the music ministry while being hospitable.
My parish does it for all 3 weekend masses, each one of which has different music.
How pricey can this be? It is one of those “costs of doing business” as it were.
PS, I should also have mentioned that our music program budget (exclusive of salary and benefits for the D of M) is $32,000. I guess it really comes down to a matter of priority.
We want and have an top-rate musical program in our parish of 400 souls (not families).
I am always worried about all the waste of resources (time, paper, printing, etc…)
I am really leaning toward flat panel monitors to “announce” the hymns. peace to all