Liturgy Planners
  • How many of you guys use a "liturgy planner" (such as Today's Liturgy, published by OCP) to select music for Mass? I'm talking about a list of pre-selected hymn suggestions (not a self-composed list) from which are selected the songs for the weekend.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Are you asking who consults one or more of these sorts of things, or who uses it exclusively?
    Thanked by 1Gavin
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    I use the Lumen Christi Simple Gradual, published by Illuminare Publications.

    Seriously though, I do consult CanticaNova from time to time (esp. during Summer OT) since I can't remember every hymn, and often there will be a suggestion that I like but didn't think of. We have Adoremus Hymnal, BTW.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,198
    CanticaNova is an excellent resource for liturgy planning.
    Thanked by 2BruceL francis
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Rarely, and if so, only CanticaNova. Even tho' we're OCP out here, I've not followed Elaine's smorgas board for 21 years, and have 21 years of Ordos on a hard drive to reference anyway.
    Thanked by 2hilluminar Gavin
  • Good question, Adam. Would it be possible to ask both? Also, I am grateful that CanticaNova has been suggested, as I had never heard of it before. Thank you for the suggestions, folks!
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    I am not currently in a parish. When I was working at an Episcopal parish, I consulted Oremus (which has suggestions from Protestant hymnals based on the Revised Common lectionary) and a book published by Church Publishing (suggestions only from Episcopal hymnals). About 70% of the time, the Rev. Common Lect. matched up with the Catholic lectionary, so I would then also consult Adoremus and NPM.

    I never considered those lists as the place "from which are selected the songs," I jus used them to help jog my memory and also as a place to find out about songs and hymns I didn't know already.

    Also - even in the absence of the Propers - the readings of the lectionary are only one "input" for what hymns to sing on a particular Sunday.
    Thanked by 2Gavin Steve Collins
  • Our small schola only sings once a month and feasts due to extensive travel, so we mostly use the Graduale Simplex with some Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, and Communios from the Graduale Romanum. However, when necessary, we also use CanticaNova or GIA Quarterly.
  • I have developed a good rotation/repertoire of hymns for all three years and feast days, based on the readings and antiphons, and I keep it on excel sheets. I see no reason to mess with that again...
    All liturgy planners go directly in the trash.

    Planning now consists entirely of choral repertoire. But it is still handy to have all my hymns picked, because I need to have that basic framework of hymnody for the non-choral Masses.
    Thanked by 2JacobFlaherty Gavin
  • I have a big pile of published liturgy planners from years past, all untouched!

    Everywhere I've worked, I've pretty much memorized the hymnal at that parish.

    That, plus in liturgical planning, the most useful thing I've done is I have kept a spreadsheet everywhere I've worked. Each spreadsheet has two tabs I would use every day: liturgy planning and layout, and a list of hymns (with their hymn number, hymn tune, title, when in the Mass they're appropriate, and for what feast days). It doesn't take long to build an incredibly useful database that way.

    If I reference an outside site, I pretty much only bother looking at http://www.canticanova.com/
  • TCJ
    Posts: 988
    I find CanticaNova handy, too. Sometimes I'll glance at the NPM planner thanks to certain requests by the current pastor. I am unfamiliar with much of the newer OCP-esque music that many hymnals have, so the resource is useful to tell me what is what. Of course, I do my best to avoid it, but sometimes it's something I can't run away from. Yet!
  • donr
    Posts: 971
    I currently only use Canticanova and NPM to pick music when I am at a loss for what to choose. We are an OCP church and I do get their guide but I haven't even looked at it for the past few seasons.
    I also use ChoralWiki - cpdl.org to assist me in choosing choral pieces during certain times of the year and the Catholic Choir Book. Recently I have been reviewing the Lumin Christi Hymnal and I always use the readings at Mass and the Propers to help me select the hymns I will be doing.