I used SEP during Lent and nobody complained "too much". My excuse at the time was that it was Lent and I wanted to change the approach to music during this time. I continued after Easter for the Communio, but added hymns to appease. And all of this is coming off a director who for years and years insisted on P&W music, along with guitars, drums and tambourines. It's been very rough, but can be done. Good luck.

That's almost exactly what my situation is. I'm not sure what their issues are but I'll find out tonight.
I think they are also afraid of Latin. I used all of the Introits from the Graduale Simplex for Lent and, about halfway through the season, taught them before Mass and made sure the translation was there for them. Then, for Good Friday, I chanted the Improperia directly from the Graduale Romanum with the traditional Latin/Greek text. Both the foreign language and the English translations were printed side-by-side for the congregation, but I made it clear that it was not necessary that the congregation sing EVERYTHING. I expect some of the backlash will be coming from that as well.

Once again, "full, conscious, and active participation" being taken to the extreme....

Will keep all in prayer.

The Parish Council is not the place for you to do anything. Parish Council advises priest, priest is responsible for you and what you do.

Priest should be handling this.

It's like a school board calling in a first grade teacher for her/him to justify the curriculum that they are using...the principal approves the curriculum - that's what the school board pays her for. Any self-respecting school principal would shout these people down real fast. They do not have the education to understand what should be taught, nor do they understand the state laws that the principal must abide by, nor do they evaluate your teaching in the classroom on a regular basis.

They PAY the principal to do this for them.

Where the hell is your priest?

Please don't change the "package" wholly on a dime. Demonstrate discretion by condeding that propers can be rendered in English via a number of options. If you're already able to chant appropriately from the GS, then throw the folks a bone alternatively with a Bruce or Paul Ford or an Adam Bartlett. Let them know you're aware of their cognitive abilities. The medium, chant, will signal all that you need to convey that progressive solemnity is in the house. You seem politically savvy, but chart each new benchmark with irrefutable strategy and rationale.

Please don't change the "package" wholly on a dime. Demonstrate discretion by condeding that propers can be rendered in English via a number of options. If you're already able to chant appropriately from the GS, then throw the folks a bone alternatively with a Bruce or Paul Ford or an Adam Bartlett. Let them know you're aware of their cognitive abilities. The medium, chant, will signal all that you need to convey that progressive solemnity is in the house. You seem politically savvy, but chart each new benchmark with irrefutable strategy and rationale.

A wonderful point, and I love that you phrased it as a request! I'm assuming that was as someone who shares the same goals as I that doesn't want to see progress destroyed by overwhelming a congregation by changing everything "on a dime."

In that way, I should probably be a bit more specific. Our regular Masses are the typical "four hymn sandwich" mediocrity, although I DO try to plan the hymns around the Propers of the Mass first. (I was surprised to find that, for this week, Joncas has a tolerable composition for the 'God Is Love' option at communion.) For Lent, the Entrance was always the Latin Introit from the Simplex. (The third week of Lent is quite easy and short: "Oculi mei..." so I began teaching them to the congregation. Response was overwhelming so I continued to do it even for the more difficult antiphons right through Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord.) The Offertory was one of two English chants: Attende Domine or Parce Domine for which the congregation was only invited to sing the English antiphon. For communion, I chose three of the Simple English Propers from Lent so they would hear each of them twice. Then the recessional was a standard Lenten hymn a la "Lord Who Throughout These Forty Days" or "The Glory of These Forty Days," etc. So, rather than taking the propers directly from the Simplex, I already HAVE tried to accommodate the "culture shock" of using chant by incorporating simpler settings. Just so you don't think I came in and tried to force Latin down everyone's throats for all the propers every week! :)

Where the hell is your priest?

Again, I should rephrase. I was more invited to attend the Parish Council meeting. I noticed in the minutes that the "amount of Latin chant at some liturgies" was called into question which was outrageous as almost everything was in English. On Good Friday, however, I did switch to the Latin antiphon of Parce Domine for the collection and chanted the Improperia directly from the Romanum which I suspect raised some concern, even though the translation was side-by-side in the worship aid. (As an aside, it was SO gratifying to actually sing Hagios o Theos... etc.)

To answer your question, though, my pastor is very non-confrontational. So, I was actually surprised to find that he "went to bat" for me at the meeting last night, adding to the discussion regarding theological flaws in contemporary music. He has a Doctorate in Theology so having him back up my words was not only helpful for me, but reaffirmed my own knowledge on the topic in the view of the PPC.

That being said, I do understand that it was not entirely necessary (or appropriate) for the PPC to call this into question and then expect me to attend a meeting to discuss it; however, I will say that I am sure I presented my thoughts and goals in a more succinct and professional way than the Pastor would have. Had he presented on my behalf, I am sure it would have lead to a lot of bad feelings about the chant and paving the way for some significant difficulty down the road.

I don't work for the parish council, the liturgy committee, or the business manager. I work for the pastor, and that has been clear from the beginning. Sometimes it is good to remind others of that, but it is the best arrangement.

AMEN! Wonderfully put.

Again, thank you all! I can't express the value of having a community of people that seems to share a common goal to help keep me motivated to continue plowing through mediocrity to find real quality within the Liturgy. Thankfully, in addition to all I am doing, our Archdiocesan Director of Divine Worship (who happens to be a priest and regularly runs workshops on chant) is coming to host a "staff day" at our parish to discuss Diocesan practices and sacred music in general.

Agree 100%^^^^

I think people like the confidence and smile more than what is actually spoken. Relativism has contributed heavily to this error.

I believe that we would make GREAT strides in liturgical practice if we got to the point that all parishes used the propers, in some way, shape or form.

@PaixGioiaAmor, I agree wholeheartedly! It seems that idea is what Msgr. Wadsworth was referring to when he said, "I am convinced that a variety of musical styles could easily be admitted in the realization of this important principle" (i.e. singing the proper texts).

I think the idea is that the universal Church can have greater unity by singing the proper texts! When you ponder those texts throughout the day, they really are quite profound.

The full quotation and the Chant Café link to Msgr. Wadsworth's entire speech is found at
this thread.

said he wants to purchase the GIRM and read it.

Tell the guy to point his browser at the Vatican website and read it for FREE.
More than one hundred years of documents available 24x365.

And you could point him to this ...
Liturgical Music Document Literacy Challenge

PGA, I presume you're referring to the Macek/Tate compilations. And yes, if properly (sorry) catechized, Life Teen youth bands would find these settings as worthy to replace staples of convenience, if they choose wisely. However, GIA.....NPM.....CMAA and all us local yokels will have to still do our homework to continue to discern the best vehicle for transmission of the proper texts within the liturgy. One of the things we must wrestle with and overcome, disabling descriptions such as "contemporary" or "modern music." Adam B, Adam W, Aristotle E, Kathy P, AOZ, Richard R, Kevin A, et al are still breathing and are not at room temperature to my knowledge, so their output is also "contemporary" and "modern." So, I think we should be very descriptive. If Kathy sets a text to CM, we should refer to strophic hymnody it that works. If Richard's Simple Choral Communio requires a "handle," say irrhythmic harmony in an orthodox or provincial French style, versus the neo-motets of his Choral Communio settings. And so forth.
Ken and Paul's settings aren't easily typified. I would, gun to the head, say they represent the American 20c ensemble/combo of a singable melody layered by tonal and or modal harmonic constructs dependent upon piano or guitar. Let's call that SacroSong.