This meeting was particularly lively, centering around a discussion of what form of Mass was to be televised on November 24. As to the form of a Solemn High Mass, Father Daniel wondered if we were being insincere by deviating from our plan of having a solemnized Low Mass on this Sunday for the benefit of our students and if we weren’t staging something of a show instead. Father Aelred thought that a Solemn High Mass stresses secondary elements such as incense too much; he proposed having a missa cantata. Father Wenceslaus objected on the grounds that if we as an Abbey were committed to the liturgical movement—a notion held by many people, including dignitaries such as Cardinal McIntyre, as Xavier Rynne’s book brings out—then we were certainly committed to a concern so essential to the liturgical movement as the restoration of the vernacular. Hence he favored having a solemnized Low Mass. Some members of the committee expressed the fear that some people viewing a televised solemnized Low Mass would be confused or disappointed at not having a Solemn High Mass. Father Daniel replied that this would be a wonderful occasion to carry out our apostolate to the liturgical movement by suggesting to Father Abbot that he preach on why we are having a solemnized Low Mass, the basic reason being that it allows our students greater participation in the Mass.

Father John opened this meeting of the committee by stating that the Abbot had received reports to the effect that the Bishop seemed puzzled or displeased with some of our Sunday liturgy. Father Michael remarked that we should not act on these reports until we had a more exact account of what the Bishop had said. Father Daniel inquired if Father Abbot had spoken to the Bishop yet on the topic of our Sunday liturgy, and Father John thought that he hadn’t. The committee agreed with the sentiment expressed by Father Aelred, namely that we have done nothing at St. John’s that is not allowed.

Father Daniel wondered why we had had so many Solemn High Masses during the week. After some discussion of this topic the committee agreed in suggesting that we confine our solemnization of the liturgy on weekday mornings, when Mass is celebrated at 5:45, to the form of missa cantata. Any further solemnization of the Mass at this hour seems psychologically impractical and therefore not meaningful. Further, the form of the missa cantata would permit the reading of the Epistle simultaneously in English, while the Gospel could be read in English after the priest had sung it.

Father Gerard suggested that the Advent Masses be sung because the texts are so meaningful. To this Father Aelred replied that the meaningfulness of the texts was all the more reason for having them in the vernacular. Father Gerard then stated that there would be as much participation at a sung Mass as at the solemnized Low Mass. And it would be direct participation. Further, English hymns could be sung at the beginning and end of the Mass. To Father Gerard’s thought that the singing of English hymns at the beginning of Mass in conjunction with a sung Latin Mass would serve as a good preparation for the sung Mass in English, Father Aelred expressed his disagreement on the grounds that a sung Mass in English will be in English and not in Chant. Father Michael and Daniel expressed the opinion shared by other members of the committee that the solemnized Low Mass is closer in spirit to the future sung Mass in English than the sung Latin High Mass is

Next the committee discussed Father Aelred’s PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE FORMAT OF THE SOLEMNIZED LOW MASS. To the first proposal the committee agreed that a student should read the Gradual after he finishes the Epistle and should structure the reading in such a way that it is clear that it is the Gradual he’s reading. For instance, a distinct pause should be made between the two texts, but not too long.

A suitable hymn in English could be used here for the offertory chant. Fr. Adam said that there were a lot of such hymns in “Our Parish Prays and Sings.”

At this point Father Godfrey spoke about the possibility of using syllabic or quasi-syllabic Chant melodies for vernacular texts. Experimentation is necessary to prepare for the English High Mass of the future. St. John’s is particularly qualified for such experimentation. Some examples of this experimentation would be to have the entire congregation sing simple Antiphons, alternating with a choir singing Psalm verses.

Father Abbot mentioned that it seemed that fewer students were attending the community Mass on Sunday and that Father Walter has expressed the observation that the students at the back of the church were not singing during the solemnized Low Mass. Father Finian thought that the number of students attending Sunday community Mass was about the same, and that those at the back of the church were the type that want to see the Mass celebrated swiftly and not the type that participate.

Because of the objective norms involved, Father Michael thought that a nose-count of students who disliked or liked the solemnized Low Mass would be of little value. Fr. Adam said that the clerics almost unanimously preferred the solemnized Low Mass. Father Wenceslaus was of the opinion that the principle of active participation that underlies the solemnized Low Mass will eventually and necessarily be appreciated by the students,...

At this point Father Godfrey made the following observations: We have a moral right to the vernacular, that is, to pray in the same language in which we think.... We are a community of priests, clerics, and brothers; we should pray together, and therefore as a community we would have the moral right to pray in the vernacular.