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Sunday 12 August 2007

My liturgy planning would not please

I often read very heated threads about hymn and other musical choices around St Blog's parish, it is a topic that elicits very strong opinions.
I imagine much of my programming would bring out the long knives of people with whom I am most in sympathy, strangely enough.
For starters, hymns as the norm are something I do not have the power to change at my parish.
I was allowed to do the Proper Introit and psalm verses, in English, to a simple psalm tone for Advent, and a similar arrangement, for the choir Masses only, for Lent.
But this is very much the exception, TPTB want hymns and contemporary sacro-pop songs, and the people have been led to expect them, such that next week when there is a Celebration series "psalm" that is a good fit for the communion proper, some people will be confused, and some will balk at singing it.
There are a few exceptions to this, (the Becker Litany of the Nice People which takes the place of the selected entrance hymn at the last 1/3 of the Rite of Baptism, Baptisms taking precedence even over Christ the King, not just Ordinary Sundays.)

But beyond that, beyond the mere fact of hymns, there is the choice.
For instance, the Recessional is not a part of Mass, and so I feel greater a liturgical freedom in programming it.
I know the "Patriotic-Songs-At-Mass" controversy rages every time a national holiday approaches.
Yeah, Eternal Father Strong to Save,(MELITA,) or God of Our Fathers (NATIONAL HYMN) would be a good choice, but NEITHER IS IN OUR HYMNAL, NEITHER IS IN OUR REPERTOIRE.
And America the Beautiful is hardly a jingoistic, ain't we grand love song to ourselves, it is a prayer that the Almighty make our country better, make US better, make our inner beauty as a people match the physical beauty with which He has graced our land.
I have no problem using it on holiday weekends, if they occur in Ordinary time.

And in keeping with the idea that the Recessional is not part of the Mass, and therefore the song text may just as suitably look forward to the coming week, the next Holy day, whatever, I closed this weekend's Masses with Hail Holy Queen. (Which the PIPs sang, as I noted on another blog, as if it were their school fight song.)

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