Bishop Hurley gives permission to introduce new acclamation music early

Mass of Resurrection by Randall DeBruyn selected as Diocesan liturgy Mass setting

In a letter dated July 7, 2011, Bishop Hurley writes:

     As you know, the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, marks the beginning of our usage of the new English Translation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. This is a wonderful opportunity to grow in our awareness of the texts we pray and foster liturgical renewal through the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
     Because many of the Mass parts that are normally sung by the congregation have changed, composers have been busy writing new musical settings or revising existing Mass settings to accompany the revised texts.
     To ease the transition to these new texts, parishes may begin to teach and gradually introduce the musical settings of the people’s parts of the Mass beginning the first Sunday of September—as recommended by the USCCB’s Committee on Divine Worship. This affects the Gloria, the Holy, Holy, Holy and the Memorial Acclamation. When these texts are recited, the current translation must be used until November 27.
     Of course, parishes are also free to use new compositions for the parts of the Mass that will not change, such as the Kyrie Eleison and the Lamb of God. Introducing the new music early will be helpful so that when the full Missal is implemented, on the First Sunday of Advent, parishioners will already be familiar with the prayers that are sung.
     Local pastoral musicians have had opportunities to sing through many of the new settings as well as the chant found in the upcoming Missal. The Mass of Resurrection by Randall DeBruyn (Oregon Catholic Press) has been selected as the setting to be used for all diocesan liturgies at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. I encourage each parish to learn this setting (along with any other settings you may wish to use) as a way for us to pray together at diocesan liturgies. The Mass of Resurrection is available through Oregon Catholic Press and an audio link will be provided on the diocesan website under the Roman Missal III resource tab.
     While parishes will inevitably learn various musical settings that reflect their local style, having one common Mass in our repertoire throughout the diocese will create a sense of unity and enable those who come to the Cathedral for diocesan liturgies to feel at home.
     Thank you for all you do to enhance the church’s liturgy and foster the unity exemplified by the Eucharist.
 
Most Reverend Walter A. Hurley
Bishop of Grand Rapids

Reprinted from the "With Zeal and Patience" newsletter:

Dennis Rybicki, Diocesan Director of Liturgical Music, said the Mass of Resurrection was chosen because it is very singable and offers many options for parishes, depending on the availability of musicians and instruments. "There are great choir parts, but you can also do it with a cantor," he said. "It's very accessible to parishes whether they are using organ, piano, or guitar. It also has brass parts, which is important for Confirmation, the Chrism Mass and ordinations at the Cathedral."

The sung acclamations that are affected by the new translation of the Roman Missal are the Gloria, the Holy, and the Memorial Acclamations. Although the Eucharist can be licitly celebrated with these parts recited, church documents strongly encourage that they be sung at every Mass — even at daily Mass and with small congregations. "Ideally, the people should know the acclamations by heart and should be able to sing them readily, even without accompaniment," states Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship, the 2007 Document by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. If the texts are recited at Mass, the current translation from the Sacramentary must be used until Nov. 27, 2011.

The Mass of Resurrection was among a number of compositions that were reviewed at reading sessions at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew to acquaint musicians with the new music. Other popular Mass settings were Mass of Christ the Savior by Dan Schutte (OCP) and several compositions offered by World Library Publications.

Rybicki did observe that the Gloria might be a challenge to some parishes. The Mass of Resurrection Gloria is "through-composed," meaning there is no refrain.

"Many of the newer Mass settings are in this through composed style," Rybicki said. "The advantage is that the Gloria is about two minutes shorter which really helps the Opening Rite of the liturgy feel lighter and more balanced. Once parishes adapt to this style of singing the Gloria hymn without repeated refrains, I believe, they will really come to like it."