If it were me, and I had someone else else who could do it, I wouldn't ask her. She's got 3 sacraments to receive in one evening. That's a full plate IMHO.

I would let her pray and have someone else do it [i.e., the singing].

So singing really isn't praying twice after all? Today we learn the truth that what Saint Augustine supposedly wrote was just hyperbole? And, to add further insult, in reality singing is not even praying once?

So why does anyone sing? Shouldn't we leave all the singing in our churches to paid nonbelievers (certainly they wouldn't do it for free) so that believers can pray?

canadash, what you and Kathy wrote makes sense. What Ben wrote does not.

This reminds me of the rule some pastors follow: that differing roles in the liturgy should be exercised by different people, if possible. I don't usually think of "catechumen preparing for baptism" as a liturgical role, but in the Vigil liturgy perhaps it could be considered that way.

I thought of Ben's note as saying the same thing in another way: that the lady could devote her attention to the role which, for her, is most important on that day.

Ben is right. There is praying and praying, and she should be doing the one, not the other.

And she shouldn't dabble in Buddhism, but that is another story.

To answer the original question: I would say no for her to do the Litany from a simple and practical perspective. Her main "role" especially at that time is that of receiving the Sacraments of Initiation, and it would look unwieldy having her do the Litany from the loft and then run down to the font to be baptized. This is not intended to be insulting in any way, shape, or form; I'm just envisioning it from a "nuts-and-bolts" perspective.

I don't know if you've finalized your music, but one thing I could envision that I think could be meaningful and powerful would be something like this: the choir sings the proper Communio, during which she and the rest of the newly-baptized receive their first Communion. Then perhaps she could be a cantor on a hymn such as "I Received the Living God," at least intoning the refrain and having the choir and congregation repeat it. Forgive me if that sounds too complicated or feelings-driven or whatever, but off the top of my head I think that could be a great way to use her while enhancing what she and her fellow neophytes have just experienced: the "climax of Initiation and the center of the whole of Christian life" (Roman Missal, Easter Vigil, no. 64).

My sincere congratulations to her and all those being baptized, and I hope my two cents makes any sense!

Yes, we are well-versed in parcing stuff ad nauseum. But this is a personal issue and strategy to be devised by canadash and his singer. I don't "get" the impulse to offer opinions, digressions and form cliques among us to the point of ignoring whatever advice the OP seeks. It's almost like every time someone seeks simple advice, we don blindfolds and then start arguing over what the elephant's physique must be. Yeesh.

And she shouldn't dabble in Buddhism, but that is another story.

Would you prefer, Sikh and ye shall not mind? ;-)

I would see how she feels about it--if she doesn't feel like it will be putting too much on her plate all at once, then she will be fine. If she's an experienced singer, singing the litany might not be much pressure for her at all.

I think all of us have at come point felt a tension between being a liturgical musician and being a worshipper, a sense of "not being in the moment" because we're thinking about the next thing coming up.

That's a really good point, and something that isn't acknowledged very often. Sometimes I feel guilty because I'm so busy during Mass, even though I know that I'm doing my best to provide the music and I'm not just letting my mind wander.

Not my problem, man. Work it out among yourselves. LOL.

I think all of us have at come point felt a tension between being a liturgical musician and being a worshipper, a sense of "not being in the moment" because we're thinking about the next thing coming up. We know our job, we take it on willingly, and yes, it is prayer. But it would be a great gift to just allow her to receive.

That's exactly what I was getting at.

I haven't asked her yet. Of course, if I had, and she declined, I would have respected her decision. I wanted your opinions before I asked her because you may have had this experience. At first I thought I wanted her to sing it, for obvious reasons, but then I had second thoughts for the reasons mentioned above. I'm beginning to view this as one would consider a wedding. The couple doesn't sing at their own wedding (usually). I certainly did not want to sing at mine! It was a day to fully embrace the sacrament and perhaps this is the same type of circumstance.

I would just let her be and not mention it to her. The prayers will be special enough if she participates in them from her place in the pews in her role as a new confirmand. This is a change from my original feelings, which were to offer and allow her to decide. But I now think too much ado is being made over something which she shouldn't, under the circumstances, be involved in and could only be a distraction for her and everyone else. This is the prayerful ministry of another seasoned cantor who can be focused totally on the prayers.

However, you get an A+ for thoughtfulness!