Veni Creator in EF MAss
  • fcbfcb
    Posts: 331
    I am not a regular EF Mass attender, so maybe I've just missed this, but today we took our parish's RCIA to the local EF Mass so as to expose them to this part of our tradition, and after the Gospel reading, before the sermon, everyone knelt while the schola sang the Veni Creator Spiritus, after which the priest rose and mounted the pulpit for the sermon. This is not something I have seen or heard of before, and I'm wondering if such an addition is even allowable in the EF. Other than that, everything seemed pretty much by the book. Is this a custom that I've just missed?
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    This is actually a very old custom: it has the effect of basically a Conductus but also a preparation for a sermon -- this custom was still observed in Poland after the Council until the 1980's, and I think it might still be observed in some places. Actually, we have done it at my parish at Solemn Masses (OF) when we have had a deacon (or concelebrant) read the Gospel, and the Celebrant (or another priest) preach; but we only use the First verse.
    Thanked by 3CCooze CHGiffen Ralph Bednarz
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,159
    I've never seen it either, but it's mentioned in the notes here as permitted by the Sacred Congregation at High Mass, since 1896.
    Thanked by 2CCooze CHGiffen
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    They do this in Switzerland at the FSSP Masses, but they sing it in German. I annoy them by sitting down instead.

    I believe that those pieces in the Analecta Hymnica and 'The Liturgical Year, Gueranger' titled Prose were also written to be sung after the Gospel and before the Sermon.

    As for the Rubrics, what really prevents you from singing something as part of the Sermon, the priest has taken off the maniple and in some places the chasuble, and this could be described as not being part of the Mass.
  • David Sullivan
    Posts: 355
    fcb, what a great idea, taking your RCIA group to the traditional Mass!

    Until very recently, I sang in a schola that did just what you're talking about. Apparently it was a parish custom in the old days. Similar to what Andrew Malton said, I remember reading something connected with Tra le solicitudine that permitted this custom.
  • JL
    Posts: 171
    I just stumbled across a collection of anthems and whatnot by Benjamin Carr (no date, but the man died in 1831), which labels the Veni Creator as "HYMN for WHITSUNDAY and usually Sung before the Sermon." It appears that this practice had some traction in bits of the U.S. for some time.

    The link is here:
    http://imslp.org/wiki/Sacred_Harmony_(Carr,_Benjamin)
    Thanked by 2JonathanKK CHGiffen
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